About AJ
The Bush Philosopher
From the Boardroom to the Bush
G’day. I’m AJ. Executive coach, investor, board advisor and bush philosopher. I’m on a mission to help conscious leaders build high performing teams, healthy workplace cultures, careers and lives they love, without burning out -
Because There’s More To Leadership Than Work!
Living in the bush has taught me that leadership is relational in that we are all teachers and learners, and we need to honour nature’s rhythms and to mark each level of progression if we truly want to thrive. This journey has broadened my perspective, deepened my connections and enriched my understanding of the world around me.
It takes courage and a desire to be a steward for the future to step outside the current paradigm, to dream a new way of leading and of being of service in the world and to meet yourself in your deepest places. This is where the journey of leadership truly begins. Alexandra Joy known as ‘AJ’, is on a mission: to inspire the world's leaders to choose the path of Steward Eldership and make it universally beneficial and transformational.
I’ve spent over two decades helping leaders and managers heal their culture to find their sweet spot where they can do less and achieve more.
Download a copy of my Corporate Bio here.
I help leaders get back on track, feel more focused and alive so they can become a world class leader without sacrificing all that is dear to them. Over the past 25+ years I have held various leadership roles health, education, workplace safety and government. As an executive leader myself and director of a large public agency, I learnt first-hand how balancing the demands of work and personal life can lead to stress, overwhelm, physical ailments and burnout.
Each year for the past 17 years AJ has penned a letter to her future self outlining all the things she is grateful for in the coming year - in a way its how she aligns with her truth. You can read her very personal 2024 Annual Gratitude Letter — here.
Purpose
Why is it that engagement continues to be at record lows and even with all the research and knowledge there are still millions of people quitting their job, suffering from anxiety depression? AJ argues that organisations are possibly the world’s most underutilised resource for solving many human, economic and environmental challenges. She believes that most companies have failed to tap into and unleash the human power at their fingertips. And now she’s on a mission to accelerate the evolution of a more conscious world through the vehicles of leadership and culture.
Through her work AJ combines tradition with innovation, ancient wisdom with modern practice, she will broaden your worldview and encourage new ways of being as well as equip you with the necessary skills to shift your people, your culture and the world. Her work has proven that by nuturing engaging and uplifting people, companies can achieve sustainable, vibrant, high performance so that whether employees stay for 3 days, 3 months or 3 years they feel appreciated and valued, they deliver high performance and they grow and leave as better people. With her support, organisations have more engaged employees, delighted customers and leveraged results.
History
Before founding several companies and winning the Lake Macquarie City Entrepreneur of the Year, AJ worked as Director for the government work health and safety regulator, WorkCover NSW. During her tenure, she changed the way WorkCover spoke to and built relationships with its stakeholders. She was responsible for changing the focus and perception of WorkCover brand as being the “enforcer” to focusing on the importance of working safely for the sake of going home to family and friends.
AJ has a degree in Communications, a Graduate Diploma and a Masters in Professional Communication. She is a qualified Yoga Teacher, an NLP Practitioner, a hypnotherapist and is currently undergoing a two year program to become a trained Yoga Medicine Therapist. A ten times published author, she speaks regularly at conferences across Australia and internationally on the inherent power of humans, culture and healing relationships at work. As a practicing servant leader, she is generous with her time – she is a founding board member of the Got Your Back Sista, the Founder and Chair of the Professional Communicators Network and the Co-Founder of Human Power.
Inspiration
In 2015 AJ realised her life had become messy, busy and cluttered. She said yes to an opportunity to travel to Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island to attend a Virgin Unite Leadership Gathering and was inspired by Richard and the other guests and speakers to rethink how she wanted to live and make an impact in the world. By 2016 she had made the decision to let go of the old and make space for the new. She commissioned a builder to create her own eco-friendly, off grid tiny house, downsized her name, her life and began to live more consciously in The Joy Box - her tiny house on wheels. What she learnt through the process of letting go of 75 per cent of her possessions is that minimalism isn’t just about being conscious about what you bring into your life, it’s largely about what you let go of – the stuff that’s weighing you down. She discovered when you focus your mindset, heal from the busyness disease, remove chaos and clutter you begin to feel lighter, freer, more alive and more able to be UPTIMISTIC.
As a biophiliac with a deep love for humanity and nature, independence and freedom she believes improvements needn't be massive and radical, rather that continual 10 degree shifts at the personal level can make large improvements at the global level. She is the author of eight books on leadership, culture, mindset and human performance – her latest book – Daily Uptimism: Inspirational Quotes to Live On the Upside aims to help you tap into the power of positivity and find joy in the simple things.
The big SHIFT
I thought that being a great leader meant I had to sacrifice my health and my relationships for the sake of the responsibility I had to my team. the organisation and our results. How wrong I was. This is how it is for most executives I meet until they are shown another way.
I now bridge the gap between the boardroom and the bush and am passionate about coaching leaders and aspiring leaders to get ahead of the burnout bandwagon before they lose sight of their true wealth and themselves. Together we follow a proven system to get them back on track and even better so they can have huge impact and influence while still enjoying a first class lifestyle.
Feedback from clients suggests I have been the most profound executive leadership and personal mastery coach they’ve ever worked with. Named by one of my clients as "The Bush Philosopher" I operate from my sacred Wollombi Valley property where you can join me for private or team retreats and learn how to balance your health and wealth with the wisdom of the land, indigenous cultures and ancient practices. My retreats and workshops have been described as "absolutely inspiring", "refreshing and unexpected", "grounding and affirming" and delivering "100% engagement".
AJ has worked with
