The virtue of gratitude is a blessing that when one has it, they are highly commended. It is because it is something that radiates a positive message to the world.
Cultivating a daily mindset of thankfulness can have a sincere impact on nurturing the well-being of our communities. Kindness and support strengthen our bonds with people and encourage a culture of appreciation. Gratitude is also a powerful tool for simply making the world a better place
Regularly expressing this ripple effect throughout society and fully contributing to a more compassionate world is the philanthropic power couple Paul Teutul Sr. and Joannie Kay.
This Thanksgiving they are lifting the spirits with their empowering message and living a notable life full of graceful examples of what the holiday really means.
The appreciation they have for all their successes is an acknowledgement of the goodness in their lives. Both fully recognize that the source of that goodness lies outside themselves. Helping people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals is crucial to them and a mantra they embrace daily. Their gratitude is consistently associated with greater happiness. Strong positive emotions relish good experiences in their community and it has at the same built a strong and loving relationship between them that continually flourishes.
They express gratitude in multiple ways. They apply it to the past and the present. And they never take good fortune for granted. The future they plan is full of a hopeful and optimistic attitude.
Together Paul and Joannie have built an empire that stems off the legacy of his television appearances. Famous for his time in front of the camera, Paul is a pop culture icon and holds a beloved role to fans across the world.
He began building custom motorcycles as a hobby that led to his master artistry giving him a sounding board for founding Orange County Choppers. Taking center stage at every major motorcycle event, OCC then became the hit reality show “American Chopper” on Discovery Channel. Today, OCC bikes are customized and built around a theme or, increasingly, for a broad spectrum of motorcycle enthusiasts around the world.
Joanie is equally recognizable for her stellar career. Before joining OCC as Chief Executive Officer, she tirelessly worked in healthcare as a business owner, executive, and manager for nearly three decades. After time at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she began and subsequently sold an urgent care center to Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. This was followed by successfully building a medical billing business that grew into a multi-million-dollar business. Now in the driver’s seat of OCC, she frequently works with the team at events and oversees all OCC operations.
“When I started my career something that I learned very quickly in the first eight years was no matter how many things that you’ve done, right, it can all be taken away in an instant. Your entire life can be uprooted with things like childhood cancers,” Joannie reflects. “I’ve never forgotten how much it means to give up your time.”
The pair are perfectly matched as their careers have blended with a romantic relationship that makes the pair of avid bike riders on a blissful journey. Every twist and turn of their lives turn wheels and hearts simultaneously.
While OCC continues to expand, the philanthropic work of the company also soars to new heights. It is not uncommon to see the couple at charity events and galas around America donating custom bikes and giving their time to meet donors for different causes.
“It’s amazing the positive effect that we have had on families and so many individuals over the years,” Paul says.
They never shy away from an opportunity to meet and greet and give back to society. Just to name a few things just in the past few months they have been involved with Make a Wish to help kids in need to our own Salute to American Heroes to honor our veterans.
As Oprah Winfrey once said, “In order to feel it, your ego has to take a backseat. What shows up in its place is greater compassion and understanding. Instead of being frustrated, you choose appreciation. And the more grateful you become, the more you have to be grateful for.”
It is why even beyond OCC, they as a couple spend a great deal of time giving back. In addition to humanitarian issues, they are also devoted to animal rescue causes. Joannie even runs animal shelters in New York. Both her and Paul are too busy giving back to ever think about themselves, but for them it is a mutual understanding that all of this – all the volunteer time and all the charitable work – is what defines the meaning of love. Simply put, it is the driving force behind their devotion.
While they openly admit it’s not always roses and like all couples there can be disagreements, but that is what passion creates in the most realistic setting. But it helps them thrive and makes every time they are together and giving back in unity to a project or a cause even more special.
“I think that when people are in a negative, dark place or a pessimistic place the best way out of this is not to focus on you,” Joannie emphasizes. “Focus on helping somebody else and then you feel better. Paul and I’ve talked about this endlessly. Sometimes you just gotta get out of your own space. There are always people that are so much worse off than you are. So, go do something to help them…go help someone that needs it more than you do. And your own life will get better for sure.”
Solid advice for this holiday season and beyond from a power couple who is out to empower the world when ride into the sunset at a time.
