Carol Joy, also known as Carolina Smales, is an American children’s book author, singer-songwriter, and chemical engineer with extensive experience in brain science research. Originally born in Venezuela, Carol moved to the United States in 2003 and has since begun an exciting professional journey leading multiple projects at numerous prestigious institutions, including Harvard Medical School and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. In 2020, Carol decided to take her experience to a more creative outlet to help elementary school children better understand and love the nature of their brain in order to arm them with important life skills. Carol then founded the creative company JOI NEURON [JOY-OF-INTERACTION NEURON] which provides caregivers and teachers with unique educational tools such as books and songs, with language that is fun and “easy to understand” for the little ones. Carol now leads a creative team and collaborates with many experts to produce content in both English and Spanish, providing an effective natural alternative based on art and science to contribute to the mental well-being of many children around the world.