Noelle Contey
NEW YORK CITY, NY • FOUNDER, HEALING IN THE CITY
“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” – John Lennon
Noelle is founder of Healing In the City, where she brings alternative healing therapies to the community through volunteer outreach and workshops on meditation, happiness and healing. Noelle is a certified Reiki and Crystal Healing Practitioner, Dance Meditation teacher, Happiness Counselor, and Humanitarian.
Q&A
- What inspired you to become an Ambassador for Project Happiness?
- After years of volunteering, I knew I wanted to make more of an imprint. I knew I had the confidence to start something but I didn’t know exactly what. Back in 2015, I came across Project Happiness. As I researched further, Project Happiness's Circle campaign popped up. I knew I immediately I had to implement this within my own circle of friends. I created a group, New York Happiness Circle, on Facebook and in May 2015, we had our first meeting. We started with 20 members, which were mostly just close friends and we are now close to 500. After I started receiving such positive feedback from people outside of my circle, I knew it was time for me to bring Project Happiness to not just my immediate group but to the various communities throughout New York City. I live in an amazing, but very tough city. There are a lot of people walking around angry and unhappy. On the train alone, the tension is quite intense. And that is really sad. It is just a matter of cultivating a positive environment. This is what some people need in order to let their guard down and allow themselves to be happy. Even if it is for an hour during one of my Circles, I want to be able to help people achieve that.
- What is your favorite part about being an Ambassador?
- I think Randy and the rest of the Project Happiness team, really went above and beyond to curate a platform that truly educates and inspires. I feel so honored to be part of what they are doing. Project Happiness has created a happiness movement. After a workshop or Circle, the feedback I get from people always floors me. Being able to be a conduit of happiness is such a powerful thing. The joy I get from helping and educating others is what brings me my own happiness. My mother always told me I should have been a school teacher and now being an ambassador, I am able to work with kids & adults by introducing the Happiness Curriculum. The universe has brought me to a place where I am, doing what I was meant to do.
- What are some of your passions outside of Project Happiness?
- Three things I would never live without would be dance, music & travel. Dance has always been my number 1 passion. I danced from when I was little and even after I stopped training professionally, I’ve always kept it in my life. Not only by teaching it, but by going to shows and classes, where I can just get up and move. I even come home from a long day and just dance around the house. Then there is music. Without music, there would be no dance. It truly goes hand and hand. I’ve traveled miles upon miles for a concert or festival. Usually, a musical act is what prompts my next trip. Lastly is my passion for travel. I’ve always considered myself a wanderlust. I always loved to travel, but it wasn’t until I took my first solo trip where I had this magical reflective moment with myself. And I knew from then on, I had to make sure no matter where I was in life financially, I always had to try and make it possible to keep exploring.
- What is one way that you cultivate happiness in your own life?
- Gratitude, gratitude and more gratitude. When I am feeling down, I immediately start writing down a list of everything that I am grateful for, and immediately I feel happy. Now I even have a journal dedicated just for gratitude. I was raised by my Grandmother, who introduced me to holistic therapies at a very young age. I've been studying the art of healing since I was a child.