Community Highlights: Meet Lynnette Adams of The Joy Architect/ The Joy Lab Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynnette Adams.

Hi Lynnette, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was raised by a mother who believed your life should mean more than punching a clock. She taught me to give back, to care for people, and to think bigger than my own front porch. Service wasn’t a slogan in our house; it was how we moved through the world.

Then, in 1993, my world cracked open. My brother died by suicide he was nineteen. I was only sixteen. There were no notes, no explanations just the kind of silence that rings in your ears. Suicide? Back then, in the Black community, we didn’t talk about suicide. We prayed, we pushed through, we said “be strong”…but we didn’t say “I need help.”I knew the word, but not the conversation. Grief calcified into confusion, anger, guilt. I became a chronic people-pleaser, terrified of missing another sign in someone I cared about, carrying an adult-sized grief with a teenager’s hands. Growing up in the ’90s, therapy wasn’t normalized yet. It wasn’t readily available to me, and my mother was concerned about what a diagnosis might mean, and honestly I didn’t know how to ask for help so I just reacted to EVERYTHING. I learned to walk through the dark by feel, inventing railings as I went.

Twenty-four years passed. Twenty-four birthdays, holidays re-shaped, and seasons where I functioned, excelled even ,but joy felt like a language I could hear and couldn’t speak. In 2017, I finally stepped into a workshop called “Shift to Joy.” I actually joined because I was in a marriage that wasn’t healthy, and I had already checked all the boxes—degrees, career, doing “the right things” and I still wasn’t happy. I finally said, “Something had to change,” That’s where I started choosing me.When the facilitator asked what I wanted, I said, “A do-over.” She answered, “You’re alive. Do it over.” She suggested a bucket list, but I’d survived by checklists for too long; writing things to do “before I kicked the bucket” didn’t feel joyful. So I created something new: a Joy Journey List still a list but, places to visit, experiences to try, professional goals that stretched me in the right ways. It wasn’t about collecting trophies; it was about designing moments. That became my compass.

Soon after, I contributed my first public telling of pieces of my story to the anthology Ready to Fly: Stories of Strength and Courage to Inspire Your Journey Forward (2018). My chapter, “Finding My Joy Journey,” was me choosing truth over tidy. In 2019, the book won a Next Generation Indie Book Award for women’s non-fiction. The award mattered, but what mattered most was the message I kept hearing back: “Your story made room for mine.”

In 2020, after nine years in Colorado and the ending of my 7 year marriage , I packed my car and drove to Atlanta. I rented a studio apartment in Vinings and enrolled in Pepperdine University’s PhD program in Global Leadership and Change (School of Education & Psychology) IN CALIFORNIA! And yes I had to go back and forth. Academically and personally, I turned toward what had been quietly stitching me back together: joy. In 2023 I started working at an all-Black research institution as the director of development but was given some autonomy to explore how joy travels through networks and how belonging, celebration, and care can be engineered into communities so people don’t have to white-knuckle their way through leadership. I was awarded the 2024 Ocean Decade Champion award that also awarded funding for me to pilot a workshop on joy which I completed in December of 2024 and with the feedback a vision was born.

I had formed Joy Journey LLC in 2021, but between full-time work, school, and life, it ran warm on the back burner. Then in March 2025, an abrupt departure from that nonprofit where I led development snapped everything into focus. After two decades of nonprofit leadership and seven years teaching nonprofit leadership as an adjunct professor, I realized I wasn’t meant to keep pouring my purpose into other people’s containers. It was time to build what I wish had existed for me at sixteen: a blueprint for leading with joy even when life breaks your heart.

That blueprint became my Joy Ecosystem.

The Joy Architect™ is my boutique, for-profit leadership firm where I train and certify Joy Strategists and help organizations design humane, high-performing cultures. We build leaders who center care over control, clarity over chaos, and courage over burnout. Think architecture for the human side of strategy: we blueprint how teams communicate, recover, celebrate, and rise.

The Joy Lab Inc. is the nonprofit wing…my soul-profit. We develop emerging leaders and youth through camps, community programs, and leadership cohorts. We teach the skills schools don’t always have the curriculum for like self-regulation, mutual support, meaning-making, and we practice joy daily, not as a luxury but as ballast.

Why joy? Because I know the texture of despair. I know how heavy and loud silence can be. Joy, to me, is not the absence of grief; it’s the presence of meaning. It is how I honor my brother. It is how I refuse to let pain have the final say. Joy is also a performance strategy. Teams that feel safe and seen take smarter risks. Leaders who can metabolize stress make better decisions. Communities that celebrate together recover faster. Joy doesn’t make the work less serious; it makes the people more resilient. Joy is the MISSING METRIC.

I didn’t start this work because I was always joyful. I started it because I wasn’t and because I’ve lived the cost of carrying too much for too long. Now I help leaders and communities build blueprints that make room for breath: evidence-informed practices, culturally grounded tools, and everyday rituals that keep purpose from collapsing under pressure.

I still keep a Joy Journey List. It evolves as I do. Sometimes it’s a city. Sometimes it’s a hard conversation. Sometimes it’s a summit that once felt out of reach. The point isn’t to stack achievements like souvenirs; it’s to thread glimmers through the work and the waiting to feel alive while we serve.

If you want to know who I am, here it is: a woman who learned to speak joy in a house gone quiet; a builder who turned pain into plans; a leader committed to making communities both joyful and wildly effective. An educator, a behavioral scientist, and a person who cares deeply about people. I was only sixteen when the floor disappeared. Twenty-four years later, I chose to rebuild with blueprints made of courage, care, and light I now share with the world.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Short answer? Nope. Smooth would be cute. It’s been switchbacks, potholes, and a whole lot of me and God at night with me crying and I’m still here, steering with both hands.

I started my company convinced my lane was studying Black women, stress, and joy. Then the political winds shifted and DEI was rolled back across institutions. That forced a bigger truth: joy isn’t a gated community; it’s a public utility. That’s when The Joy Lab Inc. a registered 501c3 was born, so my high-ticket coaching at The Joy Architect™ could stay premium and we’d still offer an accessible on-ramp for youth and emerging leaders. No “$6,000 or no joy for you.” Not on my watch.

And then came the human stuff. A colleague I trusted—who I actually thought was also a friend—invited me to write and research, gave me space to do the work, and then later presented it on national TV like it was hers. If you were going to claim it, why offer me the opportunity at all? I would’ve rather not had the opportunity than what actually happened. Instead, I had to sit with the instant betrayal of hearing her say on TV, “I wrote an article on joy, you can Google it,” like my framework, my heart work, never existed. I would have been happy with her saying myself and my colleague but not her taking full credit. I would’ve preferred no space over being erased and then having to carry those feelings of betrayal.To be clear: she was a contributing author who edited a sentence or two, but the intellectual property, framework, and article were mine. It should have been presented that way: my framework, my first-author work, her editorial support. And it was noticed by all the people who had been supporting my Joy work. People wondering why someone I spoke so highly of would do something like that to me. That kind of erasure isn’t just unkind; it’s anti-scholarship. I had to choose boundaries over bitterness and get very serious about authorship, citations, contracts, and IP. I’ve learned so much about protecting myself and my intellectual property.

Entrepreneurship? A whole obstacle course. I was a new founder newly unemployed and paying out with nothing coming in. I hired one web person for nine months and got crumbs. Hired another who charged, did nothing, I had to involve a lawyer. Meanwhile I’m choosing platforms, delaying launches, wrestling with social media, figuring out where “Drops of Joy” my upcoming podcast would live, and learning the hard way that excitement is not a budget line. I wasted money. I rebuilt systems. I fought the “maybe I should just get a job” thoughts. I accepted my vision is not a one-woman show and started actually building a team that matches my integrity.

What kept me moving? The same thing that started this: purpose with a spine. And a few rules I live by now:

Protect the work. Clear contracts, milestones, and credit always.

Vet like a scientist. References, portfolios, trial tasks then decide.

Pay by progress, not promises. Deposits + deliverables = sanity.

Build an MVP, not a monument. Launch small, iterate, conserve cash.

Capacity is sacred. Systems first; hustle second. Joy doesn’t survive chaos.

So no, it hasn’t been smooth. It’s been instructive. Every detour sharpened my boundaries, deepened my empathy, and clarified the mission: design joy like infrastructure reliable, accessible, and built to carry weight. I’m still learning, still adjusting, and even on the bumpy roads, still catching glimmers. Next chapter: stronger team, tighter ops, louder citations, wider welcome. I think I am learning to be really proud of my work, but also protective with who’s name is aligned with it.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Here’s the heartbeat of my work, plain and powerful:

I am your Chief Joy Officer and I run a two-part “Joy Ecosystem” that builds leaders and communities where people actually want to work, learn, and belong. One side is my boutique firm, The Joy Architect™ (for-profit). The other is The Joy Lab Inc. (nonprofit) the soul-profit that keeps access front and center. Together, we make joy a strategy, not a slogan.

The Joy Architect™ (for-profit)

What we do / what we’re known for:

We design humane, high-performance cultures and develop leaders who center care over control. My specialty is turning joy into infrastructure, policies, rituals, and behaviors that boost clarity, reduce burnout, and raise performance.

Core offerings

Executive & team coaching (1:1 and pods) grounded in my Formula for Joy™—practical tools for decision hygiene, recovery, psychological safety, and purpose alignment.

Culture design sprints that blueprint the way your team communicates, celebrates, and recovers—think operating system upgrades for humans.

Certification pathways: Certified Joy Strategist™ and Executive Joy Strategist™ (with retreat)—for leaders who want to operationalize joy inside organizations.

Keynotes & workshops (The Joy Factor, Joy-Centered Leadership, Burnout to Breakthrough) with evidence-informed practices you can use the same day.

Assessments: Joy & Mindset Assessment + Joy Cup tools to measure individual, team, and relational drivers of joy and resilience.

We also provide nonprofit strategy services fundraising and grant strategy/writing, board development, program design and evaluation, and donor storytelling/stewardship so mission-driven orgs can grow impact without burning out their people.

What sets us apart

Research + receipts. I built this from lived experience and a PhD in Global Leadership and Chnage so it’s both heart and peer reviewed research.

Blueprints, not pep talks. We don’t “rah-rah” and leave; we install repeatable practices and train internal champions.

Trauma-aware, equity-minded, culturally fluent. We design for real humans in real systems no performative glitter, just durable change.

The Joy Lab Inc. (nonprofit)

I never wanted joy gated behind a $6,000+ price tag for coaching. The Joy Lab Inc. exists so anyone, especially youth and emerging leaders can access the tools. Some offerings do carry a cost, but our north star is access. Our Joy League and Joy Lab Leadership Institute are revenue-generating by design; we braid those dollars with community partnerships, sponsorships, and philanthropy to fully underwrite youth leadership initiatives that are free to participants.

Programs & services

Leadership cohorts for emerging leaders (community + skill-building + mentorship).

Ignite Joy youth experiences: camps, clubs, and ambassador programs that teach regulation, confidence, and community care.

Community workshops on conflict navigation, belonging, and joy-as-wellbeing for schools, nonprofits, and grassroots orgs.

Scholarships & partnerships so cost never blocks the door.

Data & learning: we share what works playbooks, facilitator guides, and toolkits so communities can replicate impact.

What we’re most proud of (brand-wise)

Clarity with compassion. Bold, beautiful, and practical our brand says “luxury feel, everyday usefulness.”

Original IP with backbone. The Formula for Joy™, the Joy & Mindset Assessment, and the Joy Strategist training are ours researched, tested, and protected.

Access baked in. A for-profit that funds a nonprofit: premium solutions for companies and accessible programs for the community. That’s the promise.

What I want readers to know

Joy is not fluff. It’s a performance lever and a protective factor against burnout and despair.

We build what lasts. You’ll leave with language, tools, and cadences your team can keep running without us.

There’s a lane for you. Whether you’re a CEO, a principal, a youth mentor, or a parent there’s a way to plug in.

Ways to engage (quick menu)

Organizations (for-profit): executive coaching, culture design sprints, leadership trainings, keynotes, certification for internal “Joy Strategists.”

Schools & nonprofits (nonprofit): youth programs, emerging-leader cohorts, staff PD, community workshops, and co-designed initiatives.

Individuals: 1:1 coaching, Joy Strategist certification, retreats, and the Joy & Mindset Assessment to map your next chapter.

If you remember one thing, make it this: we don’t chase joy—we build it. Brick by brick. Policy by practice. Person by person. And whether you come through The Joy Architect™ door or The Joy Lab Inc., you’ll find the same blueprint: courage, clarity, community… and joy that can carry weight.

(For more information or partnerships: lynnette@nextstopjoy.com
www.nextstopjoy.com)

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Quick ways to work with us

Book us to speak (fastest on-ramp: keynotes, panels, ERG series)

Coaching, sprints, certifications (Certified Joy Strategist & Certified Executive Joy Strategist)

Host Joy Lab programs at your campus, company, or community space

Ways to support our Non Profit

Partner/Sponsor: underwrite Ignite Joy or an emerging-leader cohort (free to participants)

Donate: one-time or monthly to fund scholarships, materials, travel

In-kind: venues, printing, AV/tech, snacks/meals, transportation

Amplify: share calls for mentors, participants, and funders

Bottom line

We don’t perform joy—we build it. If nothing else: book us to speak and help spread the Joy movement.

Connect

lynnette@nextstopjoy.com
• nextstopjoy.com

Link to donate : https://givebutter.com/2p1jXy

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nextstopjoy.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextstopjoy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnetteadamsphd/

Image Credits
The photo with me and the other person is myself outdoors Lynnette Adams — Chief Joy Officer; Founder & Creator of The Joy Architect™ and The Joy Lab Inc. Tiffany Tillman — Chief Program & Innovation Officer; Founder & Creator of Ignite Joy Picture with me in the presenting room NCORE the person with me is . Adrienne George — Associate Teaching Professor, Environmental Studies