Nationally known for her television appearances with animals, Joan has appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, Good Morning America, PM Magazine, The Home Show, Donahue, Hour Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, and many others. She has hosted two series, Animal Express and Animals of Africa, which have aired both in the United States and abroad, and the Baby Panda and Challenge to Wildlife specials for Public Broadcasting.

A native of San Diego, Joan attended San Diego State University where she specialized in zoology and telecommunications. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with Eastern Illinois University. She and her husband, Duane Pillsbury, live in Lakeside, California, on their fifty acre ranch. At the ranch, Joan raises Quarter horses, Miniature horses, Lippizans, Warmbloods, Clydesdales and Percherons, and her California State Grand Champion Brahman Bull, Bruiser. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire also maintains an assortment of animals which travel with her on appearances.