JOY Unfiltered: Choose Joy on Purpose

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This episode of Joy Unfiltered is a little different and a lot of fun.

Rachel welcomes speaker, writer, and personal brand guide Bethany Shipley to the podcast, but then the two flip the script and Bethany interviews Rachel. The result is a heartfelt, honest, and deeply practical conversation about joy, grief, recovery, nervous system regulation, and what it really means to make joy a way of life.

Rachel shares how joy is not just a feeling, but a choice, a practice, and eventually a habit. She opens up about her sobriety journey, why joy became the message she could no longer ignore, and how writing her first book, Joy Is the Strategy, helped her step more fully into her purpose.

Together, Rachel and Bethany explore the connection between joy and grief, how our brains are wired to notice what we focus on, and why joy is not fluffy at all. It is powerful, strategic, and deeply human.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever wondered:

• Is joy something I feel or something I choose?
• Can joy and grief exist at the same time?
• What happens when I stop waiting for joy and start practicing it?
• How do I train my brain to notice more good?
• What changes when I let joy lead?

In this episode, we talk about:

• Rachel’s personal definition of joy
• Why joy is both a feeling and a decision
• How small moments of joy build emotional resilience
• Rachel’s recovery journey and choosing joy with clarity
• The relationship between joy, grief, and nervous system regulation
• Why practicing joy expands emotional capacity
• How childhood vision and purpose shaped Rachel’s work
• The science behind joy, dopamine, and the reticular activating system
• Why morning thoughts matter so much
• Rachel’s path to writing Joy Is the Strategy
• The fear and vulnerability that came with publishing her first book
• How joy became not just a message, but a movement

Key Takeaway:
Joy is not the reward at the end of life. It is a strategy for how we live it.

Closing Thought:
If joy has felt far away, this episode is your reminder that it may be closer than you think. Sometimes it starts with a cup of coffee, a deep breath, a sunrise, or simply deciding to notice what is still good.

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Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

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In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with Brenda Rigney, business coach and founder of Aligned AF Community, to talk about what happens when the midlife “rule book” stops working.

Brenda shares why the question “How am I supposed to be?” can feel so triggering, how to rebuild trust with your body when life gets loud, and why community (not hustle) is the fastest path to clarity and momentum.

You’ll also hear Brenda’s practical advice for women who want to start something on the side without overthinking: start a Skool community first, then let your brand and offers evolve from real conversations.

If you’re navigating reinvention, burnout, divorce, a breakup, shifting identity, or simply that feeling of “there has to be more”… this episode is your permission slip to take one grounded step at a time.

Connect with Brenda

• Instagram
• Aligned AF Community
• The AI-Driven Business Summit
• Skool Scale Camp

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Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

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In this grounding episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with Leah Piera Murphy, a somatic practitioner, nervous system educator, and habits health coach supporting midlife women who feel tired, wired, or disconnected to rebuild a steady, trusting relationship with their bodies.

Leah’s work lives at the intersection of nervous system science, body awareness, and daily rhythm. Her philosophy is simple yet powerful: real change begins with safety. When the body feels safe, energy returns, clarity deepens, and sustainable habits stop feeling like a battle.

Together, Rachel and Leah explore:

• Why midlife women often feel simultaneously exhausted and overstimulated
 • The nervous system as the hidden driver of consistency and behavior change
 • How body awareness helps rebuild trust after burnout and chronic stress
 • The role of rhythm in restoring energy, focus, and emotional steadiness
 • Why pushing harder rarely creates lasting wellness
 • Gentle ways to begin living in sync with your body instead of against it

Leah shares how her own journey through healing, motherhood, and burnout reshaped her understanding of wellness, revealing that ease is not something we earn through effort, but something we experience when we learn to listen.

Living in coastal Alaska, Leah draws daily inspiration from tides and seasons as reminders that balance is never static. It is rhythmic, alive, and continually unfolding.

If you’ve ever felt like you know what to do but can’t sustain it, this conversation offers a compassionate reframe and a softer, wiser path forward.

🌿 Connect with Leah

Website: https://www.leahpieramurphy.com

Living in Rhythm Community: https://www.skool.com/livinginrhythm/about

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahpiera/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leah.piera

📘 About Rachel

Rachel Bents is the author of Joy Is the Strategy, a book exploring how joy isn’t a reward waiting at the finish line but a powerful approach to living, leading, and caring for ourselves in the middle of real life. Through personal storytelling, science, and reflection, Rachel invites readers to reimagine joy as something accessible, sustainable, and deeply transformative.

👉 Get your copy of Joy Is the Strategy on Amazon.

🔗 Connect with Rachel

Join The JOY Project community
Listen to more episodes of Joy Unfiltered
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LinkedIn
Website

✨ Joy Unfiltered Reminder

If this episode resonated, share it with someone who could use a little more calm, clarity, or rhythm in their life.

Joy isn’t something we earn some

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

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In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel explores the neuroscience behind morning mindset and identity change.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why the brain is in a theta-dominant state upon waking
• Neuroplasticity and identity formation
• The Reticular Activating System (RAS) and attentional bias
• The Broaden-and-Build Theory (Barbara Fredrickson)
• How positive emotion increases resilience and cognitive flexibility
• The impact of movement on dopamine, serotonin, and BDNF
• Growth mindset vs perfectionism and cortisol regulation
• Vagal tone and emotional resilience

Five Daily Rewiring Phrases:

1. Today, I lead myself.
2. Joy is available to me.
3. I move my body because I love it.
4. I choose progress over perfection.
5. Joy is my strategy.

This episode explores how intentional morning language shapes perception, behavior, and long-term identity.

Because joy isn’t the reward at the end.
Joy is the operating system.

🔗 Connect with Rachel

If this episode resonated, let’s stay connected.

📘 Grab the book: Joy Is the Strategy
Discover how choosing joy on purpose can reshape your mindset, relationships, leadership, and everyday life.

📸 Instagram

💼 LinkedIn

🎥 YouTube

🌐 Website

💛 Join The JOY Project Community
A space to practice joy daily, connect with others, and sprinkle joy like glitter in the world.

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

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What if the book inside you isn’t about becoming an author… but about becoming clearer, braver, and more impactful?

In this episode, I sit down with certified book coach Dinah LaPrairie, who helps everyday experts transform their lived and professional experience into big-hearted nonfiction and memoir. Dinah works with writers who feel called to share their wisdom, spark change, or leave something meaningful behind.

With a deeply reader-centered approach and rich editorial experience, Dinah guides writers from fuzzy idea to focused message, from scattered notes to solid structure. She helps authors clarify what they really want to say, shape it into something readers can receive, and stay accountable from first draft to final plan.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever thought:

• I think I have a book in me…
• Where would I even start?
• Does my story matter?
• How do I turn experience into something cohesive?

Dinah reminds us that writing a book is not just about publishing. It’s about purpose. It’s about contribution. It’s about possibility.

We also explore the practice of delight, creative courage, and what it means to write in the margins of real life.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why “everyday experts” are exactly who the world needs
• The difference between having a story and shaping a message
• The power of accountability and structure in creative work
• The role of delight in sustaining long-term creative energy
• How to know if your book idea has the heart and heat to grow

Connect with Dinah LaPrairie

📚 The Book Case – Dinah’s Substack publication
 One of her regular features is 3 Small Items of Great Delight, where she explores the practice of delight in everyday life.
(You can read her first post describing the inspiration behind this series there.)

✍️ Writing What’s Possible – A Skool community
A supportive space for nonfiction and memoir writers who are writing in the margins of real life.

🔥 The Book Spark Test – Free Downloadable Worksheet
Wondering if your book idea has the heart, heat, and purpose to grow?
This worksheet includes five coaching-style prompts to help you explore your idea and take your first step.

Why This Conversation Matters

So many people carry wisdom. Fewer feel qualified to share it. Dinah’s work sits at that intersection of courage and craft, helping thoughtful humans turn experience into impact.

If you’ve ever felt the nudge to write something meaningful, this episode may be the permission slip you didn’t know you were waiting for.

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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In this powerful and honest conversation, I sit down with Jennifer J. Grove, Nervous System Whisperer and Venting Coach, to talk about what it really means to stop performing “fine” and start feeling safe again.

Jennifer works with high-functioning, emotionally exhausted women who look like they have it all together… but feel anything but. Through breathwork, EFT tapping, somatic tools, and real emotional release, she helps women soften, regulate their nervous systems, and come back to themselves.

Together, we explore:

• Why so many high-achieving women live in chronic stress mode
• What nervous system dysregulation actually feels like
• The difference between coping and healing
• How breathwork and EFT tapping help the body release stored emotion
• Why venting in a safe space is not weakness but medicine
• The connection between emotional safety and sustainable joy

Jennifer shares practical tools listeners can begin using immediately, along with compassionate insight into why pushing harder is rarely the answer.

If you’ve been holding it together for everyone else, this episode is your invitation to exhale.

About Jennifer

Jennifer J. Grove is a Nervous System Whisperer and Venting Coach who helps high-functioning, emotionally exhausted women soften, release stress, and return to themselves. Through breathwork, EFT tapping, somatic practices, and honest emotional release, she creates spaces where women stop performing “fine” and start feeling safe in their bodies again.

She is also the host of the podcast Gettin’ in the Grove, where she shares real-life nervous system support, self-care that truly heals, and the courage to feel what’s been buried.

Connect with Jennifer:
JGroveWellness
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn

 Listen to Gettin’ in the Grove

Connect with Rachel:
 Book: Joy Is THE Strategy
The JOY Project
Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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In this episode:
We unpack how joy isn’t something you wait for - it’s something you build through small, biological inputs that influence your nervous system, mood chemistry, and overall wellbeing. You’ll get practical science-backed tips around:

✨ Pauses — how interrupting stress helps your brain and body rest
💪 Pushups — how consistent movement rewires your chemistry and builds self-trust
🌿 Plants — how gut-focused nutrition supports your brain and mood

You’ll also hear personal stories about convincing yourself to move consistently, why joy shows up after effort, and simple everyday actions you can start today to feel better.

🛠️ What You’ll Learn

• Pauses: Why pausing actually resets your nervous system and how to practice it without meditation pressure.
• Pushups / Movement: How consistency trumps intensity, the brain chemicals involved, and a personal story of how movement changed self-trust.
• Plants / Nutrition: Why gut health matters for mood, simple ways to add more plant foods, and nutrition tips that support joy.

🧠 Tools Mentioned

• Headspace — for nervous system pauses and guided breaks
• AG1 — foundational nutrition to support gut health, energy, and recovery

✨ Quick Practice Tips

️Pauses
• Bookend your day with intentional breath
• Pause between tasks — let your body catch up to your brain
• Breathe with longer exhales to signal safety

Movement / Pushups
• Start with tiny doses (5–10 minutes)
• Prioritize consistency over intensity
• Notice how you feel after you move

Nutrition / Plants
• Add plant foods before restricting anything
• Put a plant on every plate — simple and sustainable
• Stay hydrated and support gut health daily

🗣️ Stay Connected

📍 Instagram
📺 YouTube:
📘 Book: Joy is THE Strategy

❤️ If You Loved This Episode

⭐ Subscribe and rate the show
 💌 Share this episode with someone who needs joy today
 📲 Tag me on Instagram and let me know what tip you’re trying first

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Guest: Chase Thayer — Long-Term Recovery Coach & Family Systems Specialist
Website: https://www.austinintegrationcoaching.com/

About Chase:
Chase Thayer brings nearly 20 years of experience supporting individuals and families impacted by addiction, mental health challenges, and complex relational dynamics. As both a professional coach and someone with lived experience in recovery, Chase combines empathy with accountability — guiding not just clients, but entire families — toward deeper understanding, structural healing, and long-term sustainable change.

💡 What We Explore in This Episode

🔹 Chase’s personal recovery journey
We dive into how his lived experience shapes his work, his lens on resilience, and the shifts that led him to family systems work.

🔹 What “long-term recovery” really means
This isn’t quick fixes or surface-level tools — Chase talks about recovery as an ongoing process, rooted in identity, connection, and self-trust.

🔹 Supporting families, not just individuals
Why individual change often stalls without healthy relational shifts — and how families can become part of the solution instead of the backdrop of the problem.

🔹 The role of boundaries, accountability, and compassion
Chase unpacks how compassion and accountability aren’t opposites — they’re the foundation for real transformation.

🔹 Breaking generational cycles
We talk about structural patterns in families, how they persist across generations, and the intentional work it takes to change them.

🔹 What sustainable change actually looks like
From emotional literacy to systems thinking — real stories, real challenges, and practical perspectives that go beyond slogans.

🎧 Key Takeaways

• Recovery is relational. Healing happens not just within the person, but within the network of those who love them.
• Families have roles. Understanding those roles (and reconfiguring them) can unlock deeper healing.
• Accountability and compassion are partners. One without the other gets stuck in blame or permissiveness.
• Patterns aren’t destiny. Generational cycles can be interrupted with intention, support, and insight.
• Long-term growth > quick relief. Sustainable change is messy, but it’s also real.

🧠 Quotes to Share

📌 Connect With Chase

🌐 Austin Integration Coaching: https://www.austinintegrationcoaching.com/

Chase’s work with individuals and families blends trauma-informed systems thinking with compassion-based accountability.

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Joy isn’t about ignoring stress, grief, or reality.
 It’s about how we stay human inside of it.

In this episode, Rachel explores why joy isn’t fluff, a personality trait, or a reward for surviving hard things. It’s a practical, science-backed strategy that helps us regulate our nervous systems, make better decisions, lead more effectively, and avoid burnout.

You’ll learn:

• Why pressure and discipline alone don’t create lasting change
• How joy signals safety to the brain and body
• Why joy leads to consistency, resilience, and clarity
• How joy can coexist with stress, grief, and hard seasons
• Why joy isn’t a luxury, but a life and leadership skill

This conversation isn’t about forced positivity.
 It’s about understanding how we’re wired, and choosing a way of living that actually works.

Joy is not the reward.
 Joy is the strategy.

👉 Learn more about Rachel’s work and upcoming book Joy Is the Strategy
👉 Join The Joy Project community and practice joy together

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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What if joy isn’t something you earn after everything is fixed, but the strategy that helps you live, lead, and feel better now?

In this first solo episode of Joy Unfiltered, I’m setting the foundation for everything this podcast stands for. Not forced positivity. Not bypassing hard things. And definitely not joy as a personality trait reserved for a lucky few.

This episode is about choosing joy as a practical, grounded, repeatable strategy, especially in seasons that feel heavy, uncertain, or exhausting.

I share how joy became the throughline in my work, my wellness, and my leadership, why it works when motivation runs out, and how small, intentional choices can change how you move through your day, your body, and your life.

This conversation also connects directly to two things I’ve poured my heart into:

📘 My upcoming book, Joy Is the Strategy
A deeper dive into why joy works, how it’s built, and how choosing it can change the way you live and lead.
👉 Pre-sales are open now.

✨ The Joy Project
A growing community for people who want joy that’s real, human, and shared. This is where connection, conversation, and collective joy live.
👉 Join The Joy Project.

If you’re tired of chasing happiness, burned out on hustle culture, or quietly wondering if there’s a better way to feel good without waiting for life to cooperate, you’re in the right place.

Joy isn’t the reward.
 It’s the strategy.

Support the show

Connect with Rachel

• Joy-Led Leadership Forum
• Take the Pledge to send 1 Text a Day
• The JOY Project
• Joy is THE Strategy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.