Luna Malbroux

As founder and "captain" of Joy Channel's Seven C’s, Luna has pioneered a multidisciplinary approach to cultural change that places creativity at the center of equity work. Through her collective of artists, public servants, leaders, and coaches, she helps organizations shift culture by embracing what many have forgotten: the transformative power of play.

Born in Opelousas, Louisiana, the Zydeco capital of the world, Malbroux’s creativity bloomed in a rural environment where opportunities were scarce and systemic challenges were abundant. Growing up in a predominantly Black community where some classmates were married or pregnant by junior high, she experienced systems of oppression before having language to describe them. This early exposure to inequity would later become the foundation for her unique approach to organizational change.

A pivotal moment came through a Teach for America teacher who recognized Malbroux’s potential and created an exchange program that brought her to an arts-focused school in Portland, Oregon for her senior year. When that school faced funding cuts, Luna spoke at a local meeting, warning that without arts education, "your school systems will look like mine in Louisiana." Her advocacy saved the school's funding and earned her a ceremony of thanks. This was perhaps an early glimpse of her future as someone who would fight for creative spaces while simply trying to live her life as a creative person.

"Because I'm a Black, queer woman, often in rural places, I ended up getting pulled into social justice by the sake of just me living my life," she reflects. This intersection of identity and circumstance shaped Luna’s understanding that creativity and justice work are inseparable.

Armed with a master's in clinical social work and international social welfare from Columbia University, Malbroux discovered that the most powerful tool she had to work with people to shift culture and advocate for social justice wasn't academic theory but her lived experience as an artist. "I actually think it's my perspective as an artist and a creative that is most beneficial to organizations seeking and how to change," she explains. Rather than leading with social work jargon, she approaches organizational transformation as a comedian who understands timing, and as a musician who knows how to bring different instruments together to create harmony.

Malbroux's philosophy centers on play as both entry point and methodology. "I personally think at the end of the day, we all need to play more," she says. "The more hard things feel for us as a society, the more we actually need to lean into play to really learn how to be with each other." Drawing parallels between trauma therapy and organizational change, she notes that when people can't access language, whether due to trauma or fear, play becomes the universal connector.

Joy Channel's name itself reflects Luna’s intentionally subversive approach. Moving away from stigmatized DEI terminology, she chose language that invites rather than intimidates. "We are trying to build a world where everyone is able to access their humanity. Their humanity." she explains, defining joy not as constant happiness but as the fullness of being oneself and the fullness of safety and belonging.

Currently, Malbroux navigates the challenging landscape of doing equity work in an increasingly hostile environment. Yet she remains committed to the work, focusing on co-creating the world people want to live in rather than dwelling on what they oppose.

Through her multifaceted career as comedian, musician, playwright, and organizational consultant, Luna Malbroux continues to prove that creativity isn't just nice to have, it's essential for building the cultures where everyone can thrive.

A.J. Haynes

As Creative Doula for Joy Channel and lead singer of the internationally acclaimed genre-expansive band Seratones, Haynes embodies what it means to be a "multidimensional being, just trying to stay free out here, succeeding actually." Her work spans the stages of the world and the front lines of reproductive justice, proving that art and activism are not separate pursuits but essential partners in liberation work.

Born in Japan and raised in Columbia, Louisiana, Haynes claims the Deep South as formative to her identity and approach. Her journey into reproductive justice began on the ground level as a patient advocate at one of Louisiana's last abortion clinics, where she served for over a decade while simultaneously touring internationally as a musician. This dual existence required a integration of purpose that informs her approach to creative work as collective care.

Haynes holds a Master of Arts in teaching and her work in the classroom focused on channeling and encouraging creativity, letting students shape their own learning. This philosophy eventually led her away from traditional education, however her skill to facilitate experiences that lead to openness and understanding is part of the expertise she brings to her work with Joy Channel.

As an international touring artist with Seratones, Haynes has developed a global perspective on the power of music to create connection across difference. Her genre-expansive approach mirrors her life philosophy: refusing to be contained by traditional categories, embracing the full spectrum of human experience, and creating space for others to do the same.

Her understanding of joy challenges conventional definitions. "There's this false sense of happy, shiny brightness when it comes to joy, and I wanna come back to, I think of joy as a depth," she explains. For Haynes, accessing joy means accessing the full range of human emotion: "The closer I can touch my joy, the closer can touch rage too.”

Luna Malbroux and A.J. Haynes: Channeling Joy

Paul Propster: The Story of a Story Architect