Meet Northern Joy | Entertainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Northern Joy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Northern, what do you attribute your success to?
My success in both my personal and professional endeavors has grown in tandem with my willingness to be an authentic, honest, and imperfect human. Instinctively we all want to protect ourselves and our vulnerabilities. We used to aspire to become the best, most perfect version of ourselves, or at least make sure that’s all anyone saw in public. Big box retail brands and perfectly airbrushed celebrities aren’t revered like they once were years ago. Now with the internet flooded with personalities, what people gravitate towards is what they can relate to on a personal level. I used to be afraid that my honesty and “my brand of weird” would push people away, but it’s in fact done the opposite by deepening my relationships. The more comfortable I’ve become with myself and my flaws and the more open I’ve been in sharing them, the more trust I’ve earned with my friends and my coworkers. The people who aren’t rooting for you when you’re being true to yourself are people you don’t want in your corner anyway.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I currently operate two sides to my professional life: my daytime “bill-payer” job and my passion projects. I thrive most in operations and marketing functions, whether for my day job or my hobbies. And any time I can be dancing, singing, or generally entertaining I’m a happy girl. For over a decade my day job was also most of my passion. I absolutely loved what I did for my employers, I felt valued, and I was committed to the improvement of myself and my teams. That commitment changed during a giant life upheaval during the pandemic. I involuntarily took my first break from a full time job in 20 years. During those months of unemployment I managed the unexpected death of my father, took online classes, and helped friends with their projects that never had time for before. I was working just as hard as when I had a full time job and I was loving it more than I could have imagined! But I enjoy the stability of a steady paycheck and excellent health insurance, so I was back to a day job as soon as possible. I have less time for my passion projects, but I have a whole new perspective on how I value my time and energy. I think lots of people can relate to the struggle of finding that balance between doing what’s comfortable and doing what you love. Maybe some day I will bring both stability and my passions into the same functions, and that’s my current goal. My favorite job right now is as ring announcer for pro independent wrestling group Lucha Brutál. Does work get any cooler than that?! And I’m absolutely thrilled to be co-running a new variety show group called Uptown Revue. We’re a group of talented singers, dancers, actors, and comedians currently looking for opportunities to use our talents to bring light-hearted fun across DFW. After a bleak two years, we could all benefit from more smiling and laughing, and that’s what we want to do for people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My top must-visit list for DFW would include more food and drinks than anything else, cause in Texas we definitely know how to eat! We might spend an afternoon running door-to-door in Deep Ellum because there seems to be new shops and restaurants popping up every week! I’d end that visit on the patio at my favorite dive bar, Lee Harvey’s, just a short drive down the street. For something even more casual, I would take my friends for a mid-morning walk down the Katy Trail, stopping off at Knox-Henderson for brunch or lunch and some window shopping. For people willing to drive to Fort Worth, I’d absolutely spend an afternoon and evening in Sundance Square. Parking after 6pm is free, the plaza is a fun place to relax, and within walking distance you can catch some live jazz at Scat Jazz lounge, or snuggle into Thompsons, a library-like speakeasy.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Credit for my success goes to everyone who’s been in my story so far, and I’m lucky that it’s too long to list. From the most negative experiences to the most positive ones, each one leaves their unique mark, so not only would I NOT change a thing, I might give ALMOST all of them my gratitude.

Website: www.northernjoy.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/northernjoy

Image Credits
Bustout Burlesque Photo
Persuasion STAdPro Photography
Stephen Shore Photography