I come to this work committed to recovery that restores us to ourselves and to one another.

Dr. Harvey Hinton III is a native of Durham, North Carolina, rooted in a rich tradition of Black leaders, educators, athletes, builders, and healers.

The path

He began his career committed to improving the life outcomes of Black children, seeking to interrupt harm and expand what was possible. Over time, it became clear that the challenge was never confined to the classroom. The adults responsible for children’s care, educators, custodians, parents, community leaders, were themselves constrained by structural conditions that limited their capacity to nurture, protect, and sustain young people.

That insight led him to public health, where he studied community health and witnessed how culture, leadership, and wellbeing are deeply interdependent. There, the pattern repeated. Even well-intentioned actors struggled to address systemic problems using frameworks built for individual blame, frameworks that reinforced scarcity and deficit, rather than approaches capable of holding the complexity of collective efficacy.

This work does not emerge from pessimism. Change is possible. But experience has taught me that without a guide, good intentions alone are insufficient.

The response

“The JEBBEDIAH Way is my response—an entry point for meeting the uncertainty of the present moment with greater capacity. It is not a cure or a shortcut. It is a practice oriented toward joy as access, regulation as skill, and healing as an ongoing, collective process.”

This practice was born out of resistance.

Resistance to forces that diminish humanity by restricting who is allowed to live, feel, and express themselves fully. Resistance to systems that normalize harm through neglect, efficiency, silence, or cruelty, and then render that harm inevitable.

This is not a religion. It is not a belief system. It is an acknowledgment that many of us are operating within environments misaligned with human flourishing.

The work

Dr. Hinton is a national thought leader with over 20 years of experience advancing leadership, wellness, and social impact across higher education, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders fellow, he is recognized for translating research and lived experience into practical frameworks that support learning, self-discovery, and applied leadership growth, including his signature framework, Community Engaged Healing©.

He is the Founder and Chief Change Agent of Kuumba, LLC, and a facilitator with the Center for Creative Leadership.

• PhD, Curriculum and Instruction · Purdue University
• MS, Curriculum and Instruction · Purdue University
• BS, Industrial Technology · North Carolina A&T State University
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders fellow
• Facilitator · Center for Creative Leadership
• Adjunct Professor · North Carolina A&T State University
• Certified Laughter Yoga Leader

Lineage and attribution

Dr. Hinton is a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader. Joy Up™ is offered with deep respect for the lineage of laughter-based wellbeing work, particularly the pioneering contributions of Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga International.

Joy Up™ incorporates intentional laughter, but it is distinct in purpose and application. It is designed specifically as a brief, embodied practice for people leading and serving inside complex social systems, where joy is often discouraged and steadiness is rarely supported. Full trademarks and attribution.

Ashé. JahBless.