yōso audio notes

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

building a business has the exact same psychological shape as fighting a nicotine addiction.

i was 15 when i took up smoking. i was 29 when i quit. four years later, the exact mental shifts that got me through nicotine withdrawal are the only things keeping our business from eating me alive.

in this episode, i pull back the curtain on the internal mental gymnastics of self-employment. we’ve been conditioned to believe that building a studio requires endless grit, willpower, and constant hustle.

but treat discipline like a muscle you just need to "flex harder," and you will relapse into burnout every single time.

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

when you start a business, the prevailing narrative tells you that you need a massive audience, a loud presence & aggressive sales scripts to land high-ticket projects.

we're here to prove the opposite.

three weeks after launching yōso studio, with exactly 3 followers on linkedin & zero agency portfolio, we signed a project that turned into a $6,150 engagement across two phases. but it wasn't a magic trick & it didn't happen overnight.

it took 45 emails, 3 proposals, a week of ghosting, and a massive amount of internal overthinking.

in this episode, we're taking you completely behind the curtain. the raw mechanics, the exact step-by-step framework we used, the email anatomy, and the psychological weight of swimming through the uncertainty of self-employment.

🌿what we cover:

* the 1-filter search strategy to find the exact person who needs you

* the 6-line email anatomy you can use to build an honest connection

* how an initial $1,650 course audit naturally evolved into a $4,500 production project (the inevitability philosophy)

* why "doing nothing" is the most powerful thing you can do when a client ghosts you

* the 3-step skill translation framework to turn your past 9-to-5 experience into an offer

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

everything i’m teaching in this episode is in our FREE EBOOK (the $6k client case study) — you’ll find every email & screenshot there too!

🎟️ join us live on may 23rd - the leaving the 9-to-5 workshop

we’re walking you through your exact skill translation so you leave knowing exactly what to offer and who will pay you for it.

the first two people to sign up get a free, private 1:1 exit strategy session with us.

reserve your seat here: Leaving the 9-to-5 workshop

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

for years, i’ve tried to shrink my multidimensional lived experiences into rigid boxes to prove i was “capable” to systems that only value mechanical playbooks.

this 7-minute rejection was a violent reminder from the universe: you cannot fund your freedom by selling your soul back to the system you just left.

in this episode, i’m deconstructing why these traditional systems don't know what to do with people like us, and why it’s finally time to stop reaching for their standards and start building our own table.

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

📣 leaving the 9-to-5 workshop (23rd of may) for the ones exhausted of trying to fit inside rigid boxes reserve your seat here: join the workshop

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

we’re currently in a slow season (a financial dip) and i wanna be honest about it. because everyone talks about how much money they make each month, but nobody talks about the phase when you feel like a failure & you’re worried about paying rent.in this episode, i deconstruct this money anxiety in front of you: why it’s happening, the biological panic (the cortisol spike) of having 0 clients, why we scramble for jobs when nothing’s happening, and practical steps on how we’re staying afloat.

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

also, if you’re ready to walk away from your 9-to-5 but the fear is holding you back, we’re hosting a live workshop on the 23rd of may to help you navigate all this & build your exit strategy.

join the waitlist here: https://theyosostudio.com/#leavingthe9to5workshop

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

why do you still feel guilty for stepping away from your desk, even after leaving the traditional workplace?

in this episode, we dive deep into why your productivity guilt is actually a hangover from your former employer.

we explore an 18th-century prison design called the panopticon, and how its architecture of surveillance became the blueprint for the traditional corporate offices and schools we grew up in.

it's time to unlearn this corporate programming. let's break the extraction cycle, stop viewing our time as a resource for extraction, and learn to build a business that acts as a natural extension of our lives.

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

where to go from here:

1. start with reflection

if you’re feeling lost, start here. download our free 4-week yōso reflection journal to sit with yourself & figure out what kind of work you truly value start writing:

https://theyosostudio.com/#reflectionjournal

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

to hear more, visit yosonotes.substack.com

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

today, we’re doing an honest audit of loneliness.

we talk so much about the adrenaline of self-liberation & the freedom of working for yourself. but we rarely talk about the deafening quiet that follows after you walk away from your 9-5.

this episode explores the isolating reality of moving on: outgrowing your old identity, the friction with friends who are still boxed inside a traditional mindset & the terrifying (but necessary) void of losing the external validation of the system.

if you’re sitting in that silence right now, i hope this helps you feel a little less alone. you’re not lost, you’re just digging for your bedrock.

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

where to go from here:

1. start with reflection if you’re feeling lost, start here. download our free 4-week yōso reflection journal to sit with yourself & figure out what kind of work you truly value start writing:

https://theyosostudio.com/#reflectionjournal

2. join the april workshop live an intentional life (nurture an intentional business) on april 22nd, we are gathering a small group of 8 women to help you lay your first layer of small business bedrock reserve your seat:

https://theyosostudio.com(join live or watch the recording)

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

to hear more, visit yosonotes.substack.com

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay on 11 april 2026, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

your brand is the way you live 🌿

we often think personal branding is about picking the right niche.

but through our journey, i realised:

a brand is just the external expression of your internal values.

if you're lost, or you feel like your skills aren't "enough," it's usually because you're trying to build a business inside a box that doesn't fit you.

in this episode, we'll talk about how you can turn your skills (new & existing) into something that sustains your life, and build a human-first brand around it.

要素 — essential elements only

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

The April Workshop

Live an Intentional Life (Nurture an Intentional Business)

We are gathering a small group of 8 women on April 22nd to help you lay your first layer of small business bedrock: understanding what an intentional life looks like for you.

Reserve your seat: Join here!

(Join live or watch the recording)

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay on 04 april 2026, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

what would you do if you lost your job today? (22-minute guide)

most people don't have a plan. they're one layoff away from scrambling. but it doesn't have to be that way.

in this episode, i'm putting philosophy aside to teach you the practical basics for starting your own business.

whether you just lost your job, you're thinking about leaving, or you're just preparing for the worst. what we'll cover:

* the two paths: freelancing vs. building a brand (and why they overlap)

* why brand matters (apple, taylor swift, and the power of authenticity)

* practical foundation: survival numbers, emergency plan, budgeting

* the 4 signs you're ready to leave your 9-5

* the identity crisis no one talks about (and how to navigate it)

* what success actually looks like (hint: it's not just money)

要素 — essential elements only

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

The April Workshop

Live an Intentional Life (Nurture an Intentional Business)

We are gathering a small group of 8 women on April 22nd to help you lay your first layer of bedrock: understanding what an intentional life looks like for you.

If you’re tired of building on sand and ready to build a business that reflects the life you actually want to live, we’d love to have you in the circle.

Reserve your seat: Join the Workshop

(Join live or watch the recording)

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay on january 2026, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

we finally built a business that works, but it didn’t happen by following traditional rules.

we’ve traded the "24/7 founder" & the "always-on" mentality for an immovable foundation built on intentionality, human rhythm, and a self-sustaining ecosystem.

it’s the reason we can take long walks on wednesday mornings and travel without the fear that everything will fall apart.

in this episode, i’m breaking down the 3 layers of yōso studio.

要素 — essential elements only

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

join our first-ever workshop:

live an intentional life (nurture an intentional business) we are gathering a small group of 8 women on april 22nd to help you lay your first layer of bedrock.

if you’re tired of building on sand and ready to build a business that reflects the life you actually want to live, we’d love to have you in the circle ~ reserve your seat through our website :)

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio

hello, you’re listening to yōso notes. this episode was originally recorded as a visual essay on march 2026, but the essential elements remain the same. thanks for being here.

about 5 months into yōso studio, i’m reflecting on what it truly looks like to leave the 9-to-5.

from our recent 10-day trip to bangkok to the daily struggle of unlearning "stability," this is an unfiltered look at choosing a quiet, intentional life over a traditional one.

building a business is hard, but building your own vision is the ultimate liberation.

要素 — essential elements only

p.s. this podcast is best enjoyed on a long walk or in silence 🍃

stay soulful,

jo from 要素 yōso studio