What if joy wasn’t the reward for success - but the strategy that leads to it?

In this episode of Embracing Enough, I pull back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood truths about leadership: joy isn’t a distraction from ambition; it’s the engine that sustains it.

Drawing from deeply personal reflections and early excerpts from her upcoming book, Even Here, Joy, Dina unpacks what it really looks like to lead from joy instead of hustle. She gets honest about the moments that broke her open; the burnout disguised as productivity, the perfectionism that felt like purpose, and the realization that she’d built a version of leadership that looked impressive on paper but left her feeling empty inside.

This episode is part confession, part redefinition, and part rallying cry for women who are ready to lead differently. I will explores how joy isn’t the “fluffy” opposite of strategy — it is strategy.

Joy brings clarity. It anchors authority. It creates trust. And most importantly, it reminds us that power doesn’t have to come from pressure.

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to embody leadership with ease, not tension - to stop performing confidence and start feeling it - this episode will speak to your soul.

Because joy isn’t what happens when everything finally falls into place. Joy is what helps you find your place; even here.