Wisdom Walker

Reading Time: 3 minutes

For many women, the prospect of aging can be daunting. It carries an undeniable weight, a burden that seems to bear down on us, often creating an overwhelming fear. The societal perception can be harsh, treating the process as a discardable, unjust inevitability.

But let’s challenge this narrative.

Let’s choose to see aging not as a curse, but as a journey. A journey of growth, wisdom, and resilience. Women are not mere objects to be tossed aside when their youthful glow fades. We are so much more. We are survivors, continually evolving, forever growing.

Let’s embrace the beauty of our journey, each wrinkle a testament to our strength, each grey hair a trophy of our wisdom.

Aging is not a curse, it’s a privilege. And we are not just surviving it, we are thriving through it. As I embrace my silver strands, faint lines around my eyes, and my right knee’s newfound aversion to stairs, I ponder on the right description for this stage of my life.

The labels ‘old woman’, ‘crone’, and ‘senior citizen’ fail to capture the essence of my journey. They simply do not do justice to my rich tapestry of experiences as a pioneering Black woman. Moreover, these words fall short of summarizing my invaluable roles as a devoted mother, a loving grandmother, and a steadfast friend. I am not just an ordinary woman; I am an embodiment of strength, resilience, and love.

What unique qualities do I bring to the table that a 20-year-old might lack? I carry a wealth of wisdom, forged through years of critical decision-making. My character strength has been meticulously crafted through a tapestry of personal trials and tribulations, lessons learned from missteps, and heartfelt apologies to myself and others.

With a wealth of experience that sparked at the tender age of 16, my journey has been nothing short of remarkable. It’s a journey that’s been fueled by an unwavering commitment to shattering color and gender barriers. Today, my relentless pursuit continues unabated, stronger and more determined than ever.

I now introduce myself as the ‘Wisdom Walker’, I tower with the mighty legacy of my ancestors at my back, and a radiant future brimming with joy, laughter, and triumphant success ahead. I stride confidently in the realm of my wisdom, expressing profound gratitude to the Divine for blessing me with a robust body temple, ready to embrace my upcoming thrilling adventures.

Joia Jefferson Nuri has a keen intuition for helping women of color executives achieve their goals. Her training as a coach in executive Leadership and public speaking has sharpened her ability to understand and support clients clarify their objectives. Joia helps her clients build a toolkit to battle their destructive inner critic, allowing them to rise from their zone of excellence to their zone of genius. Trained in the rubric of positive psychology, her techniques put clients in touch with their inner critic so they can quiet it. As a leadership coach, her ultimate goal is to help clients understand their worth, maximize their abilities, and live the lives they see for themselves. Joia’s signature executive team-building and inner critic workshops assist companies, social change groups, and women’s organizations to maximize their Leadership while aligning their values and practices.

Before coaching, she was a human rights communication strategist for Harry Belafonte and Danny Glover, TransAfrica, The Institute for Policy Studies, and Truly Living Well Center for Urban Agriculture. As a communication strategist, she testified before Congress on Haiti Relief and co-wrote Congressional Testimony for Danny Glover. Joia Nuri has co-written, edited, and coached 14 TEDx Talks, including one for herself. She was honored to be invited to deliver the keynote address in Vienna, Austria, before the 53 nations of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Her communications career at NBC News was one of the first women hired as a technician. Her move to CBS News made her the first Black woman to serve as Technical Director of the CBS Evening News and Face The Nation. She also worked as a senior producer at NPR, PBS, and C-SPAN.

Her public speaking training began with her father, a classical baritone. Later, her training continued with Shakespearean actress Naomi Jacobson. Joia has performed voiceovers for documentaries on Civil Rights icon John Lewis, ballet dancer Misty Copeland, filmmaker Ava Duverney, and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

Joia Nuri’s early career was in network newsrooms, where she was the first Black woman to be Technical Director of the CBS Evening News and Face the Nation. She also worked as a senior producer at PBS, NPR, and C-Span.She applies her experience, intuition, and training to help each client achieve true Leadership. Today, she is coaching government, education, corporations, and philanthropy leaders.

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