Today we’d like to introduce you to Joyce Gilmer.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Joyce. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I AM A:
Author | Motivational Speaker | Certified Professional Coach| Certified Christian Life Coach | Coach Trainer | Entrepreneur & Preacher
I grew up in a middle-class family. I knew we were not the wealthiest family, but if we were poor at all, I didn’t know it. I was raised in the church and come from a generational line of spiritual influence, with an aunt and uncle who were both pastors. They were probably most influential in my formative years, in addition to my mother and grandmother.
As a child, I loved creating things: I loved drawing, painting, writing, and poetry. I also had a sensitivity toward those who were less fortunate or in need of any kind of help. Although I was extremely shy, I enjoyed helping others and desired to see them have better lives. Ultimately, my call to ministry over 30 years ago, provided a platform for me to walk out that purpose, through local and itinerant ministry across the United States, teaching, preaching and speaking for a broad base of conferences, congregations, and organizations, informing, inspiring, and igniting thousands to hope, healing and action that produces permanent change.
Even though I worked in corporate America in the credit union and banking industry for eight years, and the mental health industry for 6, entrepreneurship, and the marketplace, became the vehicle for synthesizing my call, passion, gifts, and talents for both ministry and idea development, for entrepreneurs. In the early 2000s, I established and operated WISE Enterprise for three years, to put my graphic skills to work in bringing the visions of businesses and church events to life, through the creation of business cards, stationery, programs, flyers, website design.
However, it wasn’t until the 2008 recession hit, and my corporate job broke up with me, that I launched further toward my dreams and goals. Instead of being embarrassed by the fact I was headed to the unemployment line, due to no fault of my own, I delved deeper into my purpose, and earned my first certification as a Certified Professional Coach and started Empowered Living Coaching & Consulting.
Today, as I reflect on the various television, radio, podcasts, and magazine interviews I’ve had, I am humbled, yet proud of my journey. I am the author of Healing Words for Wounded Hearts, the visionary of the Kingdom Sisters Network for women in ministry and business, and a nationwide preacher and keynote speaker. What I initially began as a Certified Christian Life Coach, providing individual sessions, has now developed into an array of service offerings that include showing clients how to leverage social media and Livestream for their businesses, to signature programs like, the Dream LaunchHer Academy™ and the Dream BuildHer Mentorship Circle™. I am also a Certified HIScoach™ and coach trainer, who trained others to increase the impact they are making in their sphere of influence, through the power of coaching.
More distinctly put, I am a Dream ActivateHer™ inspiring faith-based, entrepreneurs to “Wake Up To Their Dreams” and activate their purpose, so they can profit from their passion. As a result, they thrive in their business and ministry at higher levels and experience a greater return. It’s been an amazing journey and I absolutely love what I do!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My entrepreneurial journey has not always been smooth. The first area that presented a challenge for me was “the how” of moving into an entrepreneurial space, without feeling like I was compromising who I had been the 25 years prior in ministry. The largest hurdle to get over was the bifurcation between “always giving service away” in the ministry vein, but it being necessary to “charge accordingly for service” in order to be successful in the business lane. In fact, I was so uneasy and unclear about being settled with that difference, I only charged $20 for my first 6-week coaching program. It was the positive feedback and suggestion on the survey by the 15 women enrolled at that time, to charge more, which led me to increase tuition the next time around.
The other area of struggle was finding mentors and coaches who were successfully doing what I was venturing out to do. They were often not willing, or their requested investment level was beyond my affordability as a start-up business, at that time. I also learned fairly early on, that not everyone who presents as a credible business through beautiful branding and aesthetics, has the integrity or business ethics to back it up.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
As a Dream ActivateHer™ I help women to wake up to the dormant dreams that are within them. I help them get clearer about developing a fuller expression of their purpose, by identifying the gifts, talents, and skills, they have within, that can be converted into a business, online products, digital products, services or courses.
What sets me apart as both a Certified Professional Coach and Certifed Christian Life Coach, is that I have an affinity toward empowering women of faith, who want to take the entrepreneurial leap, but like me,, may struggle with “the how”. They feel inwardly convicted by charging for services, or need help clarifying their vision, magnifying their voice and monetizing their message, so they can be more profitable while staying in alignment with their purpose.
I am proud of the countless lives, businesses, and ministries I’ve impacted as a speaker, coach and consultant and woman in ministry and marketplace, through the Kingdom Sisters Network and Empowered Living Coaching & Consulting. I’m proud of the numerous clients who were originally afraid to take the leap and show up in the entrepreneurial world, but have now started their own businesses, launched their own mentorship and coaching programs, have physical and digital products in their online stores, have websites, have written their own books, have learned how to leverage social media to get booked and paid to speak, and go live, via Live Stream, even more than I do now.
What were you like growing up?
I was an extremely shy, introverted and creative child. I loved to journal and draw and assist and encourage others in any way possible. I’ve always been told I was wise beyond my years. People still tell me how my wisdom and insight have helped them in several ways, as it relates to the insight I’m able to provide in life’s situations.
Pricing:
- Dream BuildHer Mentorship Circle-$27 monthly
- Brain Storming Strategy Session-$177 per session
- Individual Dream Development Package-starting at $1297
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joycegilmer.com
- Phone: 678-827-2419
- Email: joyce@joycegilmer.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/joycegilmerspeaks
- Other: www.kingdomsistersnetwork.com
Image Credit:
Headshots Reuben Chandler Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
