About Joelle
Hi. I'm Joelle.
(Rhymes with the French word for Christmas. Great icebreaker.)
I started Trail Marker Strategies because I had experienced the pure agony that is modern dating apps, and I kept looking around at the people I knew, wondering: why is this so hard? We are smart, accomplished adults who know how to do difficult things. And yet.
As a communications professional, I had spent years paying close attention to how people connect, what gets in the way, and what actually works. The more I looked at the research, the more I realized there was a real gap between what the science says about human connection and what most people are actually doing when they try to date.
Add to that the social disruption of the past few years, from COVID rewriting how we interact in public to Hurricane Helene shaking our corner of WNC in 2024, and you have a community of adults who are a little out of practice, more than a little exhausted, and still quietly hoping for something real.
Trail Marker Strategies exists for those people. For you.
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME
When I am not running workshops, I am probably dancing. Or planning a trip around a bookstore I read about. Or both at once, somehow. I live in Asheville, which means I am surrounded by people who value authenticity and are not afraid to do things differently. That is my kind of city.
Skills
✳︎
Connection
✳︎
Ease
✳︎
Workshop
✳︎
Coaching
Skills ✳︎ Connection ✳︎ Ease ✳︎ Workshop ✳︎ Coaching
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
There is no shortage of dating advice. What is rare is dating advice that is actually grounded in research, delivered without condescension, and designed for people who can handle nuance.
Every workshop and session I offer is built around current findings in communication science, nonverbal behavior, and relational psychology, translated into skills you can practice in the real world. Not scripts. Not tricks. Skills.
I also bring something harder to teach: I listen well, I talk to everyone, and I have a way of making people feel comfortable enough to be honest. That matters in this work. Your past informs your future, but it does not determine it. Be brave.
Get In Touch
Let me know what you’re looking for - I am here to help.