Check Out Joey Doherty’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Doherty.  

Hi Joey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began counseling and writing poetry at the same time – seven years ago. Counseling began out of a loving fascination with people and writing began out of a wild fascination with everything. Poetry quickly became my go-to form of expression and still is. I’m a self-taught writer fueled by this never-ending thirst for beauty. I know that I’ll never perfectly capture Nature or God or Love in a poem, but I’ll spend a lifetime trying. Poetry is my bridge to all that is sacred in this life. I have no goals with writing other than to continue writing, which is what I do – publishing one book a year. 

For years, my counseling work and my writing were separate passions, but I recently merged the two and it’s been so fun. During counseling sessions, I often help clients find themselves through writing activities, and in my poetry books, I often hide subtle life lessons within the pages. Whether it’s writing or counseling, my ultimate goal is to guide you back to yourself. I am not here to heal anyone because I would never take that power away from someone. My goal is, however, to guide you toward healing yourself, by creating a safe and nourishing environment for you to face yourself honestly and move toward a more authentic life. That’s my job, and I love this job. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s no secret that making a living as a writer, let alone a poet, is a difficult path. Still, I quit my respected university job last year as a counselor educator and decided to write full-time, which was a scary decision. It was overwhelming and even paralyzing to depend on my creativity for money until I realized that creativity can mean a multitude of things. It doesn’t have to mean making all my money from book sales. So now I write, counsel, coach, and teach people how to publish their own books and lead workshops, and I love the variety. The struggles along the way have come from within – putting myself into a box that no one would want to fill. So, combining my love for writing and counseling was the key. I didn’t have to choose only one passion, after all! 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write poetry books, provide sacred coaching, facilitate workshops on conscious communication, host the Student of the Moment Podcast, lead creative hikes with the group hiking meetup I founded, @creativesgonehiking, and I facilitate local events around writing, community, and music. As you can see, it’s not simple to describe what I do because I have so many passions and give them all a seat at the table, which is why I love what I do. It’s always fresh. 

My poetry is often centered around Nature, Love, and God – you know, the things that we can’t perfectly describe with words, but I love trying. I also plant four trees for every book sold. As a counselor and coach, I specialize in helping people find their spiritual/religious beliefs, their sacred life tasks (aka life purpose), and an overall sense of meaning. We all deserve to live a meaningful life and I love guiding people there. 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I suggest finding people whose work inspires you and then reaching out. Also, share what you’re working on and what you care deeply about via social media, and the people who are meant to find your work will. If you don’t share your passions with the world, it will be difficult to find your people. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joeydoherty.com/
• Instagram: @joeydoherty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joeygdoherty