516: From Caregiver to CEO: How Camille Joy Robinson Turned Her Son’s Diagnosis Into a Movement

Description

In this episode, I sat down with Camille Joy, founder of the Moments of Joy Podcast and author of Moments of Joy: 90 Days of Encouragement, published by Penguin Random House. Camille is a trafficking survivor who escaped an abusive situation at 21, became a high school dropout turned executive chef, and fought her way into a six-figure salary by going directly to the CEO. When her youngest son Mason was diagnosed with autism, everything shifted again, and a raw, tear-filled video she recorded in her car after a difficult doctor visit went viral with over six million views in 2022.Today Camille runs two businesses: Moments of Joy, her for-profit media brand built on brand deals, speaking, and her book, and Awesomely Different, her nonprofit that provides swimming lesson grants for children with autism. She also shares how she and her filmmaker husband manage it all without a village, and what it really took to land Holly Robinson Peete as a podcast guest after five attempts over several years.Main TakeawaysYour test is your testimony: Camille's openness about trafficking, autism, and grief is what built her audience and her business.Tackle the shame first: Before you can turn your story into impact, you have to get comfortable sharing what you have been through.Serve before you ask: Camille landed Holly Robinson Peete as a guest by consistently showing up in her community, buying her book, attending her events, and reaching out five times before getting a yes.Caregiving and entrepreneurship can coexist: Camille and her husband run two businesses while raising Mason by communicating constantly, sharing schedules, and giving each other permission to pursue their goals.Highlights Include00:46 - Camille shares what life looked like before the Moments of Joy Podcast existed01:45 - Mason's birth story and three heart surgeries in 18 months02:42 - Receiving Mason's autism diagnosis and how it changed everything04:40 - Camille reveals she is a trafficking survivor and how she escaped at 2106:06 - How a stranger saying her