Are you ready to feel more joy on a daily basis?

By the end of this episode, you’ll learn…

• My favorite way to think about joy

• What happens when you prioritize your joy

• My simple 3-step process for creating more of it

Click the play button below to listen!

Full Episode Transcript:

 Welcome to the very first episode of the Joy Coach Podcast! I'm your host, Megan Ladd, and this podcast is all about bringing more joy into the process of building the business and the life that you want. Today, we're diving right into the good stuff. I'll be sharing my favorite way to think about joy, what happens when you prioritize your joy, a simple three-step process for creating more of it, and then what to expect on this podcast in terms of topics and format moving forward.

So first, let's talk about my favorite way to think about creating more joy. It's very simple. It is the metaphor of the sun and the clouds.

So think about your joy like the sun. It's always present. It is your natural state. It's easy to see this quality with babies, young kids. They are literally bundles of joy, right? We talk about them in that way, just that pure loving, radiant energy. So the sun is always there, even when we can't see it, even when there's a marine layer, even when it's a super cloudy day.

And I like to think of our fears and our doubts as those clouds that cover up our joy. So our joy is still present underneath all of that mental chatter. But sometimes the fear is so loud and our self-doubt is so activated that it's hard to tap into and really feel that joy. So my whole goal with this podcast and in the coaching that I do, is intentionally clearing those clouds out of the way so that you can reconnect to your joy.

So what happens when you prioritize your joy? Let me give you a sneak peek of what to expect. First of all, everything feels easier, including the hard moments. So this podcast and Joy coaching, it's not about aiming for a life free of pain because pain is just a part of being human. We all experience heartache and grief at various points in our lives.

We're not trying to bypass that or pretend that those hard moments or even hard seasons don't exist. What we are aiming for is a life free of the added stress and the unnecessary struggle that we often unconsciously add on top of that pain. And we do this by being hard on ourselves, judging ourselves, should-ing all over ourselves.

This can show up in your business, like pressuring yourself to be further along, trying to prove yourself, comparing yourself to other people, feeling like you need to show up perfectly, and basically just trying to avoid failure at all costs. These are the optional parts, and I know they don't always feel optional when you're in that place, but this is the stuff that we can release. These are the clouds that we can clear so that we can tap back into that joy, which does help us in those moments of pain. So the pain territory comes with being human, but this added stress and struggle – especially on a daily basis – this is the optional piece that most of us have just never been taught how to opt out of or how to release.

So when you do release that unnecessary suffering piece, that's when you're able to access your inherent joy, that beaming radiant sunlight that exists within you. This joy, it's your ultimate strength. It's your ultimate superpower no matter what life throws at you.

So we'll be diving into this all more in depth throughout the podcast, but here's what I want you to know today: joy exists within you, but it's something you must cultivate. It's not something you magically experience once you reach your goals. It is the fuel that helps you reach those goals. It's what makes the process fun. And because we spend 99.9% of our lives actually in the process of creating what we want, we might as well have fun with it.

Right? It's like we often think that moment of glory when we achieve our goals or our dreams, that's gonna be the fun part. But if you've experienced that before, and I'm sure you have, of course it's fun to get what you want. Of course it's fun to achieve your goals, but that moment, that win is so short lived. It's a high, it feels amazing.

And, if you're like me and a lot of the people I work with, the next day your mind automatically goes to that place of what's next? What's my next big goal that I'm working towards? And all of a sudden you're back in the process. And I mean, this is normal. This is how we tend to operate in these expansion periods, these growth periods of working towards the next thing.

Maybe you coast for a bit, maybe you bask for a bit, especially if you've learned how to kind of sink into the win and let yourself have that a little bit longer. Of course, we always want to be growing and becoming the next version of ourselves. It keeps life interesting and fun. And again, you're in process.

So we want the process to feel good. This is where you spend your life. How you spend your days is how you spend your life, right? And so we want your days to feel as enjoyable as possible.

When you prioritize your joy, let me just give you another sneak peek, succinct version: basically, you open yourself up to more energy, you become more magnetic. You attract different people and opportunities into your life. You open the floodgates to your creativity, new ideas, and yes, you also open yourself up to even more success than you would experience from a place of feeling stressed out, pressured, fearful, worried, or striving to get ahead.

So if creating success in that way is all you've ever known, I want you to know you have simply just scratched the tip of the iceberg of what's available to you in this lifetime. You haven't even accessed anywhere near your full potential yet. 

With that in mind, let's dive into the three step process you can use to ignite more joy right now. 

If you're home, this would be a good time to grab a journal if you're out walking or driving – some of my favorite times to listen to a podcast! – simply answer these questions in your head for now, and you can always re-listen to this later. 

Step one is all about clearing your mind and just noticing what those clouds are for you right now, today, in this moment. What are the clouds that are covering up the sun of your inherent joy?

These usually show up in terms of shoulds, have to-s, need to-s, just the stuff that feels heavy and dense and like it's weighing you down.

The next thing you wanna notice is the feeling behind whatever came to mind. How do those clouds feel?

A common word that my clients use to describe how they're feeling is that it feels like a lot of pressure. It feels heavy, they feel stuck, but choose whatever word resonates the most for you. How do those current clouds feel?

The next question is: what physical sensations are accompanying that feeling for you? So this is helping you move into the space of being the observer of whatever you're feeling instead of being in it. And instantly this should start to provide a little bit of relief, like pulling yourself out of the experience and becoming the watcher of it. And just notice it.

So, let's say the feeling was pressure. Where's that pressure showing up for you? Is it in your chest? Does it feel like a heavy weight? Notice the texture, the weight, maybe even the temperature. And again, we're just observing with a gentle curiosity here. You can't get this wrong. Anything you notice counts as another way to observe it.

That can help you kind of stay out of the feeling, and just allow it, notice it, acknowledge it. 

Next, this is a fun one: it's playing with, if it were a cartoon character, what would it look like? Like what tone of voice would it have? What would it be wearing? And this can be really helpful to just bring in a sense of humor around it, some levity, and almost take the intensity out of that feeling.

So sometimes this will show up like, you know, a sassy school teacher or something, or my inner voice of pressure will show up and I picture her with a clipboard of to-dos and all the things that she wants me to get done as soon as possible. And she's kind of antsy and it's almost like I'm just seeing this part of myself, but I'm separating from it in a healthy way where it's, it's a part of me. It's not all of me, it's just a part of me that's activated. 

Just notice what comes to mind for you. How does this feeling show up for you? How do you picture it? And maybe it's a movie character, a cartoon character you're familiar with. Maybe it's one that you've just made up on the spot that your mind just presented you with. Again, there's no wrong answer. You’re just using your imagination here. And once you have kind of a visual or a sense of this feeling, you can ask: “Is there anything that it wants you to know? Anything that it wants to share before we move on to the next step?” It's almost like, “Hey, I'm all ears. What do you got for me? I'm here to listen and just notice what comes up.”

And again, you can do this as a journaling process. If you're journaling, you can pause the podcast right here. If you're walking or driving, you can always come back to this later. But the point of this first step is really about acknowledging, getting curious about, and understanding what you're feeling – pulling you out of that intense experience of being in it. Starting to observe it, and acknowledge it, is often enough to release it. It's kind of like the difference between holding a beach ball underwater and feeling like, man, this is kind of a workout to hold this within me, right? This feeling, it's kind of a workout to hold that beach ball underwater versus just letting it rise and float on the surface, and you're just watching it, and maybe it just starts to float away and hey, even if the feeling hangs around, you can allow it to be there, and come with you into step two without acting on it or letting it drain your energy further.

You can picture yourself moving it to the passenger seat or even the backseat, maybe strapping it into a car seat while you, the larger whole of you is the one driving. That's the version of you that we're gonna carry into step two, which is all about reconnecting to your joy. 

So again, if you're not driving or walking, I recommend placing a hand over your heart, closing your eyes, and taking a deep breath. You can still take a deep breath if you're driving or walking, but definitely don't close your eyes, and just bring to mind a time when you felt relaxed and at ease and like your best self.

Basically go to your happy place and just remember what it felt like and then make note of what this joyful state for you, whatever came to mind first, what it looks like, what it feels like. Notice how you are in this space when you picture yourself there.

So for me, I automatically go to Maui, my ultimate happy place, picturing myself on the beach, looking out at the beautiful water. And in this space, I am breathing deeply. I'm breathing easily. I feel warm and happy and content just very free and relaxed and at peace. So that that's how I would describe it. But describe whatever this feels like for you.

And once you've got that, we're going to move on to the final step, step three, which is all about exploring your next ideas or your next steps from this relaxed state of mind. So bring the situation to mind that you want guidance around. Could be anything. And just ask yourself: “Beyond what I think I should do, what do I most want to do?”

And again, just letting yourself stay in that relaxed energy. Just notice what comes forward for you. You can write anything down. You can make a mental note of any ideas.

This is the space to act from. This is the space where you've cleared those clouds and the sun is shining, clear and bright. You know, there's not a cloud in the sky. Maybe a few residual ones, but it's like you can see clearly now, right? You can see those next steps. This is often the energy and the mindset from which people come up with different solutions than they might have when they were feeling so overwhelmed or stressed or worried. You can simply see different opportunities that might have been right there all along, but you were too clouded to notice.

So just to recap: we have the first step, which is about clearing out those clouds, noticing them, observing what's there. Then reconnecting to your inner happy place, what you feel like in a naturally joyful state. Bringing those feelings up in your body, feeling what that's like in this moment. And then from that place, getting clarity on and exploring next steps.

This is just scratching the surface of what tapping into your joy looks like. It's a very simplified version, but it's repeatable and you can keep it in your back pocket. I wanted to give you a little taste of how easy it can be.

To finish out this very first episode, I also wanna share a bit about what you can expect moving forward. On this podcast, we'll be talking about how to thrive as a coach, both inside and outside of your business. So we'll be talking about how to handle the more challenging aspects of running a business. How to work from a place of joy instead of a place of pressure. How to find deep satisfaction in your days, and how to truly make the most of your one incredible life.

We'll cover things like how to deepen your connection to your intuition and grow in the most aligned way possible. How to honor your energy, maximize your time, and how to release perfectionist tendencies, calm your inner critic, release self-doubt, and do your most impactful work in a way that feels really easy and light on your system.

I am all about balancing those ambitious dreams with a healthy and happy home life. So you'll notice that theme throughout the podcast. And of course, I am here to talk about all the things coaching-related and really the power of coaching to help you invite in as much ease and grace into your life and business as possible.

So if you're someone who devotes your days to helping others, this podcast is your place to fill up your cup. I wanna help you feel less alone in your journey. I wanna help you transform the way you grow your business forever. That's what we'll be doing here.

In terms of format, I'll be doing weekly episodes. Those will be a mix of solo shows where I am sharing takeaways and bite-size lessons from my own life, my own coaching practice, and client sessions. I'll also be sharing recorded one-on-one coaching episodes where we work through common blocks that coaches are facing. Lastly, I'll be doing guest interviews where you'll have a chance to learn from brilliant business owners who have found success and are willing to share their expertise and wisdom with you.

If you're an ambitious, heart-centered coach who's wanting to run your business in a way that aligns with your values, brings you joy, and allows for a really vibrant life outside of work, you are in the right place!

Together, we are going to clear your mind to help you have more fun in your business, and reconnect to that magnetic, radiant joy that's been inside of you all along. It's that sun that's right there waiting for you to access it. 

Alright, that’s all for today. That brings us to the end of our very first episode! 

Tune in next week to learn all about the four seasons of your business, and how to successfully navigate each of them.

Talk to you then!