Jordi - Happiness Hero

Follow along as Jordi explores the life journey of Thulani Ngazimbi, a lifelong friend and founder of the clothing brand The Rad Black Kids. From his roots in Zimbabwe, where he went to private schools and his family employed hired help, to the struggles endured to immigrate to the USA, and then the abject poverty they faced upon moving to Idaho, to chasing his dream to the sunny beaches of LA, and then New York City, and eventually Europe. He not only describes the feeling of seeing his clothing line in Bloomingdale's for the first time, Thulani also reflects on the importance of connection, compassion, trusting your intuition, and the wonders of existence. Yes, we get deep in the episode. It's even a bit of a trip at times. Thulani's amazing journey is an example of what relentlessly pursuing a dream can amount to.

This podcast, Jordi - Happiness Hero, is all about finding love, light, and happiness wherever you can, and then spreading what you've learned along your journey with others. One group of fantastic humans that are doing just that is Reading Time with the Queens. Join Jordi as she sits down with two members of this organization, drag kings Mr. Lance (aka Sierra Tanner) and Mr. Buster (aka Jodi Dunn) to delve into how they're bringing joy, light, and one of Jordi's very biggest passions, literacy, to kids of all ages in their city and surrounding area. They're not just helping instill a love of learning, they're helping teach empathy, kindness, and authenticity. When you help people feel seen and valued as the human they are, you're not just spreading happiness. You are changing lives, and in some cases, you may be saving them. That is of vital importance.

This podcast, Jordi - Happiness Hero, is all about finding love, light, and happiness wherever you can, and then spreading what you've learned along your journey with others. One group of fantastic humans that are doing just that is Reading Time with the Queens. Join Jordi as she sits down with two members of this organization, drag kings Mr. Lance (aka Sierra Tanner) and Mr. Buster (aka Jodi Dunn) to delve into how they're bringing joy, light, and one of Jordi's very biggest passions, literacy, to kids of all ages in their city and surrounding area. They're not just helping instill a love of learning, they're helping teach empathy, kindness, and authenticity. When you help people feel seen and valued as the human they are, you're not just spreading happiness. You are changing lives, and in some cases, you may be saving them. That is of vital importance.

In honor of recently hitting 16 years of marriage, Jordi sits down to discuss wedded bliss (and blunders) with her spouse, Cor. Join them as they interview each other using the Love Maps Deck of the Gottman Card Deck app. What wisdom nuggets have they learned about marriage in the past 16 years, and what areas are they still working on? What is the secret to a happily-ever-after marriage, or is that simply a construct of fairy tales? 

It seems like a positive light is always shone around having hope, but what about when that hope is for a pregnancy that can never happen? Join Jordi as she interviews her friend, and author of the memoir The Ugly Side of Hope, Luanne Rose, about her struggles to find happiness on the other side of her battle with infertility. What are things we say to women going through this heartache that actually cause more pain? How can we better understand and have compassion for those struggling with journeys we can't necessarily relate to? Besides not being able to get pregnant, what are the less visible side effects of infertility? Most of all, what can we learn from our suffering, and how can we find happiness on the other side of our mountains? Luanne's story isn't over, and neither is yours. Today is just today. Every tomorrow is full of the possibility of happiness. 

What is the profession that has the highest percentage of burnout of any profession in the United States? 

Teaching. 

American teachers are BURNT OUT. Join Jordi and her colleague in education, unofficial mentor, former IEA Vice President, and good friend, Mary Anne McGrory, as they discuss their own individual battles with burnout and the impact of the burnout epidemic within American education. 

How does burnout manifest? What are symptoms to watch for? What are the dangers of living in a prolonged state of excessive stress? What is causing nearly half of all teachers new to the profession to leave within the first five years? If we are feeling burnout but want to stay in our profession because we still love it, what are coping mechanisms we can employ to help us weather burnout? 

If you are a current or former teacher, this episode is for you. If you care about the future of education, this episode is for you. If you are struggling with burnout regardless of your profession, this episode is for you. 

Take care of yourselves first. Make your mental and physical well being your number 1 priority. You cannot show up for anyone else if burnout is drowning your own happiness. 

In this episode, Jordi is joined by rapper David Peterson of Can't Stop Won't Stop. Much like his music industry moniker, David Peterson can't stop, and won't stop in life or in music. While it may not be typical to associate a Mormon with rap music, Dave broke that mold to pieces. Join Jordi and Dave as they discuss his music and life journey, from the origin of Can't Stop Won't Stop, to the ups and downs of his music career thus far, to marriage and parenting, up to his recent successes including having his music chosen for a major motion picture AND popular HBO series, and of course the viral TikTok videos of him and his daughter. Through it all, Dave has exemplified what it means to battle heroically for one's own happiness. What does Dave have in store for his fans and followers? You'll have to listen to hear what's coming next, and trust me, you won't be disappointed. 

For episode 3, Jordi is joined by two fabulous fitness experts, Jennifer Simmons, owner and trainer at Jriven Fitness, and Emily Dodds McKinney, a fitness instructor extraordinaire who is currently building a fitness program of her own around Broadway music and dance. Their discussion centers around the infamous quote from Legally Blonde the movie and musical, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy." This podcast is all about cultivating happiness in your life, no matter where you are physically or emotionally, and exercise is just one more tool that can help you grow your happiness. They cover choosing exercise that is right and engaging for you, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, understanding your reason for exercise, and more! If you don't listen in for the awesome information about exercise, drop in for some laughs and some wisdom nuggets that apply to all facets of life. 

Join Jordi and special guests Natalie Tierney of @barination and @breakingbari_ers on Instagram, and Derek, who goes by @bariatricbrolife on Instagram, as they discuss how to bolster your body image in order to love yourself more. Learn more about the ups and downs of having weight loss surgery from these three Improved Gastric Sleeve patients. How did losing over 100 pounds affect their body image and overall happiness? Is weight loss surgery a magic answer for depression and low self-esteem? How can we better love ourselves and bolster our body image regardless of our weight? Listen and join the discussion. 

What better way could I possibly start this podcast than by exploring the importance of loving ourselves? Join me, Jordi, and my special guest, Jessica Frew, (one third of the incredibly insightful team over at the Husband-in-Law podcast,) as we discuss how the ONLY way to find lasting happiness is by first learning to love ourselves. Be your own Valentine this year. Write yourself a love letter. Even if it's challenging, do it! Happiness is rooted in love, and we cannot fully give of our love without giving it to ourselves.