Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Joy Stevens Of Alegria Collaborative Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry

As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Joy Stevens.

Joy Stevens is the Founder and President of Alegria Collaborative, has been a life coach, sober companion, and sober coach since 2008. With extensive experience as a drug and alcohol counselor at Summit Malibu Treatment Center and over 16 years of expertise in addiction and mental health coaching, she has built a dedicated team of skilled coaches, companions, and case managers who help clients find meaning and achieve lasting recovery.

From Alegria’s start, Joy’s goal has been to create a collaborative approach to behavioral health, integrating medical clinicians, psychologists, and non-clinical counselors. Her empathetic and compassionate team motivates clients toward recovery, long-term stability, and personal fulfillment.

Driven by her own experiences with loss and helplessness, Joy finds purpose in witnessing the healing of clients and their families. Committed to her personal recovery, she leads with passion and strives to help others find fulfillment and ignite their own joy in life.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I am the oldest of four children and was fortunate to grow up in a great family. I spent my childhood by the beach in California, and I truly consider myself one of the lucky ones.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

There has always been a part of me that had me rooting for the underdog for as long as I can remember. Maybe it stems from being the oldest sibling and always looking out for my younger siblings. That instinct to care for and support others is likely what guided me to this field.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I can’t share specifics because I work under a confidentiality clause, but I can guarantee it has been varied and interesting. I can say that seeing the “lights turn on” is the greatest thing to be able to witness.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

In our business there aren’t a lot of ‘haha’ funny moments — it’s more about the ‘light at the end of the tunnel, looking back’ kind of funny. It’s those moments when a client can sit down and say, ‘Remember when we did XYZ?’ and we both laugh about it. Levity is so important to bring back into the work.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I was introduced to a psychiatrist, Dr Brett Shurman, when I was in the business for about five years. He saw value in me and in my work ethic that I hadn’t yet seen for myself. He has become my mentor, and he’s become invaluable to my career and success.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Sure. Integrity will always lead you down the right path. Stay true to yourself and know that the reason you are doing this work is because you are made for it and it is a calling of the soul. Everything will fall into place.

Every industry iterates and seeks improvement. What changes would you like to see in the industry going forward?

I want people to be led in a different way. We are in a business, but I think more people need to stay in the solution and not in the problem. We do that by uplifting our fellows, giving our best work, and always being collaborative with those around us. Putting the clients first is always our priority, and when everyone is aligned with that thinking, the industry moves forward.

You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?

As I said before, watching people’s spark get reignited is the most exciting “project.” We are grateful to keep doing meaningful work with people who have not been getting this level of care.

We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?

Every walk of life needs to be represented in media. It gives us heroes, and everyone deserves to see that. The grace, the grit, the drive. It helps us to see the world better and promotes tolerance. Those are the stories that need to be told.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Listen to your instincts, we all have them, it is about strengthening that muscle and listening to them. They are there for a reason!
2. Go where the love is — walk through the welcome open doors, where you will be supported and heard. No reason to be fighting an uphill battle.
3. Ask questions. We are not mind readers; that is where most people get into trouble. It is the same as assuming. You need to make sure the people you are working with are aligned with your vision.
4. Request feedback — Feedback is an opportunity to learn and grow, take the constructive criticism and use it as a tool to thrive.
5. Remain true to yourself, all you have is your word, and your name. If you stick to that, you will never be led astray. Do not compromise your personal values for anything, you will regret it later.

Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.

It is very easy to get caught up in the work I do, the work actually demands that. However; I do not negotiate on my pilates appointments. They are the 150 minutes a week I take to center myself, and this allows me to function on all cylinders.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes”. I actually had that on my business cards at one time. It is as simple as it sounds. Change is something a lot of us repel from, but it is where we find the greatest opportunity to learn and grow.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Kindness, I think we do not respect each other enough these days. A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

Malala Yousafzai, I want to talk to her about resilience, and how she remained so true to herself in the face of so much strife and trauma.

Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?

https://www.alegriacollaborative.com/

This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!