About Cheryl McJoy
A whole woman with more than one story.
Cheryl McJoy is a dream restorer, joy giver, author, speaker, advocate, U.S. Navy veteran, and founder of Võime Luxury Travel. Her work lives at the intersection of accessible travel, Selfish Self-Love, lived experience, humor, and the belief that nobody should have to wait until life becomes perfect before they are allowed to enjoy it.
The Short Version
Who is Cheryl McJoy?
Cheryl McJoy is a U.S. Navy veteran, migraine advocate, speaker, writer, and accessible-travel professional who has lived with migraine for more than 30 years. She is the creator of McJoyful and the founder of Võime Luxury Travel. She founded Võime Luxury Travel to help make thoughtful, dignified travel more accessible to people whose bodies, brains, or circumstances require more consideration.
She speaks about migraine, travel, disability, veterans' health, racial disparities in healthcare, self-advocacy, and continuing to build a joyful life when the original plan changes. Her work is shaped by a life that has included a traumatic brain injury, chronic migraine, chronic pain, 13 surgeries, grief, reinvention, plenty of travel, and more than a few moments when humor was the only sensible response.
Today, Cheryl brings those experiences together through writing, speaking, advocacy, accessible travel, Selfish Self-Love, and McJoyful, her evolving philosophy about restoring dreams and choosing joy on purpose. Learn more about her migraine advocacy.
The Real Version
I have never fit inside one little box.
I am a lot of things because I have lived a lot of life.
I am a U.S. Navy veteran. I am a writer, speaker, advocate, traveler, entrepreneur, migraineur, traumatic brain injury survivor, chronic-pain patient, and professional finder of humor in places where humor probably should not be.
I have fallen from an aircraft wing, undergone 13 surgeries, rebuilt pieces of my life more than once, traveled through places that changed me, and learned that survival is important, but survival cannot be the only address where you live.
That understanding became part of McJoyful.
McJoyful does not mean pretending everything is fine. It means making room for joy while life is still complicated. It means remembering that your dreams are allowed to survive what happened to you. It means choosing yourself without waiting for permission, perfection, or a completely pain-free day.
I do not have one neat lane. I have a whole road map. This website is where those roads meet.
What Shapes the Work
Lived experience, put to work.
Accessible Travel
Travel is not truly thoughtful when dignity, mobility, pain, fatigue, sensory needs, or access are treated as afterthoughts. Cheryl's approach to accessible travel combines professional planning with lived understanding of what it means to move through the world in a body that sometimes requires more care.
McJoyful
McJoyful is Cheryl's original philosophy and evolving body of work about restoring neglected dreams, reclaiming joy, embracing humor, and refusing to postpone your entire life until everything is fixed.
Selfish Self-Love
Selfish Self-Love is not cruelty, carelessness, or ignoring other people. It is the deliberate practice of treating your needs, capacity, rest, joy, and future as worthy of protection too.
Writing & Speaking
Cheryl writes and speaks about accessible travel, joy, migraine, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, advocacy, grief, veteran experiences, self-love, reinvention, and the ridiculous moments that somehow make hard stories easier to carry.
Yes, There Is More
Serious work. Full personality.
Cheryl believes meaningful work does not have to arrive wearing a stiff collar and a solemn expression. Her storytelling makes room for laughter, plain language, cultural memory, curiosity, travel, everyday observations, and the kind of truth that may make you laugh before you realize she has made a point.
She can discuss accessibility, grief, migraine, reinvention, or veteran experiences and still find time for joyful shenanigans. Both are true. Both belong.
The Work
Where Cheryl's work lives
- Founder, Võime Luxury Travel
- Creator, McJoyful
- Author and Writer
- Speaker
- Accessible Travel Advocate
- Migraine, Chronic Pain, and TBI Advocate
- Migraine Patient Advocate
- U.S. Navy Veteran
Cheryl's work continues to evolve. Current projects, appearances, writing, and verified affiliations will be updated throughout this website.
Accessible Travel
Travel with more thought and less assumption.
Cheryl founded Võime Luxury Travel to provide thoughtful travel planning with accessibility, dignity, care, and real human needs built into the conversation. Võime means "ability," reflecting the belief that travel planning should focus on what makes an experience possible.
Võime Luxury Travel
A separate travel company founded by Cheryl
Accessible, dignified travel planning — linked here in a later stage.
Come On In
There is plenty of life left to live.
Explore Cheryl's writing, discover McJoyful, watch a conversation, invite her to speak, visit Võime Luxury Travel, or browse the things she actually uses and recommends. This website is not one perfectly organized little box. It is the place where the whole story gets to live.
Health & Medical Disclaimer
Cheryl shares her personal experiences with migraine, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, surgeries, and other health matters for informational, advocacy, and storytelling purposes. Her experiences are individual and should not be interpreted as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your personal health needs.