It Takes A Village

It Takes a Village to Build a Business—And Recover from a Stroke

“I woke up and could not walk,” Joi Stewart said. “Everything changed in an instant.”

In October 2024, Joi had a stroke. Her mobility vanished. Her independence disappeared overnight. The business she had poured herself into—Fairway Golf Culture—was suddenly out of reach.

But Joi persevered, and so did the brand, because she had something few entrepreneurs talk about enough: a village.

“My recovery, my business, my faith—everything was held up by the people around me,” she said. “It was not just one person or one group. It was everybody. I was never alone.”

From Catcher’s Mitt to the Green

Joi’s journey began long before her first golf shirt.

Born and raised on Detroit’s east side, she graduated from King High School and earned a Division I softball scholarship to Norfolk State University. She was a team captain and catcher, known for her toughness and leadership behind the plate.

“My trainer used to say, ‘You’ll have 50-year-old knees by 25 if you don’t change your stance,’” she laughed. “And he was right. But I never held back. That sport taught me everything.”

After college, Joi returned to Detroit. She started being invited to golf outings, leveraging her softball swing to crush it on the fairway. Given the strain her knees had taken during her softball career, golf became an excellent way to stay active, network, and participate in corporate events. But, Joi noticed that saw something off.

“I was surrounded by grass and trees and sunshine—and everybody was dressed in gray and beige,” she said. “It did not match the energy of the game. It didn’t reflect me.”

She started wearing bold colors and patterns, but the options were limited. As any problem solver would do, she started designing her own. Friends and coworkers noticed. “They were like, ‘Joi, make me one.’ So I did,” she said. “And that is how Fairway Golf Culture was born. I wanted the course to reflect the culture, to bring some color to the game.”

Before her stroke, Joi’s business was accelerating fast. Thanks to her work and a growing network, the momentum was real.
Trina Scott, VP of Community Affairs at ROCK, helped make introductions, specifically to the Rocket Classic team. “They made sure I was seen,” Joi said. “Not just as a vendor or a founder—but as a person.”

The Rocket Classic team connected her with The John Shippen Invitational, the nation’s top platform for elevating Black professionals in golf. “That opened so many doors,” Joi said. “It put me in rooms I never thought I’d be in.”

Then came Pensole Lewis College, where she was invited to a workshop led by design visionary Dr. D’Wayne Edwards. “That was a game-changer,” she said. “He broke everything down—branding, sourcing, scaling. I thought I had to go out of state to grow. He showed me Detroit already had everything I needed.”

Fairway Golf Culture was growing. A village of support helped Joi take her color to the course.

When Crisis Hits, the Village Shows Up

Joi’s stroke brought everything to a stop—but her village pressed play.

Her line sisters—the women she pledged with at Norfolk State—showed up in full force. From New York, DC, Dallas, Oakland, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, they flew in to rotate care. “They took me to appointments, cooked and cleaned for me, ran errands, handled logistics,” she said. “They were a full medical and executive support team in one.”

Others helped from afar—sending care packages, contributing financially, checking on her mental health.

“My two best friends were by my side constantly,” Joi said. “One lives in New York and still flies in every month to check on me. My younger brother came up from Atlanta to help. He spent two weeks here, safe proofing my house to make sure there were no trip hazards. My close friend—now my VP of operations—stepped up huge. She introduced me to golf in the first place, and then helped keep Fairway running while I was down.”

Even high school and college teammates stepped in. “My King sisters, my Norfolk teammates—they were there,” she said. “From meals to motivation, they carried me.”

That support went national just three weeks after her stroke, when her alma mater in Virginia offered her a huge vending opportunity. She could not travel—but her village did.

“My close friends, my little brother and my line sisters made that trip to Norfolk,” she said. “They pulled off the event with help from local line sisters. That kind of love is rare.”

Faith became a pillar. Family and friends came to the hospital to pray with her. “One of my best friend’s parents called every single day just to pray,” Joi said. “My walk with Christ got deeper. My spirit stayed strong. I have close family members that will cook and clean for me and get me to and from church.”

A Growing Village

In this time of need, her village didn’t shrink, it expanded.

“My friend’s parents started coming up to the rebab center to sit with me, help with physical therapy, and pray.” She adds, “Sometimes it was just keeping my spirits up. My mother and her twin sister were always there for that.”

At home, friends maintained her house while guests came in and out to help. Her sound healing therapist—also a brand ambassador and golf buddy—played a huge role. “She was my teammate and opponent in high school and college,” Joi said. “She’s been a spiritual and emotional anchor.”

Her older brother, her “Swiss army knife,” did it all. “He filled every gap,” she said. “Whatever I needed, he made it happen.”

And her coworkers? “They would pool donations every few months,” she said. “They made sure I was financially stable while I focused on healing.”

Then there were the professionals—her physical and occupational therapists. “That team was incredible,” she said. “They worked me hard, kept me motivated, and got me back to myself.”

Still Swinging

Recovery is ongoing, but Joi is walking—and building again. And, once again she will be at the Rocket Classic in her hometown of Detroit.
You can shop Fairway Golf Culture at fairwaygolfculture.com. Her pieces are stocked at the Belle Isle Golf Course in Detroit, and she is collaborating with other Detroit-based creators and getting ready for more pop-ups and events.

“I still have rough days. But I’m standing. I’m creating. I’m moving forward,” Joi said. “The business is growing. And so am I.”

Why It Matters

Joi’s story is the norm in Detroit, a city synonymous with grit and determination. It is also a city built on grace and community, traits showing up in ways that redefine what is possible.

This is what For More Than Profit means. At Rock, we do not just support companies—we walk with the people who build them. Joi’s story proves what we have always believed: a big bet yields big rewards, and numbers and money follow; they do not lead.

“I am so thankful for everyone at Rocket and the Family of Companies and what you all are doing in the community, to help tell these stories and make them a reality,” Joi said. “This is what we need around here now.”

Our team bet on Joi. Her village bet on her. She bet on herself. And the result is a force that cannot be stopped, even by one of life’s most tragic events.