When the world feels heavy and hard, it can feel wrong or even selfish to feel joy amidst the suffering. But in this episode, we explore a powerful reframe: What if joy is not an escape, but an act of resistance or perhaps even revenge? As a leader, what if reclaiming your joy isn’t just allowed—it’s essential?

As I’ve witnessed global unraveling happening alongside so many people’s individual pain and heartbreak, I’ve seen firsthand how joy has shown up not in spite of this season, but through this season and these events. In this episode, we dismantle three major myths about joy and leadership, including the belief that modeling joy is tone-deaf or that it diminishes the seriousness of the world’s pain. Instead, I make a compelling case for why joy is a mental health necessity, a leadership superpower, and a radical tool for personal and collective resilience.

Backed by neuroscience and wisdom from some brilliant people who work in the field of joy and resilience research, this episode explores how joy rewires your brain (literally), boosts your team’s ability to thrive, and helps you lead with more presence, empathy, and clarity, even when everything feels uncertain. You’ll walk away with six tangible joy practices, such as joy hits, daily rituals, and joy-driven leadership tools, that will help you cultivate joy that is not only supportive of your own mental and physical health but contagious to those around you.

Joy is not a betrayal of the pain. It’s a balm. It’s a strategy. It’s your birthright—and it might just be your most powerful form of leadership.

Links Mentioned:

Women Business Owners, join me for a free business-building workshop on July 16th, Focused & Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks

Book: Joy is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi

Book: Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

Book: Ritual Roadmap by Erica Keswin

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