Joy Economics Podcast

Melissa Mueller-Douglas is all about living in the moment. As the founder and CEO of MYRetreat, she’s passionate about helping professionals slow down, schedule self-care and achieve wellness. Tune in to the latest episode of Joy Economics where we bring value to life’s everyday moments and embark on an amazing mindful journey.

"How can we find the things we're looking if we can't even admit them to ourselves?" CEO and Host of the JOY Economics, Shani Godwin, is no stranger to pain.  In this episode, she shares how she found her voice and the courage to stand in her power by confronting shame, fear and self-limiting doubt hiding in the shadows of her life and was able to rise above her own self-imposed narratives to write a new story.

Toyin Adon-Abel, Jr. is no stranger when it comes to sticking his nose into the business of big brands. Listen in to Part 2 of our interview with Toyin as we learn more about how he's using his superpowers for good and how the work he is doing through is marketing agency, Meddling Minds, is getting him into some #Good Trouble.

Toyin Adon-Abel Jr. is a bona fide meddler. He is not afraid or worried about sticking his nose into the business of big brands and challenging them to use their influence for the greater good. Toyin is also an experienced marketer, with years of corporate experience helping enterprises build robust lead generation systems and processes. Toyin is now on a mission to combine his marketing and his meddling skills which is why he started Meddling Minds Agency, a network of socially conscious professionals and creatives leveraging the power of marketing to help aspirational brands find purpose and empower communities. Listen to his story on this episode of Joy Economics.

Trying to advance your career as a woman of color isn't always easy. According to a recent study from McKinsey and LeanIn.org, women of color represent only 4% of C-Level positions, despite representing about 18% of the U.S. population. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that according to Census data, minority women now control nearly half of all women-run businesses. But even with this entrepreneurial growth, much support is still needed for women of color to advance and thrive in the business world.   That's where Fern Johnson comes in. She created Career Sisters as a safe haven for women of color to learn, grow, share and emerge as powerful business leaders, ready to take on the world. Listen to her powerful story on this episode of Joy Economics. 

You are not your job. This is a powerful lesson that Communiqué CEO, Shani Godwin, learned from her dad after a season of devastating loss. Listen in as she candidly shares what depression, divorce and the death of her father taught her about her life and identity and how she’s used those lessons to redefine herself and how you can too—no matter what’s happening in your life or business right now.

Kelly Burton is truly a visionary. As a self-described serial entrepreneur, she has successfully started and scaled several businesses and is now on a quest to help minority-owned businesses do the same through her work as CEO of Founders of Color, a digital platform to support minority-owned businesses. With so many businesses facing the possibility of permanently shutting their doors, we wanted to revisit our timely conversation with Dr. Burton. Listen in as she shares her story, unpacks the challenges faced by businesses of color, and provides actionable steps for moving forward.

We know these are challenging times for many small businesses across America. According to a recent report from MetLife & the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 71% of small businesses are concerned about financial hardships due to prolonged closures and more than half worry about having to shut their doors permanently. The numbers are staggering, but there’s always hope.    On Joy Economics, we believe in working and living with a fighting spirit, and apparently, so does Matt Hinton, creator and owner of Bell St. Burritos. He is taking the time to reinvent himself and his business. Learn how in this episode of Joy Economics. 

If you tuned into Part 1 of our candid conversation with Elizabeth Giorgi then you learned that for her doing good business doesn’t just mean producing highly-converting content. It also means having the courage to take a stand. She’s done just that while fighting for gender and now racial equality.  Tune into the second half of our conversation as we celebrate the resilience of small businesses and learn how Liz finds joy and the energy to keep pursuing what’s next.