International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2017

I’m so honored to be a part of Stauntons LARGE group of women business owners. 

I thought I would share a bit about my experience as a woman business owner and why I choose to work on women: 

I am a massage therapist and I work from my home here in Staunton. 

My business is called PlanetJoy because people say they feel like they’re transported to another planet when they are on my table. 

PlanetJoy is set up specifically for women because women tend to stay busy giving and giving to others without allowing themselves time to fill their energy back up. They feel guilty allowing themselves the “indulgence” of self-care. 

My intention is to make women feel as safe as possible when they are on my table. 8 out of every 10 women have experienced some kind of abuse throughout their life: physical, emotional, sexual, mental….so, when women get on my table I want them to feel like they can actually relax. 

I’ll never forget the first time I had a woman come back to me when I was helping out in a spa downtown. She had called to specifically request me because when she had been on my table it was the FIRST time she had been able to relax during a massage due to past abuse. When she told me told me a little more about her past experiences, I made sure to make her feel even MORE secure during her next massage and she actually fell asleep. When you get a massage you are in a very vulnerable position so sleeping is the ultimate sign of feeling safe. I’m proud to say all of my clients have fallen asleep on my massage table at some point. 

I also want all women to feel beautiful and be able to understand and respect their bodies. Self-love, self-respect, and body-confidence are so important. I have had the honor of being an art model for Beverly Street Studio School for the past 9 years and I have learned from the fabulous women artists there that every body is unique and interesting and full of radiant beauty. 

We as women need to use our strengths to support other females in our lives. We can always do a little something to make other women feel loved and safe. And we should always encourage each other to take care of ourselves. We simply cannot love others as efficiently if we are not taking time to love ourselves. Strong women lift each other up. Together, we can rise higher. 

List of Planet Joy’s Upcoming Projects

I have five ideas spinning around in my head:

1) finding out the best hours to work with busy moms
2) hormonal testing
3) officially offering intention setting sessions as part of my business (both one on one and group settings)
4) removing the stigma from anxiety and depression and providing a space for women to connect: encouraging instead of isolating.
5) potentially running an asyra machine right here in Staunton.

More details:
1) Working with busy moms. Massages and collages offered at times when moms are finally able to have free time. Those weird hours like 8-11 in the evening when the kids are finally asleep and they have time to rest. I want to find out when mommas are actually available! My business has always had the intention of being for busy women but my hours (11-6) are not reaching all the moms! It is time to make mammas happy :)

2) Hormonal testing. Hormones have become super interesting to me. They are responsible for so much and can get out of balance so easily. I’d love to help women figure out what’s going on in their bodies and especially help women who are going into menopause or are currently experiencing menopause. There’s so little information out about menopause and yet every woman will eventually experience it….I know that personally when it comes time for me to go through it I want there to be someone who can come along beside me and help me figure out what’s happening.

3) Officially offering intention setting sessions (both one on one and groups) I’ve been helping people set goals and intentions through collage for a couple of years now. It’s an extremely easy way to get what is in your head out and make it visual. Making your goals and dreams visual is an incredible way to actually achieve them. Also, collage is a great way for people to use their atrophied creative muscles. (Almost everyone can use scissors and a glue stick.) I also teach how to set achievable goals. Kind of like art therapy life coaching.

4) Removing the stigma from anxiety and depression and creating a supportive and encouraging atmosphere for women who are experiencing dark times. A huge amount of women have these feelings (to some extent our hormonal cycle includes whole weeks where we feel a little anxious or a little down) it’s part of being human. We need to talk about it. I want to bring women in together who have been down in it and gotten back up. Self-care is sometimes what we know we SHOULD be doing but I want to have a list of resources for women from women– things that actually WORK to pull them out of the darkness. We naturally tend to isolate when experiencing negative emotions. Even more so if we feel like we are the only ones and that everyone else is too busy being awesome and happy. We don’t want to burden others with our feelings. What we really need to be able to do, though is to reach out and feel accepted–negative emotions and all.

5) Possibly running an asyra machine right here in Staunton. A friend of mine and I have been discussing purchasing an asyra machine. We have both used one in the past: it’s a machine which reads your entire body and tells you what’s happening, comprehensively. It can tell you what you’re deficient in, what foods you’re allergic to, what supplements would be most beneficial for you, what you’re dealing with emotionally, which parts of your spine are out of alignment. It’s helpful for so many different things: mental, physical, emotional….it’s kind of magical. I’d really love to run it for people to truly help them figure out what is happening in their bodies. I do a ton of health research and this machine is excellent because there’s no guessing what might help. Every body is unique and this machine tells you what YOUR body needs. (This last time I went I found out that what I most needed was some cayenne and flaxseed oil) I love that it’s not pushing pharmaceuticals, too.
The machine shows you a snapshot of what’s happening in your body right now and your body changes around every 5 weeks or so, so at that point you could come back and get another snapshot.

A lot of cool ideas. I can’t wait to see how they develop! If you’d like to help in any way, you can contact me here: joyboardman@gmail.com.

Envision 2016

Don’t just think about what you want some day.
Envision your best 2016 so you can make it happen!!

Improve your life, accomplish more. Thrive and find joy.

Non-judgemental atmosphere. No need to be perfect. This is a safe space to explore and process what’s rattling around in your head.

Putting your dreams on paper is an EXTREMELY effective way to actually make them happen.

Some of your plans and goals may not work out. Other stuff may happen–maybe better things! (More than you could ask for or imagine.)

It’s important to stop and think about what you want. It’s not shallow.  Seriously. What do you want??

“World peace.” Well….that’s great. You should want that. But, what do you REALLY really want?

Go further. Ask for it. Go for it.

This is where we live. Do you want courage? Discipline? Forgiveness? Freedom?

Joy and a meaningful path starts when you are HONEST about what you want.

Keeping your wants small and shallow doesn’t do you or the world around you any favors.

We will use images to go into the heart of your desire.
Use your imagination. Tap into your subconscious. What could your life look like in 2016? What could you be? What do you need?

Ask for it.

Set your course.

Your intentions are dynamite. You decide what you want and you go after it. How powerful is that?!

When you set an intention you can then go about your life gathering all the info that you need to achieve that intention.

Challenge yourself. DYNAMITE. Blow up your past. Go into 2016 like a badass.

Leave the past behind.

Begin.

Tonight at Made; from 5-7
$15 (cash only)
All materials provided

Letters&Brunch–January

Saturday was the first meeting of Letters and Brunch.

Where: It was held at Nu Beginnings (AKA The Store) in Staunton.

Who: My mom and my friends Melissa, Willow, and Kelly.

We ate delicious food. Mom had oatmeal, I ate gluten free scones!!, Willow ate a waffle, and Melissa had the colonial breakfast. Yummmm.

I wrote 3 letters! Willow and Kelly taught us how to make envelopes from calendar pages.

I am so happy we did it!

Thank you to Alexandra Franzen for the idea :)

Do you like the idea of actually keeping in touch with your friends instead of beating yourself up for not following through? Do you also like food?

Feel free to drop by!! 10-1 the first Saturday of the month :)

Staunton Virginia PlanetJoy Massage Clients! Vote for your favorite Staunton businesses

I’ve created a poll for my PlanetJoy massage
clients to figure out where they will most like to spend a $10 gift certificate in downtown Staunton.

I just designed a Frequent Space Travel loyalty program to reward my clients for coming to me.

Every 6th visit they will receive a $10 gift certificate to use on a future massage or at a Staunton location of their choice.

This way I can reward my clients and support downtown Staunton all at the same time!

Use the poll to tell me what your favorite Staunton businesses are!

[Polldaddy poll=”8940760″]

vote HERE for your favorite Staunton places!

So, what’s so great about Collage Parties?

I found it was easy to construct a collage. It was almost effortless and something meaningful happened!
-Anne Buzzeli

Great reasons to check out collage parties: 

⊙You are curious about the process

⊙You want to be creative in a social setting

Theres no pressure to be “artistic”– you just need to be able to use scissors and a glue stick!

⊙You love to create but have just needed to find some time to put your ideas together

⊙You want to focus. Collage is a perfect way to do inner work– it’s a form of art therapy.

⊙You are looking for a great way to explore your goals more deeply.

Collage is a way of slipping past the censor and accessing the unconscious.

What do people love most about the experience?

⊙peaceful creativity

⊙the adventure of being with other women and enjoying the experience together

I enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow seekers, and the stories we all told even though we were relative strangers. By being her lovely self, Joy created safety and a sense of fun, play, and exploration which was super helpful for me; I was able to relax and get the most out of the collage process.

And of course, I enjoyed seeing the collage take shape, finishing it, and then working through the reflection process. It was a surprising result.
-Lisa O’Shea

I liked being creative and socializing. Plus, I enjoyed seeing how well planned out it was.
-Rachel Golden

What is the best thing you get out of coming to a collage party?

⊙A chance to really hone in on your goals.

⊙The excitement of seeing seemingly random pictures lay out a theme

“There’s a change comin’. 

……

It involves Brussels sprouts.”

-Susanne Leahy, analyzing her collage

⊙ The collage itself!

I’ve hung it up in my work room next to where I do a lot of writing, and it inspires me and intrigues me every day.
-Lisa O’Shea

A finished product that reminds me that I “can do” and that my hopes have not yet been snuffed out!
-Lynne Boardman

It will surprise you how easy the collage making process is!

I was surprised how many decisions I made so effortlessly. I usually belabor and second guess small and large decisions!
-Lynne Boardman

When it came time to glue the clippings into a collage, my hands flew around, and I made decisions that I wasn’t expecting. When it was done, I stood back and marveled. The picture I’d created spoke to me in the poetry of images and contrasts I hadn’t anticipated.
-Lisa O’Shea

****************************************
I hold collage parties often (almost every month) The goal setting parties I hold quarterly so you can come and boost your goals, meet new people, and feel accountable to yourself.

Collage is great because you can do them all the time and each one will be totally different. You’re thinking of something different, looking at different magazines, and putting your images together in different ways.

A regular habit of creating fulfills a need to express what’s beautiful and “right.”
-Lynne Boardman

***************************************
I post the events on my facebook page so make sure to follow me if you’re interested in coming to one.

You can also email me at joyboardman@gmail.com and let me know you’re interested in attending one.
I even hold one-on-one parties which are like mini (and fun) therapy sessions so email me if you would like to schedule one! 

I loved meeting new people and laughing so much. It helped me focus on the positive aspects of my life, and I really like that my goals are literally in my face (on my fridge) every day as a reminder.
-Allison Sprouse

My Collages from the January Goal-Setting Collage Parties

Collages are awesome because you let your subconscious work and don’t analyze till everything is on the page.

This allows you to see connections that you didn’t even know you had floating around in your brain and makes them visual to you!

Here are 4 collages I made in January when I hosted 3 parties with the theme of “setting intentions for the year”

Collage #1- from first party
Things that stand out to me:

Fresh thinking
Leading by example
Not hiding, rebelling
“Is it gravity or attraction that keeps me here?”
Being more myself, being original
Dancing
Taking time to rest
More saving, more doing
Playful, healthy body image

Things I don’t understand, yet:

All the birds!
“Let the sea set you free”
“Land of the stupid, home of the brave.”
“Darker my love”

Collage #2- also from first party
What stands out to me:

Made of something better
Don’t discount the small things
More reliable
Renovating your dream (building a house)
“A party without cake is just a meeting.” Traveling-“Don’t worry about others expectations or opinions” (I’m very worried about my need to travel and all of my monthly clients)

What I don’t understand, yet:

Shirtless guy that says “pretty rich”
Girl with red hair about to be rammed into by a bull
Pink polar bear
Girl exiting right

Collage #3 (my favorite)- from second party

Things that stand out to me:

“Fortune: it will be harder than you expect, but it will be worth it.”
(Your fortune awaits)
Discover what’s next–taste it all.
A voyage should take you further than your destination
Content all over the world
See the world differently
Buckle up for some fun
A daily transformation
Don’t be afraid to speak up– Reject apathy (interesting that that is over the picture of the couple)
The key to an extraordinary life
Discover a new way
The spirit of travel
Making room for personal growth
Overindulgence vs. Good start (debt- free living)
Live every day part of something bigger “by all means feed the people-watchers”

What I don’t understand, yet:

That terrifying/fascinating black bird that says “drilling for hope”
All the safari animals: giraffes, hippo, jaguar

Collage #4- from third party

What stands out to me:
Hugging snowman
Infusing life with color
“Life is a special occasion”
Kitties!!
“The best story of the year is yours”
Every day talk with friends
Get up and go
Wonder Woman
All joy and fun
Dream out loud
“We cannot please everyone, but we try.”
A new beginning.
“Away is a place where it’s not about the money you spend, it’s about the moments you share.”
“From good starts come great things”
Cook with passion (over a photo of delicious spaghetti)

What I don’t understand, yet:
Another bird! With paint brushes.
Oh, and also a dove holding a ring in its beak
“When clean-up is easy, even a spill can be beautiful.”

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Euphoria Friday, Feb 21st

Happy things from my week: Happy birthday to my mom (yesterday!) Made me laugh.

Be Healthy

•Do you know what NFT stands for? Here's all you need to know: the NFT digest.

Smile:

Upcoming Staunton Event:

And last minute reminder: Naked Lady Party is THIS WEEKEND.
Sunday, 3-5pm, 16West on Beverly Street

Euphoria Friday: Valentines Day Edition

“Make your life a romantic adventure and love will find you.”
-Martha BeckBe Kind
💕•I want to try all of these Random Acts of Kindness ideas. (Click)

💕•Many MANY more Kindness ideas. (Click) You could do these all year long!
This week we got our hands dirty making seed bombs!

💕•Write love letters. To strangers. (Click)

Fall in Love
💕•Real Love vows for real life. (Click) (This valentines day renew THESE vows. Good advice for any relationship.)

💕•Know his moon sign? Seduce him. (Click) “You are my sun my moon and all my stars.” -e.e. cummings

Watch a Movie
💕•My favorite Valentine movies. (Click)
💕•Also: Watch this man eat a cupcake like a gentleman.

EAT
💕•Have a love affair with these raspberry-swirl ice cream sandwiches! (Click)

LAUGH
💕•Only YOU can prevent the spread of candy hearts. (Click) This makes me laugh every Valentines day. Listen to the audio version if you can.

Get Offline
💕•In 2014 I’ve been taking every weekend offline. (And in March, I’ll be taking Wednesdays off, too!)
The hardest part is thinking of something to do instead (gotta reprogram my brain!) Here’s a great list of 78 things to do offline.

Take a Bath
💕•Romantic bath salts.
Get a Massage!
💕•Need a great valentines day gift?
How about as many 30-min massages as she can schedule in February and March: for only $140!
Contact me to sign her up! JoyBoardman@gmail.com

Get Involved

•💕2nd annual women’s clothing swap, Feb 23rd. Bring as much as you can carry, leave with as much as you can carry.

Euphoria Friday: Things to Make You Smile, Week 5

RIP Colonel Meow

3 on the Interwebs:
•(click) 20 fantastically amazing places in the world. I want to visit them ALL. Who wants to come with me?

•Why Staunton, VA rocks and everyone should visit. (Click) You should seriously come see this adorable town I live in.

•Looking for an engaging sermon? (Click) I go to an amazing church and if you’ve ever been curious about what the Visulite movie theatre is like on Sunday mornings, now you listen in and hear what Church Downtown is all about.
I've become obsessed with confetti.
I picked my two favorite word combinations and got "Kisses" and "Massage" as my meaning of life. Wickedly true!
"Princess Spike and her fawn" by Jenny Liz RomePick one and do one every week!

On the blog:
•$140 for as many 30-min massages as you can schedule in February and March. (Click) You can’t beat that deal.

3 on etsy: 💕February: a month of romantic baths (click)💦This is the Bath of Aquarius (click)❄️Kick your SADness in the FACE. (With a bath) ((click))

⭐️Also: TODAY (Jan 31st) is the last day of my pay-whatever-you-want sale on Etsy. Last chance!!⭐️

So much MORE than a collage party!

“I know I said it a bunch of times, but I still want to say ‘thank you’ once again for the collage party and for your insightful prompts on the making of the collages. As I said, I’ve not done anything that was free-flowingingly (I make up words sometimes) creative in many years. It was a great experience for me on so many levels.

So again, THANK YOU! And I do plan to attend more sessions to continue learning to allow myself to expand into more spontaneity and creativity.”

-Jen

Jen with one of the wonderful collages she created.

Saturday was kind of life-changing for me when I saw how much these collage sessions can mean to other people.

What an incredible blessing it was to discover that I can do these fun collage parties and actually HELP people.

Here I’d initially thought they would just be good fun….I cannot express how excited I am to be entering the realm of art therapy.

Of course, it is still whole bunches of pure fun, too.

I just feel in my bones that this is going to become an integral part of what I do.

I’d been trying and trying to fit massages and collages together (delighted at first to simply discover that they rhyme!)

Then the other night TJ said that my art “makes people feel good in their brains and their hearts” which made me realize that every part of my business touches people on some therapeutic level.

Even my squishy, awkward animals! They are therapeutically squishy to hold.

My fizzies make baths and showers therapeutic, too….

It’s so exciting to be continuously discovering my life path and how EVERYTHING fits together!!

I really hope you can come to one of the parties.

In January we are setting our intentions for the coming year.

It’s a very powerful thing to make your goals visual!

I will provide all of the materials (*if you want to bring extra magazines, you’re welcome to!)

It’s totally relaxed: no-stress!

Find out more all about the collage parties here.
Stay tuned on Facebook for February dates!
The prompts for February will be:

Self-esteem, radical self-love& acceptance, what love means to you, and love for others.

I’ll give the option to make valentines for the women’s shelter in Staunton, the senior citizens center, etc.

((All collages above, except Jen's of course, were made by me: Joy Boardman))
Joy Boardman is "soul" owner of PlanetJoy: Otherworldly Massages for Women and Planet-Friendly Collages for Everyone. She has been doing collage since she was old enough to hold the lefty scissors. Follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/planetjoyeaux

Collage Parties

Collage Parties are a chance for women (Moms! College students!) to get together, drink wine, eat yummy snacks, and make fun& easy artwork.

On the surface? It’s about cutting out pictures and using a glue stick to make pretty art.

But really? It’s about finding out what speaks to you, getting inspired, having fun, feeling accomplished.

It’s designed for women who have always wanted to find a visual way to express themselves but were afraid they “have no artistic talent” — women who struggle to put what’s in their head on to paper.

By the end of the party, you will understand how to …

:select images that speak to you
:make a collage!!
:stop feeling pressured to “make it perfect”

And best of all, you’ll have the experience of having a fun, relaxed, silly time with your friends.

Grab a friend and get ready to make some art!

Our theme for January will be An Inspired New Year: Setting Intentions for 2015. The power of putting your goals on paper and making them visual is not to be underestimated.

Price is $20/person:
Only $15 if you bring a friend
OR $10 if you bring a magazine to donate AND a friend :)

Check out the PlanetJoy Facebook page for event listings
or contact joyboardman@gmail.com to set up a private party of your very own!

STAUNTON PARTY (my first Staunton, Virginia event listing post: Jan 2013)

Welcome to Staunton Party! The January Edition
(A new section for fun Staunton events & opportunities to enjoy local businesses–yay.)

Creeper-me found this awesome picture of Meghan--starter of (h)our economy and builder of tiny houses--with a friend of hers on her Facebook page.

On Tuesday I joined (h)our economy: a barter system in Staunton. Such a great group of people!

((Awesome hippie people who make amazing foods and build tiny houses–heck yeah!))

advertisement I designed for the occasion: Jan 27

Naked Lady Party at 16 W on Beverly Street.
Last Sunday of the month (Jan 27) at 3 o’clock pm. Bring stuff, get stuff. It’s a party! Bring as many (or as few) items as you want, take home as many items (or as few) as you want.

((It’s called a Naked Lady Party because everyone is drinking and trying on clothes and it’s all women–how fun is that??))

Be a fan Jan 29th

Rule 42 Workshop! Jan 29th at 6:30pm–make awesome and adorable paper fans. ((I’m going to bring colorful magazine pages!)) These workshops are always so much fun. Find out more details and RSVP on the Rule 42 website.

Vote for the Best of the Shenandoah Valley!
Fill out the Best of Virginia Survey and vote for all your favorite local businesses.
((Rule 42, Stone Soup, Blackfriars, Retro&Me….))

Also, at the end when they ask for suggestions please let them know they need a section for massage therapist and photographer so we can support more businesses!!

Share with your friends! The more the merrier.

Subscribe so you wont miss a post. (Up next: Valentine Art Party at The Turtle on Feb 9th)

Any funky, fun, artsy, women-friendly events you’d like me to mention?
Let me know!! JoyBoardman@gmail.com