Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy White.
Hi Joy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am the Founder and CEO of Flawed Masterpiece, an urban wellness, lifestyle, and personal development company. I am also the Managing Partner of The White Legal Group LLC, a boutique labor & employment law firm, originally founded in 2010 and relaunched in late 2020.
I have almost two decades of experience as a C-Suite executive, entrepreneur, non-profit board member, and litigator with a proven track record of providing strategic legal and business advice to companies and organizations of all sizes ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 corporations.
Most recently, I served Morehouse College for 4 years as its Vice President of Legal Affairs, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and College Secretary. Before joining Morehouse, Ms. White practiced law at some of Atlanta’s most reputable law firms, including King & Spalding LLP.
In addition to my legal, corporate, and non-profit experience, I am also one of those rare experts who can also say that I am a certified mindset and wellness coach for Black women, transformational keynote speaker, and serial entrepreneur.
I earned my BA in English Literature from Spelman College (summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and my Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School.
More importantly, than anything I shared above, I am a proud single mother to 14- and 17-year-old sons and a 10-month old Dachshund hound puppy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! Despite my many accomplishments, my journey hasn’t always been easy. I had to overcome physical, sexual, and emotional abuse in my childhood and adult life. While I had learned to survive these experiences, I never actually slowed down long enough to heal my trauma, learn self-compassion, or prioritize my well-being.
So, after achieving and exceeding every academic, professional, and financial goal I had ever set for myself, I reached 40 and realized that something was very wrong because I was burnt out, unfulfilled, resentful, and increasingly angry (often to the point of rage).
My life transformed when I sought out the support and healing that I needed and deserved. After experiencing such a radical transformation in my own life, I became a certified transformational mindset coach and sought to support other Black women on their healing journey.
Now, my purpose is to share my tough but true journey to finding radical self-acceptance. By giving an honest look at how I survived trauma and abuse, I hope that I can inspire Black women and women of color to create change in their personal and professional lives.
In terms of obstacles and challenges specifically with Flawed Masterpiece, the most challenging issue has been knowing where to start. Because I have a huge vision, mission, and desired impact for my business and brand, it was very difficult to know which products and services to begin with. As an attorney, I had no prior experience in any of the areas where I wanted to operate (i.e., e-commerce, wholesale/resale, personal development training, retreats, social media marketing, messaging, website design, etc.), which made it very difficult to know who to ask and how to get support. Unlike attending law school and practicing law, there was no clear roadmap to get from point A to point B. So there has been quite a bit of trial and error, which is par for the course in the world of entrepreneurship.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I founded Flawed Masterpiece because I wanted to be a living testimony of professional, financial, personal, and maternal success for Black women like me. As someone who spent most of my life believing that I was fundamentally flawed and broken, I felt compelled to share my raw, real, and unvarnished journey from shame to radical self-acceptance and self-love.
Through coaching, speaking, online courses, and wellness products, I want to inspire Black women and girls to live unapologetically and authentically, heal from trauma, and thrive by finding beauty in their scars. The brand combines elements of faith, mindfulness, resistance, optimism, mental health awareness, and shame resilience
Specifically, Flawed Masterpiece operates in 3 aspects. First, we operate a carefully created Dope AF urban wellness e-commerce store (www.flawedmasterpiece.shop) where I hand select every product. We also have custom candles, diffusers, and ambiance mist and will be launching our own line of lifestyle apparel in the first quarter of 2022.
Second, I offer executive coaching to individuals and corporations. As a mindset and wellness executive coach, I have a particular interest and expertise working with Black women attorneys, physicians, senior executives, and entrepreneurs to help them adeptly navigate the mindset, wellness, and professional roadblocks unique to Black women working in white male-dominated professions and industries. Having successfully traversed the rewarding, yet tumultuous terrain, of the legal profession, higher education administration, and entrepreneurship, I bring a depth and breadth of personal and professional experience that is unmatched in the mindset and executive coaching field.
Third, I employ the art of storytelling to share my journey through keynote speaking, workshops, YouTube videos, and blogging. In October 2021, I premiered the first of several short films about my life’s journey “Finding Joy in the Journey: a Flawed Masterpiece” with the goal of writing a memoir in the near future.
In 2022, we will be expanding to offer more coaching services and wellness products so be on the lookout!
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Yes! I can remember listening to music, dancing in the mirror, doing the hula-hoop, and running around outside barefoot. Those were the moments when I felt most like myself.
Contact Info:
- Email: joy@flawedmasterpiece.com
- Website: https://www.flawedmasterpiece.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flawedmasterpiecebyjoy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flawedmasterpiecebyjoy
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/flawedmasterpi3
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5aeDMytgMTFoowmPO6cbDQ
- SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4k2zyqwCZVMghWow0k3hAG?si=c22ca9a74833442f
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/flawedmasterpiecebyjoy/_created/
Image Credits
Leslie Andrews Photography
Nick Nelson
Rafael Gutierrez
