Welcome to my website. My name is Virginia C. Smith; my nickname is 'Joy'. I am an executive coach, who has worked at some of the top companies in the world, including Amazon, AT&T, British Telecom-BT Group, Reliance Communications (India) and Verizon. Coaching for me is an exceptional calling; it requires that "the coach" have deep listening and questioning skills which can inspire the right question to trigger a client's own inner wisdom. For me having a client connect with their own Inner Coach is the optimum result.

 My clients are often entrepreneurs and business leaders  who are committed to transforming themselves while at the same time leading by example, to have an impact on their business ultimately. In my practice, I engage with my clients to work through a process of self-actualization that allows them to connect with the understanding and realization that "It was ME all along,” or for them to take what I call respond-ability for their decisions. As to my own life, it has been incredible and very satisfying, living and working in some twenty-eight countries. It has been a remarkable trek filled with many tests along the way, although not all of it was a grand experience. There have been many moments that have been extremely uncomfortable and unreasonable. At times, I have found myself on my knees, requiring that I take extreme risks and grab hold of astounding levels of courage to "right the ship."  

During these pinnacle experiences, there was a moment, an epiphany, when I realized that having full accountability for my life course and everything within it gave me an incredible sense of freedom. My heart leapt, and my life path took a 180- degree turn for the better. At that moment, I stepped into a completely open mind, which allowed me to stay curious and accept that I had set everything in motion through my thinking, intentions, and beingness. Once I had this realization, it was vital for me to fully commit to ownership, to comprehend that in the realm of accountability, there is no fault, no blame, no right, and no wrong . . . There is only Acceptance of “What is.”

In 2010, I published “The Dolphin Lady, A Story of a Unique Relationship” on Amazon. In my book, I share many of the amazing stories from my 28-year encounter with a pod of dolphins in Hawaii.

 The moment I met my dear friends, I had a sense they would become my greatest teachers. That definitely has come true, and whatever I learnt from them, I brought into my life in the real world. The Dolphins have been phenomenal guides, and the key lessons from our interactions were embedded in all aspects of my daily life. This applied to personal situations, corporate meetings, or business decisions, and it always comes down to being accountable for my results. It has served me well and helped me to finally step-up in my life, have courage, take risks, and own the results.

 My dear dolphin friends have been great teachers who arrived in my life at just the right time. Through their guidance, I discovered my true potential as a human spiritual being, and I also applied that understanding in the corporate world. This was where I struggled the most: with corporate politics, cliques, and gossip running amuck, and me getting caught within the "collective thought" (my Ego) several times. It was in these moments that I began to search for another level of guidance and wisdom, not knowing at the time that I just needed to be quiet, watch what showed up in my life, and commit to it. (Eckhart Tolle called this searching for one's purpose). I kept searching and discovered that I was not the only one in the business world looking for a higher perspective.

 Steven Jobs of Apple fame studied Buddhism. Throughout his lifelong spiritual quest, he traveled the world seeking a guru, which he finally found in his hometown of Los Altos, California. This was Shunryu Suzuki, the author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, which Jobs read shortly after finding this Zen Master. Over time, he learned to trust his intuition and curiosity and not be taken over by analysis and preconceptions. It is also important to note that Apple, riding the wave of Job's iPhone and iPad contributions, recently became the world's first trillion-dollar company.

 Along the course of my journey, I chose to broaden what I would study. In psychology, I researched the work of Carl Jung or as it is better known, Jungian Psychology. Within the spiritual realm, I researched Zen Buddhist traditions and "The Course in Miracles." I also read metaphysical authors such as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Ken Wilbur, Joseph Campbell, and Deepak Chopra. Jean-Paul Sartre and his existentialism opened my eyes. And other authors had an impact on me like Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, Byron Katie, Andy Andrews, Don Miguel Ruiz, Joseph Benner and others.