The UNFOLDING Podcast

The Joy We Keep Postponing: Why Joy Isn't the Finish Line, It's the Fuel

“I'll be happy when…” Sound familiar?

When the work is done. When the kids are older. When we get the promotion, find the right partner, or finally have everything figured out.

We can spend so much of our lives preparing to be happy that we forget to enjoy the life we're living right now.

In this episode of UNFOLDING, we're exploring the joy we keep postponing — and why joy isn't a destination or a reward for getting everything right. It's something we can cultivate, right here, in the middle of our beautifully messy lives.

I'll share a simple idea that changed how I look at my days: your joy account. Every choice, conversation, habit, and relationship makes a deposit or a withdrawal. And while many of us are busy growing our bank accounts and checking off our to-do lists, we may be running on a joy overdraft.

I'll also share what happened when I moved joy to the top of my own list of values, and invite you to pause and reconnect with what makes you feel truly alive.

Because joy doesn't require a perfect life. Sometimes, it simply asks us to notice what's already here — and make a little more room for it.

A question to carry with you: What would make a deposit into your joy account today?

Take a breath, settle in, and let's unfold.

If this episode speaks to you, share it with someone who might need the reminder. And subscribe to UNFOLDING for more stories and tools for transformation.

Keep breathing, keep showing up, and keep unfolding. 💛

Have you been feeling like something needs to change, but you don’t know how — because you’re stuck in the in-between?

In this first episode, I share my own messy story: leaving a path I’d spent years building, a broken-down van in the Australian outback, and the phone booth call that accidentally started my modeling career. Along the way, the practices that helped me move through uncertainty — and still do.

In this episode:

• Why the “waiting room of life” isn’t your fault — it’s how your brain is wired

• The moment my body forced me to listen

• 7 practices for navigating your own messy middle: breath, journaling, mindset, metaphor, daily rituals, taking action, affirmations

You’re not behind. It’s taking the time it’s taking.

💛 Reach me: [email protected] · Instagram Sandrine Marlier