Meet Dr. Joelle Hood
Home » Meet Dr. Joelle Hood
I am a Writer, Speaker, Teacher, Success Coach, Leader, Energy Alchemist, Entrepreneur, and co-founder and Chief Empowerment Officer at Thriving YOUniversity. I believe in the importance of living IN purpose and ON purpose. Work-life balance is a myth, and people are better served looking to create flow over balance. When you are in flow, work and play are so inspirational and integrated, it is sometimes difficult to tell when you’re working and when you’re playing. The opportunity to work in flow, play, plan, partner, create, collaborate, and connect with my fellow J’s in Thriving — Janeen and Jessie — is a dream come true for me. I KNOW that working with them helps me be a better me.
I believe in the importance of building belonging, cultivating connection, and empowering engagement in every soul on the planet. Every person deserves to live a fun, fulfilled, and flourishing life, and when that happens, we all win. And, in case you haven’t noticed, I believe in the awesomeness of alliteration too.
I believe that the world would be a better place if each of us paid a little more attention and intention to becoming the best humans that we can be every day. Most of all, I believe in the power of YOU. I believe you are FULL of untapped potential and possibility just waiting to be unleashed.
I am an encourager, an enthusiast, engager, and empowerer. I have served 25+ years in the field of education as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and consultant as well as serving as a success coach to individuals and organizations outside of education. Although I have held many different jobs throughout the years, my purpose on the planet has been steadfast— I have a deep desire to influence, inspire, and ignite humans to become the best possible version of themselves. My heart gets full when I am able to help others tap into strengths they weren’t even sure they had, broaden their mindset, stretch their potential, and shift their spirit into dwelling in a space of possibility.
I am uncomfortable when people call me an expert. It sounds perfect and polished and pretentious, and I am none of those things. What I offer is authenticity, expertise, experience, and a commitment to continue learning and growing myself so that I can have more to offer others. I still have disappointing days, minor meltdowns, and ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that try to creep in now and then in an attempt to steal my joy. I’m human, after all. But I am also a human who is driven to live a fun, fulfilled, and flourishing life. I am committed to remaining positive, productive and engaged in a life of purpose. I am relentless about raising my resilience—and YOURS.
ABOUT MY PHILOSOPHY
I find no joy or fulfillment in being a sage on a stage. My heart sings when I am working with people who are passionate and committed to becoming better humans and making the world a better place. My partners in this world are people who aren’t content with the status quo, who yearn to make a positive difference, and who may need a guide on the side to support them on the journey. A psychic once told me that I have had many lives as a teacher—if this is true, then my journey continues. I want to reach and teach, spark and support, and nourish others to flourish.
I empower individuals and organizations to thrive. My doctorate degree is in Organizational Change and Leadership, and my dissertation focused on teacher well-being. I am particularly successful at sparking others’ desire to want to be a better human and then helping them cultivate and integrate research-based practices and strategies from the fields of Positive and Social Psychology, Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, and Mindfulness into their lives to change their desires into results. I work with leaders and educators and entrepreneurs who want to reboot their engagement in their work, reconnect in their relationships, and re-engage with life.
Our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world can lead to feelings of discouragement, disengagement, and disconnection. If we want our world to change for the better, then we have to change for the better. We have to become better humans. We have to discover our strengths and our passions and use them as superpowers to thrust ourselves and the world around us into a state of flourishing.
ABOUT OUR WORK
We can influence and inspire others in a one-time session, but we believe our best work comes in doing the deep dive with clients in several sessions over an extended period of time. That’s when we can ignite action. This allows time to absorb chunks of learning and explore and integrate practices before learning more. We can do that with you through individual or group coaching sessions, during in-person or online courses, with additional connection via our online community of caring people committed to help all of us elevate to our highest selves.
Whether you’re looking to become a better educator, a better leader, cultivate a better organization, or become a better human, we’re here to empower the excellence in you through research-based practices for extraordinary living and being.
SHIFT HAPPENS. LET’S GET THIS SHIFT DONE TOGETHER.
Grab your bags, and let’s go!