Joyce Miller
Aesthetician, Beauty and Wellness Center
Joyce Miller, a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, retired nurse, and now aesthetician, is a Christian woman and inspiration to younger women. “As anyone has, I have dealt with setbacks in my career and personal life over the past 70 years,” Joyce says. “I have been very fortunate to have wonderful friendships with godly individuals who have provided the right encouragement and counsel just when I needed it. My relationship with God has given me the faith to know that I do not have to tackle obstacles alone, and while I know it is easy to get caught up in circumstances and pain, I remember that my glass is never half empty.”
Joyce’s past experiences and her faith allow her to encourage young girls to embrace their strength and potential. “Young women should be offered respect and encouragement to step out of their comfort zones and reminded that it only takes three seconds of bravery to potentially make a change in their lives. We should pray over them and for them and allow them the opportunities to be successful through leadership programs in and out of school. Young women should believe that they can do anything they set their minds to, and we can do that by volunteering our time and mentorship to them,” she says.
Joyce began her life journey in Vivian, Louisiana, with her parents Jewel and Lillian Treadway She is the middle child of two brothers, Alvin and Curtis. “My family and I moved to San Manuel, Arizona, where my father worked in a copper mine when I was a young child. I have always been very close to my brothers, who were my best playmates. I was a bit of a tomboy and spent all my time outside playing baseball, riding a skateboard, and exploring the deserts and caves of Arizona. After a strike at the mine, our family moved back to Texarkana, where I attended and graduated from Texas High School. While at Texas High School, I also obtained a license in cosmetology,” Joyce says.
With the cosmetology license Joyce earned during high school, she put herself through the nursing program at Texarkana College, where she became a registered nurse in her 20s. Joyce then worked for 38 years in the nursing field and retired. However, she was not ready to go home and sit down; she was ready for a new adventure. “I have always loved skincare, so I applied for a job with Dr. David and Susan Whitten at the Beauty and Wellness Center. I provide facials, microdermabrasion, and multiple other skincare procedures here. We have machines for skin tightening, cellulite reduction, laser hair removal, as well as our Venus machines that are FDA approved for fibromyalgia. I love my job and the people I work with. We have a real family feel to our office, and I look forward to seeing my clients who have become great friends of mine,” Joyce says.
Joyce enjoys her growing family as well. “I have a son, Chad, and a daughter, Kari. They have blessed me with four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, with one more on the way!” she says. Joyce delights in being a special guest in her daughter’s classroom setting. She says, “Kari is a culinary arts teacher at Paul Pewitt High School, and I enjoy helping out in her kitchen and classroom with her students. I teach them about the importance of proper handwashing techniques and speak on certain food-borne illnesses that can occur from improper food handling and poor cooking practices. I am able to share with them health cases that I have witnessed during my career as a nurse.” However, that is not the only way Joyce gives back. “Church is an important part of my life, and through ministry, I am able to volunteer for community service events that focus on women’s services, expectant mothers, and children’s ministries. Through my job at the Beauty and Wellness Center, we provide skincare education, product sampling, and mini-procedures at local events, nursing homes, and church outreach programs. I have enjoyed volunteering and pouring out God’s love to women at events such as Remember Me with Joy and Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.”
Because self-care and mental wellness are so important for women and mothers to keep their tanks full to run their homes, careers, and personal lives, Joyce encourages the women in her life to find an activity that rejuvenates their minds and bodies. She says, “I have a sign in my house that says, ‘My Therapist Lives in the Barn.’ I have horses that provide companionship, sometimes frustrations, but always entertainment and unconditional love. In addition to my horses, I enjoy dancing. Not only is it great exercise, but I also love music, and when I hear a great beat, I can’t stay in my seat. I participate in Country Western dancing locally and at festivals in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. In the past few years, I have started West Coast Swing, which I do two or three times a week here in Texarkana and at events in Arkansas.”
Joyce believes that knowledge is power, and any woman who wants to be in leadership should educate herself and then set goals. “Women aspiring to be leaders should build strong relationships and keep the company of others in positive leadership positions that will help you achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Women should build one another up and celebrate each other’s accomplishments,” Joyce says.