"I've had the pleasure of knowing Joey for the better part of a decade now. She has been a positive influence in my life from day one. She's got a way of asking you questions that cut to the core. Her insightful and fearless way of communicating has helped me look at myself and life in new ways and the result was inspiration and growth. She is highly creative, intelligent, talented, deep, and to me, a sincere friend. A true blessing for anyone lucky enough to cross paths with her, whether for a season or just a few drops of wisdom."
~ Sarah Finchum, California

Joey Paynter is the most influential person I have ever known. She will believe in you, believe for you, challenge you and question you. She challenged me to just be Jaime -- to embrace the woman God had created me to be. She didn't just believe in me but who I could become. Through conversations with Joey, my life was completely transformed. The gratitude I have to God for bringing Joey into my life is overwhelming.
~ Jaime Cumming, Washington

Joey Paynter, to me has been one of my favorite mentors over the last six years. She has always been someone I’ve known to be truly genuine and caring. When you’re in a conversation with her, she makes you feel like you’re her focus. She accurately understands how to make a person feel heard, understood, appreciated and cared for. She knows how to guide a mentoring conversation and relationship exceedingly well. She recognizes the need to let people express themselves in their own individual way. With that, she easily identifies how to help people in a very thoughtful and creative way. Her ability to read a person’s feelings is extremely impressive. Joey has been and is currently an awe-inspiring mentor towards many different individuals in the States and overseas. I’d highly recommend her to work with someone of any age group, culture and or background.
~ Ruthanne Wooten, California

I met Joey Paynter in Australia in 2002. I had just graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi and traveled to Australia searching for a more meaningful existence. I joined a volunteer organization that Joey was already a part of and she was assigned to be my mentor. I was tired of living to please people and longed for space and authenticity. Joey was very honoring of my personal space and let me open up when I was ready. Her steady encouragement helped me to regain love for myself and others. She lives purposefully and with passion. Joey challenged me by her example and inspired me to search my own heart for the passions that had been diminished by disappointment and pain. I am exceedingly grateful for the part she played in that critical time of my life.
~ Stacey Dean, Texas

Joey Paynter is a woman who approaches life with depth and wisdom and a desire not for surface relationship, but to discover a person’s heart and soul. She was hugely influential in helping me to understand myself and how I can at my best, relate to others. She has an ability to hold a mirror to ones life in such a gentle yet strategic way. The biggest lesson Joey imparted to me was learning to find joy and contentment in the current moment of life, to not let the here and now pass by unexhausted of its purpose. This is a lesson that has stood me through many a challenging season, and will I think always remain profoundly foundational to the way I approach life. Joey continues to be a dear friend and mentor and I would highly recommend her services to anyone who wants to understand themselves and their life better.
~ Michaela Wilson, New Zealand

Joey’s life inspires and challenges me!!! I have always admired her confidence, as she knew who she was and what she wanted out of life. This encouraged me especially once when I was faced with a situation and wanted to escape, but she took the opportunity to speak into my life, challenged me to step out and face my circumstances instead of my desire to run from them. This is just one incident. I could say a lot more of how she came through for me with words of wisdom, encouragement, and her generosity...the list is endless. I believe that she did this because she believed in me. And for that I am utterly grateful!
~ Angie Atanda, Kenya, Africa

Joey definitely has a passion for helping people. I learned this when Joey became a mentor for me. I was in a dark place in my life, full of anger and sadness, and my hardened heart prevented me from easily opening up to people. Joey was one of the people who helped me during that time to face my struggles and allow light into those dark places. She was both gentle and persistent, challenging me, while being sure not to push me to examine parts of myself that I was not ready to. She respected my boundaries and also encouraged me to get to know myself. One of the reasons I was willing to receive help from Joey is that I perceived her to have a great deal of wisdom. On the outside she is fun and lighthearted, quick to laugh, but I could sense a spiritual depth in her. This depth often comes to the surface in her creativity, the beautiful photographs she takes, and in her passion to get to know others as they truly are.
~ Carla Melenberg, Canada

I’ve been blessed enough to have Joey as one of my mentors when we were volunteering overseas years ago. I remember her being someone who struck me as incredibly strong and passionate about life. She really made herself available to me and always made me feel like I was a priority. Never once did I feel I couldn’t open up to her about anything. I can honestly say that Joey is someone who has incredible insight into life and carries a lot of wisdom with her. I respect her immensely and know that I can always go to her with anything.
~ Sarah Jenkins, California

I have known Joey since we were both 17- year old freshman in college. I watched her mentor and share her life with middle school girls through the ministry of Young Life and later on as a mentor in YWAM. Joey always went above and beyond to care for everyone in her path. She wants to bring out the best in people and wants to struggle with them when the best in them is difficult to unearth. Joey is a nurturer of souls, passionate, and believes in others. To have her in your corner is to have an advocate for your best possible life.
~ Katherine Edwards, LPC, Virginia

I met Joey in my early 20's, during those transition years from childhood to adulthood. She offered me genuine support from day one – I still have the note she wrote me before my first service trip abroad. This heartfelt encouragement was followed by a yearlong mentorship that helped me become the person I am today. Through her training and intrinsic know-how, Joey asks the tough questions of a professional and offers the consistency of a best friend. She is one of the most naturally generous people I know. The positive role she played in my life continues to influence my decision-making and empowers me to this day
~ Phoebe Newman, Maine

"Thank you for accepting me as I am. The raw, lumpy, adventuring, learning me. Thank you for encouraging me towards self discovery, for hoping in me and for having faith in me when I had none in myself. Thank you for the questions, for inspiring me to dig deeper for answers, below my surface, below the 'right' answers and the "I don't knows". Thank you for the hours spent patiently listening, for your understanding eyes. Thank you for the countless honest and challenging words over the many years. Thank you for helping me use my 'mistakes'... for reminding me to follow where they take me. God has blessed me with you and I am forever grateful!"
~ Jade Muller, Canada

Joey is passionate about listening to others. She listens with compassion and empathy as she works to truly understand the perspective of those to whom she is listening. While she truly is an empathetic listener, she is also not afraid to challenge others to see things from a new perspective. As a mentor she is able to balance both providing understanding with challenging the other to grow.
~ Becky Charlestein, Florida

Joey was an amazing influence in my life as a mentor and leader for the organization we were a part of at that time. Joey's innate understanding of human psychology and natural empathy, equipped her with the abilities to support, offer advice, listen and process things with me in a manner that was both professional and personable. I truly felt that Joey cared for me and offered advice that was objective, rational and motivated by an intention to see the best for me in a holistic way.
~ Kim Young, Australia