New Arrivals
The Strengths Paradox: The Power and Pitfalls of Strength-Based Leadership
by Julie Rennecker, PhD
Your strengths are your superpower – until they aren't. Used well, our strengths are the single most reliable source of human energy, motivation, and innovation. Used in the wrong context or out of proportion with the situation, our strengths can become our greatest liability. This isn’t failure. It’s the strengths paradox.
Packed with relatable stories – from startups stuck in endless ideation to health systems solving nurse retention to resolving conflicts between teams and executives -- this book gives you the tools to unlock your company’s full potential without increasing burnout.
Finding Calm: Sofia's Day at the Park
by Anika Klix & Colette DeMonte (2025)
When Sofia Sloth struggles to find the perfect game to play among her forest friends, she meets Tai Turtle, who introduces her to the practice of mindfulness. As the other forest animals grow curious, they, too, join in, discovering the power of slowing down, breathing deeply, and being present.
Through fun and engaging stories, Sofia and Tai will teach
their friends, and young readers, simple ways to bring
mindfulness into everyday life. Look for more adventures
with Sofia Sloth and Tai Turtle!
Available on Kindle or Paperback
Focused Moments: Connecting through stories and mindful leadership
by Danielle Lord, Ph.D. and Anika Klix M.A. (2025)
This book is your versatile companion, serving as a journal, conversation starter, discussion prompt, or a source of inspiration to provoke meaningful thought. Inside, you’ll discover:
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Practical ways to uplift and motivate your team.
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Leadership lessons drawn from nature and animals.
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Actionable strategies to incorporate mindfulness into your workplace.
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Guided meditations tailored for work environments.
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Thought-provoking prompts to inspire reflection and enrich team meetings.
Harness the power ofFocused Moments to create shared experiences, foster meaningful connections, and cultivate a culture of positivity, growth, and collaboration. Transform your leadership journey today with this insightful and empowering guide.
Engaging Your Employees: 12 Heart-Centered Strategies to Drive Your Organization's Culture & Commitment
by Danielle Lord, Ph.D. (2024)
Start with the heart! When did we determine that business and kindness were mutually exclusive or beneficial? Multiple variables and environmental factors have created organizations with cultures that do not support humans. Our unwillingness to respond with kindness, empathy, and heart has resulted in apathy among team members and leaders alike. We can do better!
Matagorda Breeze
by Lyla Hopper (2020)
The Age of Oil ends in a cataclysm that kills millions of people. Two centuries after The Day, mankind has adapted, and a second Age of Sail is thriving.Ruby Turner is the first woman to serve aboard ships of the Gulf Shipping Company. She’s an excellent Navigator, but the Commodore has promoted her to Captain of the Matagorda Breeze, a ne’er-do-well ship where sailors who can’t quite make the grade elsewhere end up. She’s got to prove to the Commodore, herself, and her new team that she’s got what it takes to turn the ship around. On the way, she must face the biggest challenges of her career. Adventure awaits!
Life at the Market
by Wendy Allen (2018)
Unexpected things happen at the market on a daily basis. Clerks fall in love with other clerks ; customers find true love in aisle four; a customer's van catches fire in the parking lot as someone collapses from a heart attack while trying to help. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the drama and life at the market. This book is full of humor, wit, and life lessons. Surely, never a dull moment!
Joy House Authors
Wendy Allen
Wendy is from Bellingham, WA and wrote her story in a spiral-bound notebook during a time when she was healing from a scooter accident. Not satisfied to just sit around and be idle, she put her thoughts on paper, literally. Eight years later, after dreaming of actually publishing her story, we made it happen. Joy House Publishing was honored and excited to make Wendy's dream of becoming a published author, a reality!
Author of Life at the Market
Danielle Lord PhD
Danielle has 30 years of experience in the field of leadership development and theory. Driven by a passion to find solutions as well as a desire to reduce organizational pain, Danielle has made a career in the field of organizational development, specializing in adult learning and leadership development. She helps leaders understand not only how to lead more effectively, but why it's important, and how to create a culture of commitment.
Author of Engaging Your Employees: 12 Heart -centered Strategies to Drive Your Organization's Culture & Commitment and co-author of Focused Moments - Connecting through stories and mindful leadership
Lyla Hopper
By training and trade, Lyla is a software developer, and in her copious free time she's an empath, a wife, a cook, mommy to the cutest dog EVER (fight her on this!), a full-time RVer, and a woodworker....and now, a first-time published novelist. Lyla spent her high school years in East Texas, the home of many wonderful lakes, moving there when her father retired to "go fishing every day until the day I die."
Author of Matagorda Breeze
Colette DeMonte Psy.D.
Colette loves to explore the beautiful state of Washington where they reside with family and friends. Lying in a hammock, walking the dogs, and blowing bubbles on a sunny day are just a few of their favorite activities to practice mindfulness. Colette is the founder of Sow Therapeutic, a community-based organization focused on enhancing access to wellness services and green spaces in underserved communities.
Visit: sowtherapeutic.org
Co-author of Finding Calm: Sofia's Day at the Park
Julie Rennecker PhD
Julie helps smart, mission-driven people work better together. As the CEO of Syzygy Team Solutions, she partners with leaders in healthcare, medtech, and other complex industries to cut through cross-functional friction and strengthen alignment to accelerate real innovation.
You can learn more about Julie and her services by visiting the Syzygy Team Solutions website – SyzygyTeams.com
Author of The Strengths Paradox: The Power and Pitfalls of Strengths-based Leadership
Anika Klix, NBC-HWC
Anika is an author, publisher, and founder of Halsa Coaching for Mindful Living and Joy House Publishing. Drawing from her background in organizational leadership and mindfulness-based practices, her work spans mindful leadership, children’s mindfulness literature, and heart-centered coaching.
Co-author of Focused Moments-Connecting through stories and mindful leadership and Finding Calm: Sofia's Day at the Park
What we've been up to
Joy House Releases
2026
The Strengths Paradox:
The Power and Pitfalls of Strengths-Based Leadership
by Julie Rennecker, PhD
2025
Finding Calm: Sofia's Day at the Park
by Anika Klix and Colette DeMonte
2025
Focused Moments: Connecting through stories and mindful leadership
2nd Edition
by Danielle Lord, Ph.D. and Anika Klix, MA
2024
Engaging Your Employees: 12 Heart-Centered Strategies to Drive Your Organization's Culture & Commitment
by Danielle Lord, Ph.D.
2023
Focused Moments: Creating Shared Experiences and Positive
Team Dynamics in Leadership
by Danielle Lord, Ph.D.
2020
Matagorda Breeze
by Lyla Hopper
2018
Associate editor for
600 Days in Hiding
by Andreas A. Algava,
Life at the Market
by Wendy Allen
2015
Contributor to
Reflections: Ultra Short Personal Narratives.
Published by Telling Our Stories Press
2014
Associate editor for
Sea-Fence! The Story of Big Lo, Super Fan
by Lorin Sandretzky,
“You don ’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.
That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”