Joy King

I attribute my success to betting on myself before anyone else had reason to. That's the through line of everything I've built — from my executive career to founding Lifestyles by Joy and Suite Life Business Coaching. When I launched Lifestyles by Joy, I didn't have a perfect plan. I had a vision, a leap of faith, and the audacity to believe my expertise was worth something in the market, and it was. That same energy carried me into the C-suite. The role I hold at NCAN literally came out of a journaling session where I asked myself, "Where do I actually see myself?" I wasn't a chief yet, but I decided to move like one until I was. I think especially for women, we're guided and pushed in directions that don't always feel authentic. Success, for me, has come from tuning that out and following my intuition instead. No one is going to believe in you more than you.

"Build the thing before you feel ready." Someone told me early on that waiting for the right moment is just fear wearing a business plan. That advice became the foundation for Lifestyles by Joy. I didn't wait until I had a perfect strategy, a full team, or a flawless brand. I started, I learned, and I scaled. The same is true for every leader I coach: clarity comes from doing, not from waiting. If you're waiting to feel ready, you'll be waiting forever.

Ask for what you want, out loud, without apology. We are guided, voluntold, and pushed in directions that don't always feel authentic to who we actually are. The work I do through Lifestyles by Joy exists specifically because too many talented women are living and leading in someone else's lane. My own path is proof that you can design the career, the business, and the life you actually want, but you have to be willing to say it first. I journaled my way into a C-suite role that didn't exist before I created it. I launched a business during a layoff and built it into something real. None of that happened by following the conventional playbook. It happened because I bet on myself and followed my intuition. No one will believe in you more than you, so start there.

The biggest opportunity right now is the convergence of personal brand and professional credibility, and most leaders are sleeping on it. Through Lifestyles by Joy, I work with founders and executives who are incredibly talented but invisible. They haven't claimed their voice, their narrative, or their lane. The opportunity is massive for those willing to show up boldly and consistently. The challenge is that women — especially Black women — are still navigating rooms that weren't designed with them in mind, which means we have to be twice as strategic about how we position ourselves. That's exactly the gap I built Lifestyles by Joy to close.

Boldness. Authenticity. Equity. And joy — literally. Lifestyles by Joy isn't just a brand name; it's a philosophy. I believe that how you live and how you lead should be in alignment. That you shouldn't have to shrink yourself to be taken seriously, or lose yourself to be successful. In my coaching and consulting work, I push leaders to take up space unapologetically, build systems that actually work, and lead from a place of clarity rather than chaos. In my personal life, those same values show up — I'm intentional about who I invest in, loud about what I love, and committed to living in a way that actually reflects what I believe. That's the whole point. Boldness is a lifestyle.