“I felt there was still so much untapped growth and potential in me that only in my aloneness and independence I could experience,” shares of her reluctance to stay married just weeks after her wedding.

Her spouse, however, didn’t realize the degree of her distress. “I tried my best to be kind and compassionate, but I was worried that I was making a mistake if we called it off so soon. So I stuck with the marriage for about two more years. But pretty much every day of my marriage, I thought about leaving.”

Then, one day on what felt like a whim in September 2018, Joyce booked herself a spot at a yoga retreat in India. “It wasn’t until I got there, and was by myself, that I was able to gain clarity that divorce was something I not just wanted, but needed.”

She admits there were a lot of rational reasons that kept her in the marriage to that point. “He was kind, he supported and believed in me, and he had a generous welcoming family.” But there came a point where she had no choice but to leave him. And Joyce says she had no regrets about her decision.

“My life has been an adventure since I was officially divorced in December 2020,” admits Joyce, now 33. “My intuition was screaming at me from that first month of our marriage — I knew from every fiber of my being that there was so much I needed to experience in my life in order to discover more of who I am, what my purpose is,” she insists. “I knew that if I stayed with my husband, I would not have gotten to experience expansion and evolution at the level and rate that I was so ready to dive into.”

Is she happier? “Yes!” As for her former spouse, he is doing well, too.

“We don’t communicate often, but when we do, we are definitely cordial. I truly believe that he is better off now, and in the years since our separation he has become a more well-rounded and dynamic human being. I also think he is a more grounded, realistic and purposeful person because of the challenges that he faced through me. We both learned some major life lessons, which is why, I believe, our paths crossed in the first place.”

Fortunately, she says, there were no kids to worry about, “gracias a dios.” As to whether she’d marry — or be willing to go through a divorce again — Joyce says it depends on what her soul tells her.

“If I felt it on a soul level that it was necessary to divorce again, then absolutely. I hope not to, of course, and I really don’t feel it will happen again, because of the person I have become through my lessons. In addition, I envision a union with a future partner to be grounded in conscious coupling, where we are both aligned with our visions and values for our shared lives.”

In fact, Joyce looks forward to finding a life partner, “but I don’t necessary fantasize about marrying someone. I don’t feel the desire or need for calling someone my husband but hey, anything is possible. I look forward to conscious love.”