Send us Fan Mail

What if joy isn’t something you wait for… but something you practice?

In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the science and strategy behind micro joys - the small, often overlooked moments that can completely shift your mood, your nervous system, and your life.

We’re not talking about big, once-in-a-while happiness. We’re talking about daily, repeatable joy you can access anytime.

You’ll learn:

•  Why your brain is wired to miss joy (and how to retrain it) 
•  The neuroscience of micro-acts of joy and nervous system regulation 
•  How small moments can reduce stress, improve focus, and increase resilience 
•  The 3 Joy Macros: Noticing, Allowing, and Sharing 
•  A simple daily practice to create more energy, connection, and clarity 

This episode will change how you think about joy and how you live it.

✨ Ready to take action?
 Sign the One Joyful Text a Day pledge -  send your text, and join the ripple.

Because one moment of joy can change your day.
 A million can change the world.

📝 SHOW NOTES

In today’s episode, Rachel explores how micro joys can become a powerful daily strategy for improving your energy, mindset, and overall well-being.

🧠 Key Topics:

•  Negativity bias and how it shapes your perception 
•  Neuroplasticity and rewiring your brain for joy 
•  Dopamine, serotonin, and stress regulation 
•  Micro-acts of joy and their impact on mental health 
•  The Joy Macros framework: 
  •  Noticing 
  •  Allowing 
  •  Sharing 

💡 Your Daily Practice:

1.  Notice 3 micro joys 
2.  Allow each moment for 10–20 seconds 
3.  Share one with someone (text, conversation, or reflection) 

📲 Take the next step:
 👉 Sign the One Joyful Text a Day pledge 
👉 Send your first joyful text
👉 Share your experience

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if the thing keeping you stuck… isn’t your life - but what you’re still holding onto?

In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with emotional clearing expert and meta-psychology coach Lesley Christine to explore how unresolved emotions shape our energy, decisions, and ability to experience joy.

Lesley shares her powerful personal story—from burnout and a life-altering flood to full-time RV travel, emotional healing, and ultimately helping other women release the invisible weight they’ve been carrying for years.

Together, they dive into:

•  What “emotional clearing” actually means (and how it works) 
•  The role of intention in releasing stored emotions 
•  Muscle testing and intuition as tools for self-awareness 
•  Why journaling is more powerful than you think 
•  How grief and joy can exist at the same time 
•  Leslie’s RECLAIM framework for helping women rediscover themselves in midlife 

This conversation is a reminder that joy isn’t something you earn after everything is perfect—it’s something you practice, even in the middle of life’s hardest moments.

And sometimes… the breakdown is actually the breakthrough.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS (Bullet Section)

•  Emotional “baggage” isn’t just mental—it’s stored in the body 
•  Intention is one of the most powerful tools for emotional release 
•  You don’t need to relive the full story to heal from it 
•  Journaling helps surface subconscious beliefs and patterns 
•  Joy and grief are not opposites—they can coexist 
•  Expecting good things can literally change your experience of life 
•  Small daily practices build emotional resilience over time 

⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS

 03:00 Leslie’s Story: From Burnout to Emotional Healing
 08:30 What Is Emotional Clearing?
 14:00 Muscle Testing + Intuition Explained
 22:00 The Role of Intention in Healing
 28:00 Journaling as a Release Tool
 36:00 The RECLAIM Framework
 44:00 Joy + Grief: Can They Coexist?
 52:00 Expectation, Mindset & Finding the Good

👤 GUEST BIO

Lesley Christine is a certified meta-psychology coach, emotional clearing expert, and creator of Living the Game of Life, a platform inspired by the teachings of Florence Scovel Shinn.

Through her RECLAIM framework, Leslie helps high-achieving midlife women release emotional baggage, reconnect with themselves, and create lives filled with clarity, peace, and joy.

She is also the publisher of the 100th anniversary expanded edition of The Game of Life and How to Play It, bringing timeless wisdom into modern life.

🔗 LINKS

Connect with Lesley:

Website

Substack 

Book

Instagram

Living the Game of Life

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if changing someone’s entire day… their mood… even their life… took less than 30 seconds?

In this solo episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the science behind one simple, powerful habit: sending a joyful text.

This isn’t about being “nice.”
 This is about rewiring the brain, regulating the nervous system, and creating real human connection in a world that feels increasingly disconnected.

Backed by research from Barbara Fredrickson and Julianne Holt-Lunstad, this episode explores how small, intentional acts of connection can improve mental health, increase resilience, and even impact longevity.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or just tired of doing everything on your own… this episode will give you a simple, powerful way to shift your energy—and someone else’s.

🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  Why your brain is wired for negativity (and how to interrupt it) 
•  The science behind “micro-moments” of joy and connection 
•  How one text can regulate your nervous system 
•  Why high-achieving women feel exhausted—and how joy reduces decision fatigue 
•  A simple, repeatable action to create real impact today 

Call to Action (include at bottom of description)

Join the movement: Send one joyful text a day.
 Take the pledge and be part of creating 1 million moments of connection.

Subscribe, follow, and share this podcast to help us spread more joy - one message at a time.

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if the weight you’re carrying isn’t just physical?

In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Rachel sits down with Lisa Barwise, founder of The Warrior Goddess Saga, to explore the concept of “armor weight”—the emotional, energetic, and identity-based weight many women carry, especially in midlife.

After years in the fitness industry helping women build strength, Lisa noticed a deeper issue: women were getting physically stronger, yet still feeling stuck, burned out, and disconnected. Her own experience with burnout, anxiety, and chronic fatigue became the catalyst for a new approach—one that blends biology, psychology, and spirituality.

This conversation reframes midlife not as a crisis, but as a reawakening—an invitation to reconnect with who you truly are.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Midlife is a reawakening—not a breakdown
  Your body is asking for alignment, not punishment. 
• Armor weight goes beyond the scale
  It includes emotional stress, trauma, identity patterns, and subconscious beliefs. 
• Hormones impact your entire system
  Changes in estrogen increase stress sensitivity and affect mood, energy, and weight. 
• Your inner dialogue matters
  Thoughts like “I’m not enough” or “I can’t stop” directly shape your experience. 
• Healing must be holistic
  True transformation happens when you address body, mind, and purpose together. 
• Quick tools can create real change
  Practices like EFT tapping, breathwork, and somatic movement can reduce stress fast. 

🧠 Topics We Covered

•  Burnout and nervous system dysregulation 
•  Why traditional fitness approaches fall short 
•  The science of cortisol, stress, and midlife 
•  What “armor weight” really means 
•  EFT tapping and somatic healing practices 
•  Identity shifts and rediscovering purpose 
•  Midlife as an opportunity for reinvention 

🔥 Key Concept

Armor Weight:
The invisible load of emotional stress, energetic fatigue, and identity patterns that can show up as overwhelm, exhaustion, and physical resistance.

🌿 Practical Tools to Try

•  ✋ EFT tapping for stress and anxiety 
•  🫁 Breathwork + humming for nervous system regulation 
•  🥤 Protein-first mornings (30–50g) for energy and balance 
•  💪 Strength training for longevity and resilience 
•  🌙 Magnesium + adaptogens for recovery and sleep 

🔗 Resources & Links

•  🌐 Website + Quiz: https://thewarriorgoddessaga.com
  
  
•  📘 Book: Unarmored
•  🎙️ Podcast: Goddess Got Goals
•  📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lisa_barwise

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if laughter isn’t a break from leadership… but the reason you lead better?

In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the science behind laughter, nervous system regulation, and why integration—not compartmentalization—is the future of high-performance leadership.

We’ve been taught to separate who we are at work from who we are in life. But your body doesn’t operate in silos—and neither should your leadership.

Laughter isn’t just “fun.” It’s a physiological reset that improves clarity, connection, creativity, and decision-making.

If you’ve been feeling exhausted, “on” all the time, or disconnected from your energy… this episode will show you a different way.

A more powerful way.

A more human way.

🎟 Join the Joy-Led Leadership Forum (May 19–21)

•  Laughter reduces cortisol and improves nervous system regulation 
•  You cannot compartmentalize your state—your body carries it everywhere 
•  Integration leads to better clarity, connection, and leadership performance 
•  Regulated leaders make better decisions and build stronger teams 
•  Joy is not 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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if the way you eat could bring more joy—not just to your body, but to the world?

In this powerful and honest conversation, Rachel sits down with Jenny Cheifetz, vegan lifestyle coach and host of The Flirty Vegan Podcast, to explore her journey from chronic dieting and burnout to a compassionate, plant-based life.

Jenny shares how the pandemic became a turning point—leading her to heal her relationship with food, discover personal development, and ultimately embrace veganism from an ethical and environmental perspective.

This episode goes beyond food—it’s about identity, values, and what happens when you align your choices with what truly matters.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Diet culture disconnects us from joy
  Food becomes restrictive, stressful, and tied to self-worth. 
• Healing your mindset comes first
  Jenny’s transformation began with addressing binge eating and emotional patterns—not food rules. 
• Veganism isn’t just about food—it’s about compassion
  For animals, the planet, and ultimately yourself. 
• Plant-based doesn’t automatically mean healthy
  You can still eat processed foods—intentional choices matter. 
• You’re not just nourishing your body—you’re shaping your energy
  Jenny highlights the emotional and energetic impact of what we consume. 
• Small shifts can lead to big transformation
  Simple swaps and batch cooking make this lifestyle approachable. 
• You don’t lose anything—you expand your options
  A plant-based lifestyle can feel abundant, creative, and freeing. 

🧠 Topics We Covered

•  Breaking free from binge eating and dieting cycles 
•  The role of the pandemic in personal transformation 
•  Ethical vs. health-driven plant-based journeys 
•  The emotional and energetic impact of food choices 
•  Navigating family dynamics when changing your lifestyle 
•  Misconceptions about veganism and health 
•  Practical tips for transitioning to plant-based eating 
•  Aligning your values with your daily habits 

🥗 Simple Plant-Based Swaps & Ideas

 🥣 Breakfast upgrade:
Oats + plant milk + berries + seeds (hemp, flax, chia) 

•  🥤 Smoothies:
  Fruit + greens + plant milk + optional beans/seeds for protein 
•  🍲 Batch cooking staples:
  •  Brown rice + lentils 
  •  Air-fried potatoes 
  •  Tofu (cubed, crumbled, or blended) 
  •  Canned beans & tomatoes 
•  🍜 Easy meals:
  Grain bowls, stir-fries, soups, and stews with different spice profiles 

👉 Key tip: Change the seasoning or cooking method to create variety—even with the same ingredients.

🔗 Resources & Links

•  🎙️ Podcast: The Flirty Vegan Podcast
•  🌐 Website: The Flirty Vegan 
•  📱 Instagram: @theflirtyvegan 

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if the patterns you’ve been trying to fix… are actually the key to your next level of leadership?

In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the Gene Keys in a way that is both grounded and practical—bridging science, behavior, and self-awareness to show how your patterns shape your energy, decisions, and results.

This is not about labels or personality types.
 This is about recognizing how you operate under pressure—and learning how to shift into a more aligned, regulated, and powerful state.

Rachel walks you through her own Gene Keys (2, 1, 13, and 7) and shows exactly how they revealed her natural leadership style and led to the creation of Joy-Led Leadership.

You’ll learn:

•  What Gene Keys actually are (without the confusion or overwhelm) 
•  The science behind patterns, stress, and decision-making 
•  Why we start with the 4 core Gene Keys (Activation Sequence) 
•  How to recognize your own “Shadow” patterns in real time 
•  A simple 3-step process to use your Gene Keys in daily life and leadership 
•  How to move from reactivity → awareness → aligned action 

This episode is for leaders who are ready to stop forcing outcomes…
 and start working with their natural patterns to lead with clarity, energy, and impact.

🧬 Get your free Gene Keys profile:

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if the key to clarity, calm, and joy… was as simple as picking up a pen?

In this inspiring episode, Rachel sits down with Krystal Mills, a teacher, life coach, and NeuroGraphica practitioner, to explore how creativity can unlock powerful personal transformation. After experiencing burnout in her teaching career, Crystal discovered coaching—and later NeuroGraphica—a unique blend of art, mindfulness, and neuroscience that helps people process emotions, rewire limiting beliefs, and reconnect with themselves.

Together, they dive into how small, intentional shifts can help women move from overwhelm to alignment—and why joy truly is a choice.

If you’ve been taking care of everyone else and feel disconnected from yourself, this conversation will open up a whole new way to come back home to you.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Burnout is often a signal—not a failure
  It can be the catalyst for meaningful change and self-discovery. 
• Joy is a choice (even when life isn’t)
  You can’t control everything—but you can control your response. 
• NeuroGraphica blends art + psychology
  A powerful tool to process thoughts, reduce stress, and gain clarity through drawing. 
• You don’t need to be “creative” to benefit
  This is process-based, not performance-based—no artistic skill required. 
• Small shifts create big change
  Even 10–15 minutes of intentional reflection can transform your mindset. 
• Perfectionism will show up—and that’s the point
  Awareness is the first step toward releasing limiting patterns. 
• You already know what brings you joy
  Revisit what you loved at age 8—that’s your starting point. 

🧠 Topics We Covered

•  Teacher burnout and rediscovering purpose 
•  The connection between self-worth and overworking 
•  What NeuroGraphica is and how it works 
•  Using drawing as a form of meditation and nervous system regulation 
•  The role of subconscious processing in creativity 
•  Perfectionism, self-judgment, and personal growth 
•  How to build habits of self-connection in small, doable ways 
•  Creating “Permission to Play” in everyday life 

🎨 What is NeuroGraphica?

NeuroGraphica is a guided drawing practice that combines:

•  🧠 Neuroscience (rewiring thought patterns) 
•  ✏️ Simple lines, shapes, and colors 
•  🧘 Mindfulness and emotional processing 

It helps you:

•  Gain clarity on challenges 
•  Reduce stress and overwhelm 
•  Access new insights and solutions 
•  Create a visual “anchor” for growth 

🔗 Resources & Links

•  🌐 Website: https://krystalmillscoaching.com
  
  
•  🎁 Free Resource: 5-Day Mindful Drawing Challenge
•  💫 Membership: Permission to Play (includes creative practices, self-reflection tools & more) 
•  📱 Instagram / Facebook: @krystalmillscoaching

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What if the reason things feel hard… is because you’re forcing them?

In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel dives into the powerful shift that changed everything in her life: surrender.

Not giving up.
 Not checking out.
 But releasing control over the how… while staying committed to the what.

Backed by neuroscience and lived experience, Rachel breaks down why forcing outcomes keeps you stuck in stress, and how shifting into a regulated, open state unlocks clarity, creativity, and aligned action.

This is the work of co-creating your life… without the pressure.

Inside this episode:

•  The real definition of surrender (and why it’s not weak) 
•  What happens in your brain when you stop forcing 
•  How stress narrows your thinking and blocks opportunity 
•  The role of dopamine, regulation, and aligned action 
•  How Rachel lost 40 pounds, shifted her finances, and met her partner—without force 
•  Why timing matters more than you think 
•  How this applies to Joy-Led Leadership and leading others effectively 

If you’ve been pushing, striving, and wondering why it still feels hard…

this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

Joy isn’t something you earn at the end.
 It’s how you get there.

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.

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when your life looks “good on paper”… but something still feels missing?

In this heartfelt and energizing conversation, Rachel sits down with Connie Cotter, a faith-forward, joy-driven high-performance coach, to explore what it really means to move from fine to fulfilled. Connie shares her personal journey from a successful IT career to discovering her true calling—helping others reconnect with their purpose, rediscover joy, and design a life that feels aligned and meaningful.

Together, they unpack the difference between happiness and joy, the power of asking better questions, and simple ways to ground yourself in the present moment—even in the middle of a busy day.

If you’ve ever felt like something is “off” but couldn’t quite name it… this episode is for you.

💡 Key Takeaways

• “Fine” isn’t the same as fulfilled
  You can have everything you thought you wanted—and still feel something missing. 
• Joy is internal, not external
  Happiness comes and goes; joy is something you cultivate and choose. 
• Ask better questions
  Instead of “Why am I like this?” try: “Where is this coming from?”—a gentler, more productive approach. 
• The 3-2-1 Reset Tool
  A simple way to ground yourself in the present moment: 
  •  3 things you can see 
  •  2 things you can hear 
  •  1 thing you can physically feel 
• You don’t need all the answers to start
  Clarity comes from action—not overthinking. 
• You are not broken
  Growth isn’t about fixing yourself—it’s about reconnecting with who you already are. 
• Joy is a choice—and a practice
  It’s something you build daily through awareness, curiosity, and intentional living. 

🧠 Topics We Covered

•  Transitioning from corporate success to purpose-driven work 
•  Faith and science: finding alignment between logic and belief 
•  The danger of “should” thinking and external expectations 
•  How coaching creates clarity through powerful questions 
•  Morning routines vs. realistic grounding practices 
•  Whole-life coaching: why business and personal growth are connected 
•  The neuroscience of joy and decision-making 
•  Cultivating awe, wonder, and playfulness in everyday life 

🔗 Resources & Links

•  🌐 Connie’s Website: https://conniecotter.com
  
  
•  🎁 Free Resource: 13 Ways to Cultivate Your Sense of Wonder
  → https://conniecotter.com/wonder
  
  
•  📱 Connect with Connie: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

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.