Cultivate Your Joyful Life

In today’s episode, I’m digging into a question that came from an online debate I couldn’t stop thinking about: do you actually need to love your job? As a career coach who talks a lot about landing a “dream job” and building a career you’re excited about on Mondays, my answer might surprise you—because I don’t believe in absolutes or all-or-nothing thinking when it comes to work and fulfillment....

In this episode of Cultivate Your Joyful Life, I sit down with Favi, a UX designer and researcher, to talk about her career pivot from seven years in physical therapy into tech. We cover how she first discovered UX, built experience through learning, a bootcamp, startups, and mentors, then navigated a long 2022 job search that shifted from mass applying to getting clearer on the kind of role and c...

In this episode, I’m talking to the women who deep down know their soul is begging them to leave their job—and you’ve even done the math (you have savings, you have runway), but you’re still terrified to pull the trigger. I’m reframing “quitting” into something lighter and more intentional: a career break or sabbatical, and I’m sharing my own 2016 story of leaving a toxic corporate environment and...

In this Career Reinvention episode, I’m sitting down with Lynn Hyllden, who made a powerful pivot inside the entertainment industry—from 15 years on set in television production (the “factory”) to production finance and corporate decision-making. We talk about the moment she realized she couldn’t keep chasing the producer path, even though it looked like the obvious next step, and the identity dis...

In this episode, I’m sharing the trick to opening bigger possibilities when you feel stuck or can’t even see what’s “next” yet — and it’s way simpler than you think: have real, honest conversations that expand what you believe is possible. I walk you through the Roger Bannister story (the first person to break the 4-minute mile) to show how so many limits are psychological before they’re physical,...

In this episode of Cultivate Your Joyful Life, Emily Liou welcomes Christina Byrd, a Cultivitae alum on her “eighth career journey,” to talk about making a major career pivot from HR/communications in higher ed, to business development in the financial services sector, where she now serves as a Compliance Director at CU Alternative Lending. Christina shares how organizational restructuring pushed...

Hey there, beautiful soul! Ever notice how leaving a job that's slowly dimming you gets called "reckless," but staying in it is just... normal? That question sent me down a rabbit hole into how we're all raised inside our own "culturescapes" — and how that shapes what we believe about work and success. I share my own story of growing up watching my immigrant parents grind through exhausting jobs,...

In this episode, I sit down with Amber Janke, creator of the podcast Super Sorry, to talk about how she finally brought a long-held podcast idea to life. Amber shares how she joined Inner Magic during a tough season—after being laid off and navigating family loss—and used that pause to get clear on what truly motivates her and brings her joy, especially creativity and storytelling. We dug into the...

Your Job Isn’t to Be Right — It’s to Find Out (A Self-Trust Reframe for Big Decisions)In this episode, I share a real-time update on why my podcast schedule has been inconsistent (hello, summer break with kids) and how I’m getting clearer on what I want this podcast to become—more depth around clarity and self-trust, and eventually interviews with normal people who love their jobs and have made me...

What does it actually look like to leave a stable job and start a business — not in theory, but in real life, with two young kids, postpartum fog, and zero entrepreneurial experience? In this episode, Emily sits down with Holly Shuss, a former Inner Magic client, for an honest update on her journey from corporate admin employee to solo bookkeeping business owner. This conversation is equal parts t...

Okay, I have to be honest with you — this episode came straight from my soul (and from a week on a Princess cruise with my mom, which… let's just say it was illuminating).If you've ever second-guessed a decision the moment someone raised an eyebrow. If you've ever needed five people's opinions before you could feel okay about a choice you already made. If you've ever wondered why, despite being a...

If you've ever gone home after a rough day at work and asked yourself, "Is it me… or is it the job?" — this episode is for you. This is honestly one of the most common questions I get from the women I coach. And it's a hard one, because the answer isn't always black and white. Sometimes it IS you (and that's okay — owning that is power). Sometimes it IS the job. And sometimes? It's both. Knowing t...

Okay, real talk — this topic comes up constantly with the women I work with, and I knew I had to dedicate a full episode to it. If you've ever felt like changing jobs would mean losing yourself... this one's for you. This week, I'm diving deep into career identity fusion — what it is, why so many high-achieving women fall into it (hint: it's not your fault), and what it's actually costing you. Bec...

Okay, real talk — I recorded this episode while sick. Stuffy, congested, the whole thing. But I promised you a new episode every Sunday, and a promise is a promise. So here we are! This week, I'm breaking down something I see come up again and again with the women I work with: the difference between normal hard and soul-draining hard. Because here's the thing — not all hard is created equal. And i...

Can't figure out what you want anymore? This one's for you. I'm Emily Liou, your Certified Life Coach, and in this episode I get real about something so many of us experience but rarely talk about — that nagging feeling of not knowing what you want, even when it comes to the smallest things. It started with tacos. Seriously. I found myself paralyzed at a Mexican restaurant, second-guessing every s...

Have you ever wanted to do something — send the application, pitch yourself for the promotion, launch the side project — but no matter how hard you try, you just… can't? You're not lazy. You're not broken. And you're definitely not alone. That's exactly what this episode is about, and honestly, it's one I've been wanting to record for a while because I don't think enough people are talking about w...

In this episode, I'm diving deep into something I've been seeing over and over again in my strategy calls with incredible women—the "Ideas Graveyard." You know what I'm talking about, right? Those dreams and ideas that excite us for a moment... and then somehow end up buried under excuses, fear, and self-doubt. I recently wrapped up my 13th one-on-one call, and I've been talking to women from diff...

Hey friend! So here's a question I need to ask you: Are you job hugging? Yeah, I know—everything needs a catchy phrase these days, right? But this one actually describes something real that over half of us are dealing with right now. According to a recent CNBC survey, 57% of people are staying in jobs they don't love, not because they're satisfied, but because they're scared. Scared of layoffs, ec...

Oh my goodness, I'm SO excited you're here! This episode is a little different—and honestly, it's exactly what I needed to share with you right now. If you've been wondering where I've been (spoiler: I haven't abandoned you!), I'm opening up about the real, messy behind-the-scenes of building a business while staying true to your mission. And then, I'm sharing an incredibly timely conversation I h...

In this episode, I dive into an 'Am I the Asshole' post that's been on my mind. The story revolves around a job interview gone awry, where an interviewer tells a candidate to 'shut up and listen.' I explore this event from a compassionate coaching perspective, shedding light on human psychology, nervous system regulation, and the importance of effective communication. We discuss how stress and pre...

In this episode, I dive deep into the concept of misalignment burnout, a unique form of exhaustion stemming from a disconnect between your values, desires, and your current way of life. I'll share personal stories, including a vulnerable account of my own experience with misalignment in a five-year relationship, and illustrate how this type of burnout is a slow, insidious process. We’ll discuss co...

In this debut episode, I, Emily Liou, Certified Misalignment Burnout Coach, explain my soul purpose and mission to evolve from a known job search coach to a Misalignment Burnout coach. Listen in as I delve into why I’m so freaking excited to share how you can cultivate your own joyful life. For the past 6+ years, I've been helping people land their dream jobs without applying online. I’ve made a n...

In this episode, Emily Liou shares personal updates about balancing work and family life, overcoming the fear of starting from zero, and celebrating client successes. Emily discusses the alignment and joy found in following her true calling and offers encouragement to others who might be contemplating a new venture or pivot in their lives. She emphasizes the importance of leveraging past experienc...

Embracing What Keeps You Alive: Emily Liou's Year of Experimentation and JoyIn this episode of 'Cultivate Your Joyful Life,' Emily Liou shares her mission to help individuals access their inner joy amid life’s hectic schedule. Emily announces her personal experiment for 2025, focusing on activities that make her feel alive and eliminating those that drain her. She recounts the successes of her rec...

This is a special episode from snippets of hot seat coaching in our Day 4 AMA Bootcamp training. You'll get to hear from real jobseekers who are worried about how to stand out in today's job market. From dealing with imposter syndrome, employment gaps -- you'll hear the common theme is how do I feel confident in my marketability?  How can I stand out to my employer? You'll love these raw...