📖 My Story

Four years ago, I made what I now call “the big quit.” Fresh out of lockdown and completely stir-crazy, I quit my job, packed up my apartment in San Francisco, and booked flights to New York & the Caribbean, where my family is from. It was a decision rooted in the desire to slow down, reconnect with myself, and reimagine what life could look like beyond the nexus of high-achievement I had always known.

I’d had a successful and rewarding career spanning 12+ years in human-centered design, where I’ve led insights-based strategies for category-leading brands across a range of industries, including gaming, journalism & information, fashion, home electronics and appliances, telecommunications, entertainment, and more. Chances are high you’ve used a product I’ve worked on, whether it’s in your home, on your person, in your phone, or what you do on the weekend. Now, I’m taking those skills to build something much more human, and much more connected. It’s the last and most meaningful arc of my career that’s carried me from New York, to California, to the Caribbean, to Paris, and now Crete. It’s less of a pivot, and more of a full-cycle return.

📷 My Focus

As technology barrels toward a critical inflection point, I’m more concerned with the social impact of technology on individuals health & wellbeing, and our human capacity for thriving in an increasingly and overly digitized world. With all the distractions we’ve designed, how can we live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives?

I’ve always believed in person-to-person change, and so instead of building an app, I’ve built a coaching practice—one grounded in the belief that personal growth is a sacred project rooted in sovereignty, purpose and truth. Through this practice, I support high-achieving Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Queer and otherwise allied humans and professionals to align with their inner wisdom, step into their power, and build lives and careers that honor their humanity and values. I’m especially passionate about helping people reimagine what's possible—in their relationships, in their work, for their health, and for their contribution to the world.

🔬 Still Researching, But For Flourishing

My skills in interviewing, facilitating, brainstorming, and strategizing are still in full use. As a researcher, I’m exploring how narrative tools like journaling and scripting support behavior change, self-actualization, and adherence in lifestyle medicine. My ultimate goal is to translate behavioral science into accessible practices, helping people take ownership of their mental and physical wellbeing—especially in systems that have historically failed to serve them.

As a scholar of psychology, behavior change, health, & wellbeing, I’m most curious about our human capacity for thriving in these critical times, as well as the potential to design new hybrid therapeutic modalities that bridge mental and physical health.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Dartmouth College, and a Master of Arts Degree in Design Research from the School of Visual Arts in New York with a focus on spaces, experiences, and products. In advance of formal graduate training in clinical psychology and doctoral study to articulate these new modalities, I am currently pursuing certification from the Co-Active Training Institute— the most renown experiential coach training organization in the world—alongside a Master of Science in Lifestyle Medicine at the University of Thessaly to (1) augment my approach to personal change and transformation, and to (2) pilot new concept modalities for this meaningful work.

I am currently based in Crete, the southernmost island of Greece,  and welcome new coaching clients worldwide.

🗓️ + ✉️ Book a Free Discovery Call or Get In Touch.

Curious about coaching? Schedule an introduction using the big yellow button, send a message using this form, or email me directly at joseph@violet-studio.com. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.