Joy Found Here

What happens when an architect's structured world collides with the freedom of art—and grief becomes the bridge between them? In episode 268, Ksenia Merck shares how illustrating Ghost Flower, the novel her late husband Bill left behind, turned heartbreak into a sweeping collaboration of love, art, and legacy. For Ksenia, the journey wasn't about letting go—it was about discovering that connection...

What happens when a cancer diagnosis turns out to be the beginning of a mission, not the end of a story? In episode 267 of Joy Found Here, Tim McDonald shares how a stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2020 led him through chemo, a search for a living liver donor, and ultimately a transplant that changed everything—and how that journey turned him into a research advocate, author, and podcast ho...

What if the quiet feeling that you're not enough isn't a character flaw — but something your nervous system learned long ago just to keep you safe? In episode 266 of Joy Found Here, psychotherapist and author Kristine B. Jensen unpacks one of the most misunderstood and under-named emotions we carry: shame — and how the stories we've been telling ourselves for decades may finally be ready to be set...

What happens when a woman who spent decades holding everyone else together finally has no choice but to let go? In episode 265 of Joy Found Here, Florence Acosta — former Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, healthcare executive, and the person everyone leaned on — shares how a stroke at 50 became the moment that shattered her old identity and cracked her wide open. Her story is a powerful remi...

What if burnout isn't a sign you're doing too much — but a sign you've forgotten who you are? In episode 264 of Joy Found Here, Dr. Rebecca Hubbard, licensed clinical psychologist and TEDx speaker, brings her own hard-won burnout story to the table — from a thyroid diagnosis to burning out again despite doing all the "right" things — and reveals why the real fix isn't another self-care routine. It...

What if the reason you can't stick to diets has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with how your brain is wired? In episode 263 of Joy Found Here, Lizzie Merritt, bestselling author and certified weight loss coach, reveals how a daily 4:37 PM snack spiral became her wake-up call. From middle school science teacher to coach, Lizzie shows that weight loss isn't about food or willpower...

What if the life you were always meant to live was hiding inside the one you were already living? In episode 262 of Joy Found Here, Katie DeBonville — writer, musician, and first-time memoirist at 53 — shares how a pandemic-era MFA, a lifelong love of music, and the quiet courage to finally call herself a writer converged into her debut memoir, Grace Notes: A Musical Memoir. For Katie, the story w...

What if the psychologist sitting across from you has faced the very same darkness she's spent 40 years helping others through? In episode 261 of Joy Found Here, Dr. Celeste Birkhofer — Stanford faculty member and author of the forthcoming Beyond Quick Fixes — opens up about her own mental health struggles and the devastating loss of her son to bipolar disorder, and why she believes mental health i...

What if the most powerful tool for healing and transformation has been beating inside your chest your whole life? In episode 260 of Joy Found Here, Puran and Susanna Bair, co-founders of iamHeart, reveal how Heart Rhythm Meditation uses the science of breath and the electromagnetic power of the heart to unlock emotional resilience and deepen connection. From Susanna's personal story of hitting roc...

What if work-life balance feels impossible not because of your schedule, but because of what's happening inside your head? In episode 259 of Joy Found Here, international life coach Rebecca Olson unpacks why so many ambitious working moms are stuck — and it starts with asking better questions. From her own motherhood identity crisis to coaching thousands of parents through theirs, she makes the ca...

What if the most powerful life lessons you carry were handed down by the woman who raised you — and it took 40 years to realize it? In episode 258 of Joy Found Here, serial entrepreneur and action coach Amy Goober shares how a lifetime of her mother's wisdom became a book and a blueprint for women ready to stop waiting and start living. Amy is living proof that the best chapters don't always come...

What happens when the mental health system is quietly crumbling — and the woman holding it together has been doing so for 25 years? In episode 257 of Joy Found Here, Janelle Miller Moravek, Executive Director of Youth & Family Counseling, pulls back the curtain on America's behavioral health crisis — from a shrinking workforce and impossible pay rates to the hidden toll social media is taking...

What if the key to unlocking your biggest goals isn't willpower or grinding harder — but learning to speak the language of your own subconscious? In episode 256 of Joy Found Here, certified hypnotherapist and intuitive guide Lynnsey Robinson pulls back the curtain on why so many of us stay stuck despite wanting change, and what it actually takes to get your mind working for you. From demystifying...

What does it take to trade a military uniform for a spiritual calling — and finally trust the gift you've carried your whole life? In episode 255 of Joy Found Here, psychic guide and intuitive channel Kathleen Davenport traces the beautifully chaotic path that led her from active duty to the sacred shores of Hawaiʻi — and why every detour, closed door, and sign from the universe was quietly pointi...

What happens when everything burns down — literally — and the woman left standing in the ashes decides she's done rebuilding the same life twice? In episode 254 of Joy Found Here, Melanie Rhora, author of The Phoenix Path, shares how losing her home and 15-year business to a fire on the same day became the brutal turning point she didn't know she'd been asking for — and how it led her to finally a...

What if the stranger staring back at you in the mirror isn't a sign of decline — but an invitation to take back control? In episode 253 of Joy Found Here, Dr. Prudence Hall, founder of The Hall Center and pioneer in regenerative medicine, makes a compelling case that biological age is not a sentence — it's a choice. From the gut-hormone connection to why it's never too late to rebalance your body,...

What happens when a high-achieving woman checks every box society handed her — only to realize none of it was truly hers? In episode 252 of Joy Found Here, Recalibrate Coaching founder Hema Crockett shares the deeply personal moment that cracked everything open and led her to ask, for the very first time: what do I actually want? In This Episode, You Will Learn: (01:52) Meet Hema: coach and "recov...

What if the most powerful weapon against a toxic boss isn't quitting — it's understanding exactly how they think? In episode 251 of Joy Found Here, CEO coach and venture capitalist Kate Lowry reveals why fear-based leadership is making a sweeping comeback, and why so many high-achievers are blindsided by it. Drawing on her own journey from a controlling household to the corridors of Silicon Valley...

What if the secret to a happier life wasn't about doing more — but paying closer attention to what's already pulling you forward? In episode 250 of Joy Found Here, author and entrepreneur Emily Florence returns to share why choosing joy is less about grand gestures and more about small, intentional daily decisions. From dropping out of law school after four days to building a life entirely on her...

What happens when a former lawyer and pop musician gets told she's "too old" to write about desire—and builds a literary empire instead? In episode 249 of Joy Found Here, author Lexy Shaw Delorme shares how she turned publisher rejection into fuel for independence. After being told it's "unbecoming for a woman in her forties to still have sexual feelings," Lexy chose self-publishing and proved tha...

What happens when a personal trainer loses the ability to walk and discovers a power she never knew existed? In episode 248 of Joy Found Here, Isabelle Daikeler shares how spending over a decade unable to move without pain after giving birth forced her into complete surrender. That breaking point became her awakening—when her body began moving on its own for three days, when channeling started, an...

What happens when grief becomes the catalyst for finally answering a lifelong creative calling? In episode 247 of Joy Found Here, Celeste Fenton shares how losing her husband in 2020 forced her to confront who she was beyond educator, wife, and mother. At 60+, she stopped making excuses and started writing the suspense romance series that had been "chirping" at her for decades. Her journey to self...

What happens when a milestone birthday sparks restlessness instead of celebration—and becomes a turning point for deeper purpose? In episode 246 of Joy Found Here, Allison McCune Davis joins Stephanie to rethink aging, midlife, and what comes next. A mother of five and natural health educator, Allison shares how turning 60 pushed her to stop coasting, ask bigger questions, and create a clear plan...

What if the changes you’ve been dreading—fatigue, mood swings, weight gain, shifting desire—aren’t signs that your body is failing, but signals that it’s asking for a new kind of care? In episode 245 of Joy Found Here, Stephanie sits down with Dr. Betsy A.B. Greenleaf for a candid, empowering conversation about menopause, hormones, and midlife vitality. Together, they challenge outdated myths, exp...

What happens when your body starts changing in ways no one prepared you for—and pushing through stops working? In episode 244 of Joy Found Here, integrative health practitioner Dyna Vink joins Stephanie for a candid conversation about perimenopause, menopause, and the hidden ways they impact women’s health and confidence. Drawing from her own 13-year journey, Dyna shares why this often-misundersto...