Biography

My name is Joy Anderson. I’m passionate about helping people discover their strengths and finding their direction. I have been helping individual clients and businesses in Europe and the U. S. for more than 20 years. I combine life coaching and relaxation/meditation exercises with my medical knowledge and other skills to help my clients gain confidence and move towards their vision of a fulfilling, meaningful life.

Early in my career, as a Director of Occupational Therapy in a hospital in Belgium, I noticed the clear connection between a patient’s ability to attend to their emotional health and their physical healing process. It became evident to me, and is supported by many scientific studies, that patients who are more at peace with themselves are happier and heal much faster.

It was this fascinating observation and my personal interest that led me to study psychology, many relaxation and meditation techniques with teachers from all over the world. After many travels and 10 years of intense study, I started my own practice in Belgium.

As a life coach, I helped my clients find more clarity, direction, and meaning in their lives. I also taught stress management techniques and relaxation/meditation exercises, both in private individual sessions and group sessions at workplaces. My clients spanned over all ages; I worked with children, young adults, stay-at-home moms/dads, people who were dealing with illnesses, those in the business community and those who were retired. I had new clients frequently referred to me by their primary care physicians or by friends. My practice was expanding, but then life took me into a different challenging direction.

In 2001 I took a big leap of faith, bringing into practice what I taught all these years: “Be brave to pursue a path that you know will make you truly happy.” Without knowing anyone and hardly being able to speak English, I moved to the United States. In a couple of years, I started my own practice in Seattle, WA, offering the same services as I did in Belgium. A decade later I moved to a suburb of Chicago. I am excited to bring my skills to my new neighborhood. I am a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Arlington Heights.