JoyceMay2009_200x261_150dpi-e1379085705370Joyce Rupp, international speaker and retreat director, describes herself as a “spiritual mid-wife.” Her ministry includes writing, national and international speaking, and companioning others as a spiritual guide. Joyce is co-director of The Institute of Compassionate Presence and teaches four day conferences on the topic of compassion. She is the author of over twenty popular books on such topics as loss and grief, midlife, a memoir about her 450 mile walk across Spain, and several books of poetry, including her latest: My Soul Feels Lean: poems of loss and restoration. Joyce is a transpersonal psychologist, a member of the religious community – Servants of Mary – and has been a volunteer for Hospice. She currently mentors a young girl at the Children and Family Urban Movement. Joyce resides in Des Moines, Iowa.