Guru of Joy

Pursuit of happiness: With a mission “to change the world, one joy at a time,” Craig, a therapist, created a program to help people break through emotional walls to find happiness and radiate that joy to others. With partner Justin Finch, she’s spreading Enjoy It through workshops, teaching plans and www.enjoyitlife.com. She’s also working on a documentary, book and getting her own TV show.

The other Jenny Craig: Sharing a name with the weight-loss guru was a happy coincidence when our Jenny specialized in eating disorders and authored the book Weighing Your Options. Now, she says, “I’m not the one that helps you drop the weight; I’m the one that helps you drop the emotional baggage.”

The caretaker: Coming from a “difficult family,” she got her nurturing nature from her kind, gentle father. He was a submarine sailor, which honed his patience. “Jenny has always wanted to heal those who want to be healed,” says Finch.

Sea change: Craig’s outlook and life changed during a Semester at Sea, living aboard a ship and spending up to a week in each of eight countries. She volunteered at Mother Teresa’s orphanage in India (where Craig decided working with children was more important than meeting its founder, her idol) and distributed donations to children in South Africa.

Dog tales: Savannah Jane, her Mi-Ki (similar to a Maltese or a Papillion), is the model for a children’s book Craig wrote. In it, a Great Dane who thinks it’s too big and a bulldog who wishes it had long hair teach children about inner beauty.

What makes her happy: Boating, scuba and the coastal lifestyle brought her here from Pennsylvania. A great day for her is on the water, fishing—which is how she spent her 37th birthday in May. “I caught my own dinner and cooked it,” she says delightedly.