I waited to record this one at the very last minute so I could see the American election results before hitting publish and my, my for the first time in many years I am delighted and proud of my countryman. What a perfect way, and perfect day to close out our joy first decisions, and Season 4 of this show.

Today is Joy First Decision #10, rebranding my business, podcast and book into Joy First in 2024, then discovering what it really means by living into it.

I probably should have expected the initiation that followed the big rebrand. Declaring yourself "the joy person" in the middle of raging hormone-induced anxiety + autistic burnout is an excellent way to create massive imposter syndrome. But it reinforced for me the thing I most want you to take away from this episode today: joy is for surviving survival mode... not the reward you get after you find a way OUT of survival mode.

Joy does not have to be earned. It's medicine and fuel, and it's with us in the fight.

In this episode

My manic month of good rooms: from Macklemore's Free Palestine show in Dublin to a stationery studio in Munich

Why it takes about two years to grow into your 'big why'

The pendulum from rage, to bridge-building, to a joy rebellion

The joy lesson black women have been teaching us for generations

A sneak peek at the sweary planner we're making (yup, there's an F-bomb right on the cover)

Highlights of Season 5, coming every week through to the end of the year

Links and resources

Creative Freedom Rebellion (six spaces open now): https://joyfirstbrand.com/rebel

Free upcoming co-working and workshops: email us: hello@joyfirstworld.com

Grab the Nov. issue of Psychologies magazine, see "Igniting Your Inner Light" by Greta Solomon p.61 for my big feature!

The Wooden Spoon, Ballina, Ireland: https://share.google/T5U61U0uKd2xCqPmB

Vibes and Visibility with Elizabeth Carly Leonard: https://www.vibesandvisibility.com/

If this gave you a little hope, follow the show so Season 5 lands in your feed next week, and leave a review if you can. It helps more wildflowers find us.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I came back from maternity leave with 90 days to sell, plan and deliver our first big conference in London, all on my own, while looking afer my three-month-old baby.

At this conference, one of our keynotes was Denise Duffield-Thomas, who I stayed in-touch with and in the months that followed she invited me into the Collective, Natalie MacNeil's invite-only mastermind for women running multiple six and seven figure businesses... which leads us to Joy First Decision #9: saying yes to a high-end room that gave me MASSIVE imposter syndrome.

Over five years my investment in that room took me to Necker Island (twice), Denise's rose farm in Australia, the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Greek Islands and more. The travel was extraordinary but (as cringy as it sounds) what changed me most was finally finding, in my thirties, the magic of real sisterhood.

In this episode:

• Why investing in a high-end room while in debt felt irresponsible, why I did it anyway (and how I made way more money back than what I invested)

• What a balcony on Necker taught me about abundance and enoughness

• The swim in Boorangoora (waters of wisdom) where the Joy First book started pouring out

• The friend who flew across America to check me out of the hospital

• How to pick the right room, plus the free weekly mastermind format I still use

Mentioned:

• Natalie MacNeil's AI Dream Team: https://jnicholesmith--nataliemacneil.thrivecart.com/ai-dream-team-1497/

• Get Rich, Lucky Bitch! by Denise Duffield-Thomas: https://www.denisedt.com/get-rich-lucky-bitch-book

• Joy First Decision #1 (Olivia the Great Dane): https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i-was-supposed-to-be-a-vet-i-became-a-pet-photographer-instead/id1775218019?i=1000776010278

• My Big Fat £40,000 Joy First Mistake: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/my-big-fat-%C2%A340-000-joy-first-mistake/id1775218019?i=1000780124387

• Decision #8, my anti-racism work with Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/we-were-raised-to-be-nice-thats-a-trap/id1775218019?i=1000792384986

Join us on Substack to read and see more: https://joyfirstworld.substack.com/

If this one stayed with you, a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps more women find the show. Next week: Decision #10 and the season finale.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a phrase I use about colour all the time: once you see it, you can't un-see it.

And while this is super true, and reflected back to us daily by our students and clients - actually the most world-shifting version of that in my life wasn't about colour psychology, it was about the colour of my skin.

Today's episode, Joy First decision #8 - is about the decision I made to commit to a lifetime of understanding and doing my part to stand up against racism and systems of oppression.... and to understanding my place in them as a white woman. This commitment came in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, when a friend invited me into Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle's programme, On the Matter of Race.

I stayed in that room, every other week (with some seasonal breaks), for over five years. And it fundamentally shifted how I see the world now.

In this episode I share about the white bubble I grew up in, and never questioned, about the "good white person checklist" I walked into 'the work' looking ofr, the the family myth about Cherokee ancestry I went digging into (and the far more complicated truth I found), and why when it comes to people being oppressed and marginalized, there is no neutral.

In fact, it's one of the deepest sources of joy I've found in my life - as it's broken me open, and clarified my own mission and purpose in ways that make it matter1000x more. I'm not an expert or a teacher, I will always be a student... but if you're curious please join me in this exploration.

In this episode:

• Why niceness and politeness can keep us complicit, and the difference between niceness and kindness

• "Am I unsafe, or just uncomfortable?" (the question that changes everything)

• Holding complexity: how we can be both harmed and part of the harm

• Why facing this work unlocks joy rather than draining it

• On the Matter of Race with Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle: https://theconflictcloser.com/matter-of-race

• Nice White Ladies by Jessie Daniels: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57007984-nice-white-ladies

• Xander Golden's Thread: https://www.threads.com/share/BAYmpoeP1k/

• The "Dealing With Whiteness" series on my previous podcast, Joy, Colour, Impact & Dogs:

on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/joy-colour-impact-dogs/id1697112722

on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EsgLUsJrJWebrNrxNPHG1

If this episode stirred something in you, share it with someone you'd like to invite into the work. See you next time for Joy First Decision #9.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.