Meet Joy Woodson | Momprenuer and Communications Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joy Woodson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joy, how has your work-life balance changed over time?

I think a lot about this now that I am a new mom. I mean, I’ve always thought about it, but it seems more crucial now, and that’s mostly because there’s never enough time in the day for all the hats I wear. Some days things just don’t get done, and I’m good with that.

I’ve always been the type of person to do 50 million things at the same time. It’s how I’m wired. Even in my 30s when I stopped hanging out til 3 and 4 in the morning, I decided to get two master’s degrees, including an MBA. And I joined boards of directors, and I volunteered everywhere, and I was reporter always on a deadline.

It was hard to relax. So I tried to do things like yoga, or I’d go on wellness retreats. But I had to force myself to take the time off, so I don’t know if you call that work-life balance. Now that my daughter is here (she’s 8 months old), I take off a lot more. I resigned from every board I was on. And, I stopped volunteering everywhere under the sun.

I do a few things, including leading Piece Love Soul, a puzzle company amplifying the work of women of color artists. But I’m a mom first. I don’t feel the need to find extra things to do. We lead a pretty chill life, and most days something doesn’t get done. That’s not the end of the world

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My undergrad degree is in journalism, and once a journalist always a journalist. I did that as a career for a long time until I got tired of moving from city to city and chasing news stories. I didn’t think it would work for me and being a parent one day.

I loved being a reporter; it was an exciting job. I’ve talked to people on the worst days of their lives and on the best day, and I’ve been honored to be a part of so many lives. I didn’t set out to win awards in journalism, but I did early on. At one of my first jobs, I won the state professional journalist award for in-depth reporting. It still remains one of my proudest career achievements.

After being a reporter and editor, I moved on to marketing and communications, as so many do. Layoffs caught me like they did many others, and I had to find something else I wanted to do. When you’ve already had your dream career, nothing seems to be able top that. So I went back to school to study nonprofit work. That was my other dream — to work in a nonprofit or in education.

And for a minute, it seemed like it would work. I landed a job at a nonprofit as a communications director, but that job was a DISASTER. I was never a great fit for that office.

It was the worse job I ever had, and I wondered if I would ever work in education or nonprofits again. I was so turned off by my experience. Fast forward a few years, I’ve now been working in education for 8 years as a communications professional. Then I decided to get an MBA and start a side business, too. (That’s Piece Love Soul, and we just launched this year with five puzzles.)

It hasn’t been easy, but I feel like my innate abilities made me well-suited to be a reporter, a communications professional and an entrepreneur. I just do me, and it seems to work. Am I trying to be a millionaire one day? I’ve never cared about money enough for that to matter. I just want to be comfortable in life, and right now, I am.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is one of those things that doesn’t fancy me much. I’m not the type to care about the latest and greatest. I like being home, I like going on hikes, I like adventures, but I do not enjoy being in the “scene.” My anxiety won’t let me do those things with ease. Interestingly enough, I do like sporting events, and concerts that aren’t in big mega complexes. So if I had a friend coming into town, they’d know the deal. We will do something outdoorsy, maybe take in a hike and yoga. Maybe go to a soccer game and out to lunch. That’s it. Easy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family has been a big help. As you can imagine, starting new business while still holding a 9-5 while being a new mom is a lot. I’m thankful for their help and advice. I’ve also gotten invaluable advice from new and old friends who also work in my same field or who also are new parents.

Website: piecelovesoul.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piecelovesoul/