Discover why and how to put joy first in a world that rewards hustle over happiness.
This bi-weekly show is for workaholics, founders, perfectionists and parents…the hardworking humans who struggle to find, choose or share joy because they are just so damn busy surviving.
Expect inspiration, education and practical how-to’s for living and working in a way that allows you to easily and consistently prioritize joy over fear.
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Discover why and how to put joy first in a world that rewards hustle over happiness.
This bi-weekly show is for workaholics, founders, perfectionists and parents…the hardworking humans who struggle to find, choose or share joy because they are just so damn busy surviving.
Expect inspiration, education and practical how-to’s for living and working in a way that allows you to easily and consistently prioritize joy over fear.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this special New Years episode, Nic's mom is visiting from Seattle (complete with sourdough starter and yoga mat) and her wisdom bombs inspire this special end-of-the-year episode that may just close that loop that's been making you so uncomfortable all year.
You'll discover:
Fair warning: This episode will make you question every "either/or" decision you've ever made in your brand. And that's kind of the point.
New year, whole you. Not new you.
Ready to stop flattening yourself to fit one-dimensional definitions of success? Press play.
Mentioned in this episode:
Take action:
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The lives we've been encouraged to build, rooted in consumption, achievement, and constant productivity, keep pushing us further from what actually creates lasting joy.
But decades of research tells us plenty, we know what makes humans thrive.
We've known for years.
Why haven't we been encouraged to prioritize what makes us happier? Well, because it's not really in any corporate best-interests for us to be joy-fuelled and loved-up. (Spoiler: joyful people are harder to control and sell things to.)
In this Christmas Eve episode, I'm sharing the 10 Joy Codes I've discovered and distilled for my upcoming book 'Joy First', These the research-backed sources of joy that are fundamental to human thriving. Think of them as the building blocks of a life that actually feels good to live (and that allows you that life in a healthy body and mind for longer!)
Plus, I reveal my simple joy goal for 2026 (complete with phone alarm and daily ritual that takes less than 2 minutes). Want to play along? I'm creating a space for us to share in the New Year...
Because choosing joy first isn't selfish: It's liberation work. And we're all in it together!
What you'll discover:
This is your permission slip to move closer to what actually matters to both you and our collective well-being in 2026 and beyond.
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Have you seen how the internet just lost its mind when photos surfaced of what the house from 'Home Alone' looks like now? (spoiler: it's monochrome)
Turns out, the systematic draining of colour from our world is not an accident. It's not just "modern minimalism." And it's definitely not sophisticated.
It's colonialism. It's capitalism. It's white supremacy with a Pottery Barn catalog.
In this episode, I'm tracing 200+ years of history to show you exactly how we got here—from Protestant "godliness" to HGTV's greige obsession—and why choosing color is actually an act of resistance.
We'll Explore:
Spoiler: Your fear of painting that accent wall? Tune-in to hear what you may have internalized (that you never asked for).
Ready to join the rebellion?
Listen now. Share this episode. Then paint that wall.
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When 'Cloud Dancer' was announced last week, I canceled everything to record this episode. Because like many of us, I simply could not wrap my head around how Pantone looked at the world and said: "You know what we need? More white."
So let's get into it!
In this episode, we're exploring:
This isn't just about one color choice. It's about who gets to define what the world needs.
It's about retreat versus revolution.. and it's about whether we're brave enough to choose colour in a world that's been training us toward grey for 400 years (more on that next week!)
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What if you don't need a bigger audience, or a bigger budget... but deeper resonance?
In this episode, we're talking about why "trying to be everywhere" might be killing your impact, the psychology behind what makes brands instantly magnetic, and how to stand out without burning yourself out in the process.
If you're tired of the content hamster wheel and ready for marketing that actually feels good (and works better), this one's for you.
Ready to stop shouting and start resonating?
Join Founders' Circle: our community of joy first founders who are learning to practiec marketing in a way that feels good and works for the long-term. With weekly co-working, monthly Q&A calls and planning sessions, private podcast, and our 2026 goal setting session coming up on December 18th.
Learn more: https://go.joyfirstworld.com/jffc
Looking for a rebrand?
We are the home of psychologically consistent, emotionally resonate rebrands, for founders at all stages with all budgets:
Learn more: https://go.joyfirstworld.com/branding
This Wild Idea:
https://www.instagram.com/thiswildidea/
Podcast with Paige:
https://joyfirstworld.com/blogs/joy-first-podcast/paige-brunton-focus
Thai Insurance Ad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWA2GbcnJU
Tara Lynn & Co.
Website; taralynnandco.com/
The Antarctic Experience:
Trader Joes Newsletter:
Glorious Gravel:
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But what if that's exactly why your marketing feels so hard? What if that's why you freeze up when it's time to post, or why your sales copy makes you feel icky?
Here's the truth: Not all purchasing decisions are driven by problem-solving.
When was the last time you bought something expensive purely because it sparked joy? That weekend getaway you didn't "need." That dress that made you feel like your best self. The art piece that moved you.
That decision came from a completely different place than booking an emergency plumber.
In this episode, I'm challenging the biggest lie in marketing:
That fear and pain points are the only way to sell. They're not.
And for creative entrepreneurs, coaches, artists, and anyone selling transformation over transactions? Joy First marketing is often more profitable.
What we're diving into:
The truth nobody wants to say out loud:
You're allowed to build a business that feels good. That leads with desire instead of desperation. That makes people feel better about themselves, not worse.
And it can be more profitable than the fear-based alternative.
Your work matters. Your joy matters. And showing up with genuine enthusiasm in a world drowning in manufactured urgency?
That's how you stand out.
Resources Mentioned:
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What makes Cheetos, Krispy Kreme and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup so dang addicting? These treats aren't perefction on accident, food scientists engineer them to hit what they call the "bliss point": the perfect balance of sugar, salt, and fat that makes your brain scream "more please" without you even consciously deciding.
Your brand can hit this bliss point too.
That sweet spot where what lights YOU up and what the market needs (and is willing to pay for) overlap so perfectly that people binge your content, buy whatever they can afford, and want to stay in your world long-term.
Most founders I work with? They're operating with only one of the 'circles', which means they're either burning out doing work that pays but depletes them, or pouring their soul into something nobody will buy.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the two foundational circles every brand needs, why most of us only nail one, and revealing the third circle that determines whether people stick around long enough to understand your brilliance.
I'm also sharing my own painful story from 2024, how being out of alignment cost me big time, forced me to let go of team members, and nearly broke me. And what finally clicking back into my bliss point created (spoiler: it's Citrus).
You'll discover:
This episode is for you if:
The founders who nail this now: all three circles aligned, are going to blow up in the next few years. Because AI is rocket fuel for amplifying what makes you unique. But if you can't articulate what that is? You can't use that fuel.
Links & Resources:
Next Week: The Profitability of Positivity: Why joy is the #1 strategy for small business success right now.
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You've been trying to fit in. Learning the industry standards. Following best practices. Being professional. Being credible. Being like everyone successful.
But what if you're optimizing for the wrong thing?
What if instead of apologizing, you should be celebrating?
Research shows industry outsiders drive breakthrough innovation at significantly higher rates than insiders. Not despite being different. Because of it.
Sara Blakely (fax machine salesperson → Spanx). Yvon Chouinard (climber → Patagonia). Rihanna (cultural outsider → Fenty Beauty). None of them succeeded by fitting in. They succeeded by leveraging what made them different.
Today: The four types of valuable outlier perspectives. And the exact framework for turning your "weirdness" into strategic advantage when building a brand.
You'll discover:
Listen if:
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You have 0-7 seconds. In that time, three subconscious questions get answered:
"Can I trust this?"
"Is this for me?"
"Is it worth it?"
Obviously in this time, your clients are not consciously analyzing your logo. But they are feeling their way to their answers to these three questions.
Today I'm breaking down the three elements that actually drive the feelings in your first impression, and uncovering what makes buying obvious or creates instant resistance instead. And why most brands are accidentally creating discord instead of harmony.
You'll discover:
Listen if:
This week's challenge: Do the three-question audit. Be honest about gaps. Pick ONE element to fix first.
Because once you see harmony in action, you can't unsee it. And that awareness will transform everything.
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From ancient Greek mythology to Marvel movies. From Shakespeare to Star Wars. The same patterns keep showing up because they're wired into human psychology.
And when your brand taps into these universal patterns, you're not just creating marketing. You're activating something that bypasses conscious thought and goes straight to emotion, memory, and identity.
And if you’ve been in my world a while, then you know just how important emotion is when it comes to building a successful business. It’s not ‘nice to have’ - it needs to be the core of your brand and all your marketing.
Today, after many many requests for this episode, I'm breaking down the twelve Jungian archetypes and why they're one of the most powerful strategic tools you can use to create instant recognition, deep connection, and fierce brand loyalty.
But here's what most people get wrong: They pick an archetype based on what sounds cool and end up with a stereotype instead of a strategy. The secret is understanding the four core motivations underneath the twelve archetypes. That's what transforms this from marketing gimmick into psychological strategy that runs all the way the way from your reels to your company’s vacation policies.
You'll discover why brands with tight archetypal clarity grow 97% more than confused brands, how Founders like Richard Branson manage to infuse their archetypes across over 400 companies worldwide.
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When you spend hours researching the perfect font pairing over and over again, you're not actually working on your business. You're avoiding something scarier.
This is what I call 'procrastibranding'. And if you just felt called out, stay with me. Because I'm not here to shame you. I'm here to help you understand what's actually happening and how to break the cycle.
Today I'm breaking down why brand work feels so productive when it's actually sophisticated procrastination, what it's really costing you in money and opportunity, and the practical framework for finally committing to your brand and focusing on what actually generates revenue.
You'll discover the three psychological drivers of procrastibranding, why "good enough" often outperforms "perfect" in today's market, and the one question that changes everything. Plus...
The truth? Your ideal clients aren't waiting for your logo to be perfect: They're waiting for you to show up and help them.
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Picture this: A room full of 5 yr olds listening to 'Golden' - when that three-part harmony hits... their little faces lit up - they could feel the harmony (and I got about 1000 cool points from my kids for being the mum who not only came in for career day, but managed to work KPop Demon Hunters into my presentation about Colour Psychology)
If your visual brand is as on-point right now as the Huntr/x high-notes - customers are doing the exact same thing as those kids. They're lighting up in your funnels, on your website and in your social feeds.
But how do you know if you're peddling visual harmony or discord?
In today's episode, I'm breaking down why some brands make you feel instant trust while others make you want to close the tab (even though you probably can't quite explain why).
LINKS FROM TODAY:
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Picture this: I'm VP of brand at a tech startup, locked in a battle with our UI/UX designer over whether our app's greys should be warm or cold. She's insisting on blue-based greys: Apple does it, all the big tech brands do it, so obviously it's correct for technology, right? Wrong.
And today I'm going to de-code for you why this seemingly insignificant detail reveals everything you need to know about colour psychology.
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As a serial entrepreneur as well as a branding expert, I've always had extremely high standards for how, where and when brand is worth investing in... and extremely high expectations for the kind of return I want to see on that investment.
I've always bent over backwards to create this for my clients - but it always felt like 're-inventing the wheel' each time... a long, painful process for me and them, that always resulted in something fantastic, but often no one could really explain why it was great, or how we got there. As someone who loves science, systems and repeatable successes, that was never good enough for me.
When I did a Masters in Marketing I thought for sure I'd find the missing link, the secret, the guarantee. But no. It wasn't until I got certified in Applied Colour Psychology that I found the answer, the key to creating visuals with more predictable impact on behavior...
What if I told you that your brand, just like you, has a personality? A frequency. And what if there was a predictable, repeatable, profound framework for you to understand and lean-in to that personality and get better results in every metric that matters to your business?
Today I'm sharing the breakthrough that transformed how I build brands and why it might be exactly what you've been searching for. We're diving into the psychology behind brand personalities. I'll introduce you to the four personalities and show you how when you find yours, and build your brand in exclusively that vibe, you can create more solid and predictable emotional responses in your customer (which as you know, is the key to driving purchase).
You'll discover how to reveal your brand's natural frequency, learn why trying to force a personality that isn't authentic or aligned creates problems (and how to fix it), and you'll hear how to audit your current branding for psychological consistency.
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Twenty minutes. That's all it took for me to go from casual observer to completely bought-in advocate of a brand I'd barely heard of before. No pressure tactics, no manufactured urgency, just pure value, delivered with integrity.
Last week I experienced the psychology of a Joy First brand in real time.
Today I'm pulling back the curtain on the exact psychology behind building a Joy First Brand for the Joyconomy, including why Harvard Business Review says emotionally connected customers are 52% more valuable than just satisfied ones.
The profitability in Joy First brands isn't just about making people happy. it is about creating deep connections that transform casual customers into lifelong evangelists who can't help but tell everyone about you.
I'll show you the exact moment I knew this company understood something most businesses completely miss, and how you can reverse-engineer that same psychological magic in your own brand.
We're diving deep into the neuroscience of joy, the difference between satisfaction and obsession, and why some brands create customers for life while others struggle with constant churn.
I'll reveal which big brands have mastered these Joy First principles (and have seen massive revenue increases as a result), plus the cautionary tales of billion-dollar brands that abandoned these principles and watched their stock prices crater within weeks.
You'll discover why purpose-driven joy hits differently than gimmicky happiness, how mirror neurons make joy literally contagious, and the ancient Greek concept that explains why some customer experiences create lasting transformation while others are instantly forgotten.
Plus, I'm sharing specific examples of how small businesses can implement these principles immediately from the language you use to describe your services to the unexpected ways you can exceed expectations without breaking the budget.
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While banks failed and bread lines formed in 1929, the beauty industry became the fourth largest industry in North America.
In 2008, as the economy collapsed, Lego achieved record profits.
During the 2020 pandemic, the pet industry exploded with 16% growth.
What did these industries have in common? They weren't selling products: they were selling different versions of joy.
Today I'd like to introduce you to something trend analysts are calling the Joyconomy, and it's already starting to reshape how every successful business will operate in the Ai-fuelled future. This isn't another marketing trend you can ignore. This is the fundamental rewiring of how humans make buying decisions in our anxiety-driven world.
For 20 years, I've been building Joy First brands: businesses that compete on delight rather than desperation, connection rather than unworthiness. While everyone else was optimizing for pain points and fear-based tactics, I was obsessed with feel-good brands that made people's lives better through their products, services, social impact and even their marketing.
That "soft" approach? It just became the hardest competitive advantage in business.
Forbes just declared the Joyconomy a major trend for 2025 and research shows Joy First brands are outperforming traditional competitors across every metric that matters. But here's what most people don't understand... this isn't just about happy marketing or feel-good campaigns.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the five dimensions that separate Joyconomy winners from fear-first businesses that are about to get left behind. I'll show you why luxury brands use 40% more positive emotional language than mass market competitors, how one Italian car company made a radical decision that defied decades of industry wisdom, and why the whole basis of Web3 culture points to a massive shift away from individualism.
This is your roadmap to the future of business. The question isn't whether the Joyconomy is coming... it's whether you'll be ready for it.
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This is a special, intimate, informal storytelling episode. After a full season of sharing other peoples' stories of finding Joy First ways of working, I thought I would share mine - especially since as of tomorrow I am now officially celebrating 20 years in business!!
Want to watch the Video version? Visit my Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FbNQEVjn5/
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I can't wait for you to meet today's guest. Jennifer Waters and I first connected nine years ago when she joined one of my very first online programs. She had a pet photography side-hustle, and she was desperate to escape a toxic marriage and build financial independence as a single mom
I knew I really liked Jennifer straight away. But what I couldn't have known, was the profound journey she was about to embark upon, that I would witness first-hand. Over the course of a decade, through high highs, and the lowest of lows, Jennifer transformed not just her business, but her entire life.
Jennifer's story isn't your typical entrepreneurial success tale. It's much deeper and more beautiful. Jennifer is here today to share what happens when life strips away everything you think you know and love, and forces you to discover (and build) something entirely new.
Spoiler Alert: She's not a pet photographer anymore, but she's just picked up the keys to her third location expansion in only 18 months for her current business, which is one she never intended to start.
How did she get here? One thing that makes this conversation really special, is our exploration of grief.... something none of us ever really want to talk about. Jennifer lost six dogs in three years. Six heart dogs. Her business, her brand, the book she was writing... her entire identity disappeared along with them.
What emerged from that grief will change how you think about business, creativity, and what's possible when you stop trying to force things to work and fully commit to what brings you joy.
Jennifer, who now runs her unexpected business from her dream house on Lake Superior (the same lake house she once believed was impossible for a single woman to afford), ships her products worldwide, has a 75% customer loyalty rate and still hasn't even written a business plan.
I love this story of joy first working, because it's so rare to talk to someone who has built something from a place of pure love and trust... which in our day and age of reason and cynicism, is the most radical strategy of all. But Joy First works. And Jennifer is living, smiling proof.
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In this beautifully revealing, intimate conversation, Carrie Green opens up about the darkest period of her business journey. In this episode Carrie shares with us the most generous and honest reflection on entrepreneurial burnout that I've ever heard.
Having founded the Female Entrepreneur Association (FEA) in 2011 (which she grew into 7-figure business with a network of almost 1 million women) Carrie is an international bestselling author (She Means Business, Hay House) and an online business trailblazer. But today we're stepping back from the shiny stuff in her list of incredible achievements to talk burnout, motherhood, and the darker sides of business success.
"I'd be getting home from work every night saying to my husband, I don't think I can do this anymore," she reveals. "I felt so trapped by it all."
While Carrie's body was screaming at her to slow down... she pushed on through... until she physically, mentally and emotionally could not go on. But that's not the end of our story: we discover that Carrie's just closed out her best launch of all time, after slowly having found her way back to her health, wellbeing and magic.
In this episode we explore the complex reality of managing a team for a multi-million pound online business, the weight of avoiding difficult conversations, and how hiring full-time "experts" to solve your problems can backfire spectacularly. Carrie's brutal honesty about the real challenges she's faced as a leader and the emotional toll of getting some of it wrong, is so wildly refreshing.
If you've ever felt trapped by your success, questioned whether you're cut out for leadership, or wondered how to rebuild when everything feels broken, this conversation is for you!
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Today I'm sitting down with Ruth, the brilliantly creative mind who, when asked what her current job title is, replies with a laugh, "Today we're going with digital product strategist."
This sense of fun sets the tone for our entire conversation about what happens when you follow joy instead of rigid business rules.
Ruth's journey from corporate banking job to creative entrepreneur wasn't planned, it unfolded naturally as she simply shared what she loved making. Whether it was photographs, websites, online courses, or physical products like t-shirts and journals, Ruth's magnetic energy comes from a place most business coaches never talk about: genuine excitement.
"I'm not purposefully sharing to get a client," she reveals. "It's just this homepage has brought me joy. I can't keep it in. So I'm just going to share it." This approach has led to clients consistently finding her rather than the other way around something many of us dream about but struggle to achieve.
We also dive into the fascinating parallel between building a business and Ruth's two-year journey to achieving a challenging physical goal, where we learn about her philosophy on persistence. When most people try something once and declare "it doesn't work," where as Ruth has shown up Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for years.
I love Ruth's comfort in her own lane whether in business or at the gym. While many of us are constantly looking sideways, she's focused firmly on her own path, completely unbothered by how fast or slow others might be progressing.
This conversation isn't just about business or strategy, it's about finding joy in the process, sharing from a place of genuine excitement, and showing up consistently without comparing your journey to others.
If you've been feeling the pressure to niche down or follow conventional business wisdom, but something about it doesn't feel right, this episode might just give you the permission you've been waiting for.
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