We aim to be a trusted guide for our clients, providing the expertise that helps physicians navigate the complex world of student loan repayment. So they can feel prepared and confident. And go back to living life on their terms.
“To be honest, when I first heard about federal student loan forgiveness, I dismissed it as snake oil. Free money from the government sounded too good to be true.
But I discovered that it was indeed real, though incredibly complex. After many hours of research into all the regulations and nuances, I began offering student debt sessions as one of my services as a financial advisor. And every single client who requested a session saved serious money—from $40K to $400K.
By the time I started Navigate, I knew that I wanted to specialize in helping the professionals who shoulder the most student debt: physicians.
Navigate helps physicians take back control of their student loans—and their lives. And we help health systems take better care of their employees. Together, we can flip the script on student debt.
We aim to be a trusted guide for our clients, providing the expertise that helps physicians navigate the complex world of student loan repayment. So they can feel prepared and confident. And go back to living life on their terms.”
– Joy Sorensen Navarre
Joy Sorensen Navarre is the president and founder of Navigate LLC. A national expert in student loan management, she consults with physicians and health systems across the country.
Joy lives by a powerful core belief: you find your purpose where the world’s greatest need and your greatest joy meet. This is why she built Navigate. She loves doing work that helps everyone—physicians, health systems, and patients.
She’s always flipping the script and spends her free time fishing for panfish with a six-pound test line on an ultra-light pole.
Barbara Williams is Navigate’s National Steering Director who works with physician recruiters to steer doctors in the right direction to navigate the waters of student loan forgiveness. She specializes in cultivating relationships with the people she serves and building strong foundations for lasting partnerships and resources that lead to health equity and economic security. Her experience spans the fields of mental health, public housing and Montessori education, touching on multiple social determinants of health.
Barbara is baseline jovial and has a deep love for her husband, dog Leo, extended family, mother earth and humanity. She swears by a good romcom and her favorite beverage to get her through a tough day. In her free time you will find her basking in the sun or stargazing with her favorite podcast or a good book.
Margie Simon is a writer and marketing pro with 30+ years of experience and a passel of awards from state to international levels. She is passionate about research to ensure she writes compelling stories for her audiences. As Navigate’s PR person she ensures our message is always in line with the Physicians we aim to serve by being a trusted resource on student loans.
With a BA and MME in music education, Margie was a band director until her vocal cords wore out. For fun, she’s a volunteer lead usher for the Minnesota Orchestra, percussion section leader for a community band, and takes drum lessons from the Orchestra’s principal percussionist. Friends, family, fishing, and anything else outdoors round out her life.
Susmitha Valvekar is our CyberRiter. She works quietly behind the scenes managing the silent space waves moving in optimal wavelengths. She shares a passion with the team to create the space for affordable education and stress free outcomes.
This passion is visible in her other life too as a Strategic Training and Education Professional creating education for clients, leading talent teams and mentoring upcoming learning professionals. Her motto for life is: “Smile, make it your style.”
Cara Martner is our Outrider she works in the space ahead of the Navigate team (time-wise) to clear the way and see what is coming next. Cara specializes in the behind the scenes work that keeps Navigate’s systems and processes running smoothly. She’s friendly, she’s fast, and she’s fired up about helping physicians throughout every step of their work with Navigate to deliver an exceptional experience.
Cara is truly multi-talented, both in and out of the office. As a lifelong musician, she went on to study music business and become part of the Blue Ox Music Festival team in her time away from Navigate. When she’s not creating reports, organizing projects, and analyzing data, Cara enjoys exploring her new neighborhood in Minneapolis with her boyfriend Mac and seeing live music with friends.
Margaret Stockton is our “Flow Manager”. She serves as Navigate’s scheduling specialist and administrative assistant. As the welcoming committee for anyone contacting Navigate for the first time, she is commited to ensuring physicians make the connections they need to receive the assistance Navigate offers. She provides friendly and prompt responses to your requests.
Margaret leads a double life. When she is not assisting you, she offers her services as a professional resume writer helping others reveal their best selves on paper. But, it is not “all work and no play”, she discovered ballroom dancing and happily dedicated the last 7 years dancing 8-10 hours a week learning to trip the light fantastic. She especially loves Waltz and Tango, but she has some sassy West Coast Swing moves too!