Portraits by Danette Anderson
Fans often describe JoAnna García Swisher as the “queen of joy.” Spend a few minutes with her and it’s easy to understand why.
Whether she’s discussing the habits that keep her grounded, the gratitude that shapes her outlook or long-awaited projects that are finally coming to life, she is guided by the same principle: intentionally making space for the things that matter. It’s a philosophy that has shaped her personal life and career, which is entering one of its busiest chapters yet.
While audiences know her as Cheyenne from Reba, Ariel on Once Upon a Time and Maddie on Sweet Magnolias, Swisher’s professional pursuits extend far beyond her accomplishments as an actress. She has been curating her digital lifestyle brand focused on easy recipes, lifestyle and wellness under its original name, The Happy Place, for several years and has built a community of over 1 million subscribers. She is now expanding it into a multimedia lifestyle and production brand, rebranded as Rolling Clover.
Over the past decade, Swisher has built the brand around spaces, places and experiences that bring people joy and the belief that meaningful moments do not have to be extravagant or expensive to be memorable. They simply require an appreciation for life's everyday pleasures.
This fall, the company will take a major step forward with the opening of its first brick-and-mortar space, Rolling Clover Collective, in Lake Oconee, Georgia—a picturesque community about 90 minutes southeast of Atlanta. Envisioned as a gathering place for the community, the collective will feature a cafe, cooking classes and a curated retail experience that reflects the brand’s focus on connection and intentional living. Set within a renovated log cabin on a scenic piece of land, the actress explains that the destination will also offer outdoor spaces where guests can gather, celebrate and create memories.
For Swisher, the opening represents the realization of a dream years in the making, along with another way to share the sense of joy that has become central to everything she creates.
“There are going to be opportunities to cook with me and some amazing chefs who can bring in their slice of magic,” she explains. “We’re excited to have four walls and a roof so others can experience the brand.”
Lake Oconee felt like a natural fit for Swisher, as she and her husband, former major league baseball player Nick Swisher, along with their two daughters, have a home there.
“In a time where AI and the world is moving so fast, I think the only thing that never changes is our desire to come together,” she says. “It’s a huge leap off Instagram in real life, but we have plans for future expansions and it’s a well-thought-out plan that is organically taking shape.”
Nearly 550 miles from Lake Oconee, New Orleans was recently home to another first for Swisher. Fans recently got a sneak peek into an unexpected new role for the actress when A Christmas Kind of Love director Bethany Ashton Wolf shared some behind-the-scenes clips set in a recording studio.
The Netflix holiday film, co-starring Mark Wystrach and Madison Wolfe, will feature Swisher singing on screen for the first time.
“I’ve worked so hard and had some really incredible people help me find my confidence and my voice,” she shares. “I’ve had some incredible singers like (Sweet Magnolias co-star) Heather Headley and Lea Michele who do this for a living say, ‘You can do this. You can absolutely do this.’”
The budding songstress admits she may have had a little bit of help from a country music legend, channeled through a good luck charm on set.
“I wore a pair of Reba’s boots throughout the movie, and I felt so much love,” she reveals. “It’s definitely something I feel comfortable doing again, but it was such a surprise to me!”
Swisher recently reunited with Reba McEntire on Happy's Place.
As a child, Swisher auditioned for local theater productions and the entertainment industry quickly discovered her acting chops. She spent her school days at Tampa Catholic High School, where she was voted homecoming queen—though she often traveled outside the region for television and film roles. Swisher found fame after moving to Los Angeles, but she recalls how her sense of belonging helped her navigate a personal loss that called her home.
“When things hit the fan for me—I lost my father, the pandemic hit and my mom was really sick—I came home,” she shares. “There’s a real beauty to that. For me, it’s not somewhere that I discovered, it’s a place that I feel super connected to.”
Swisher and her family also own a home in Tampa Bay, where she runs the production side of her company. Among her endeavors is the Rolling Clover Reads book club, where she has combined her love of storytelling with her work as a producer. The project has become a valuable place for discovering compelling stories and, through her brand, she has acquired the adaptation rights to popular novels with plans to develop them for television and film.
“While I can’t share everything yet, I can say we are expanding our brand with some cool procedural stuff that’s female-led that I’m very excited about,” Swisher teases. “We’re excited to work with some amazing authors and are teaming up with some talented, strong writers. Currently, we have four projects in various stages of development.”
Managing multiple projects that are moving forward all at once can make anyone feel as though they are being pulled in several directions, but Swisher says the key to her success has been learning the importance of leaning on trusted people around her.
“I have a great partner at Rolling Clover,” Swisher says. “She’s my best friend and we are a two-headed monster. So, there’s an ease and we sort of divide and conquer in terms of what is necessary.”
The entrepreneur also credits her Tampa Bay-based social media team, Telia Agency, for keeping the online wheels turning through careful scheduling and coordination.
“We plan for those big bursts where they focus all of my bandwidth on that moment,” she says. “And then when I go off to shoot, especially when I’m directing and acting in something, those are the only hats that I wear.”
When the Suncoast calls her home, you may catch a glimpse of Swisher at one of her local favorites like The Vinoy or exploring many of the same hot spots residents adore.
“I love the beach and there’s some incredible restaurants, especially in downtown St. Pete,” she offers. “Being from Tampa, it’s really our backyard. So, we love staycations and spending time in St. Pete. It’s got such a unique flavor and it’s so diverse. It has a Floridian vibe, but it also really has a vibe unto itself,” she adds. “It feels like an embarrassment of riches because you think, how is it that we have all of this culture in the greater Tampa Bay area?”
Swisher hosting The Ultimatum: Queer Love on Netflix.
Swisher lights up when talking about introducing people to Tampa Bay and seeing them embrace its charm and energy.
“Some people know about our beaches, but it’s really become this beautifully chic, exciting area,” she says. “I’m so proud of that and proud to be a part of it.”
Swisher notes that changes are brewing back in Sweet Magnolias’ idyllic town of Serenity.
“This season felt like it planted the seeds for what the future will look like,” she says. “It was exciting, a bit surprising and unexpected. It's definitely a bit of a rollercoaster.”
As the new season takes her character away from her beloved hometown to unknown territory and on a journey of navigating some major life changes, Swisher’s own world is expanding in a myriad of ways. But even as she embarks on a range of new creative adventures, she remains firmly tied to the community she loves and focused on the things that bring her joy.
“I do just inherently have a general optimism to my nature,” she explains. “I also spend a lot of time focusing on gratitude and the good stuff in my day-to-day life—maybe it's weeks of great sunshine, a fleeting moment or something that I'm planning months in advance. Whatever it may be, I try to lean into that and have appreciation. That is really how I exist. It doesn't mean that I haven't endured a lot of ups and downs and tragedy, but it is about reminding myself that I am a strong person and I can handle anything that comes my way.”
Sweet Magnolias airs exclusively on Netflix. Visit rollingclover.com to learn more. Images (unless indicated) provided courtesy of Sweet Magnolias/Netflix.
