Discover why and how to put joy first in a world that rewards hustle over happiness.
This bi-weekly show is for workaholics, founders, perfectionists and parents…the hardworking humans who struggle to find, choose or share joy because they are just so damn busy surviving.
Expect inspiration, education and practical how-to’s for living and working in a way that allows you to easily and consistently prioritize joy over fear.
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Discover why and how to put joy first in a world that rewards hustle over happiness.
This bi-weekly show is for workaholics, founders, perfectionists and parents…the hardworking humans who struggle to find, choose or share joy because they are just so damn busy surviving.
Expect inspiration, education and practical how-to’s for living and working in a way that allows you to easily and consistently prioritize joy over fear.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You've been trying to fit in. Learning the industry standards. Following best practices. Being professional. Being credible. Being like everyone successful.
But what if you're optimizing for the wrong thing?
What if instead of apologizing, you should be celebrating?
Research shows industry outsiders drive breakthrough innovation at significantly higher rates than insiders. Not despite being different. Because of it.
Sara Blakely (fax machine salesperson → Spanx). Yvon Chouinard (climber → Patagonia). Rihanna (cultural outsider → Fenty Beauty). None of them succeeded by fitting in. They succeeded by leveraging what made them different.
Today: The four types of valuable outlier perspectives. And the exact framework for turning your "weirdness" into strategic advantage when building a brand.
You'll discover:
Listen if:
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You have 0-7 seconds. In that time, three subconscious questions get answered:
"Can I trust this?"
"Is this for me?"
"Is it worth it?"
Obviously in this time, your clients are not consciously analyzing your logo. But they are feeling their way to their answers to these three questions.
Today I'm breaking down the three elements that actually drive the feelings in your first impression, and uncovering what makes buying obvious or creates instant resistance instead. And why most brands are accidentally creating discord instead of harmony.
You'll discover:
Listen if:
This week's challenge: Do the three-question audit. Be honest about gaps. Pick ONE element to fix first.
Because once you see harmony in action, you can't unsee it. And that awareness will transform everything.
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From ancient Greek mythology to Marvel movies. From Shakespeare to Star Wars. The same patterns keep showing up because they're wired into human psychology.
And when your brand taps into these universal patterns, you're not just creating marketing. You're activating something that bypasses conscious thought and goes straight to emotion, memory, and identity.
And if you’ve been in my world a while, then you know just how important emotion is when it comes to building a successful business. It’s not ‘nice to have’ - it needs to be the core of your brand and all your marketing.
Today, after many many requests for this episode, I'm breaking down the twelve Jungian archetypes and why they're one of the most powerful strategic tools you can use to create instant recognition, deep connection, and fierce brand loyalty.
But here's what most people get wrong: They pick an archetype based on what sounds cool and end up with a stereotype instead of a strategy. The secret is understanding the four core motivations underneath the twelve archetypes. That's what transforms this from marketing gimmick into psychological strategy that runs all the way the way from your reels to your company’s vacation policies.
You'll discover why brands with tight archetypal clarity grow 97% more than confused brands, how Founders like Richard Branson manage to infuse their archetypes across over 400 companies worldwide.
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When you spend hours researching the perfect font pairing over and over again, you're not actually working on your business. You're avoiding something scarier.
This is what I call 'procrastibranding'. And if you just felt called out, stay with me. Because I'm not here to shame you. I'm here to help you understand what's actually happening and how to break the cycle.
Today I'm breaking down why brand work feels so productive when it's actually sophisticated procrastination, what it's really costing you in money and opportunity, and the practical framework for finally committing to your brand and focusing on what actually generates revenue.
You'll discover the three psychological drivers of procrastibranding, why "good enough" often outperforms "perfect" in today's market, and the one question that changes everything. Plus...
The truth? Your ideal clients aren't waiting for your logo to be perfect: They're waiting for you to show up and help them.
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Picture this: A room full of 5 yr olds listening to 'Golden' - when that three-part harmony hits... their little faces lit up - they could feel the harmony (and I got about 1000 cool points from my kids for being the mum who not only came in for career day, but managed to work KPop Demon Hunters into my presentation about Colour Psychology)
If your visual brand is as on-point right now as the Huntr/x high-notes - customers are doing the exact same thing as those kids. They're lighting up in your funnels, on your website and in your social feeds.
But how do you know if you're peddling visual harmony or discord?
In today's episode, I'm breaking down why some brands make you feel instant trust while others make you want to close the tab (even though you probably can't quite explain why).
LINKS FROM TODAY:
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Picture this: I'm VP of brand at a tech startup, locked in a battle with our UI/UX designer over whether our app's greys should be warm or cold. She's insisting on blue-based greys: Apple does it, all the big tech brands do it, so obviously it's correct for technology, right? Wrong.
And today I'm going to de-code for you why this seemingly insignificant detail reveals everything you need to know about colour psychology.
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As a serial entrepreneur as well as a branding expert, I've always had extremely high standards for how, where and when brand is worth investing in... and extremely high expectations for the kind of return I want to see on that investment.
I've always bent over backwards to create this for my clients - but it always felt like 're-inventing the wheel' each time... a long, painful process for me and them, that always resulted in something fantastic, but often no one could really explain why it was great, or how we got there. As someone who loves science, systems and repeatable successes, that was never good enough for me.
When I did a Masters in Marketing I thought for sure I'd find the missing link, the secret, the guarantee. But no. It wasn't until I got certified in Applied Colour Psychology that I found the answer, the key to creating visuals with more predictable impact on behavior...
What if I told you that your brand, just like you, has a personality? A frequency. And what if there was a predictable, repeatable, profound framework for you to understand and lean-in to that personality and get better results in every metric that matters to your business?
Today I'm sharing the breakthrough that transformed how I build brands and why it might be exactly what you've been searching for. We're diving into the psychology behind brand personalities. I'll introduce you to the four personalities and show you how when you find yours, and build your brand in exclusively that vibe, you can create more solid and predictable emotional responses in your customer (which as you know, is the key to driving purchase).
You'll discover how to reveal your brand's natural frequency, learn why trying to force a personality that isn't authentic or aligned creates problems (and how to fix it), and you'll hear how to audit your current branding for psychological consistency.
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Twenty minutes. That's all it took for me to go from casual observer to completely bought-in advocate of a brand I'd barely heard of before. No pressure tactics, no manufactured urgency, just pure value, delivered with integrity.
Last week I experienced the psychology of a Joy First brand in real time.
Today I'm pulling back the curtain on the exact psychology behind building a Joy First Brand for the Joyconomy, including why Harvard Business Review says emotionally connected customers are 52% more valuable than just satisfied ones.
The profitability in Joy First brands isn't just about making people happy. it is about creating deep connections that transform casual customers into lifelong evangelists who can't help but tell everyone about you.
I'll show you the exact moment I knew this company understood something most businesses completely miss, and how you can reverse-engineer that same psychological magic in your own brand.
We're diving deep into the neuroscience of joy, the difference between satisfaction and obsession, and why some brands create customers for life while others struggle with constant churn.
I'll reveal which big brands have mastered these Joy First principles (and have seen massive revenue increases as a result), plus the cautionary tales of billion-dollar brands that abandoned these principles and watched their stock prices crater within weeks.
You'll discover why purpose-driven joy hits differently than gimmicky happiness, how mirror neurons make joy literally contagious, and the ancient Greek concept that explains why some customer experiences create lasting transformation while others are instantly forgotten.
Plus, I'm sharing specific examples of how small businesses can implement these principles immediately from the language you use to describe your services to the unexpected ways you can exceed expectations without breaking the budget.
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While banks failed and bread lines formed in 1929, the beauty industry became the fourth largest industry in North America.
In 2008, as the economy collapsed, Lego achieved record profits.
During the 2020 pandemic, the pet industry exploded with 16% growth.
What did these industries have in common? They weren't selling products: they were selling different versions of joy.
Today I'd like to introduce you to something trend analysts are calling the Joyconomy, and it's already starting to reshape how every successful business will operate in the Ai-fuelled future. This isn't another marketing trend you can ignore. This is the fundamental rewiring of how humans make buying decisions in our anxiety-driven world.
For 20 years, I've been building Joy First brands: businesses that compete on delight rather than desperation, connection rather than unworthiness. While everyone else was optimizing for pain points and fear-based tactics, I was obsessed with feel-good brands that made people's lives better through their products, services, social impact and even their marketing.
That "soft" approach? It just became the hardest competitive advantage in business.
Forbes just declared the Joyconomy a major trend for 2025 and research shows Joy First brands are outperforming traditional competitors across every metric that matters. But here's what most people don't understand... this isn't just about happy marketing or feel-good campaigns.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the five dimensions that separate Joyconomy winners from fear-first businesses that are about to get left behind. I'll show you why luxury brands use 40% more positive emotional language than mass market competitors, how one Italian car company made a radical decision that defied decades of industry wisdom, and why the whole basis of Web3 culture points to a massive shift away from individualism.
This is your roadmap to the future of business. The question isn't whether the Joyconomy is coming... it's whether you'll be ready for it.
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This is a special, intimate, informal storytelling episode. After a full season of sharing other peoples' stories of finding Joy First ways of working, I thought I would share mine - especially since as of tomorrow I am now officially celebrating 20 years in business!!
Want to watch the Video version? Visit my Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FbNQEVjn5/
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I can't wait for you to meet today's guest. Jennifer Waters and I first connected nine years ago when she joined one of my very first online programs. She had a pet photography side-hustle, and she was desperate to escape a toxic marriage and build financial independence as a single mom
I knew I really liked Jennifer straight away. But what I couldn't have known, was the profound journey she was about to embark upon, that I would witness first-hand. Over the course of a decade, through high highs, and the lowest of lows, Jennifer transformed not just her business, but her entire life.
Jennifer's story isn't your typical entrepreneurial success tale. It's much deeper and more beautiful. Jennifer is here today to share what happens when life strips away everything you think you know and love, and forces you to discover (and build) something entirely new.
Spoiler Alert: She's not a pet photographer anymore, but she's just picked up the keys to her third location expansion in only 18 months for her current business, which is one she never intended to start.
How did she get here? One thing that makes this conversation really special, is our exploration of grief.... something none of us ever really want to talk about. Jennifer lost six dogs in three years. Six heart dogs. Her business, her brand, the book she was writing... her entire identity disappeared along with them.
What emerged from that grief will change how you think about business, creativity, and what's possible when you stop trying to force things to work and fully commit to what brings you joy.
Jennifer, who now runs her unexpected business from her dream house on Lake Superior (the same lake house she once believed was impossible for a single woman to afford), ships her products worldwide, has a 75% customer loyalty rate and still hasn't even written a business plan.
I love this story of joy first working, because it's so rare to talk to someone who has built something from a place of pure love and trust... which in our day and age of reason and cynicism, is the most radical strategy of all. But Joy First works. And Jennifer is living, smiling proof.
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In this beautifully revealing, intimate conversation, Carrie Green opens up about the darkest period of her business journey. In this episode Carrie shares with us the most generous and honest reflection on entrepreneurial burnout that I've ever heard.
Having founded the Female Entrepreneur Association (FEA) in 2011 (which she grew into 7-figure business with a network of almost 1 million women) Carrie is an international bestselling author (She Means Business, Hay House) and an online business trailblazer. But today we're stepping back from the shiny stuff in her list of incredible achievements to talk burnout, motherhood, and the darker sides of business success.
"I'd be getting home from work every night saying to my husband, I don't think I can do this anymore," she reveals. "I felt so trapped by it all."
While Carrie's body was screaming at her to slow down... she pushed on through... until she physically, mentally and emotionally could not go on. But that's not the end of our story: we discover that Carrie's just closed out her best launch of all time, after slowly having found her way back to her health, wellbeing and magic.
In this episode we explore the complex reality of managing a team for a multi-million pound online business, the weight of avoiding difficult conversations, and how hiring full-time "experts" to solve your problems can backfire spectacularly. Carrie's brutal honesty about the real challenges she's faced as a leader and the emotional toll of getting some of it wrong, is so wildly refreshing.
If you've ever felt trapped by your success, questioned whether you're cut out for leadership, or wondered how to rebuild when everything feels broken, this conversation is for you!
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Today I'm sitting down with Ruth, the brilliantly creative mind who, when asked what her current job title is, replies with a laugh, "Today we're going with digital product strategist."
This sense of fun sets the tone for our entire conversation about what happens when you follow joy instead of rigid business rules.
Ruth's journey from corporate banking job to creative entrepreneur wasn't planned, it unfolded naturally as she simply shared what she loved making. Whether it was photographs, websites, online courses, or physical products like t-shirts and journals, Ruth's magnetic energy comes from a place most business coaches never talk about: genuine excitement.
"I'm not purposefully sharing to get a client," she reveals. "It's just this homepage has brought me joy. I can't keep it in. So I'm just going to share it." This approach has led to clients consistently finding her rather than the other way around something many of us dream about but struggle to achieve.
We also dive into the fascinating parallel between building a business and Ruth's two-year journey to achieving a challenging physical goal, where we learn about her philosophy on persistence. When most people try something once and declare "it doesn't work," where as Ruth has shown up Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for years.
I love Ruth's comfort in her own lane whether in business or at the gym. While many of us are constantly looking sideways, she's focused firmly on her own path, completely unbothered by how fast or slow others might be progressing.
This conversation isn't just about business or strategy, it's about finding joy in the process, sharing from a place of genuine excitement, and showing up consistently without comparing your journey to others.
If you've been feeling the pressure to niche down or follow conventional business wisdom, but something about it doesn't feel right, this episode might just give you the permission you've been waiting for.
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Today I'm sharing what might be the most important conversation of this entire Joy First season. I had the incredible honor of sitting down with Rha Goddess – organizational soul coach, author, and one of the wisest voices I've encountered on the subject of intentional, purpose-driven work.
This conversation couldn't be more timely. As we navigate economic uncertainty, political chaos, and the ongoing aftermath of a pandemic that changed everything about how we view work, Rha's insights offer both a challenge and a permission slip.
The Great Resignation
What happens when 50 million people quit their jobs, and then another 50 million the following year? What are we all sensing and seeking in this massive reshuffling of priorities? And most importantly – how do we move forward when we know we're not going back?
Rha's new book "Intentional Ambition" explores exactly this territory, diving deep into what it means to renegotiate our relationship with work after the Great Resignation. But this isn't just about finding better work-life balance – it's about a fundamental shift in how we define success, ambition, and the role work plays in our lives.
One of my favorite quotes from Rha in this episode responded with: "If it ain't joyful, I ain't doing it." This speaks to my soulllll. Not just a cute boundary – this statement is a radical act of resistance in a world that has conditioned us to de-prioritize our joy and happiness.
We explore the fierce nature of love (which is not what you might think), why comfort and joy are not synonymous, and how to distinguish between what she calls "wounded ambition" versus "true ambition."
Whether you're considering a career pivot, feeling burned out in your current role, or simply questioning the traditional definitions of success that never quite fit, this conversation offers both profound wisdom and practical guidance for creating a new relationship with work... a relationship where joy leads.
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Today I'm chatting with one of my business besties, Nicole, who embodies everything this season of Joy First is about. After spending 13 years as a zookeeper making just over $30K/year at the peak of her career, Nicole started a family which led into a pivot into entrepreneurship. Since those first nervous steps into life as a photographer, she's built a profitable, truly scalable business that now allows her the income and freedom to travel internationally dozens of times a year, live the horse life: competing at shows alongside her teenage daughter, and even run a non-profit that in its first year managed to raise over a quarter million dollars for wildlife conservation.
One thing I love and admire about Nicole is how she's consistently leaned into what brings her joy—never what conventional wisdom said would make the most money. From becoming a pet photographer when "pet photography wasn't even a thing" to launching international photography retreats in castles and villas across Europe, she's built success by following her curiosity and pursuing passion.
In this episode dive deep into her transition from struggling photography business to online education empire, and how she's structured her life to accommodate her "neuro-spicy" tendencies that make doing repetitive tasks nearly impossible. Her super power is systems and let me tell you, she's a genius at it (I think spreadsheets might be her actual love language 😂)
You'll hear about a few of her most powerful "light bulb moments" and she shares candidly about how she balances it all: motherhood, entrepreneurship, the horses, the travel and her latest obsession: sourdough.
I love Nicole's version o joy first living and working— and I know it will inspire you to find your own route to build more wealth and impact your way: with more joy and freedom at the front.
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I'm 100% committed to amplifying women's voices, but today I'm giving a shout-out to a few men who have shaped my approach to creating the freedom-filled, joy-centered business I run today. From the pioneer of psychology-driven marketing to the spiritual CEO who helped me finally escape my inbox, these "bros" are surprisingly solid. Each guy featured in this episode introduced me to frameworks and mindset shifts that transformed how I work—and how I create time for, sustain and expand my joy first ways of working.
In addition to naming names, I'm sharing the top strategies I've borrowed from their playbooks and adapted to create my joy-filled, profitable business model. You'll hear the highs & lows: the brick-and-mortar business that had me stuck, the time-for-money cycle that I feared I'd never escape, and how I created an online business that allowed me to live in Mallorca, Lake Como, and France - and travel all over the world exploring, while still serving my clients brilliantly.
I also reveal the unexpected encounter that led me to the 'bonus dude' (#6)—the billionaire who taught me the most profound lesson about joy and gifted me with a surprising lightbulb moment about the connection between play and productivity.
Whether you're curious about how to build a business model that supports the lifestyle you want, or you're looking for key strategic frameworks and tactics that work (without the typical toxic hustle culture), this episode bridges the gap between smart business tactics and joyful living.
Join me as I reveal which "marketing bro" advice I've kept, which I've modified, and how it all fits into creating a business that prioritizes joy without sacrificing results.
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What if your body knows something your mind hasn't yet recognized?
In this episode of Joy First, we are diving deep with Human Design business strategist Jazze Jervis into a revolutionary approach to work and life that challenges everything you've been taught about productivity and success. What we discovered might explain why certain business strategies leave you drained while others feel energizing.
Together we explore the one-size-fits-all business advice—the kind that has you doubting your abilities when the real issue might be something entirely different. Because here's what most business coaches won't tell you: what works brilliantly for one person might be actively harmful for another.
In this episode Jazze introduces a framework for understanding your unique energy blueprint that goes beyond personality types or work preferences. This isn't about minor adjustments to your schedule—it's about fundamentally reimagining how you approach everything from decision-making to marketing.
There's a moment in our conversation where Jazze reveals why some people thrive with spontaneity while others need structure—and it has nothing to do with discipline or mindset. This insight alone might explain years of struggle you've experienced trying to follow systems that were never designed for your energy type.
What could become possible when you stop fighting against your natural rhythms? What opens up when you build a business aligned not only joy first decision-making, but also with how you're designed to create?
This conversation is for the entrepreneur who's done everything "right" but still feels misaligned. It's for anyone who's ever wondered why conventional wisdom about success feels like a path to burnout rather than fulfilment.
In a world that profits from your self-doubt, understanding your design becomes an act of defiance. It's permission to trust the wisdom your body has been trying to share all along.
This isn't just business theory. It's the ULTIMATE joy first way to work.
This is about creating work that doesn't just make freedom, it feels like freedom.
[ Join Founders' Circle to get instant access to the Bonus Content from this episode ]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzejervis_/
Find your Human Design Energy Type: https://www.jazzejervis.com.au/generate-your-chart
Request her Design Guide: DM her 'Design Guide' on Instagram
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In this episode of Joy First, I sit down with Paige who challenges the frantic, scattered approach that leaves so many entrepreneurs exhausted. We deep dive into her #1 productivity hack (which isn't a hack at all) — and discuss the how's and why's of the freedom it's created for her.
During our conversation, Paige shares the moment she realized most business owners build their dreams on quicksand. She was doing it too—until a radical shift in her approach to both web design and decision-making changed everything.
What struck me most was Paige's counterintuitive approach to social media. While most business gurus push omnipresence across platforms, Paige does things differently. She explains why this conventional wisdom might be the very thing holding you back and shares her alternative: which feels like a quiet little rebellion that gives her permission to breathe.
Since we're both expats, of course we have to cover the topic of living in Europe—a choice that seems impractical on paper but has aligned perfectly for both of us and our her joy first living and working. When it comes to location independence; it's all about the courage and commitment it takes to to design your business around your life (instead of sacrificing your life for your business).
We explore what becomes possible when you stop diluting your energy and instead channel it where it matters most. Paige's approach to "charging what you're worth" isn't what you might expect—and it challenges the core of how many of us price our services.
In a world that profits from your divided attention, this conversation about Paige's way of joy first working is a cheerful little act of defiance. What might become possible in your business when you stop chasing every opportunity and start focusing on what truly brings you joy?
Listen on joyfirstworld.com >
Paige's Website: https://www.paigebrunton.com/
Paige's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PaigeBrunton
More about Paige's Free Bootcamp: https://jnicholesmith--paigebrunton.thrivecart.com/checkout/62de7e23c3706/
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Well Season 1 has come to an end - thanks for joining us! Season 2, 'Joy First ways of Working' will be back March 12th 🧡
Learn more about Founders Circle:
https://go.joyfirstworld.com/JFFC
Previous Episodes Mentioned:
Visit the Previous Podcast:
Joy Colour Impact & Dogs: (on iTunes) & (on spofity)
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Have you ever stopped to think about how the colours you wear, see, and surround yourself with shape the way you feel—and how others see you? Now... how about how they relate to the colour of your skin?
Join Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle, Justin Nai'im Hurdle-Price and I for a deep, thought-provoking conversation about how colour intertwines with identity, race, culture, and self-expression.Together, we unravel some of the unspoken truths about how colour impacts our lives, from the emotions it evokes to the stories it tells about who we are.
But here’s where it gets really interesting—how do we navigate colour when it’s tied to something as complex as race or cultural programming? What does it mean to embrace blackness and whiteness in a world that doesn’t often celebrate diversity? And why do some of us hesitate to wear bold colours - why are we so afraid of standing out?
This is not one of our typical discussions about colour psychology. It’s a raw, honest exploration of why colour matters on a much deeper level, especially for people of colour who are constantly having to navigate predominantly white spaces. In this episode we dig in to unspoken rules, fears, and societal pressures—but also how breaking through these obstacles can lead to more freedom, more joy, and a stronger connection to who we really are.
You’ll hear us dive into how colour can ground us, comfort us, or even hold us back. We challenge ideas like “I don’t see colour” and perhaps most importantly, we celebrate how diversity and individuality enrich our lives. Are you ready to see colour in a whole new way?
Let’s explore together.
Links for Dr.Lynne:
Dealing with Whiteness Episodes (from previous podcast: Joy, Colour, Impact and Dogs)
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