#160 The Heroine’s Journey to Her True Voice

Today, I interview Joan Perry, who once built a life filled with achievement, only to realize she was climbing the wrong ladder in the wrong building. Outwardly, everything looked perfect—career success, recognition, and status—but inwardly, she felt disconnected from herself. Joan shares how, for years, she followed the path that culture and family laid out for her, without ever stopping to ask if it was truly her own.

Growing up in a high-achieving family in the Midwest, Joan learned early on that visibility and accomplishment were rewarded. Her voice, however, was often silenced. In a household where airtime was earned and expression was measured, she became an achiever—excelling in sports, academics, and later, in a groundbreaking career on Wall Street. Yet behind all the success was a deep longing for something more real, something that felt alive inside her.

The breakthrough came when everything she had built began to fall apart. A divorce she never saw coming stripped away the vision she had constructed. It forced her to pause for the first time and listen inward. Joan realized she had shaped her entire life around survival, not authenticity. Stability had come at the cost of her true voice. This disruption marked the true beginning of her Heroine’s Journey—the journey back to herself.

Today, Joan Perry is the founder of The Heroine’s Journey and a bestselling author, helping women everywhere reclaim their voice, self-worth, and authentic path. Through her writing, coaching, and her podcast The Heroine’s Journey, she teaches that real success starts when we stop performing and start listening within. Her story is a powerful reminder that it is never too late to rewrite the story and become the Heroine of your own life.

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Joan Perry is a cultural luminary and advocate for women becoming the heroines of their own lives. Her credits include bestselling author, business owner, securities trader, high-performance coach, pioneering high-net-worth investor, philanthropist, and publisher.

Her deepest joy comes from sharing her epic work, The Heroine’s Journey to True Wealth, with other women who are also trying to rewrite their heroine's story.

She is an international bestselling author, host of The Heroine's Journey Podcast, and founder of The Heroine's Journey. She is also the author of The Heroine's Journey: The Art of Becoming the Heroine of Your Own Life.

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Find Joan here:
https://www.facebook.com/TheJoanPerry

linkedin.com/in/the-joan-perry

www.WalkTheJourney.com

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I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.