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One of the most dangerous phrases in leadership and life is, "We don't do that." Dr. Andi Simon encourages leaders to notice these automatic responses and replace them with curiosity that uncovers new possibilities.
Audience follow-up → Where have you automatically dismissed an idea because "that's not how it's done"?
Community Interrupts "Stinkin' Thinkin'"Lori reflects on hosting women from The Connect at a Hudson Valley retreat and shares why meaningful connection matters. Isolation often reinforces limiting beliefs, while community provides perspective, encouragement, and new ideas.
Audience follow-up → Who are the people helping you challenge your thinking instead of simply agreeing with it?
Your Story Isn't FixedLori vulnerably shares her divorce journey and how she intentionally chose collaboration over conflict. Rather than following the expected script, she became curious about what would create the healthiest future for everyone involved—including her children.
Years later, her sons thanked her for making that choice.
Audience follow-up → What story have you accepted as "the only way" that may deserve a second look?
Your Customers Will Tell You What They Need—If You ListenBusinesses often believe they understand how customers use their products or services. Lori explains that curiosity—not certainty—is what leads to innovation and stronger customer relationships.
The best insights don't come from assumptions—they come from asking better questions.
Audience follow-up → When was the last time you asked your customers what they actually value instead of assuming you already knew?
Joy Is a Leadership StrategyChoosing joy doesn't mean avoiding difficult conversations—it means approaching challenges with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. Leaders who remain curious create stronger relationships, healthier teams, and better decisions.
Audience follow-up → What would change if you approached your next challenge with curiosity instead of certainty?
🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
Learn more about Andi Simon on https://www.linkedin.com/in/andisimon/ or her website: https://www.andisimon.com/
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What does it take to build a successful aviation company from just $25, a single leased helicopter, and an unwavering love for flying?
I sat down with Heather Howley, founder and CEO of Independent Helicopters, to explore her remarkable journey from taking her first helicopter lesson to leading one of the Northeast's premier helicopter companies.
Heather shares it all! The realities of building a business in a male-dominated industry, overcoming setbacks, dealing with criticism, creating systems that allow her to step away from the business, and why JOY has been a driving force behind her success.
Whether you're building a business, leading a team, or simply wondering if you're capable of something bigger, Heather's story is a powerful reminder that resilience, trust, and purpose can take you further than perfection ever will.
3 Key TakeawaysBuild the Business—But Don't Lose YourselfHeather's story is a reminder that while our work can be deeply meaningful, it should never become our entire identity. Real leadership means creating a business that can thrive without you, so you have the freedom to rest, grow, and simply be.
Joy Is a Better Strategy Than Proving YourselfIn a male-dominated industry, Heather faced bias, criticism, and countless opportunities to question herself. Instead of spending her energy proving people wrong, she stayed focused on serving others, doing great work, and finding joy in what she loved most.
Trust Is Built Through People and SystemsWhether you're leading a small team or a growing business, trust doesn't happen by accident. Heather shares why clear communication, documented processes, and empowering your team are what allow leaders to let go without losing control.
📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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Connect with Heather on Website
In this episode of The Joy CEO Podcast, Lori Pine explores what it truly means to find your North Star, the simple truth she arrived at after decades spent surviving a demanding career and raising her sons, with little room for a bigger question. Her north star today is radically small on purpose: help one person. In every phone call, coaching session, Connect gathering, and speaking event, that's the only question she's answering. .
This episode also challenges the common misconception that joy is something we earn once life is perfect. Lori explains why joy is different from happiness—it isn't dependent on circumstances, and it can exist alongside grief, uncertainty, or struggle. This episode makes the case that joy is the strategy, not the consolation prize, and closes with a direct question for the listener: who is the one person in front of you today, and what would it look like to let that be enough?
If you've been questioning your purpose, feeling disconnected from your work, or wondering what really matters, this episode offers a powerful invitation to return to yourself.
🔑 Key Takeaways:Your North Star Isn't Found Outside of YouTitles, promotions, money, and recognition may feel like the destination, but they rarely provide lasting fulfillment. Your North Star is discovered by looking inward and identifying what truly gives your life meaning.
Helping One Person Is EnoughLori shares how shifting from trying to reach everyone to intentionally helping one person changed everything. One conversation, one client, one post, or one act of encouragement can create a ripple effect you may never fully see.
Ego Chases Performance. Purpose Creates Impact.There was a season when Lori believed saying "yes" to everything was the path to success. Looking back, she recognizes how ego often disguises itself as ambition. Real leadership comes from alignment, not constant proving.
Joy Is Different Than HappinessHappiness depends on circumstances. Joy lives underneath every circumstance. It doesn't erase grief, disappointment, or uncertainty—but it can exist alongside them and guide how we lead.
Small Daily Wins Build Real ConfidenceInstead of measuring success by external milestones, Lori encourages listeners to audit the moments where they honored their values, kept promises to themselves, or made a meaningful difference.
Let Joy Become Your Leadership StrategyJoy isn't a reward reserved for after success—it becomes the strategy that helps you make better decisions, stay grounded, and lead with authenticity instead of exhaustion.
🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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In part two of this deeply personal series, host Lori Pyne shares how a collapse outside a New York deli became the wake-up call that changed the trajectory of her life and leadership.
After years of chasing achievement, identity, and external validation, Lori began the inner work that would eventually shape her philosophy that joy isn't separate from success—it fuels it.
This episode explores the hidden cost of tying your worth to your title, the discomfort that comes when high achievers slow down, and why so many women instinctively fill empty space with more work instead of reflection. Lori shares practical tools for regulating your nervous system, breaking free from people-pleasing, and reconnecting with the person underneath the performance.
If you've built a successful life but still feel exhausted, disconnected, or unsure who you are outside of what you do—this episode is for you.
🔑 Key Takeaways:The Identity Trap Is RealMany ambitious leaders become so attached to their titles, achievements, and image that they lose sight of who they are outside of work.
When your identity becomes your role, every setback feels personal—and stepping away feels impossible.
Audience follow-up → If your job title disappeared tomorrow, how would you describe yourself?
The Void Isn't the Problem—It's the InvitationWhen high achievers finally slow down, they often encounter what Lori calls "the void"—an uncomfortable space where busyness no longer distracts from deeper questions.
The instinct is often to fill that space with more doing. Growth begins when you stay long enough to listen.
Audience follow-up → What have you been avoiding by staying busy?
Your Worth Is Not Your ProductivityLori challenges the belief that value comes from output, achievement, or being the person everyone depends on.
Grounded leadership comes from presence, not constant performance.
Audience follow-up → Where are you measuring your value by what you produce rather than who you are?
It's Time for a Corporate ExorcismPeople-pleasing, perfectionism, over-functioning, and saying yes when you mean no aren't leadership strengths—they're survival strategies.
Leadership in alignment requires boundaries, even when they disappoint other people.
Audience follow-up → What boundary have you been avoiding because you're afraid of letting someone down?
Your Nervous System Needs Leadership TooStress isn't only a mindset issue—it's physical.
Lori shares practices that helped her regulate her body and return to herself, including breathwork, yoga, time in nature, movement, and intentionally seeking moments of awe.
Audience follow-up → What helps your body feel safe enough to slow down?
Small Habits Create Big ShiftsTransformation rarely happens through dramatic change.
Micro-habits practiced consistently create sustainable leadership and lasting wellbeing.
Audience follow-up → What's one small daily habit that would help you reconnect with yourself this week?
Healing Doesn't Happen AloneTherapy, coaching, retreats, and supportive communities can provide the space and mirrors we often can't create for ourselves.
Growth accelerates when you're surrounded by people committed to becoming more fully themselves.
Audience follow-up → Who supports the version of you you're becoming?
🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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In this deeply personal episode, I share the story that became the foundation of The Joy CEO. It’s a story I don’t tell often—one that begins in 2008 when I was juggling a new leadership role near New York City, relocating across the country, navigating a divorce, and raising two young boys.
On the outside, I looked like I had everything under control. On the inside, my body was sounding alarms I refused to hear.
After months of stress, sleep deprivation, and pushing through exhaustion, I collapsed outside a deli and woke up in the back of an ambulance after experiencing a grand mal seizure. That moment forced me to confront a truth so many high-achieving women face: just because you can carry it all doesn’t mean you should.
In this episode, I explore the hidden cost of high performance, the warning signs we often ignore, and why joy is not a luxury—it’s a leadership strategy. I also share research showing that leaders who cultivate joy and wellbeing are more productive, creative, and resilient than those operating from constant stress and survival mode.
This is part one of a two-part series on the real origin story of The Joy CEO and the inner transformation that changed everything.
🔑 Key Takeaways:High Performance Can Hide a Breaking PointMany ambitious women become so skilled at carrying responsibility that they stop recognizing when they’re overwhelmed.
Your Body Often Knows Before Your Mind DoesStress doesn't always show up as a breakdown. It can appear as exhaustion, headaches, anxiety, poor sleep, irritability, or chronic tension long before a crisis occurs.
Survival Mode Is Not Sustainable LeadershipOperating on adrenaline may create short-term results, but it comes at a cost. Constant hustle can disconnect you from creativity, clarity, and joy.
Joy Is a Leadership AdvantageResearch highlighted in this episode shows that leaders who experience greater wellbeing and positive emotions are more productive, innovative, and effective.
Self-Awareness Is the First Step Toward ChangeTransformation begins when we pause long enough to notice what's happening internally rather than pushing through discomfort.
You Don't Have to Earn RestMany high achievers believe rest is something they deserve only after achieving enough. This mindset often leads to burnout.
🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:"The very thing that made me successful—the belief that I could handle it all—was the thing that nearly broke me."
📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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In this episode, I share a realization that completely changed the way I think about leadership, confidence, and career growth: sometimes the problem isn't you—it's the room you're in.
For years, I believed that if I worked harder, proved myself more, and pushed through challenges, I could succeed anywhere. But looking back, I can see how certain environments quietly chipped away at my confidence while others helped me thrive.
Using the story of NBA star Jalen Brunson's transformation from being viewed as a supporting player in Dallas to becoming a franchise leader in New York, I explore how the right environment can unlock potential that was always there.
I also share my own experience working at Anheuser-Busch under leadership that made me question my value, and how everything changed when I joined Coca-Cola and found a culture where my strengths were recognized and supported.
If you've been feeling stuck, overlooked, or like you're constantly proving yourself, this episode is a reminder that sometimes growth doesn't require becoming someone different—it requires finding a room where you can fully be yourself.
🔑 Key Takeaways:Your Environment Shapes Your ConfidenceThe room you're in has a powerful impact on how you see yourself. When your contributions are minimized or overlooked, it's easy to assume you're the problem.
Audience follow-up → Where in your life are you receiving signals that make you question your value?
Not All Feedback Is About YouSometimes what isn't being said is just as important as what is. The lack of support, opportunity, or recognition may reveal more about the environment than your abilities.
Audience follow-up → What "feedback" have you internalized that may actually be a reflection of the culture around you?
Great Leaders Build Around StrengthsThe Knicks didn't ask Jalen Brunson to become someone else—they built around what he already did well. Strong leaders and organizations create conditions where people can thrive.
Audience follow-up → Are your strengths being leveraged in your current role, or are you constantly compensating for weaknesses?
Self-Doubt Often Starts in the Wrong RoomRepeated exposure to environments that don't value your perspective can slowly erode confidence, even when you're highly capable.
Audience follow-up → Have you mistaken an environmental issue for a personal deficiency?
Sometimes Growth Requires a Different RoomThere comes a point when advocating for yourself isn't enough. If the environment refuses to change, it may be time to find a place where your value is recognized.
Audience follow-up → What would become possible if you stopped trying to convince the wrong people of your worth?
🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:This episode is a reminder that your potential isn't determined by the room you're in. Sometimes the breakthrough comes when you stop questioning yourself and start questioning whether the environment is worthy of your gifts.
📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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Summary:
In this solo episode of The Joy CEO Podcast, I’m sharing a conversation that hit me harder than I expected. A mentor once told me, “Your biggest problem is that you make it look easy.” At first, I took it as a compliment. But the more I reflected on it, the more I realized it was actually pointing to a hidden challenge many ambitious women face.
When you’re known as the person who always has it together, people stop checking in. And eventually, you stop checking in with yourself.
In this episode, I unpack what I call the Permission Problem—the belief that because we’re capable, we shouldn’t need support. I share my own experience leading a large, travel-heavy team while silently battling exhaustion, and why burnout isn’t always about workload. Sometimes it’s about feeling like you’re not allowed to struggle.
If you've ever been the strong one, the reliable one, or the person everyone depends on, this episode is an invitation to stop performing fine and start being honest about what you need.
🔑 Key TakeawaysMaking It Look Easy Can Become a TrapFor years, I wore competence like armor. The problem? When you make everything look effortless, people assume you don’t need help.
Audience follow-up → Where in your life are you performing strength instead of allowing support?
Burnout Isn't Always a Time Management ProblemResearch shows that burnout is rising among high performers, especially women leaders. The issue often isn't productivity—it’s carrying everything alone.
Audience follow-up → Are you overwhelmed because of your workload, or because you're trying to carry it without support?
The Strongest Person in the Room Still Needs SomeoneI share a season in 2019 when I was traveling constantly, leading a large team, and outwardly succeeding while privately feeling depleted.
Audience follow-up → Who knows how you're really doing right now?
Stop Performing Competence You Don't FeelThere's a difference between being capable and pretending everything is okay. Leadership doesn't require perfection.
Audience follow-up → What truth have you been editing out when someone asks, "How are you?"
Build an Inner Circle Before You Need OneWhether it's a partner, friend, therapist, mentor, or coach, every leader needs people who can hold space for honesty.
Audience follow-up → Do you have a circle where you can be fully yourself—not just your professional self?
Permission Starts WithinNo title, promotion, or achievement will give you permission to rest, receive support, or be human. That permission has to come from you.
Audience follow-up → What would change if you gave yourself permission to ask for help today?
🔎 Mentioned in This EpisodeFollow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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Connect with Leanne on Linkedin
Summary:
In this episode, I reflect on the hidden cost of wearing independence as a badge of honor and why I’ve come to believe community is essential for sustainable leadership. After years of moving cities for corporate opportunities and believing strength meant handling everything on my own, I realized my independence had quietly turned into isolation.
I share the moments that forced me to confront the limits of “doing it all yourself,” from not knowing who to list as an emergency contact for my children to navigating divorce and the sudden loss of my mother. This conversation is an invitation to rethink what strength really looks like and why meaningful connection—not isolation—is what truly supports ambitious women.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
Independence Isn’t the Same as StrengthFor years, I believed being self-sufficient meant I was successful. But over time, I realized independence can become a coping mechanism that disconnects us from the support we actually need.
Audience follow-up → Where in your life have you mistaken isolation for strength?
Ambition Without Community Becomes UnsustainableI share how relocating seven times for career advancement slowly eroded my sense of rootedness and belonging.
Audience follow-up → What relationships or communities have you unintentionally sacrificed in pursuit of success?
The Emergency Contact Moment Changed EverythingOne of the most confronting moments came when I realized I didn’t know who I could list as an emergency contact for my children. That question exposed just how alone I had become.
Audience follow-up → If life became difficult tomorrow, who could you truly call for support?
Community Expands What Feels PossibleReal connection doesn’t weaken ambition—it strengthens it. Being around women who see you fully creates safety, perspective, and possibility.
Audience follow-up → Who in your life makes you feel more like yourself when you’re around them?
You Deserve to Be Seen Beyond Your ResumeSo many accomplished women are celebrated for what they produce while quietly feeling unseen in who they are. I believe we need spaces where honesty matters more than performance.
Audience follow-up → Where are you craving deeper connection—not networking, but genuine belonging?
🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:
The ConnectA peer community Lori created for ambitious, accomplished women seeking honest conversations, meaningful support, and deeper connection beyond surface-level networking.
Lori’s Corporate RelocationsOver the course of her corporate career, Lori relocated seven different times in pursuit of advancement and opportunity—an experience that shaped both her ambition and her loneliness.
The Turning PointThe combination of divorce and the sudden loss of Lori’s mother forced her to reevaluate what true support, resilience, and leadership really mean.
✨ Reflection Prompts:
🧠 Who This Episode Is For:
Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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In this special one-year anniversary episode of the Joy CEO Podcast, I’m reflecting on what it’s meant to show up consistently for 52 straight weeks of long-form conversations around leadership, growth, joy, and becoming the woman you’re meant to be.
I share why I started this podcast in the first place: to create a space where you could truly get to know me, my coaching philosophy, and the work I care deeply about. This episode is more personal, conversational, and completely off-script as I walk through six leadership lessons that have shaped me this past year.
From learning that growth happens faster through people—not isolation—to redefining joy as something we already carry within us, these lessons have impacted how I lead, work, and live. I also talk about why careers are rarely linear, how adopting an athlete’s mindset changed my perspective on resilience, and why challenging yourself beyond your comfort zone is necessary for growth.
If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed by figuring everything out alone, or disconnected from joy, I hope this episode reminds you that you don’t have to have all the answers to move forward.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
“Who, Not How” Changed the Way I GrowOne of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that I don’t need to have every answer myself. Growth happens faster when I stop obsessing over the “how” and start finding the right people to support, guide, and collaborate with me.
Audience follow-up → Where are you trying to do everything alone instead of asking for support?
Joy Isn’t Something I Have to EarnFor so long, I thought joy came after the achievement, the milestone, or the success. But I’ve learned that love, joy, and fulfillment already exist within us—we don’t have to prove ourselves worthy of experiencing them.
Audience follow-up → What would change if you stopped delaying joy until “someday”?
I Want to Lead People FirstThe older I get, the more I believe leadership is about making people feel seen, valued, and safe. Whether in business or everyday life, people remember how you made them feel.
Audience follow-up → Who in your life could feel more appreciated or acknowledged by you this week?
My Career Hasn’t Been Linear—And That’s OkayI’ve had pivots, unexpected turns, and moments where things didn’t go according to plan. This year reminded me that careers and personal growth are rarely straight lines, and sometimes the detours shape us the most.
Audience follow-up → What if your current transition is leading you somewhere better than you expected?
Adopting an Athlete’s Mindset Changed MeI talk about how sports and athletic discipline influenced the way I approach leadership, consistency, and resilience. Leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about showing up, practicing, and learning how to work as part of a team.
Audience follow-up → What habits are helping you build resilience in your daily life?
Growth Requires Me to Challenge MyselfSome of the biggest breakthroughs in my life came from doing things that felt uncomfortable or bigger than I thought I was ready for. I’ve learned that growth often lives on the other side of challenge—and that I don’t have to navigate it alone.
Audience follow-up → What challenge have you been avoiding because it feels too big or uncertain?
🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:
✨ Reflection Prompts:
🧠 Who This Episode Is For:
⏱ Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Anniversary Kickoff
00:48 Why I Started
03:06 Who Not How
06:53 Love And Joy
08:20 People First
09:39 Careers Aren't Linear
11:37 Find The Athlete
13:25 Challenge Yourself
14:48 Wrap Up And Next Steps
📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn to continue the conversation
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