The Joy Junkie Show

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP   Ahhhh… The lovely concept of “Work/Life Balance”. So… is this really something that can actually be attained or is it some bullshit notion we feed ourselves that actually leaves us feeling worse about not even remotely being, ah-hem, balanced? I would argue for the latter. In our world of perpetual busyness and glorifying burnout, OF COURSE we often feel like we are coming up short, we’re letting people down, we’re constantly behind, and we’re chronically overwhelmed. Sound familiar? Well, you’re certainly not alone. I think we all like the idea of balancing our work and private life but I would guess that it often feels more like a corporate buzzword more than something you can actually practice. Because, HOW? How exactly does one be a badass at work, kill it in all your relationships, take care of your health, and contribute the greater good of this world? Oh, and raise evolved children. And, be happy doing it all. Exactly. You don’t. You can’t. Something’s gotta give. In this week’s s

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP   Tell me if this sounds familiar: You have “this friend”… and this friend is perhaps someone you’ve known forever. Maybe you saw each other through some tough times, but at this particular place in your life, this friendship has been feeling downright toxic. But you guilt yourself saying, “Well, we’ve been friends since college” or “Am I a dick if I don’t want to be there for her anymore?” If that sounds at all familiar, you are in the same boat that many people find themselves in when they reach their 30s and 40s. You’ve grown as a person, your life has changed, and your priorities have shifted. But, you still feel tethered to this historical relationship that feels more like it’s robbing you dry than adding to your intimate connections. A listener of the show wrote to the pod asking how to actually let go of one of these friendships. I mean, how do you go about breaking up with a friend? Is there an approach? How do you know if you’re being a big ‘ol meanie? If you’ve been pulled to par

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP   So, your boss is a micromanaging asshat. Or your parents were pretty assholey to you while you were growing up. Or maybe your ex pulled some seriously shady shit. And let’s just say that the idea of ‘forgiveness’ seems at the very least, laughable, and at the most, completely impossible. If you’ve found yourself hell-bent on blaming and resenting your mother-in-law, your ex, your annoying colleague, or whoever, it’s likely that you’ve found yourself feeling angry, frustrated, and victim-y. Although the behavior of others can be infuriating and insidious, it’s actually up to YOU how much you continue to suffer over their deeds. Wait, WHAT!? I know… It’s cray. But, listen up, babycakes. If you are committed to your blame, you are committed to your suffering. Period. But, not to fear, in this week’s pod episode, I sound off on five key steps you can take to let go of all your anger and resentment and leave these issues/people in the past so you can move forward into your brilliant life alre

JOIN THE AFTER HOURS CLUB~>   We grow up buying into the idea that we are responsible for everyone else’s emotions. As we move into adulthood, that often looks like NOT bringing up important topics to your spouse, overlooking offensive comments from family, or allowing coworkers to walk all over you. Quite simply, we buy into the notion that everyone else’s thoughts, opinions, and beliefs are more important than ours. Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you worry so much about what others may think that you’ve completely lost what matters most to YOU. Maybe you don’t even know what your opinions are because you’ve always been focused on everyone BUT yourself. Well, my friend, it’s time to change that shit up. In this week’s episode, I share four steps you can immediately implement in order to let go of what everyone else thinks and start tapping into YOUR wants and desires for a change. And, don’t worry, you’re going to do it all with the utmost grace and kindness. #noneedtobeadick This pod explores: How to tap

JOIN THE AFTER HOURS CLUB~>   Being alone. It’s likely that those two words spark an emotion in you. If you’re a self-lovin’ introvert, those words may sound like heaven, but I would guess a majority of people view “being alone” as a negative and undesirable situation. Our society glorifies busy-ness and applauds shutting down our emotions, so is really that surprising that so many people grapple with loneliness? I think not. Not to mention that the idea of NOT being partnered in some way leaves many people feeling like there must be something wrong with them. I mean… no one in a relationship is lonely… Right? Right!? Um. Not exactly. The reality is – We feel loneliness for a number of reasons, two of them being 1) An overwhelming desire to connect with others and 2) An inability to be comfortable with self. Now, you might be thinking, “No shit! Of course I want to connect with others!” But, it’s not always that simple. You may be surrounded by a TON of people, have a vast social network, and still feel lonel

JOIN THE AFTER HOURS CLUB~>   Let me guess. You’re absolutely miserable in your current J-O-B but you have no idea how to get out of this soul-sucking sitch. Or maybe you aren’t straight-up miserable, but you know you are wasting heaps of potential, spend most of your days bored as fuck, and would looooove to find your soul’s true calling. Or maybe you already know exactly what you want to do, but you have no idea how on earth you could ever get there. If you have found yourself in one of the situations above, honey, I SO feel you. I have absolutely been there and let me tell you, there is absolutely a way to bust through this shit. If you wake up each morning less than thrilled about your work day, you have to tune in to this episode. This week I share my personal experience of leaving a job that was no longer fulfilling for me and exactly what I did to craft my “escape plan”. I know you feel helpless and stuck AF, but #trust, you can create totally fulfilling and meaningful work. Plus, if you are thinking o

JOIN THE AFTER HOURS CLUB~>   Ever find yourself attached to the idea that you really need closure for something you’ve experienced? Maybe you have a friend who ghosted you and you’re left wondering what-the-hell happened. Maybe you are plagued by needing to know the real reason you were let go from the job. Or maybe you are still waiting on an apology from a family member… or an ex. Our brain naturally wants a conclusion to the stories of our life, so if you feel like you’ve been left hanging, it can feel damn-near impossible to “move on” unless you get the closure you are craving. What we often don’t realize is that placing so much emphasis on the other person actually renders us powerless. Think about it… we’re essentially saying “I can only be happy and move on if this other person magically gives me what I want.” That’s a shit ton of power to give away, my love. Here’s the great news: There are actually plenty of things you can do, like today, to cultivate your own element of closure. This episode will w

FREE DAILY CHECKLIST WITH THIS EPISODE ~> If you’ve been diggin’ into personal development, you’ve undoubtedly realized that you don’t get many results by simply hoarding “good ideas”. You know what I’m talking about… scrollin’ through Insta or Facebook, double-tappin’ it up on inspiring messages, or reading a powerful book but not DOING anything with the info. If you ever fall into this trap, honey, you are soooo not alone. It’s kinda like reading a book on Pilates and expecting to get a rockin’ body. Um, no. Gotta hit the mat, Babycakes! Here’s the deal… creating change in your life is all about your habits. The shit you do day-in and day-out. It’s about monitoring the way you spend your time, energy, and self-talk so you are working towards happiness and fulfillment instead of entertaining a bunch of shit you DON’T want. Alright, great. So, how do you do this? It all starts with your thoughts and creating a “compound effect” in one of the five areas we chat about today. Have a listen as I sound off on 5, d

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP ~>   At the start of every year, it’s likely you get pumped up and excited to make some serious change. You decide on a handful of things that you are GOING to conquer this year, god-damn-it! But what actually makes those goals a reality? Throughout my decade-plus in this work, I have found that noble intentions have very little to do with bringing goals to fruition. Good ol’ fashioned gumption and desire are not enough to make your dreams come true. [sad trombone] But never fear, this episode targets seven ways people tend to sabotage their own goals (without even realizing it) and how you can set yourself up to slaaaaay all your goals. It’s not rocket science, but if you can employ some of these easy tactics, you will kill all your 2018 goals! Yes, please! This pod explores: My favorite tool to use to ensure you are tackling this goal for YOU (instead of mom/fam/boss/society) The number one way people lose steam while working towards a goal and how you can smoothly move beyond this obst

FREE WORKSHEETS WITH THIS EPISODE ~>   If you’re like most people, you have an overwhelming sense of excitement and ambition come the new year. Also like most people, perhaps you hit Jan gang-busters-style, but when Feb rolls around you have slowly begun to lose steam, fervor, and action. Many people (and maybe YOU) enter the New Year with many plans and intentions, but somehow end up a bit off track sooner than later. In this episode, I address the biggest obstacles people unknowingly establish for themselves when crafting New Year’s goals and “resolutions”. Yep, you read that right… many people actually make their job a shit-ton harder by not setting themselves up for success to begin with. I also share my personal planning tool I use to ensure I establish solid goals in aaaaall areas of my life (not just fitness and money… but, yes, those too). Be sure to grab your free planning guide so you can plan and organize a seriously epic 2019 by figuring out what categories in which you would like to make headway.

*FREE* WORKSHOP ~>   So… You’ve checked all the boxes. You got a good education. You settled down and got married. You pursued the career. You even bought the house, had the kids, the whole thing. And yet, you still wake up some days wondering, “Is this all there is? Is thisit?” And maybe you even ask yourself, “What can’t I just be fucking HAPPY!? What is the secret to happiness!!?” I mean, you SHOULD be, right? You checked all those god-damned boxes. You did all the things. All the things that are supposed to yield happiness and somehow you’re still coming up empty. I mean… WTF!? You wouldn’t believe how incredibly common this is. Like, staggeringly common. We live in a society that tells us how we should live our lives and in turn, how we should feel about it. So, you get to this stage of the game and you’re like, wait a minute, why don’t I feel happy? In this week’s episode, I spill 6 suuuuper common ways you may be stifling your own happiness and ALL of them are typically done subconsciously… so yeah, yo

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP ~>   Did you know that we experience guilt for a very specific reason? That it’s actually designed to help us? Wait, WHAT? And, no, it’s not so you can feel like shit when your mom tells you how disappointed she is that you don’t call often enough or so you feel awful for declining an invite to a party you soooo don’t want to go to. Guilt is actually designed to alert us when we’ve done something wrong… something we aren’t proud of – NOT for when someone simply doesn’t like our choices. Oh, shit, really? Recently a listener penned the show asking how to deal with the nagging sense of guilt and “feeling bad” that she experienced with little requests and jabs from her close friends and family members. I mean… we have all been there. So what do you do about it? If it’s not your fault, then why do you feel so shitty? Well, that’s where I come in, Babycakes. In this episode, I break down the real-deal about Guilt – how to change what you “feel bad” about, how to identify your biggest triggers,

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP ~>   Ever feel like you just can’t quite enjoy the holidays because you’re in the middle of an emotional shitstorm that seems to make the season trying, stressful, and overwhelming? Maybe it’s your first holiday after being newly divorced. Or maybe it’s the fifth Christmas without your beloved mother, and you can’t seem to understand why it’s still so damn hard for you. Or perhaps you just moved your family across the country and although it was an amazing decision for you, you still find yourself incredibly nostalgic, overly emotional, and sensitive. If any of that sounds familiar, it’s likely that there is something in your world that needs a little processing. (And, no there’s nothing wrong with you.) Perhaps what’s tugging at you is the need for full-on grieving the loss of a loved one, which feels exacerbated by the sentimental tone of the holiday. Or perhaps it’s as simple as “a case of the blues” because you’ve changed jobs and aren’t able to do the gift exchange with your previous

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP ~>   Even though the holiday season is supposed to be all merry and bright and full of glad tidings, it’s quite certain that you’ve found yourself engaged with total overwhelm, buckling from the stress, and dangerously approaching burnout. Although fun and festive, it can take a sheer act of god to keep you from losing your ever-lovin’ mind during the chaos of this time of year, amiright!? If it’s not the multitude of gifts to buy or the food to prep, then it’s surely the family drama or workplace obligations that bring you to your breaking point. And while you’re spending money on shit you don’t want to buy or baking food for people you don’t even enjoy very much, you find yourself wondering why the fucking peace on earth has eluded you. But, lord help you if you don’t show up to the office party with the secret santa gift or all hell might break loose if you tell the in-laws you can’t make it this year. If you have found yourself overloaded by holiday stress and obligations, get ready fo

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP ~>   Any of these thoughts sound familiar? I would totally be able to figure shit out if my ex wasn’t such an asshole… Or, I totally could move up in the company, if only my boss wasn’t such an asshat. I would for sure have a great relationship with my sister if only she wasn’t such a dick about everything. In essence… you could totally be happy if only everyone else got their shit together. Ring any bells? Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying it’s okay that your boss micromanages your ass or that it’s okay that your ex is making things hella challenging, but what I am saying is staying locked into blame and constant complaining is creating (albeit subconsciously) a total victim mentality on your part. Wait, whaaaaa!? Yep. You. When you get stuck in the rat race of chronic “blame + complain”, you unknowingly give away all your power to people and circumstances you can’t control, perpetually feel like shit because you can’t control those things/people, and end up not doing anything to al

NEW *FREE* WORKSHOP ~>   You’ve added yet another item to your already-overloaded to-do list, and you hear a voice in your head scream, I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! But, do you take stuff off your plate? Nope. You continue to do, do, do and if you’re really honest, you are approaching total and complete burnout. #yikes What would you rather feel besides all this stress, overwhelm, and angst? Um… Peace. A calm mind. A calm heart. A to-do list that feels ‘on purpose’ with what you really care about and not riddled with obligations and burdensome tasks. And, yet, it feels damn near impossible to get out of this loop of constant hussle, flurry, and task accumulation. In this week’s show, I sound off on five things you can do TODAY to start shifting this paradigm. Believe it or not, there are actually plenty of things you can do to usher in some of that delicious peace you crave. Get ready to clear the chaos and make friends with serious ease and tranquility. This pod explores: What you need to do each morning if

JOIN THE AFTER HOURS CLUB~>   You’re cruising along on your personal growth journey and feeling all empowered and then WHAM! Before you realize what hit you, you begin taking a few steps backward for every step forward. Maybe you start beating yourself up for making a poor decision because, “Damn it! I should know better!” Maybe you catch yourself dealing with MORE shit with your fam and you’re like, “I thought I already dealt with this! Why is this coming up again!?” Or maybe you’ve been “dabbling” in personal development but you haven’t really made the commitment to implement what you’ve learned. You catch a podcast here and there or take a home study course and yet you find yourself wondering, “Why am I still not happy? Maybe this doesn’t work for me.” If you’ve experienced any bumps along the way during your personal development journey, join the club! Many self-help concepts are about a new way of viewing and engaging with the world, so OF COURSE there will be setbacks. The good news? The good news is th

JOIN THE AFTER HOURS CLUB~>   Find yourself dreading holiday functions with your family because it’s only a matter of time until your mom pesters you about why you don’t go to church anymore… or you aunt gives you shit for not having kids or not being married… or your uncle gets in a heated (uncomfortable) “discussion” about gun rights? Or perhaps you’re dreading the impending convo where your bro asks you for money. Again. Even though the holidays are supposed to be merry and bright, they can often be the most stressful when it comes to dealing with our families. Enter years of baggage, a shit-ton of guilt, mix in some alcohol, and you have a family holiday that leaves you feeling like shit instead of connected with those you supposedly love the most. If this sounds any kind of familiar, all is not lost. And, believe it or not, you can totally take back your holiday experience, boundary your ass off, and consciously CHOOSE your focus this holiday. Even if your sister is an ass-hat. This pod explores: How to

JOIN AFTER HOURS ~>   Ever find yourself dying for some alone time but you're afraid if you ask for it, you will be deemed "selfish"? Know you really don't want children but people tell you that's "selfish"? Find yourself guilted into shit you don't want to do because you're afraid of appearing "selfish"? Afraid to take a weekend away without kids because... you guessed it, you'll be "selfish'? In this week's episode, I sound off on the social meaning of word "selfish", why it is severely compromising our lives, and what to do about it. If taking time for yourself, speaking your mind, or being proud of yourself is cloaked in guilt and fear, you must have a listen. This pod explores: Why being selfish can actually make you happier and so much more magnetic You being selfish can radically change your decision-making Why you need to surround yourself with more selfish people THE JOY JUNKIE AFTER HOURS CLUB! COMPLETELY FREE FACEBOOK GROUP. TONS OF SUPPORT YOU CRAVE. JOIN THE CLUB. You in on this FREE badasser

JOIN AFTER HOURS ~> I am taking a few weeks off from the pod to tend to my own healing and self-care following some recent health issues. While I take a short break, my behind the scenes podcast ninja, Darlene, will be sharing some of the After Hours Community’s favorite and most impactful podcast episodes. Below is the original description for this week’s Community Favorite on the topic of perfectionism. I used to flippantly refer to myself as a Perfectionist and oftentimes I would elude to it being somewhat of a badge of honor. As I got older and my anxiety increased, I realized that being a chronic perfectionist was actually STEALING my joy instead of making my job easier. But, how does one just stop being a perfectionist? Perhaps you find yourself in the same boat; Vacillating between being SOLD on the idea that everything has to be just perfect and the conflicting desire to let things “go with the flow” or just be “good enough”. If you’ve found yourself in this dance, you are most certainly not alone. In