An inspiring story from social media influencer Brad Ryan, half of the duo behind the viral page Grandma Joys Road Trip, has been published and will be released everywhere books are sold on June 16, 2026. Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time is a memoir written by Brad that takes readers inside the seven-year journey that helped to mend the relationship between himself and his paternal grandmother Joy Ryan as they visited every US National Park.
“This book is about many things,” Brad explained. “Through our story, we’re hoping that a lot of people will see themselves in it and hopefully be inspired to take some step forward in a new direction for their lives.”
Brad has enjoyed traveling from a very young age, and his career as a professional services veterinarian has required frequent travel as well. Brad studied wildlife medicine at Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and he continued his master’s degree in South Africa at the University of Pretoria.
Brad made the decision to take the first steps to reconnect with his grandmother after being estranged for about a decade as a result of his parents’ divorce.
“The journey across the United States over seven and a half years was filled with lots of time on the open road to process our lives, to have conversations that we probably wouldn’t have had,” said Brad. “Some conversations were really difficult. And I think that we had a unique opportunity to kind of, she didn’t want to a lot of the time, you know, but I was on a mission to really uncover the whole truth of my family story and to try to understand who she was … who my father was.”
Through their adventures, Brad has had the opportunity to do what he set out to do: get to know his Grandmother Joy on a deeper level that otherwise may not have been possible.
“She’s funny, and she’s so lively and so inspiring,” explained Brad. “And everybody, I mean, it’s funny, even if she had never gone viral and even if she had never broken a world record, she would always, there’s no doubt she would have been a legend in Duncan Falls, and that would have been enough for her. Truly. She doesn’t care about that, but I’m just saying she’s such a dynamic human being that everybody from here has always adored her, and they all know who she is.”
Grandma Joy and Brad set out on a quest to visit all 63 US National Parks, in 2023 that goal was accomplished, making Joy the oldest person to do so (a world record). Now 96, Joy is well on her way toward completing a new objective, visiting all seven continents in the world with her grandson. Joy got her passport at age 91. They have visited five out of the seven continents so far; only Asia and Australia remain on the list. The two of them are currently in Ireland, another first in a long history of new experiences for Joy. With each trip, their bond grows, and their hearts continue to heal.
“That’s what the book’s really about. It’s, I mean, yes, we went to Yosemite and Yellowstone and Zion and all these beautiful places, but it’s really more of a book about healing generational trauma and finding a path from, or, you know, moving away from grievance towards grace and forgiveness,” stated Brad.
The Grandma Joy’s Road Trip social media pages have over 140,000 followers collectively. They have had the opportunity to share about their relationship and their travels in print several times throughout the years, numerous times including features in Reader’s Digest and People Magazine. They have also made many television appearances: the Today Show and Good Morning America, to name a couple. Although they have already inspired so many people, with the book, the details of their unique story will reach new audiences, some who unknowingly may start on their own personal journey of healing.
“A lot of families are not speaking to each other for a variety of reasons. And so I hope that the book, the whole title of the book is Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time, and whatever that journey is for whoever the reader is, I hope that they feel that healing is possible for themselves and for their family,” said Brad. “I really want us to have a national conversation about looking for the good in each other. And I think the national parks are one of the best places to do that because we’re not thinking about the typical dividing lines. We’re thinking about how beautiful the sunset is or how amazing that bear is that’s fishing for salmon at the waterfall in Alaska, or watching the humpback whale off the coast of California, whatever it may be, you know, it brings people together, and we remember our common humanity.”
Brad had this to say about having been able to travel and spend so much quality time with his Grandma Joy. “It’s been the greatest privilege of my life.”
“I knew that I needed my grandmother’s love, and I knew that I needed to be in nature, and my instinct, I just listened to my instinct, and my intuition was right. And so it’s allowed me to have a million gifts as a result of this time that I just got to spend with her.”
Grandma Joy and Me can be preordered online from a variety of retailers. It will also be available at many independent bookstores throughout North America and will later be released in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, with more countries to follow. For more information, visit the publisher’s website www.simonandschuster.com.
Look for Grandma Joy and Brad as they will be going on a road-trip-themed book tour that will involve going back to revisit some of their favorite national parks and some independent bookstores across the United States to connect with readers and promote the book.
Follow Grandma Joy’s Road Trip on Facebook and Instagram.
