Our Joy Project

Despi is an artist, marketing strategist, consultant, beekeeper, and amateur guitar player. For her, joy is being able to give kindness to someone else. She believes kindness is joyful because it’s an antidote to all of the ugliness and unkindness. She experiences joy a lot and appreciates it in all of its forms. She created Give and Take Indy – upcycled food pantry boxes stocked by neighbors, for neighbors – to share joy with others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

Jenn is the Head Broad in Charge at Brassy Broadcasting. She recently launched a podcast called the UkaDaily Dispatch – 365 days of affirming daily ditties and inspiration. She finds joy in singing, doing silly things, and putting good things out in the world. She believes joy is always there, but sometimes we lose connection to it and we need to reconnect with it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ann is the Executive Director of Duet AZ, an organization that provides vital services, free-of-charge, to homebound adults and family caregivers. Ann finds great joy in nature, her work, helping others, and being intentional and mindful in what’s going on around her. She believes deep joy moves us in life and that it radiates out of us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jenna is the Development Director for Indiana Milk Bank, the first and only donor human milk bank in Indiana keeping fragile infants alive and healthy. For Jenna, joy is a sense of connection and community. She shares joy in thinking about the people who have impacted her life and finding ways to let them know. She also gets joy out of sharing sweet pictures of the babies they help on social media. Follow @TheMilkBank See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...

Lindsay is the President & CEO of Kids Voice, so it’s no wonder she finds the purest form of joy in watching her staff, board, and volunteers give willingly to help save children from abusive situations. For her, joy is about being present and in the moment. Lindsay sparks joy in others by mailing notes, making calls, or sending texts to people when they least expect it. She believes sharing joy can create a ripple effect by simply giving a little bit of your time. See Privacy Policy at...

Anne is the Market Director of Sales & Marketing at Marriott IndyPlace, a Purdue grad (go Boilers!), married to her high school sweetheart, and mother of two adult kids. She believes joy is an abundance of positive thoughts that culminate into happiness. For her, joy is also a feeling of calm, peace, and warmth. She finds joy in being intentional and winning over the struggle. She shares joy in taking action – when she’s thinking of someone or something, she takes action on it. See Privacy...

Jenica is a wife, mother to 3, the senior program manager at the Indiana Diaper Bank, and works in children’s ministry. She finds joy from within and in others. She believes we can share our joy by finding something we’re passionate about and sharing it with other people. Hear why she finds so much joy in a pile of diapers – and what you can do to help. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Taylor is the CEO at Barlele, a TEDx Speaker, podcast host (SOAR), and a hopeless optimistic. For her, joy is being in a state of mind where you don’t feel stress and everything just feels right. Joy is when you’re at peace. Taylor shares joy by sharing “nonsense” on her social media channels. She also finds joy in walking, talking, and thinking about things differently. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

Kate is the Executive Director at Waste Not – a food rescue organization in Arizona focused on collecting and distributing food (fyi: 40% of food goes into the landfills; Waste Note AZ rescues 3 ½ million meals each year). For Kate, joy is purposeful, rooted in circumstances, and is the long-term result of what fulfills you. She shares her joy through expressing gratitude and being a positive force in her son’s life. For more information about Waste Not visit WastenotAZ.org See Privacy...

Trena describes herself as a communicator, a connector, and an enabler. She’s a lifelong Indy resident, a long-distance runner (50 miles in a day) and is someone who finds joy by being around other people and making things happen. For Trena, joy is a sense of contentment and a feeling of momentum. She experiences joy when there’s shared energy. She spreads joy by challenging people and helping them achieve perceived limitations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

Jessica is a mom of 4, yogi, chef, wine lover, podcaster (Mom, Slow Down), and self-love advocate. She finds joy in combining all her passions – yoga, cooking, and wellness – to help other women find their free-floating happiness. She shares joy by being mindful, present in the moment, and using her passions to help other women experience their joy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge is an award-winning children’s mental health expert and author of Teletherapy Toolkit and It’s Gonna Be Ok! She’s the mom of a special needs teenager who knows how to have fun and bust a move on her “disco drive”. For Dr. Roseann, joy is a feeling from the inside when doing something that makes you feel good or feel happy – or when you bring happiness to another person. She shares her joy through humor, her smile, and going out of her way to be kind to someone...

Dustin is a husband, father, runner, Ohio sports fan, lover of history, and is “aspiring to help youth thrive so they can solve our world’s wicked problems”. Professionally, he’s the 4-H Youth Development Educator for Purdue Extension Marion County. For Dustin, joy has three elements: surprise, a visceral feeling that emanates from our hearts, and it causes time to slow down. He shares joy by stoking people’s spark. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...

Keisha is the new Executive Director of the Indianapolis City Market. She finds joy in making a conscious choice to show up and be a part of someone’s life. For Keisha, joy is being able to make the best decision based on the choices she has in front of her. She shares her joy by letting people know she’s listening and giving people a sense of connection. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Samantha is the Director of Administration for IGT Indiana (on behalf of the Hoosier Lottery), a lifelong Hoosier, dedicated community volunteer, and an all-around great person. For her, joy is an emotion sparked by happiness. Samantha spreads joy by being more reflective and purposeful in her interactions with people, lending an ear, making people laugh, and having authentic connections. Joy is a mental exercise of gratitude that helps her be more present and centered. See Privacy Policy...

Tamara talks about the joy of launching her latest book, “Dear Black Girl: Letters From Your Sisters on Stepping Into Your Power”, and the joy of giving girls their rightness right now. In addition to being an author, she’s the vice president of community leadership and effective philanthropy for CICF. For Tamara, joy is being open and receiving to all the good things that are available and reflecting on it. She shares her joy in having human connections and supporting, celebrating, and...

Danielle attends Purdue University and runs a nonprofit that she started when she was 16. Through Danielle Cares for Chairs, she has collected and recycled 3,500,000 bread tags, and uses the proceeds to buy wheelchairs for people who need them. For her, joy means happiness. She spreads joy by spreading kindness: opening the door for someone, giving someone a compliment, and helping people who are struggling. Danielle encourages people to find their joy and their passion – and then do...

Brittany is the Senior Regional Lead of Community + Marketing at Yelp. She spends her days loving on Indianapolis and Indiana, while cheering on Midwest community managers. For her, joy is finding the bright spots in the simplest things. During COVID, this extreme adventurer changed her travels and experiences and has found joy in creating adventures 30 minutes from home. Brittany shares her joy by picking up trash with friends, not taking things for granted, creating – and attending – the...

Carla is the Public Relations Specialist at the Indianapolis Zoo, where she is a storyteller and the voice behind the animals, exhibits, and people. She finds joy in moments of happiness and the things that move her closer to being her most authentic self. She’s a nature-loving, long-time photographer who spreads joy through the lens of her camera and on social media. She is mindful of the things she’s most thankful for in life and practices gratitude every day. See Privacy Policy at...

Kim, and his wife, founded The 24 Group after their son died. He’s a person in long-term recovery from the disease of addiction and enjoying life to the fullest in ways he didn’t think he would. Kim lost his joy after Dave died and that absence of joy was physically and mentally devastating. After recovering from addiction, he rediscovered joy by practicing self-awareness and rediscovering a lost faith. Today, he shares joy in giving back to people in various ways, including being a sponsor...