A dedicated advocate for sacred rest, Diane Butts stands as a beacon of transformative leadership in A Joy Divine. With a Master of Social Work from Fordham University, her life’s work embodies the gentle strength of a pastor and the insightful wisdom of a spiritual coach.
Over 25 years in school social work and family therapy ground her methodologies in empathy, while 15 years in outreach ministry and 7 years coaching church leaders amplify her impact. Her journey honors every woman's divine narrative, guiding us to trade burnout for balance and to embrace our true selves.
Daughter, if you’re reading this, you might be “the answer” for everybody else—and running on fumes for yourself. I know that life. I lived it for years: dependable, compassionate, the one with a key to everyone’s crises. People lined up for my mercy and I willingly gave…until it almost broke me.
Prior to one of my surgeries, I spent the week before cooking, labeling meals, preparing to recover alone. A man I’d been seeing—well past the relationship’s expiration date—came by while I was recovering and asked, “What did you cook?” That single sentence was a spotlight. In that moment, I promised God I would stop letting people consume me to prove I mattered. My value isn’t measured by how much I’m needed.
I began practicing small holy shifts:
• I set boundaries and didn’t over-explain.
• I scheduled my own “time-outs.”
• I sat in silence with God in my little apartment and let the quiet hold me.
• I stopped worshiping exhaustion. I stopped calling burnout “purpose.”
Something healed. No became a complete sentence. My yes grew honest. My joy—this Joy—rose from the inside, not from applause or productivity. I realized Joy isn’t a prize for doing everything right; Joy is the Presence that steadies you while you do the next right, kind thing.
A Joy Divine exists because women like us deserve a soft place to land. We are high-achieving and heart-heavy, brilliant and bone-tired. We love deeply and sometimes forget to include ourselves in that love. This community is my answer to the question I once screamed into a pillow: “Who helps the Strong One?”
Here, we practice courageous boundaries, gentle rhythms, and God-centered stillness. We tell the truth without shame. We reclaim time, rebuild trust with our bodies and spirits, and remember that the joy we carry—this Joy Divine—the world didn’t give and can’t take away.
If something in you is nodding “yes,” come closer. You don’t have to earn a seat. You don’t have to be perfect to be held. Bring your calendar, your questions, your tired heart. We’ll breathe, learn, and heal together.
I made it here the slow way. My prayer is that you get here faster.
With love,
Diane
Founder, A Joy Divine