Hi! I am Joy. That is a powerful statement, right? I mean it. I literally am Joy – in all that I do, all I endeavor and all I share with the world. It also happens to be my name, Joy Ragan. My passion in life is to share my joy. I believe we were intended to live everyday with joy. I believe everything we do should facilitate our happiness. I also believe we were each given experiences to share, so that others may gain wisdom, encouragement, and insight into their own journey. This platform is my endeavor to do just that – share our experiences with joy.
A little more about my life experiences – I have been a practicing attorney since 2002. Most of my work focuses on Family Law and Criminal Defense. I am a recovering overachiever. I believed for much of my life that happiness could be found in accomplishments, accolades and experiences. In 2010 I separated from my Husband and my whole world crumbled around me. We have two beautiful boys and I was terrified for their future. As I sifted through the ruble of my marriage, I acknowledged my history of abuse. Eventually I divorced and re-built my life from the ashes of my former self. My new foundation is very much Faith centered. I am living my happy every after. I share this journey in my first book Divorce with Joy – A Divorce Attorney’s Guide to Happy Ever After.
The journey continues! The world of dating, navigating life as a single mom, exploring our faith, balancing our work as entrepreneurs – all of this after divorce in my mid-30s is a whole new experience. I find our dating lives and relationships are a precise, sometimes ruthless look into our lingering dysfunction. Sometimes we desperately need to update our fairytales.
I am also on a journey with optimal health. As a sexual abuse survivor, my relationship with food has always been dysfunctional. I have been on a cycle of dieting and self-abuse surrounding my weight since I was 5. As I walk into happiness with my health, I am excited to share my experiences. And voila! All of these combine to create this new platform– Everyday with Joy.
My utmost desire is to spread the good word. You can be happy, not as a destination for the future, but right now. It doesn’t matter where you’ve traveled. You may feel helpless, hopeless, sad and discouraged. I have been to the depths of this darkness. That is not the end of our story. Come share with us the journey to living Everyday with Joy.