About Jodi
JODI COWLES is an American author, publisher, and entrepreneur who has spent more than half her adult life living and working in seven countries across three continents.
Eight years in Istanbul, Turkey. Stints across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. A life lived in the in-between — between languages, cultures, and ways of seeing the world. That experience didn't just give her material (though it gave her plenty). It gave her a particular kind of empathy, a tolerance for ambiguity, and a deep conviction that the human connection present in every country and culture is the most important story there is.
It also gave her an endless supply of culture-clashing mishaps, inappropriate marriage proposals, and language barrier misfires — which, fortunately, also end up in the books.
Her memoir, Then Came Joy, is the story of a life lived at full intensity — a reckoning with grief, faith, and the fierce fight for joy. It has been described as "profound and deep, but also comical at times" and "a must read for those who have been disillusioned by their upbringing in mainstream evangelical church culture."
Her fiction spans spiritual allegory (Thirst), faith-based political fiction (The Minor Protection Act), and the international thriller Some Wandered in the Desert. Her humor memoir Cold Turkey chronicles the chaos and color of expat life in Istanbul.
She is co-founder and COO of Blue Hat Pub & Print, part of the core team behind WellTold Studio, and the creator of Joy's World.
She also writes two Substacks: Come & See, the scribblings of an author navigating faith and life, and Sketching Faith, a weekly faith-based poetry newsletter designed to lift your gaze.
Istanbul, Turkey
"Eight years of living, loving, and collecting stories on the Bosphorus."
On the Galata Bridge, Istanbul — where eight years of stories began.
Half a Life Abroad.
Living overseas didn't just give Jodi material. It gave her a way of seeing — an instinct for the human connection that exists underneath language, culture, and the particular chaos of being somewhere you don't fully belong yet.
Germany
Moved at four months. First passport stamp. Left with a brother.
Western Europe
Ages two and three. All the stamps. None of the memories.
South Korea
First East/West experience. Lots of tears and laughs. Staff locked me in a closet to hide from the immigration police.
Aberdeen, Scotland
Bounced between Koreans praying at the top of their voices and Scottish teenage gangs asking us to buy them beer.
Istanbul, Turkey
Eight years. One daughter. Three books. The city that changed everything.
Ukraine
My first international trip as a proper adult. Six weeks of Russian language classes and all I remember is previet.
Lebanon
Pretty sure an angel masqueraded as a gate agent as he pulled me bodily away from the police trying to detain me.
Tunisia
A nice visit in the middle of Arab Spring, divinely walking right between the barbed wire and foreigners being kidnapped right and left.
Egypt
My mom's favorite country. Not so much mine. But I did drink six water bottles in a row after visiting the Valley of the Kings.
Dubai, UAE
A 36-hour layover where I didn't leave the airport. Not a fan.
Guam
A magnificent week with friends because I needed a visa exit out of South Korea. Highlights: Taco Bell, Costco, and hiking down into an underground pool that felt like a movie.
Indonesia
Celebrated my 21st birthday here and didn't realize I'd have the pleasure of several return trips for work.
Western Sahara
Accidentally nearly blew up the interpersonal dynamics of a small team that had three single ladies vying for the one single man.
Senegal
Morocco
Mauritania
The only place I've ever been evacuated from.
India
A trip it took months to recover from.
"For anyone who has ever held faith and doubt in the same hand, or loved someone in circumstances stacked against them — this is your story too."
— Then Came Joy
Jodi speaks.
From church stages to publishing conferences, Jodi brings the same honesty to the microphone that she brings to the page — no performance, no platitudes, just the real thing.
Inquire About Speaking →Topics
Faith, doubt, and the honest life
Memoir writing and the courage to tell your story
Expat life, cross-cultural connection, and global storytelling
Adoption, resilience, and the fierce fight for joy
Independent publishing and the author-founder path
Bilingual parenting and raising globally-minded children
Available for conferences, church events, book clubs, podcasts, and publishing industry events.
Writing on Medium
Essays on faith, culture, marriage, and the absurdity of life abroad.
Culture
“You're So Ugly!”
Learning to communicate across natural barriers.
Read on Medium →Faith & Life
3 Sure-Fire Ways to Crush Your Pride
Immerse yourself in another culture. It works every time.
Read on Medium →Marriage
My Husband Is 1% Awful
Which is why I focus on the other 99%.
Read on Medium →Faith & Life
He Was Chained to a Tree
Why you should consider long-term commitment in this instant age.
Read on Medium →Istanbul
You Are My First American Friend
On real coffee, real friendship, and what crosses every border.
Read on Medium →Expat Life
Outside Looking In
An American expat's thoughts on Afghanistan, social media & reasonable boundaries.
Read on Medium →