Working Wisely.

What's up,
WorkWise?

Are you newer to HR, sitting in a role you didn't train for, or without anyone to check your thinking? Are you carrying a career decision, a burnout you can't shake, or a business that needs another set of eyes? Or maybe you're honestly not sure yet which of those is you. Tell us where you're at, and we'll point you the right way.

I'm looking for HR guidance I'm looking for coaching I'm not sure yet — schedule a discovery call

Working Wisely Means

Joy Nelson, PHR

About Joy Nelson

Coaching and HR guidance built for real people under real constraints.

Joy Nelson, PHR, ACC  ·  MsHRM · MEd · MPH
Owner & Principal Consultant, WorkWise

I coach individuals and leaders through the transitions, burnout, and decisions that don't have clean answers — and I give organizations senior-level HR guidance without the overhead of a full-time hire. I'm an HR Consultant, ICF-credentialed Well-Being Coach, and Public Health advocate working at the intersection of workforce development, human resources, and community well-being.

WorkWise is built around a Prevention → Intervention → Stability methodology. Every engagement is scoped to your actual constraints, grounded in data, and designed to hold past the workshop or the deliverable.

Read the Full Story →

HR On Call

HR On Call.

Does this sound like you?

  • I'm new to HR
  • I'm struggling to get guidance on an HR issue at work
  • I'm supporting HR functions without a formal HR background
  • My company doesn't have HR at all

For organizations that need senior-level HR guidance without a full-time hire, for HR professionals who are new to the field or stepping into their first leadership role, and for individuals who need confidential HR guidance their own company can't give them. Ask your question, get a real answer within 24 business hours. Starting at $197/month.

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As-Needed
$247/mo
Unlimited questions via email · 24hr response · Cancel anytime, billed monthly · Also available to individuals seeking confidential guidance
Essential
$197/mo
Unlimited questions via email · 24hr response · 6-month commitment, billed in full ($1,182)
Most Popular
Plus
$297/mo
Everything in Essential + monthly 30-min call · 6-month commitment, billed in full ($1,782)

1:1 & Leadership Coaching

Clarity with execution.

What are you working through?

  • I'm navigating a life transition or burnout
  • I'm job searching or making a career move
  • I'm building or growing a business
  • I'm leading a team and need support

I coach individuals working through career transitions, burnout, and the decisions that don't have clean answers — pairing deep listening with structured, actionable next steps. This isn't a sounding board. It's a partnership toward forward motion. That same methodology extends into a specialty practice for leaders and teams navigating organizational change.

What Clients Say

Real feedback from real coaching engagements.

1 / 7
01

1:1 Life & Transition Coaching

Starting at $100/session · 3-session minimum

For individuals navigating burnout, major life transitions, or moments that call for real clarity — not just a sounding board. We work through what's actually happening, then build the specific tools that move you forward.

  • An individualized approach — no generic frameworks, only what fits where you are
  • Structured sessions that end in concrete next steps, not just reflection
  • A thinking partner who listens, challenges, and stays in your corner
02

Career & Job Search Coaching

Starting at $100/session · 3-session minimum

For professionals navigating a job search, networking fatigue, or the gap between their resume and their real experience. We work through burnout, blind spots, and the language that gets you noticed.

  • Resume and job description alignment, sentence by sentence
  • Practical networking strategy without the burnout
  • Honest feedback on the blind spots holding you back
03

Business Development Coaching

Starting at $150/session · 3-session minimum

For founders and entrepreneurs building or growing a business, navigating the mindset shifts, decision fatigue, and isolation that come with it. We work through the business questions and the person running it, side by side.

  • Clarity on priorities when everything feels urgent
  • Structured accountability for the goals you keep pushing back
  • A sounding board who understands both the business and the burnout
04
Specialty

Leadership & Organizational Coaching

Starting at $200/session · 3-session minimum

For senior leaders, managers, and intact teams navigating transitions, change, or the weight of decisions that don't have clean answers — whether the work is individual, in a cohort, or across an organization ready to build coaching as a capacity, not just a perk.

  • Change management emphasis, tailored to what you're navigating
  • A clear read on team dynamics — where trust and stability are strong, and where they're not
  • Post-session accountability structure built in, not optional

Budget doesn't quite fit right now? Ask me about lower-cost options — I'm happy to point you in the right direction.

Community Investment

Investing in the Next Generation.

WorkWise has always been grounded in a simple belief: healthy workplaces don't happen by accident — they're built. But that work has to start before people ever enter the workforce.

The WorkWise Foundations Fellowship is a 12-month, paid professional development program for youth ages 14–18 in Indiana and Illinois. Fellows move through foundational HR and compliance training into three real-world job rotations — earning $19/hr while building the technical skills, professional habits, and legal awareness that most adults spend years trying to develop on the job.

This is the Prevention pillar made real. Not a summer job. Not a workshop. A structured, year-long investment in the next generation of professionals — before bad habits set in.

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01

Foundations & Compliance

Certifications in Sexual Harassment Prevention, Bystander Intervention, OSHA Safety, and ADA Basics — before Fellows ever touch client work.

02

Professional Rotations

Three 90-day job labs covering General Administration, Payroll & Benefits, and Employee Data & Records — real HR sub-sectors, real skills.

03

The Employability Standard

Monthly SMART Goal audits, a 12-month First Impression Portfolio, and technical stack mastery in tools used by real HR professionals.

Work Together

Ready to move
forward?

Discovery calls are 30 minutes. No pitch deck, no pressure — just a direct conversation about where you are, and whether coaching or HR On Call is the right fit.

Not quite the right budget fit? Mention it on the call — there may be other options.

Book a Discovery Call Connect on LinkedIn

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