The Joy Project With Julia

Firstly, I hope you all had the most incredible time celebrating National Joy Day! Thank you for all the love and support you showered me with. I am deeply grateful to have such amazing friends and listeners. I hope you're as excited as I am to embark on the next 365 days together!

HAPPY NATIONAL JOY DAY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!! Today is extra special, marking 365 days since I first realized that my true mission in life is to help others discover, seek, and spread joy in every possible way. This past year has been nothing short of magical—filled with overwhelming love, awe, and pure joy—and I am endlessly grateful for each and every moment! So today, I invite you all to join me in a celebration of what it truly means to "own yourself" and embrace revel in the beauty of life. On National Joy Day, no one is allowed to rain on your parade! Take time today to indulge in the 3 S's: self, school, & social. Fall in love with the person you’ve become, and celebrate every awe-inspiring moment that comes your way. I am beyond grateful for the incredible support, love, and energy you've all shared with me this past year. Let’s make this National Joy Day absolutely unforgettable!

As I have reached the halfway mark of my fall semester, I have been overwhelmed with all the opportunities and experiences my university has to offer. There are so many exciting "doors", but rejection has become a shared experience amongst me and my peers. However, it is important to understand that rejection is a normal byproduct of putting yourself out there...which you should ALWAYS do for the things that you are passionate about. While we may be feeling discouraged with recent rejections, this shared experience enables us to have moments for personal growth. Everything in life is how you frame it, whether it’s in relationships, careers, or creative pursuits. learning how to embrace rejection is a powerful tool for self-discovery and empowerment. I hope you listen to me share some of my personal anecdotes and know that I am right by you! You are never alone and rejection always happens for a reason. I can't wait to see so many more opportunities and experiences arise that will better suit your personal journey. Keep being you, keep putting yourself out there, and keep spreading joy!

This past week, I had the opportunity to fly back to my hometown, Pittsburgh, PA. As someone whose favorite season is fall, I was thrilled to take a break from the Florida hurricane season and see the beautiful leaves that the north has to offer. Being able to reconnect with my family and hometown friends who were on their college fall breaks was the breath of fresh air I didn't know I needed. Seeing the beauty of the season of fall made me think about the seasons of life and seasons of me. It really was an eye opening period of reflection and made me realize how appreciative I am of the current season of life/me I am in. I hope this conversational podcast prompts you to consider your different seasons and fall in love with wherever you are at in life. Remember...you should be so proud of the person you are becoming (I know I am proud of you). Keep spreading joy beautiful people!

This week, I had the incredible opportunity to interview someone who embodies authenticity and pours her heart into everything she does—my sister, Emma Scarton! This past summer, Emma embarked on a solo backpacking adventure across Europe for four weeks, and her ambition to pursue her dreams is nothing short of inspiring.

This week I had the opportunity to interview an inspiring individual in my life, Summer Haura. She is one of the most intentional people I have met since coming to college and has encouraged me to grow in so many ways. She is very in tune with her emotions and is a big advocate on campus for mental health. While preparing for our interview, I asked her what she wanted viewers to gain. Summer responded with, "While we want to be happy all of the time, I think it is so important that we allow ourselves to feel all of the feelings. Without feeling sad or angry or upset, we don’t gain the perspective we need to fully and truly appreciate the joyous times of our life. Feel everything, allow your feelings to exist, love them, and continue on." I hope you are as inspired by this conversation as I was!

Conflicts arise on a daily basis, so it is important to find healthy ways to manage these situations. Establishing open communication with those you have a relationship with, voicing how you feel as soon as you feel it, and striving to remain respectful during those tough conversations are all solutions to creating healthy boundaries. I encourage you to stand up for yourself and stay true to who you are!

Saying "no" should never be seen as a "bad thing". It instead should be viewed as you choosing to remove yourself from a situation that does not enable you to grow into the best version of yourself. This episode talks about saying "no" to relationships that are not encouraging you to grow, habits that are not pushing you to be your most productive self, and situations that go against your values. This episode is more of a conversation that includes some of my anecdotes, silly comments, and delulu behaviors. (I am recovering from my first college sickness of the year, so please give my nasally voice some grace and also my aloof presentation). LOVE YOU ALL!!! THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO LISTEN!!!

Saying "yes" takes on a whole new meaning whenever you say it with intention and the end in mind. This episode talks about healthy ways to say "yes" to personal growth, exciting experiences, memorable moments with friends, involvement opportunities, and YOU BEING YOU. I challenge you to say "yes" with intentionality to as many positive opportunities as you can this week, this month, this year(basically keep saying "yes" to all the good that is coming your way)! This season I have been all about saying "yes" to embracing the flexibility and creativity of having my own podcast. I am eager to start having episodes that are grouped together and build on the different aspects of a topic. Additionally, I am eager to announce I will be interviewing many inspirational people in the upcoming weeks...so get super pumped!! Once again, thank you for your unwavering support and I can't wait to see where life continues to take all of you!

Society and social media oftentimes make us feel that we have to look, talk, and act a certain way in order to be loved/respected. Being "perfect" for others is something I have struggled with for the majority of my life. Since coming to college, I have found people who can meet me where I'm at and love me inspite of my flaws. This episode is meant to help break down a "perfectionists" walls and also the way that we view "perfect people". I have learned that being human means you can make mistakes and the world will not end...yes yes I know this is a crazy statement for some. I hope you all learn that being human IS healthy! I can't wait to see how you embrace everything that makes you authentically you!