Joie Emmanuelle of Silver Spring, MD on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Joie Emmanuelle and have shared our conversation below.

Joie, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I made a promise to myself that I’d allow myself the blessings on the other side of fear this year — one being public speaking and hosting a class. The internal battle of imposter syndrome, especially when you’ve grown up never feeling good enough or incapable, has hindered me a lot in my choices as a working creative. But one thing I’ve learned to honor is my power of choice, which is such a scary one for most. For years, I’ve been asked to teach and I always thought “ME?! What can you learn from me when I’m still learning myself?” But that’s the whole point of life and evolving, isn’t it? To be a student doesn’t negate the opportunity to be a teacher. In fact, the BEST teachers in life remain open to learning and growing. So with that being said, I finally said why not and with the push from my best friend Najah, I curated and hosted my first makeup masterclass this past spring — 10-Pieces & Things. And man was it a journey but a fulfilling one! I still get tingles in my fingers thinking about the day and that I actually did it. And, for once, I stepped outside of myself and allowed my village to support me through it. It was a true labor of love that I’m forever grateful for, and now it’s time to take it a step further (coming soon fall ‘25 *wink wink*)

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Well hello there! I’m Joie Emmanuelle, aka The Golden Nug, a soft glam savant and multi-faceted creative from Uptown, DC.

It’s funny how we niche ourselves down to seem more palatable, because it’s so much more than just that, isn’t it? In what I do, I find myself wearing many different hats. One of a therapist, a producer, a teacher, a healer, a creative director, a muse, you name it! So when saying “oh, I’m an MUA”, it just doesn’t quite cut it, does it? But, it is something I’m proud of so I’ll take it!

From a young age, I’ve always known that whatever I decide to do in life, I know I want to make people feel good. I want to story tell and dream out loud. I want to inspire others to do the same, and feel supported in the midst of doing it. And with almost a decade in the game (wow, am I seasoned?), I can say I’m doing just that!

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was Baby Jo. The little rugrat who questioned everything and whose favorite word was “why?”. Who loved to get to the root of things and was thrilled by the depths of what the little things could be. Could hold.
I was never pleased with answers like “because I said so” or “that’s just the way it is”. I believed you could make anything you want it to be and that everything had a purpose.
My Yaya’s “Sunshine”, singing and dancing— infatuated by the performing arts. A bright eyed girl who just wanted to create, and loved the process behind it.

I’m proud to say I find myself more and more like Baby Jo everyday. I’ve found her voice and honor her. She was onto something — optimistic and everything and more!

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
My mom actually reposted a video touching on healing the fear of being in trouble as an adult recently and that’s something her, I, and many others who’ve taken the unconventional route resonate with.

I used to have a reoccurring theme in my dreams (honestly nightmares) where I’d find myself back in school, usually a mix of HS and College, with an underlying uneasy feeling of needing to finish, rush, or escape.
I used to get in trouble often once I hit middle school due to being an undiagnosed (at the time) girl with with the letters (specifically GAD, ADD, and depression), whose brain worked differently than what the system catered to. This left me unmotivated, stressed, and feeling incapable (ah, that word again).
I was constantly yelled at, talked down on, and scrutinized for being unable to morph a star into box. And in turn, became a people pleaser who just wanted to feel good enough.

It’s affected my life in ways I’m still realizing today, and I find myself needing the active reminder like hey — breathe, slow down, and take your time. You are worthy. You are seen and heard. You are capable. You are uniquely you. Be proud of that and stand firm in it. And then I exhale.

Here’s an affirmation that helps me on a daily: Success is a result of me living in my authentic purpose— my purpose is showing up as authentically me.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Village. Community. Sisterhood. One thing I love are my girls. Given and chosen. There’s no other blessing like the rare bond I’ve found myself sharing with the extraordinary women in my life.
But also, with putting myself out there and allowing myself to just be me, I’ve attracted and called in the most amazing people, environments, and experiences I could’ve ever dreamed of. This is what we’re meant to do. To connect. To engage. To feel safe to explore with one another. Community is my why. Alexa, play Better Than I Imagined by Robert Glasper.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t leave you with another affirmation — I’m committed to doing more things I love surrounded by people who inspire, validate, uplift, and support me.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
On the other side of fear is liberation. And that’s in all ways.
That’s something I’m consistently effing around and finding out the more this year goes on. And might I say, it’s MUCH easier said than done.

But I’ve watched how fear has caused those around me to stop their lives prematurely. To project onto others. To never see their fullest potential. To almost become a shell of themselves and watch their light diminish. And I refuse to succumb to that.

There was a time where I truly lost myself and didn’t want to be here. I turned to ash and the phoenix rose! I’ll choose to rise every. Single. Time. It’s the hard thing to do, but I’ll never regret it.

Now, some things take time. And choosing to do the scary thing is a VERY real experience. But what keeps me going is asking “what’s the best that can happen?”.
Tune in to find out.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Anthony McCray @anthonymccray.photo , Brandon Battle @bbattlecuts, Jamar Hutcheson @jamarhutcheson , Nyannah Jeffries @nyseyez, Isaiah Baylor @21bib12.nef

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