JOY Unfiltered: Joy is the strategy

How do you create a real sense of belonging at work, at home, and in your community? Christopher Bylone, founder of Innovation Unbiased and former Global Head of Belonging at Krispy Kreme, joins Rachel Bents to explain why belonging and joy aren’t rewards you earn. They’re environments you build and choices you make.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On You...

What’s the difference between happiness and joy? In the 100th episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel Bents uncovers the surprising word origins of happiness and happenstance, and shows you why happiness happens to you while joy is something you choose.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Plate?   🎉 Episode 100! Joy Unfiltered started as a wellnes...

How do you fall asleep faster when your mind won’t stop racing? This Joy Reps episode gives you a simple, science-backed wind-down routine you can do right in bed to quiet your thoughts, relax your body, and drift off to sleep.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Plate? Do you ever lie awake replaying conversations or rewriting tomorrow’s to-do li...

How do you fall asleep faster when your mind won’t stop racing? This Joy Reps episode gives you a simple, science-backed wind-down routine you can do right in bed to quiet your thoughts, relax your body, and drift off to sleep.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Plate?   Do you ever lie awake replaying conversations or rewriting tomorrow’s t...

How does sleep affect your mood, your relationships, and your happiness? In this Joy Lab episode, Rachel Bents explains the science of sleep and joy, and shows you how better sleep gives you more patience, more connection, and more joy every day.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Plate?   Drawn from the chapter “Sleep Like It’s Sacred” in B...

How do you bring real joy to your meetings, parties, and gatherings? Jacques, The Party Scientist, is an anti-keynote speaker, community consultant, and founder of a worldwide sober-party movement. He joins Rachel Bents to share the science of human connection and how you can become a “joymaker” in any room.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Pla...

What does it really mean to be present? In this Joy Words episode, Rachel Bents explores the surprising origin of the word “presence” and shows you how giving someone your full presence may be the best gift you can give.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Plate? “Presence” comes from the Latin for “to be before,” which means being right in front...

How do you reset a bad day fast? This Joy Rewire gives you a three-minute walk, built on science, that calms stress, lifts your energy, and trains your brain to find more joy.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Plate?   No time for a long walk? You don’t need one. Rachel Bents walks you through three simple steps: bounce, breathe, and deligh...

Can a daily walk make you happier? In this Joy Lab episode, Rachel Bents shares how a simple Joy Walk turns your everyday route into a science-backed habit for more joy, more creativity, and less stress.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy Plate? Drawing from Chapter 8 of Be With: 39 Habits for a Joy-Filled Life , Rachel shows you how to take the...

How do you stay positive when life falls apart, not once but twice? Sass Schaeffer is a former boxing champion, a former healthcare executive, and the founder of Team Positive. She joins Rachel Bents to share how to build positivity and resilience as a daily practice, so they’re already there when you need them.   🎯 Which joy habit comes easiest to you? Take the free quiz, What’s On Your Joy...

What does outdoorsy really mean, and what if you love nature but also love your hot shower? In this episode of Joy Words, Rachel Bents digs into the word origins of outdoorsy and outsidey and reveals how the words themselves explain two very different ways to enjoy nature.   Take the free quiz: What’s On Your Joy Plate? Find out which of Rachel’s Joy Macros™ (Notice, Allow, Share) comes easie...

What is an awe walk, and how can a simple 15-minute walk reduce stress and boost joy? In this Joy Rewire, Rachel Bents guides you through an awe walk, a science-backed mindfulness practice that helps you feel calmer, happier, and more connected. No hiking boots or fancy gear required.   Take the free quiz: What’s On Your Joy Plate? Find out which of Rachel’s Joy Macros™ (Notice, Allow, Share)...

Can a dining table hold both joy and grief? Minnesota woodworker Ryan Kuehn of RK Design builds custom live edge dining tables and handmade furniture that carry family memories, legacy, and love for generations. In this bonus episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel Bents talks with Ryan about finding joy in your work, reconnecting with childhood creativity, and how a custom table can help families honor...

How much time in nature do you actually need to feel better? Science says 120 minutes a week. In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, author and speaker Rachel Bents dives into the science of nature and mental health, from stress relief and anxiety to focus, mood, and joy. Drawing on Chapter 6 of her book Be With: 39 Habits for a Joy-Filled Life , Rachel shares why you don’t have to camp, hike for days...

Your body isn’t the problem. Your clothes are. Former middle school teacher turned TEDx speaker Jenny Zook joins Rachel to talk about changing your relationship with your reflection and bringing the joy back into your closet, at any age, size, shape, or budget.   In this episode: How 20 years in the classroom led Jenny to create Style School Why personal style is a skill you can learn, not so...

This week’s Joy Word is one Rachel made up, and it’s the heartbeat of her book Be With . Withness is presence as a way of being: fully, wholeheartedly with a person, a moment, or yourself.   In this episode: What withness means, and why the world needs a word for it The surprising history of “with” (it used to mean against!) How withstand, withhold, and withdraw still carry that old meaning T...

Stress climbing? This Joy Rewire gives you a simple, guided practice to tell your brain you’re safe, using your favorite new nerve: the vagus nerve.   In this episode: Box breathing, the four-count rhythm Navy SEALs use to stay steady The long exhale that presses the brake pedal on stress Why humming is a secret calm-down tool A 30-second version you can do anywhere, even mid-dinner   Th...

You take about 20,000 breaths a day and barely notice one. In this episode, Rachel dives into the science of breath and shows you how to use it, on purpose, to calm your nervous system and make more room for joy.   In this episode: The tiny brain cluster that runs your breathing (and why it sounds like a German pastry) Why your exhale is the brake pedal for your nervous system How breathing l...

Rachel sits down with her joy bestie Sheryl Raphael Whitaker, leadership transformation expert and author of It Starts with Joy . After 35+ years in corporate learning and development, Sheryl now helps leaders trade fear and burnout for clarity and joy. We talk about: Why joy is the sky and happiness is the weather “All roads lead to fear,” and how to change direction The Joy Shift Method: Aware,...

Welcome to Joy Words, a brand new Thursday segment where Rachel nerds out on the words that shape how we live. First up: two words that look like twins but aren't, and what their surprising story teaches us about joy. In this episode: Where "authentic" really comes from (and its slightly dark Greek past) How "author" connects to augment, auction, and authority The spelling mix-up that made these t...

Stuck, stressed, or deep in the afternoon slump? In this Joy Rewire, Rachel guides you through a 90-second dance break designed to shift your brain chemistry fast. No rhythm required. In this episode: Why 90 seconds is a magic number for your brain How movement helps a surge of stress move through you instead of getting stuck A guided shake, bounce, and freestyle you can do anywhere (seated counts...

When was the last time you danced, just because? Season 2 kicks off with Body and Presence, ten weeks through Rachel's book Be With , and we're starting by getting your body moving. Rachel dives into the science of why humans are born to dance and how to get your groove back.   In this episode: Why babies dance before anyone teaches them Snowball, the cockatoo who invented his own dance moves...

Season 2 is here! For the next 10 weeks, Rachel walks through chapters 1 to 10 of her new book, Be With: 39 Habits for a Joy-Filled Life, with one goal: coming home to your body, this moment, and the people in front of you. The new weekly rhythm: Monday deep dives, Wednesday Joy Rewire, Thursday Joy Words (new!), and Friday guest conversations. Season 2 guests: Sheryl Raphael Whitaker (season open...

The final Joy Rewire of the mini-season turns Monday's science into a practice you can start today. Rachel walks you through the Joy Stack, a three-layer habit (Anchor, Tiny Joy, Celebrate) that hooks joy onto something you already do every day. You'll build your own Joy Stack in real time, practice your first rep together, and leave with a simple seven-day challenge. In this episode: The "After I...

In this final long-form episode of the mini-season, Rachel answers the question she hears more than any other: "How do I make joy stick?" The answer is habit. She explains how your brain rewires itself through repetition (think sled tracks on a Minnesota hill), why your brain holds onto the bad more than the good, what the research really says about how long habits take to form, and why missing a...