This Changes Everything

Hello Friend, I’m Sonya.

Sonya Joy Mack author of “This Changes Everything: When Death No Longer Has the Final Say.”

Hey there friend! I’m Sonya Joy Mack, medical professional, author, and Founder/Lead Life Coach of the LIVE JOY LIFE. Let me be the first to welcome you to your new life.

I help busy moms, like you and me, conquer the chaos, banish the busy, and eliminate the enemy so you can step into the “something bigger,” God created you for.

My debut book “This Changes Everything” is based on my own “something bigger” story of hope and healing through grief and inspires readers to follow their God-given dreams. I live in Des Moines, Iowa with her husband and two spunky daughters.

But let me tell you… it wasn't always this way.

After my mom died in 2010 I spent years writing and begging God to explain this “something bigger,” He’d called me to. I spent a small fortune on music lessons and even went through a brief period of time when I was convinced I was the next “A” list actor. HA! But all those years, through all that pain (you can read about here), I know realize,

God had been preparing me for YOU!

Over the years as I sat with God during my grief, two complicated childbirth, intense physical pain, and some very real doubt, the principles and explanations for the LIFE JOY LIFE began to emerge. If I could ASSESS my feelings, CONTEMPLATE these principles with God, and EXECUTE them, my joy would rise again.

My story would lead me to write my debut book, “This Changes Everything: When Death No Longer Has the Final Say,” become a Certified Life Coach and begin my mission to live my God-given purpose of helping busy moms like you see that you were made for more!

I wish we were meeting in person because I’d wrap you in a big Midwestern hug and invite you to sit down so we can share stories.

I’d share about how as the portly, red-headed kid I felt invisible for years, creating an introverted-Type-A-control-freak take on life. I spent much of my younger years reading books, writing terribly cheesy love poems to boys who didn’t notice me, and spending time with my BFF and mom, Vicki.

Or I might tell you that thanks to an unplanned change in my constant diet of ice cream, Reese’s, and Pepsi, I finally lost all of my “baby fat.” In high school, I got my first job, first boyfriend, and finally started to break out of my shell. It was during these formative years that my relationship with God began to bloom.

I’d probably explain how I was a science and anatomy junkie, so I headed to the University of Northern Iowa for Pre-Med, but God had other plans. In 2005 my life would change forever when my mom was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gerhigs disease. After a change in course that would allow me to spend more time with her, in 2006, I graduated from Physician Assistant school.

We might even cry together when I told you that from 2005 to 2010 Mom and I would do everything we could to live our best lives, knowing her time on earth was limited. We shopped til we dropped, binge-watched Disney movies, and danced all night as I married my soul mate Joe in 2006. Though I watched ALS take her body, it could never take her spirit. In December 2010, she went home to be with Jesus.

I’d definitely ask you about your kids and then maybe I’d tell you that in 2013 God would bless me with the title Momma when Lillian Victoria was born. Though colic and a NICU trip were not what I expected for my first go around, God would show me He had bigger plans. 2016 would prove to be a tough year. As I continued to develop the idea for the LJL and figure out how to be a mom without a mom, Sophia Eleanor was born. When a rare lung condition required major surgery to remove part of her lung at 4 days old, God reminded me that "everything would be okay. His plan, not mine "

Last but not least, I’d ask you about your dreams. I’d pour over them, knowing that you probably don’t share them with just anyone, but protect them with your whole heart. Then, just to let you know you aren’t alone and that God has equipped you for something bigger, I’d tell you that over the last 10 years, I've been building and practicing The LIVE JOY LIFE Principles and ACE framework, personally and professionally so that I coud bring them to you.

I’d tell you that since practicing The LIVE JOY LIFE I've:

  • improved my relationships with others and God

  • identified where the enemy is keeping me stuck

  • found the courage to follow my dreams

  • written and published my first book

  • launched an online business and

  • become a certified life coach.

Then I would look you straight in the eyes and tell you that you could do the same. AND mean it!

I’d finish by telling you that on this journey, sometimes we’ll laugh and sometimes we’ll cry, but either way, WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER.

Sonya Joy

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