We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Joy Brown-Bolden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Joy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The mission of ModernJoi is to provide parents and professionals with modern evidence-based support, in the form of coaching and training, to help them effectively cultivate the next generation. Our mission was created as a result of my personal experiences as an early educator and parent. I noticed that many resources available to parents and educators were often outdated and not aligned with meeting the social-emotional needs of children. The resources that I encountered were more focused on academic success. Now – There’s nothing wrong with academic success, but research has proven that children are more likely to thrive when they develop trusting, meaningful relationships with their parents and teachers. I ensure that my team and I equip our clients with modern, realistic child development knowledge to help their children thrive.

Dr. Joy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been working in the early childhood field for nearly 17 years. In 2008, I took a job as a preschool Teacher Assistant at the U of H Children’s Learning Centers to make some extra money. I quickly fell in love with the job and by 2011, I was the Student Manager (meaning I onboarded new student teachers and supervised them on the job). I went on to work as a Center Manager, and Child Development Professor.

I launched ModernJoi in 2021 and began working with parents and educators as a consultant. Now, in 2025, we have partnered with several agencies and continue to live out our mission. My team helps parents and educators of young children overcome the most common struggles – challenging behavior and toxic patterns. I am proud to say that we have help hundreds of parents and educators decrease challenging behaviors and enhance their adult-child relationships.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

One thing that has shaped my thinking as an entrepreneur is my experience as an entrepreneur’s kid. I come from an a family of entrepreneurs. My parents, and many of my aunts and uncles, are entrepreneurs. So, it felt very natural to enter the world of entrepreneurship for myself. I had knowledge of what was needed to start a business, because I watched my parents start their businesses.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Here a few things to think about…

Communication is everything. Have meetings, but make sure your meetings are meaningful and intentional. Valuing your team and expressing your appreciation for them has a direct impact on morale. If your team does not feel appreciated, their work performance will reflect that. If your team is not sure if they are doing things right, they will keep doing things wrong. Your team cannot read your mind – you have to communicate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://modernjoi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernjoi/
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/modernjoi

Image Credits

Foothill Family Service (client group photo)