What's Your Why? With Reba Joy
Welcome to “What’s Your Why?”, our new blog series introducing you to the talented people who make us who we are. In these profiles, we go deeper, asking why someone is passionate about what they do. We can’t think of a better person to kick off this series with than Reba Joy, a dynamo in community building and merchandise design!
Wearing the prestigious title of Senior Director of Sales at Rightsleeve, Reba has deftly woven a fulfilling career around their passion for creating vibrant communities and inspiring individuals to build their lives to fulfill their unique desires and goals.
It All Started with Sports
Reba's personal and professional "why" is deeply rooted in creating and nurturing communities that bloom with introspection, personal growth, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, and creativity.
Their passion for community building was first kindled during their college days studying kinesiology when they discovered a love for sports. Envisaging a future as a gym teacher or an active participant in local sports events, they found that sports became a powerful catalyst for bolstering their self-confidence and forging strong friendships.
Reba’s “Why”: Creating and building communities full of reflection & self-development, curiosity & care for others, and passion & creativity.
While embarking on their educational journey, Reba dove into the world of volunteering for Right To Play, an organization committed to empowering young minds to become influential community leaders through the joy of play. Reba relished the experience of curating merchandise for the club they worked with, a task they realized not only brought the team closer but fostered a deep sense of community.
Building Community Through Merch
Their undying love for community building, coupled with their newfound interest in merchandise design, led them to join Right To Play post-graduation. They mentored University clubs across Canada and got the opportunity to organize conferences and fundraising campaigns to unite the clubs. Part of Reba's responsibilities included ordering merch like tents, tablecloths, shorts and, of course, t-shirts. They worked with Rightsleeve to make their merch come to life and loved when they got to hand it out to the clubs. They were always excited to see what was in the box and couldn't wait to try on the clothing!
Joining Rightsleeve
Upon discovering a job opening at Rightsleeve, Reba instantly knew it was the golden opportunity they had been waiting for, one that would harmoniously blend their twin passions of community building and merchandise design. Starting their journey at Rightsleeve as an account coordinator, they have worked up to their current position of Senior Director of Sales. In their role, they lead a strong team and prioritizes team development and client satisfaction with thoughtful precision.
Reba's story is a powerful testimony to the magic of chasing your passions and architecting a life that resonates with your true self. Their unwavering dedication to community-building and the empowerment of others reverberates through every level of Rightsleeve.
Reba’s advice for discovering your own “Why”: Get curious. Ask yourself and others questions. Get out of fast reactive mode, and create space and time to slow down to listen to your thoughts more.
Check out this awesome “What’s Your Why?” workbook that Reba had a hand in designing for one of our recent company retreats. Check out the design below:
Reba’s Reading List
Dare to Lead - Brene Brown
Untamed - Glennon Doyle
Wolfpack - Abbi Wambach
Start With Why - Simon Sinek
This is Not a T-Shirt - Bobby Hundreds
Think Again - Adam Grant
Creativity Inc. - Edward Catmull
Reba’s Dream Merch Project:
I would love to partner with more artists and get various art pieces on clothing, notebooks or totes. For instance, I loved the project my teammate Jess did with Pinterest, where they collab with the very talented Lauren Martin to create very delightful notebooks!
I also love colour-blocked clothing and would be thrilled to do a hoodie in various playful colours that look similar to the Adidas styles I own.