In Joy Life with Mattie Jackson: Recent Episodes
Mattie Jackson
Here’s the thing - life is tough and it can leave us feeling pretty broken at times. But you don’t have to LIVE broken. Author and speaker, Mattie Jackson, is sitting down with inspiring authors, musicians, and entrepreneurs to uncover how they’re chasing the good in life and why they’re intentionally choosing joy even when life has knocked them down.
Through personal stories and humorous encounters, these conversations are like sitting down with life-long friends – friends whose own courage to live joyfully will equip and encourage you to do the same.
No matter the hurt you’ve experienced or what unknowns may lie ahead, there IS joy waiting for you - right here, right now. And Mattie is here to help you find it.
This is the In-Joy Life Podcast.
www.mattiejackson.net
This week's episode is one of the greatest tools to freedom for women of this generation. PERIOD.
In her new book, Sincerely, Stoneheart, Emily Wilson Hussem draws from her 14 years in women's minsitry as well as her own experiences as a wife and mother of 3 to address 42 specific lies that make up Satan's playbook to attack and destroy women in the day to day of life.
Inspired by C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, this book shows how tricky influences can twist women's beliefs about themselves and their faith. It talks about big themes like identity, being a mother, and how technology affects us. The story encourages readers to recognize these challenges and overcome them to find true freedom and happiness in their beliefs.
This week I get to have one of my favorite authors and friends BACK on In Joy Life. Mary Marantz is here to help all of us break through the fears that continually hold us back.
She says it's time for a wake-up call! Because so often when faced with the choice between creating nothing and creating failure, we choose nothing. Another year goes by. The clock goes on ticking. And the world is worse for our absence. It's time to move from stuck to start.
Mary's newest book, Underestimated, does the heavy lifting to dismantle all the lies fear uses, move you out of an endless spiral of your own excuses (not to mention other people's opinions), and bring you right up to a threshold of no return--this place where we become people who feel the fear and move forward anyway. With equal parts powerful prose and tactical action steps, Underestimated will become the essential go-to field guide for anyone who is ready to once and for all quit playing small.
Order Underestimated, today!
A few years ago during the Covid-19 crisis and the mounting cultural tension surging after the 2020 election, Jen Thompson felt a serious need for more than a way to de-stress. She needed to return to Jesus.
Return to Jesusis more than a book. It’s an invitation to receive something millions of us are crying out for: a more real, consistent closeness with Jesus, saturating every wonderful and difficult moment and circumstance of life.
But how do we rest in His Presence when our world is yelling for us to hurry up and do? For Jen, it’s all about intentional practices and daily rhythms of returning to Him. In Return to Jesus, Jen invites us to return to the One who gives us lungs to breathe and eyes to see all the beauty, heartache, and wonder that can be found in a single day. Using personal stories and scriptures, Jen offers guidance on how to disrupt the patterns and rhythms of life and embrace an eternal perspective that calls us out of the constant demands of our schedules, our time, our emotional capacity, and the expectations of the world pressing in.
The idea of “mental load” may not have felt burdensome while dating or engaged, but over time, as the responsibilities of life increase, the emotional, mental, and physical toll of the on-going mental load starts to disproportionately affect women, which often then has a direct impact on the quality of their marriage. Women get resentful and men wonder what happened to their wives. So how do we find a better share in the mental drain and to-do list we all carry?
Renowned relationship expert, podcast host and bestselling author Dr. Morgan Cutlip takes a different approach. Instead of pitting couples against each other, she helps them define the true enemy in their relationship: a full mental load, hustle culture, societal expectations, and the pressure to always be productive. She aims to help couples feel like they’re on the same team and find a solution that works for the ever-changing demands of modern life and family. Morgan emphasizes that these pressures often drain intimacy and connection between partners, and she is passionate about helping couples rekindle their spark.
In her new book, A Better Share: How Couples Can Tackle the Mental Load for More Fun, Less Resentment, and Great Sex , Morgan combines research and real-life stories to guide couples into relationships built on shared responsibility, greater joy, and a thriving sex life. Through practical advice and empowering strategies, Morgan helps couples overcome resentment and feelings of inequity, fostering deeper emotional connection.
Everyone knows what the 12 Steps are. Whether you're in recovery, someone you love is, or if the idea seems like a life-time and a church-basement away from you, Ian Cron has some news for us. We're all addicted to something. We're all victim to trying white-knuckled, self-reformation rather than surrendered, God-worked transformation. And these steps are the way to fix all of that.
I've been a fan of Ian's work for a long time. And this conversation has somehow left me with even greater respect, gratitude, and joy for his both his depth of wisdom and wit. Ian calls us all like we are: broken humans incapable of fixing ourselves. He also calls the 12-steps what they are: practicle rhythms to "put wheels on the gospel."
What we already believe theologically as Christians, he says, is taken from the doctrinal to the transformational when we use these steps as a trellis for surrenduring to the God we claim can heal us but are so seldom willing to hand the reigns over to.
Ian's new book, The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between, is for anyone and everyone who is ready to admit they can't white-knuckle the lives they want. Don't miss Ian's hard-won truths and his on-going invitation to live honest, joyful, beautiful lives.
Today's guest is bringing some hard-won, much needed wisdom for all the parents out there -- especially moms of girls -- but also for the kid in all of us still carrying wounds left open.
Melanie Shankle is a three-time New York Times Best-Selling author, and for the first time, she's opening up not just about parenting her daughter, but about how becoming a parent was an unforeseen catalyst to facing a lifetime of trauma with her own mother.
With her trademark humor, candor and vulnerability, Shankle encourages readers to explore their own existing wounds and trust God to not only heal, but break generational cycles of trauma with the goal of handing a legacy of triumph over to our children.
To every mom who’s ever felt overwhelmed, ill-equipped and fearful she’s not “enough” for her daughter, Shankle’s Here Be Dragons offers hope, encouragement, and empowerment. When we achieve healing and wholeness in Him, there’s no dragon we can’t slay, and no parenting battle we won’t call victory.”
Follow Melanie Listen to Big Boo Podcast Pre-Order Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generation Trauma
As you come to the end of another year and the start of a fresh one, where are you on energy? Focus? Gratitude? JOY? If like so many of us, you're screeching to the finish line on fumes, today's guest is here FOR YOU!
Cleere Cherry Reaves is a true lover of God and people. And her powerfully evident desire with her newest devotional, Revive, is to help us learn to do exactly that. And not just revive our lives in the New Years resolution, emotionally-charged major moments. But rather how can we start reviving the monontony and grind of our daily lives? How do we create margin to plug back in to the God of abunance and let him start reviving us one day at a time?
Follow Cleere @ Cleerely Stated Get REVIVE: Declarations of God's Truth to Revew Your Spirit
As we approach holidays and the end of 2024, here's a quick solo chat with Mattie on life updates, new book, and another special announcement!
New devotional BOOK New Through the Valley of Grief 6-week COURSE
There are not adequate words to describe how much I adore this woman and what she is offering the world.
SC Perot, Texas native turned Nashville resident, has become my new personal guru on joy. Her first book, releasing February 25, 2025 and entitled Styles of Joy, is everything I dream of for this podcast and then some!
In the wake of her life-shattering divorce, SC embarked on a wildly unexpected quest for joy in places and with people she never expected. With a career as a corporate lawyer and a family background in serious politics, she never expected her head-first venture into Harry Style's fandom would save her life.
SC is as wise as she is witty, and her rich, hilarious, no holds barred approach to chasing a new life defined by joy will truly change the way you live yours.
Are you tired of the constant noise, hustle, and angst of culture? Does the pace you've been keeping feel like it's robbing all your joy and peace? Stephen Proctor is here to direct our eyes, ears, and minds back to one of the most powerful and accessible sources of revitalization -- NATURE!
Stephen Proctor is a visual artist who specializes in landscape cinematography and aerial photography to curate calming, imaginative experiences. And in his new book, Wild Wonders: What Nature Tells Us About Slowing Down and Living Well, Stephen is lovingly calling us out back outdoors to the place where restoration is available and waiting.
Stephen encourages readers to recognize how being outside offers us a renewed sense of awe and wonder for the Creator, draws us back into a more holistic and contemplative way of life, and restores a deeper awareness of the beautiful world around us.
Think you’ve never experienced a miracle? The New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson reminds us of the millions of miracles God performs every day and inspires us to live with a clearer sense of identity, purpose, and childlike wonder.
To live fully and joyfully, he explains why we need to cultivate a holy curiosity. For what? For everything! Too many of us are so wrapped up in our own worlds and as a result are living with an impoverished view of God. We are only living at half capacity, so we let anxiety keep us from pursuing our dreams because we can't see that God is far bigger than our biggest problems, close enough to help us triumph, and gooder than even our worst seasons.
His newest book, A Million Little Miracles, invites you reawaken your sense of wonder about God and His world.
GRAMMY Award-winning singer and songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard is one of the most iconic artists in gospel music history. But her success did not come without her own profound seasons of brokenness. Her message?
Show up anyway. Worship anyway. Believe and trust God boldly anyway.
And as the title of her newest book calls us to: Do It Anyway: Don't Give Up Before It Gets Good.
In this deeply personal account of Tasha's greatest trials and victories, she proves that the moments when we’ve got nothing more to give are precisely the moments to press on and do the hard thing anyway. Because waiting on the other side of that decision is our breakthrough and transformation. From Googling how to upload an album to iTunes to later releasing a Billboard Top 10 album to depression so heavy it held her in bed, Tasha has seen God meet her after every resilient step of faith.
In his decade-long work as a hospice chaplain, Bryan Crum has spent endless hours sitting with individuals as they reflect on their lives and confront their mortality. His biggest takeaway from those bedside hours?
Too many of us don't really love the stories of our lives.
Too many of us accept regret, doubt, and fear as the status quo.
And Bryan is on a mission to help us start to love our stories -- and ourselves -- NOW, rather than waiting until the end of our lives. In his new book, Neighbor, Love Yourself: Discover Your Value, Live Your Worth, Bryan is calling us all into better, fuller living RIGHT NOW as we realign our self-worth with who God says we are; rediscover purpose; and recapture the little rhythms that lead to greater joy in our daily lives.
What's on your "one day" list? One day, I'll finally try this. One day, I'll do that thing again. One day, maybe I'll have time to... (fill in the blank!).
We've all walked through seasons where we feel like we've lost our purpose or, in Jena's words, have left "our gifts sit on the shelf." And as an artist, illustrator, wife and mom, Jena Holliday is calling us all back into Sacred Creativity!
Her new book, Sacred Creativity: Inspiration to Reclaim the Joy of Your God-Given Gifts, is exactly that. It is a call back into places that have always made you tick, made you who you are. It is inspiriation and practices to re-learn your own voice and start doing the things God created you to do. It's chock-full of affirmations to speak over yourself and back to your doubt.
Jena calls not just those who consider themselves creatives or artists but all of us who are longing for more; all of us who are created by the Creator on purpose, for purpose.
Would you ever imagine Miss Universe feeling insecure? Anxious? Unsure of her purpose and her worth? In her debut book, A Crown That Lasts, the stunning and generous Demi Leigh Tebow reminds us that we're not alone in our contrant struggle with right identity.
The former Miss Universe and wife of football superstar, Tim Tebow, offers us an honest and vulnerable peek behind the curtain on her own battle with waiting, purpose, and self-worth following the end of her time as Miss Universe.
In spite of her illustrious crown and work as an entrepreneur, philanthroplist, speaker and now author, Demi reminds us how quick we are and how futile it is to define ourselves by worldly things that fall away.
Demi boldly shares biblical truth and personal insights on:
- the danger of tying personal identity to accomplishments
- discovering the truth of who we were created to be
- how to use any platform, no matter how big or small, for eternal impact
Her generous spirit, passion for the Lord, and heart for her readers are palpable. Thank you, Demi, for your vulnerability and encouragements to all of us to always and only wear the one crown that lasts.
Hosanna Wong is an author, poet, and Christian spoken word artist (really, really cool -tt’s like poetry in motion!). Hosanna’s newest book, You Are More Than You've Been Told: Unlock a Fresh Way to Live Through the Rhythms of Jesus, is the very message you need if you ever struggle to live out of your true, unshakeable identity. She courageously shares her own story of breaking free from decades of lies about who she was and what she was capable of. It is equally as personal as it is practical with immediate, life-changing takeaways in every chapter. Her love for God and passion for living big and living freely in palpable. These rhythms truly do unlock a fresh way to live.
Have you, like me, found yourself saying a lot recently: “I can’t wait!”?
Whether this statement comes from a place of wonderful excitement or a really tough moment of frustration, the reality of and pace of life often leaves us in seasons of waiting. It’s inevitable!
In this episode, I'm chatting about how taking the ACTION of hoping, you can create a MINDSET of greater joy and peace.
If you find yourself currently waiting for something, tune in to learn why waiting well is less about the thing you’re waiting for and more about what happens in you and in your relationship with God and with others in the process.
Tune in to this episode to ensure you don’t miss the treasure right where you are. Don’t miss the joy in the waiting.
www.mattiejackson.net
Do you feel like you’re floundering in the wake of a hard loss? Or are you crushing it, thriving by cultural metrics, and yet don’t feel happy?
Well, we have just the counselor for you! And I do mean licensed professional counselor, writer, and podcaster, Laura Williams.
Laura’s practice specializes in developmental and relational trauma (yes, we will learn what that means here), and her ultimate goal with all her clients and listeners is: “to help you heal the wounds that keep you from yourself.” Heck. Yes.
We talk about the things that most often keep us from freedom as adults, and she offers clinical, spiritual, and incredibly practical strategies to find and begin processing our trauma points.
Some key takeaways from Laura:
- Everyone has trauma; it’s simply “a place of wounding where a need wasn’t met.”
- You have the power to “reparent” yourself through the childhood wounds that limit you as an adult.
- How connecting back with the little kid in you (your “inner child”) can be the most practical and doable way to chase small joys!
- Humor is a critical element of enduring hardship and chasing joy in grief. (LOVE THIS)
The bottom line is: the you God individually and purposefully made you to be has likely gotten masked by a lifetime of experiences, traumatic or not. Laura’s passion is to help you dig up and dust off the best (i.e. most free and most joyful!) parts of yourself that life has covered up.
Because don’t you want to re-meet the little you God has always intended adult you to be?
Follow Laura here:
https://www.instagram.com/laurawilliamslpc/
For full notes visit:
https://www.mattiejackson.net/in-joy-life
At some (well, unfortunately, many points) in life, we all hit a roadblock, a dead end, or maybe have the rug of a really good thing pulled out from under us. Seasons end, relationships break, or for whatever reason, plans must change. This week’s guest has struggled through, faced head on, and finally embraced what she calls, “the art of the pivot.” Mary Hollis Huddleston has been forced to pivot both professionally (as an entrepreneur, influencer, and author) and personally (as a full-time working mom of 2) at many points in her life. And according to her, when we have the courage and tools and faith to be flexible with our future, God often steps in with even better plans than we had planned for ourselves. What Mary teaches us: * Why the art of the pivot can yield fruit from failure. * Balance is not actually attainable; prioritizing well is. * Adult friendships are a necessity for joy and flourishing (especially for women). * Bonus! Great inside tips on stress-free hosting/entertaining.
The bottom line is, Mary actually does do it all. With a hugely successful event rental business, entertaining Instagram platform, her second novel on the way, and a hubby and two kids at home, even she reminds us: “You can have it all. You just can’t have it all at the same time.” Her energy is inspiring, her fervor for life contagious, and her why-not-try attitude has brought her huge success across the event industry and beyond. But how did all this purpose and these projects come to be? By embracing the art of the pivot. Keep up with Mary: @mrssouthernsocial (link https://www.instagram.com/mrssouthernsocial/) Please Be Seated (link https://pleasebeseated.com/) Books (link https://mrssouthernsocial.com/without-a-hitch-coming-dec-2021/)
A question I’ve been asking a lot lately is not just how can I seek after joy, but also what are some everyday enemies of it?
And one of these enemies I’ve been thinking, reading, and talking a lot about recently is: hurry.
If you’re honest, when is the last time you went through an entire week or day without feeling hurried or rushed?
And is this crazed pace of life you’re living, the chronic hurriedness of your heart, stealing your joy?
Tune in to this episode as I dive into:
- How to lessen hurry and to experience more joy,
- The unusual word of the year I chose - and why it's harder than I thought it'd be, and
- Intentional steps I'm taking to become more present everyday
What if joy is somewhere right in front of you? Don’t you want to savor it too?
For full notes, head to: www.mattiejackson.net
Sometimes as we see news, social media, shoot, just life being life -- joy feels impossible, at best, and maybe even inconsiderate, at worst.
How can I continue on hoping and happy when so much evil and loss and heartbreak is happening around me or to me?
Scott Sauls, senior pastor of my church here in Nashville, has faced his share of personal hurts and regrets (the opening words to his latest book are him saying, “You suck,” to himself).
He’s walked through his own suffering with anxiety and depression as well as pastored his congregation, family, and friends for nearly 3 decades.The good news Scott has to offer? Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen – the title of his latest book. His whole message to readers and listeners is, as its subtitle reads, how God redeems regret, hurt, and fear in the making of better humans.
The bad stuff that happens is always raw material for God to bring forth the best stuff in us, if we let him.Some key points from Scott:
- Why gentleness in conflict speaks pretty loudly these days.
- How shame and regret can bring us into richer relationship with God.
- The power of beholding and abiding.
- How to live fully in a tragic place.
Part of why I love Scott is he’s not afraid to tell the truth about all that sucks in this life. But that honest lament is always followed by joyful defiance, inexhaustible hope, and the reminder that our best days are never behind us; they’re always ahead of us.
Follow Scott here: https://www.instagram.com/scottsauls/
I bet it doesn’t take long for your critical mind’s eye to conjure up a time when you felt insecure in your body.
Whatever the memory, whatever the scale or the season, all of us are haunted at points by the “not ______ enough’s” or the “too _________’s” about our bodies.
This week’s guests know what it’s like to have all eyes – and cameras – on you.
As a child star – beginning acting at 4 years old – whose TV/film career skyrocketed in her teens and early twenties (e.g. Clarissa Explains It All & Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Melissa Joan Hart has decades of experience resisting the snares of comparison and insecurity.
But even as a young actress, Melissa says she didn’t feel as much pressure to live up to unrealistic physical standards then as she has this past decade of aging after having her three children. And her bestie and co-host, Amanda Lee (former beauty pageant queen, also mom of 3), doubles down on the crucial intentionality it takes to stay grateful for the body we have, rather than obsessing about the one we don’t.
These two get real and spur us on in the struggle:
- It takes faith and adoring community pouring into your self-worth to build up confidence (it’s hard to maintain on your own).
- “Health/fitness” should look more like what our bodies are able to do than just how our bodies look.
- There’s no better antidote for toxic comparison than gratitude (and Botox ;)).
As Melissa so simply and profoundly reminds us, “the goal is to get older.” The goal is to live another day, another year, another decade in a body and mind that serves you best for the time you’re in.
Sure, it doesn’t always look or feel sexy, but they’re calling us not the miss the beauty in the process just because we don’t always like the picture. None of us stay 21 forever – why not learn to age gracefully and gratefully (and with no shortage of humor!)?
For full episodes notes and behind the scenes, head to: www.mattiejackson.net
What baggage, what wounds, what regrets continue to hold you back from the more you know you’re made for? What parts of your life do you keep frantically sweeping under the rug for fear your followers or family or God, or worse, your own self will reject you if they only knew?
Naomi Raine – Grammy award winning singer, writer, producer, pastor, and worship leader – sets a life-changing example of authentic struggle and the resulting richness of life that comes from owning our messes.
Her latest solo album, Journey, is genuine and raw. Zero façade. Brutally honest and powerfully hopeful. She lays it all out for us – the good, the bad, and ugly that when acknowledged honestly, led her to more intimate relationship with God and those in her daily life.
Just a few of her nuggets of gold are:
- Worship is more about how you offer your day to God than how well or often you sing to him.
- Learning to be more honest with God helps us be better people to people.
- How to get back on the same page with God when we’ve veered off course.
- How to enjoy the “even if,” the waiting seasons well.
Naomi gives us permission to engage our struggles and in doing so, move toward freedom from them.
Whatever polished picture you think your people or your church or your God needs to see you and embrace you is BS, my friends. Working through your mess draws your (safe!) people closer, strengthens the relationship, and ultimately brings greater intimacy than sweeping things under the rug ever will.
But as Naomi reminds us, it’s a journey. And it’s a journey very worth taking.
Follow Naomi here: https://www.instagram.com/naomiraine
Not one of us is immune to losses, failures – you name it – the regular human struggles of life. So, the question is not how do we avoid them, but how do persevere and grow and even create beautiful things in their wake?
You know that I know how tough fighting despair with joy can be. So, you also know how outrageously worth it I know living with defiant and resilient hope is!
And so do both of this week’s guests.
Today I’m joined by my sweet Dad, Alan Jackson, and my dear friend and entrepreneur Robbie Goldsmith.
As CEO Robbie has launched and grown Dad’s own personal bourbon brand, Silverbelly, but the two share more than just the love of a good whiskey. Both men open up about the experience of losing their dads and how, with time passed and the intentional choices to seek the silver linings, came great perseverance, creativity, and life on the other side of those losses.
Some take-aways from the guys:
- Find joy (even in the loss) wherever you can.
- Failure is required for growth, in business and in life.
- Orient yourself toward the people, places, and principles you most want to reflect.
- Success starts with serving others; put the mission first, and the money will follow.
As Robbie reminds us, “life is 90% perspective.” What happens to us can tear us up and slow us down, or it can open up our hearts, our businesses, and our songwriting (in Dad’s case) to support and connect with others going through their own struggles. When we choose joy and service, even our most painful losses show a silver lining.
Get your exclusive Silver Belly Whiskey here: https://silverbellywhiskey.com/
What’s that one dream you’re shelving because you’re afraid it’s too big, too expensive, or too out there? What’s the phone call that’s eating away at you to make, but you’re so scared that the voice on the other end may not want to reconcile? What’s the really hard truth you need to say out loud to yourself to move forward but you can’t because forward will for sure equal a failure? No one likes it, of course, but I hate failure – despise it. Always have. Because the flaw in my thinking since childhood has been that a failed project, a failed plan, a failed relationship means a failed me. A flawed me. A less than me. In the eyes of the world, failure chips away at the value of who I am. DON’T TELL YOURSELF THESE LIES FOR 30 YEARS LIKE I DID!!! A few things I’ve learned: * A failed project, plan, etc. means you still have something pivotal to learn; learn it. That’s the fruit.
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Failed communication or conflict in a safe relationship can create more trust and safety when it’s handled with grace and humility. That’s the fruit.
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Failure to meet a goal or keep a resolution doesn’t mean you can’t do it; it means you have more muscles to build on your way toward it. Build them. That’s the fruit.
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A failure in obedience to God isn’t a red mark on your spiritual record; it’s a crack in your self-righteous armor that allows his soul-saving love to rush in all over again. That’s the fruit.
Your failures do not define who you are, but they can refine and enrich who you are if you let them. For more on this topic, head to: https://www.mattiejackson.net/in-joy-life
Have you recently had a dream or season you loved stolen too soon? Or maybe you’ve been thrust into a new opportunity or phase that, though wonderful, feels totally disorienting and overwhelming?
Actress and singer Laura Osnes has found herself in some deep waters over the course of her 15-year career, some miraculously exciting and some terribly heartbreaking.
Whether it was being thrown into the craziness of Broadway from a Minnesota dinner theater at age 21, shifting from stage acting to film for the first time, or reluctantly leaving her life in NYC after being rejected by her peers, Laura has felt the fear and pressures of entering unknown seasons.
In the face of life’s exciting open doors and its devastating endings, Laura inspires us to live with a generous balance of confidence and humility, a rightful sense of betrayal and the freedom of forgiveness.
A few big takeaways for me were:
- Joy comes when you stop measuring your present against the next “I made it moment.”
- Not every open door is a door you should walk through.
- The power of keeping thick skin and a soft heart.
- The permission you have to feel your hurt and own your bitterness without falling victim to it.
No matter what’s on the horizon for you right now or what water you feel like you’re treading, Laura’s story is a testament to how we all can choose joy where we are. Things always change. Doors open and close. Perseverance and faith are readily available to everyone.
Follow Laura here! https://www.instagram.com/lauraosnes/
Do you find yourself constantly wishing time away or looking to next best thing? Are you genuinely trying to be present but, like me, continue failing to just “be where you are?” I’m a doer. A dreamer. I crave forward motion. But have I been missing the joys of today because my eyes are always set on being better for tomorrow? Like many of us, I have certainly been a victim of our self-help and self-development crazed culture (both of which are good things!). But what Shawn and Andrew helped me see is that sometimes the best progress, and the most joy, come from simply talking one day at a time. From learning and growing right where you are, today. From, yes, staying present. Take it from this powerhouse couple who have always been athletes and achievers on the move:
Take it from this powerhouse couple who have always been athletes and achievers on the move:
- Conflict isn’t something to race through; it can be a tool to facilitate more honesty, tenderness, generosity, and intimacy in relationships.
- Joy with toddlers (or in any exhausting season) is possible when you embrace the chaos and remember it for what it is – temporary.
- Don’t be afraid to learn as you go. Don’t rush the process of marriage (and life). Steps 1-4 should come before step 5.
With two toddlers, multiple businesses, and millions tuning into their East Family YouTube platform daily, Shawn and Andrew have learned the powerful practice of loving, communicating, and celebrating in the now rather than constantly prioritizing the next thing. If they can do it, why can’t we?
Follow Shawn + Andrew here: https://www.instagram.com/shawnjohnson/ https://www.instagram.com/andrewdeast/
Are you tired of waiting on that dream to be answered or that desire to be fulfilled? Would you give anything to feel a little joy in the waiting yet just keep fielding disappointment after disappointment? This week’s amazing guest gets you on every level! Annie F. Downs knows the feelings of longing and discontentment as much as she does rejoicing and success. Even as the super successful author, podcaster, and speaker she is now with her expansive platform and network, That Sounds Fun, Annie shares the years of no’s and let downs she battled on the road to her very not overnight success. She knows well what contentment does and does not look like when you’re waiting on dreams and prayers to be answered. We talk all about: * Loving your life right where you are (even if you don’t like where you are). * The joy of dreaming with God and leaning to want well. * The spiritual growth and healing power of having fun as adults.
Annie has seen many miraculous yeses and many heartbreaking no’s in her years as a professional and as a person. She is as honest about and hopeful for her not yet’s as she is crazy thankful for her numerous dreams come true. She’s as funny and encouraging as she is wise. If you need a powerful pump-up in your own waiting season, don’t miss this well of wisdom from Annie F. Downs. Follow Annie here! https://www.instagram.com/anniefdowns/
Isn’t one of the hardest parts of this human life that we actually have so much less control over it than we think we do? The world is broken, people fail us, accidents and illnesses and hard things happen every day, and they’re pretty much out of our hands.
I know this on a deeply personal level. When the person I loved most was suddenly, tragically taken from me, I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do to bring him back, to heal myself. My heart was broken, and my hands totally tied. As a 28-year old widow, my situation would never be “fixed.”
But then I realized, there was one thing still left in hands. There was one choice that I had the agency to make, even as my world was falling to pieces around me. And I started choosing joy - in tiny, small, mundane, daily ways at first. Soft breezes, yummy foods, trying activities that Ben loved and learning to do them myself. And then, the beautiful things I chose that started out small began to have a huge impact on my mind, my heart, my whole life.
Here's a few things I hope you learn from me because I know they’re true:
- Joy and pain are not mutually exclusive.
- Joy is about adjusting your perspective, not changing your circumstances.
- Joy is not a denial of reality; it is the freedom to be grateful and present in the middle of whatever your reality is.
- Choosing joy takes courage; choosing joy is how we fight despair.
Why you learning to choose joy is important to me is because it truly saved me. It gave me permission to keep living and an invitation to celebrate daily beauty and the small wins, even in the midst of my worst grief. Choosing joy is the way we fight against despair and darkness in this world because it’s an intentional way of living that ushers in light! Seeking the good, choosing the beauty when so much ugly is happening is hard. It’s countercultural and courageous and life changing. And it starts small. We all have the agency to choose joy! Why not start today?
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