My Journey to Defining Joy

I was very honored to be asked to join the writers group here at God-sized Dreams as well as excited for the opportunity to share with you the incredible journey God has led me on over the last several years of pursuing my God-sized dream. My goal is to encourage you and help you to see that

Ephesians 3:20- Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

My story began in 2014 with a huge blessing, an opportunity to travel for work to the country of New Zealand. I was extremely excited as this had been #1 on my dream board ever since I was a little girl. I had the opportunity to spend a few extra days exploring the area and decided this would be a perfect chance for my “Trip Alone.”

I had read years ago that once in your life you should take a trip by yourself slowing down, thinking and praying over what God has in store for your life. As I prepared for this trip I prayed that God would show me what His plan was for the next chapter of my journey and He sure did in a big way!

I had always been a huge fan of Holley Gerth’s books as her words always seemed to speak to me at the times in my life when I needed to hear them most. During this trip, I came across a blog post from Holley and as I read it I noticed a small box at the bottom that read “Would you like to see Holley Live?” As I clicked on the link it led me to a women’s retreat called Winsome in PA.

I remember thinking this all looked amazing but now was not the time as I was busy with my career traveling 90% of the time. I closed my laptop but for the next 3 days,

and should attend the retreat that upcoming March. I booked my ticket not knowing what God had in store for me but knew I was meant to be there!

Holley Gerth was the Keynote along with so many other incredible speakers. Holley spoke on the topic of opening your heart to your God-sized dream. I remember leaving the session knowing that my life and career was about to be turned upside down. I remember hearing God say ” I have a different audience in mind for you.” I had spent the last 13 years doing work I loved as a Speaker, Trainer & Coach in the corporate world but I so desperately wanted to make a greater impact in the lives of women!

Over the course of that weekend, I prayed that God would open doors for me over the next year to pursue this dream. I realized quickly that God was not going to wait long to get things going, towards the end of the retreat, I met an incredible woman named Kim Hyland the Founder of Winsome Retreat. During a conversation, she expressed how much she loved hosting the retreat but spoke of common struggles most women face in leadership roles. I instantly felt God saying “offer to help!”

That September I flew back up to PA and started the process of coaching this amazing group of women.  God has opened up so many other doors this year to coach and work with other wonderful women.

In 2015 I left my corporate position and launched my own coaching company called Defining Your Joy LLC. We work with women all over the world helping them through the process of discovering and launching their God-sized Dreams. We are a team of Women with skill sets including Legal, Accounting, Marketing, Sales, Grant Writing & Nonprofits and so much more. We come alongside these women to help provide education and motivation along their journey.

My Journey has not been easy and has truly pushed me to grow!

In May God opened up the most amazing doors yet! I was asked to join a team of women that speak and teach on behalf of a volunteer organization called Wellspring Living in Atlanta, GA. They work to help rescue girls some as young as 9 years old that have recently been saved from situations of trafficking. Through my God-sized journey, I am currently able to spend a few hours each week teaching these girls a course on what it means to live a life with intention.  Helping them to see that they have the opportunity to write their own story. They are for the 1st time learning what it means to dream! 

Open your heart and trust…God has already done far more than I could ever imagined or dreamed! I can’t wait to hear what he has in store for you! 

Shared by: Natalie Joy