Joyful Noises LLC

02/04/2026

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations!

02/04/2026

Congratulations to JJasonHicks on the cover reveal for his first nonfiction book, The War of Leadership, with illustrations by the very talented Victor Juhasz!

01/31/2026

Thank you to Hilary Coleman and Alliance Music Therapy for this - and for all that they (and so many of you) continue to do to show up for the clients with whom you work and the communities where you live and work. I'm continuing to update the resources for ways to show support and advocate for change on my linktree: https://linktr.ee/joyfulnoisesllc

“Don’t come to our session today! They’re here and it’s not safe for you to come here!” - Client’s parent
“Do you have your passport, legal docs with you?!” - Me to a teammate
“We’re going to telehealth b/c it’s not safe to meet in person” - Therapist
“Yesterday, I had to explain to my young client why they weren’t going back to school in person. I’m still processing all this and it just made me so angry these kids have to experience and see this.” - Therapist

These are just a few snippets of some convos (with consent to share) we’ve been having here in MN with our team. We’re proudly marching, protesting in our own fury and soft ways, and also continuing to show up for our client/families and each other through ALL the feels, emotions, breakdowns, etc. PLEASE CONTINUE TO SHOW UP FOR US AND OUR AMAZING MINNESOTA COMMUNITIES!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
*Feel free to share, reuse this visual especially if you’re an MT-BC/private practice! LETS STAY LOUD TODAY and for the days to come!!!
**Resources and new mutual aid drives will continue to be posted! Thanks for all your contributions to our city!

01/24/2026

Please share this important resource from MnNEAT.

MnNEAT stands with our community and against ICE. This rapid‑response effort for community care provides downloadable disability access resources to support individuals during the current emergency in our state and across the country.

01/22/2026

Here is a for January. Please comment or message me if you would like this list of resources for caring for ourselves and others AND engaging to create meaningful change.

01/22/2026

I highly recommend this webinar. Thank you for sharing, Music Therapy Association of MN!

The Music Therapy Association of Minnesota is offering free access to their Understanding Immigration webinar that took place in October 2025. In light of the current actions and escalations of ICE in Minnesota, MTAM recognizes the importance of sharing, not gatekeeping, this important and pertinent information. Please email president@musictherapymn.com to gain access to this webinar. In lieu of a registration fee, please donate to the Advocates for Human Rights, who graciously hosted this webinar, here: theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/donate. Resources shared in the training can be found here: musictherapymn.com/understanding-immigration-webinar.

01/17/2026

More resources...

Our team at The Zones of Regulation is largely based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The focused immigration enforcement over the past couple of weeks has been intense. Many in our community are apprehensive, uncertain of what might unfold next. Yellow and Red Zones are near constant.

Our community moves through daily life with trepidation, hyper-vigilance, and knowledge that we might find ourselves as an observer or caught up in an unwanted interaction. It has never been more important for everyone to use tools to regulate our Zones in order to feel a sense of control and take stock of what grounds us. Regulation is vital to the safety and well-being for ourselves, and our community.

And this isn’t easy. It is taking every tool we’ve got to manage our Zones, knowing there are children who do not feel safe even at school. Knowing there are teachers who cannot protect their students, no matter how much they try. Knowing there are families facing rent and food scarcity, too afraid to leave the house. We are so heartened by how our community has come together and hopeful that peace will prevail.

We have put together a blog - Big Events, Big Feelings: Supporting Kids through Community Crises and a downloadable Zones Family Conversation Guide linked below.

Blog: https://zonesofregulation.com/blog/big-events-big-feelings-supporting-kids-through-community-crises/
Downloadable:https://zonesofregulation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Big-Events-and-Big-Feelings-A-Family-Conversation-Guide.pdf

Additional resources:
- 16 Picture Book Lessons to Aid Discussions on Immigration and Family Separation - AmazeWorks https://amazeworks.org/16-picture-book-lessons-to-aid-discussions-on-immigration-and-family-separation/?mc_cid=672c4e991d&mc_eid=aee8a172c3
-Talking to Kids about Immigration Enforcement in Their Communities https://www.chla.org/blog/advice-experts/talking-kids-about-immigration-enforcement-their-communities

Ways to Help the Minneapolis - Minnesota Community:
- Twin Cities Food Justice: https://www.tcfoodjustice.org/partner-with-us
- Neighbors Helping Neighbors: https://givebutter.com/nhn2026

01/15/2026

That moment when I got to ask James Patterson a question...right after the group tiara photo! Because that is also a thing at Author Nation...

I wear many hats. Maybe my tiara should be my official marketing and copyediting hat?

(Also, I am actually 52 - this just happened to be the tiara I had handy.)

01/15/2026

I love this illustration by Victor Juhasz. Did anyone else feel like this when stepping into your first leadership role? I know I did...and I'm grateful for the supervisors, mentors, and coaches who guided me along the way. This is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about wholistic real-world supervision. Feel free to message me or check out my Linktree if you're curious to learn more:
https://linktr.ee/joyfulnoisesllc

And, if you connect with this post by JJasonHicks and his perspective on leadership, I invite you to join Leadership Lessons Learned. You will also receive 13 Actual Traits of Most Leaders when you sign up:
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/acccb03ceb

"One does not know what to expect when becoming a leader.
To embark on a leadership role is to step foot into a blood-soaked arena, unaware that you are a gladiator."
The War of Leadership, p.2

As I shared last week, when we are starting out in the work world, first jobs make a bigger impact than I initially realized. The camaraderie, the complaining, the drama, and all of the resulting ups and downs set up the framework of expectations I held for when I progressed through the career work world. I did not find what I expected.

Each new arena held surprises along with familiar characters and tropes. I began to see patterns in behaviors and people that helped me navigate difficult and sometimes treacherous waters. I was successful, but I was unfulfilled. Rather than putting the entirety of myself into my jobs, I took the learnings I gained from them and put these into my creative pursuits.

What were your first jobs? What do you remember most about them? How did they set up the expectations you had for future roles?

Each new job is a new adventure, a new opportunity to practice what you’ve learned before and to learn something new. A wider perspective and sense of play can help you apply these learnings beyond the work world into your creative pursuits.

Join Leadership Lessons Learned (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio): https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/acccb03ceb

Illustration by

01/15/2026

Here is a for January, shared with gratitude for all the folks who joined our Grounded Gathering last night... Please share your favorite reflection resources so that we can continue to fill our cups and share our wisdom together.

01/15/2026

Some powerful reminders that are particularly timely after our Grounded Gathering last night - thank you for sharing, Sharon!

I hadn’t fully grasped how the idea of a better future sustained me – now I, like many others, find it difficult to be productive

01/14/2026

Thank you to The Neurodivergent Music Therapist for these creative self-care ideas! I'm excited to include them as part of our Grounded Gathering this evening...hope to see you there!
https://forms.gle/Hh9zVzoDzhpr78As8

How loyalty cards, tiny wins, and better tools are turning upkeep into an experiment I’m excited to try I’m trying something new right now, not because I’ve figured out self-care or finally unlocked the secret to consistency, but because I want a way to show up for myself that feels steady and...