Joseph Standley is Co-Founder of Live Your Freedom Foundation, where he helps lead the organization’s mission of helping people heal from trauma, strengthen mental health, and break destructive cycles through education, support, and practical resources.

Born and raised in Clayton, North Carolina, Joseph’s work is deeply rooted in lived experience, resilience, faith, and recovery. His life journey has included overcoming addiction, trauma, homelessness, suicide attempts, violence, and profound personal hardship. Rather than allowing pain to define him, Joseph chose to let it shape a deeper purpose: helping others find healing, hope, and a path forward.

As a public speaker, trauma recovery outreach specialist, certified chaplain, Christian counselor, and ordained pastor, Joseph brings a grounded and compassionate perspective to the people and communities Live Your Freedom Foundation serves. His work focuses on helping individuals better understand the pain beneath the behavior, recognize survival patterns, and take meaningful steps toward emotional, mental, and spiritual healing.

Joseph holds a degree in Education and Exercise Science (Strength and Conditioning) from Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. This background allows him to approach healing holistically, recognizing the connection between emotional wellness, personal growth, physical resilience, and long-term recovery.

At Live Your Freedom Foundation, Joseph plays a key role in helping guide the organization’s mission, partnerships, outreach efforts, and trauma-informed support initiatives. He believes healing is possible, people are never too far gone, and that one healed person can change the direction of an entire family.

Outside of his work, Joseph’s greatest joy is his family. His wife, Emily, and son, Jakob, remain at the center of his life and continue to inspire the work he does every day.

Joseph’s message is simple: what happened to you does not have to define your future. Healing is possible, support matters, and there is always hope for a new path forward.