The Joy Junkie Show

DOWNLOAD EPISODE TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR FREE WORKSHEETS FOR THE ENTIRE EMPOWERMENT SERIES! You’re in your forties, fifties, or beyond and you look around and wonder, where the hell are my besties? Maybe you had awesome connections in college but now everyone’s in a different place… maybe you started working on yourself and getting into personal development and they’re still acting like they’re still in college. Or maybe you had kids and they didn’t. Or vice versa. Or maybe you have a friend or two who you grew up with, but you have become radically different people, and often you wonder if you should still be friends. But you’ve been friends forever though… I completely hear you. When we’re young we have school and academia as an organic medium to meet new friends. But what happens if you don’t connect deeply with the folks you work with at this stage of life? Or what if you work in a business of one? What if you have young kids and are so enveloped by their worlds that you haven’t

DOWNLOAD EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR FREE WORKSHEETS FOR THE ENTIRE EMPOWERMENT SERIES! If you’ve hung out with me for any length of time, you’ll know that I am often encouraging folks to stop identifying with monikers that feel disempowering. For instance, if you want to get more shit done, you probably should stop calling yourself lazy. Or if you want to knock it off with the people-pleasing already, it’s time to stop saying, “I’m such a people-pleaser”. When we start statements with “I am…” or “I’m so…” we inadvertently cement the very characteristics we want to distance ourselves from.  The concept of our “identity” is something that fluctuates throughout our lifetime and it’s no doubt you’ve dealt with changes to your life roles. You have a baby, now you have a new role as parent. You start a business and now your role changes from employee to business owner. And just like any other change in our life, changes to our roles usher in a slew of emotions to reckon with. 

DOWNLOAD EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR FREE WORKSHEETS FOR THE ENTIRE EMPOWERMENT SERIES! Ever see super confident people and wonder how-the-hell they became so sure of themselves? Ever wonder if they were just born that way or if someone taught them or if some life experience shaped them into that person who oozes confidence and self-assuredness? However they came to that state, you could sooo get in on that action, amiright? In this episode, I dig into 6 super easy ways to build confidence immediately. You don’t have to read an entire book or become a totally self-help guru to learn how to place value on yourself… and it also doesn’t have to take decades. The tools presented in this episode will help you nail down what might be in the way of your self-confidence, identify what will kick your ass into gear, and snag some serious self-confidence in no time flat. This pod explores: The confidence ‘fallacy’ many people buy into and the *real* truth about cultivating confidence My

DOWNLOAD EPISODE TRANSCRIPT     CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR FREE WORKSHEETS FOR THE ENTIRE EMPOWERMENT SERIES! You land your perfect job. And then your inner voice tells you that you are horribly unqualified and everyone is going to find you out. You enter a super healthy relationship with an awesome partner. And then your inner voice tells you how damaged you are, why you aren’t good enough, and why it’s all going to come crashing down in a blazing inferno. You finally finish that graduate degree. And then your inner voice tells you how you were the slowest in the class, probably won’t get hired, and should probably just try to get your old job back. Sound familiar? If so, you are likely battling a lovely little issue we (in the personal growth world) like to call The Imposter Complex. The idea that, in spite of your success or accomplishment, you are somehow not good enough, a total fraud, and have fooled everyone who will surely soon find you out. In this week’s episode, I answer

DOWNLOAD EPISODE TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR FREE WORKSHEETS FOR THE ENTIRE EMPOWERMENT SERIES! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have undoubtedly heard the notion of “setting boundaries”, but have you ever wondered exactly what that means? Or maybe you drummed up the nerve to tell someone (like, your mom, boss, or bestie) how you really felt about something only to be blatantly ignored? (Or worse… not even taken seriously.) How do you actually go about establishing boundaries that are clear, respected, and adhered to? It’s hard enough to broach a challenging topic with someone, let alone follow through on your boundary. Here’s the deal… if you’ve been constantly bitchin’ and moanin’ about something, and you’ve been super vocal about it to everyone, except the person who really needs to know you’re (ah-hem) “upset”, then it’s probably time to have a tough convo. In this week’s episode, I share my three-step process to establish boundaries in a way in which you can be h

DOWNLOAD EPISODE TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR FREE WORKSHEETS FOR THE ENTIRE EMPOWERMENT SERIES! Many of us grow up hearing that we “shouldn’t rock the boat”, “open a can of worms”, and that we should simply “sweep it under the rug”. In my not-so-humble opinion, these are all idioms for “shut the eff up and suffer in silence”. These are seemingly noble encouragements for us to keep putting everyone else in front of ourselves and keep people-pleasing our pretty little asses off. Unfortunately, when we chronically stifle our voice, we are sending a subconscious message to our mind that we simply don’t matter as much as everyone else. Taking care of the other person’s emotions is FAR MORE important than your own. So no wonder you’ve been struggling with self-worth! Here’s where it can get complicated: If you consider yourself someone who has a strong core value around honesty, integrity, or authenticity, yet you constantly shape-shift in order to please others, you aren’t really honoring yo

One. More. Thing. One more thing and you may just lose your god-damned mind. If one more person asks something of you… If one more task gets added to your to-do list… You may just Lose. Your. Shit. We’ve all been in this crazy-ass-stressed-the-fuck-out place where we become, uh-hem, a little less than the best version of ourselves. We scream at our kids when they need something minimal. We lash out at our spouse, or friend, or co-worker when they are just trying to help. In essence, we become somewhat addicted to being super stressed out and overwhelmed.  Here’s the unique thing about navigating modern stressors… When our primitive ancestors were dealing with some kind of threat, let’s say a lion, they would have a sharp spike of stress, handle the stressful situation (escape the lion) and then easily be able to access a calm, tranquil space. Essentially, they were able to complete the entire stress response cycle. But now we are in many stressful situations that simply don’t stop. #rememberCovid Whether it b

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You have “this friend”… and perhaps this is someone you’ve known forever, maybe you saw each other through some tough times, but at this particular place in your life, this friendship has been feeling strained, frustrating, and sometimes downright toxic. But you guilt yourself saying, “Well, we’ve been friends since college” or “Am I a dick if I don’t want to be there for her anymore?” If that sounds at all familiar, you are in the same boat that many people find themselves in when they reach their 30s and 40s and beyond. You’ve grown as a person, your life has changed, and your priorities have shifted. But, you still feel tethered to this historical relationship that feels more like it’s robbing you dry than adding to your fulfillment. A listener of the show wrote to the pod asking how to actually let go of one of these friendships. I mean, how do you go about breaking up with a friend? Is there an approach? How do you know if you’re being a big ‘ol meanie? If you’ve been pul

Every single year, over 1 million women question leaving their marriage. And nearly 70 percent of all divorces are initiated by women. And it’s no wonder – Marriage makes men’s lives exponentially easier while it makes women’s lives drastically harder. It is clear that ‘traditional’ marriage dynamics are no longer tenable for American women.  Years ago, I remember having a chat with a friend where she was lamenting that she should be grateful her husband wasn’t cavorting around, cheating on her, abusing substances, or screaming obscenities at her. I clearly remember her saying, “Wow, the bar is set pretty damn low.” Seriously. Not being abused should be a given, not something to be celebrated.  In my near two decades of coaching, I have found myriad women frustrated, overwhelmed, and downright furious about the inequity in their marriage. Whilst doing all the domestic labor, holding down impressive careers, and digging deep into therapy and personal development, these women often find themselves lonely, heart

At the start of every year, it’s likely you get pumped up and excited to make some serious change. You decide on a handful of things that you are GOING to conquer this year, god-damn-it! But what actually makes those goals a reality?  Throughout my 15+ years in this work, I have found that noble intentions have very little to do with bringing goals to fruition. Good ol’ fashioned gumption and desire are not enough to make your dreams come true. [sad trombone] In fact, a recent Inc.com article indicated that only 8% of people actually accomplish their goals. WHOA!! 8%!? Well, fuck.  But, wait.  Never fear, Babycakes, because this episode targets seven ways people tend to sabotage their own goals (without even realizing it) and how you can set yourself up to slaaaaay all your goals. It’s not rocket science, but if you employ some of these easy tactics, you will kill all your 2024 goals! Yes, please!  This pod explores: My favorite tool to use to ensure you are tackling this goal for YOU (instead of mom/fam/bos

If you’re like most people, you have an overwhelming sense of excitement and ambition come the new year. Also like most people, perhaps you hit Jan with a fire under your ass, but when Feb rolls around you have slowly begun to lose steam, fervor, and action. Also, 2023 kicked many of our asses, so there’s that to contend with. Many people (and maybe YOU) enter the New Year with many plans and intentions, but somehow end up a bit off track sooner than later. In this episode, I address the biggest obstacles people unknowingly establish for themselves when crafting New Year’s goals and “resolutions”. Yep, you read that right… many people actually make their job a shit-ton harder by not setting themselves up for success to begin with. I also share my personal planning tool I use every single year to ensure I establish solid goals in aaaaall areas of my life (not just health and money… but, yes, those too). Be sure to grab your free planning guide so you can plan and organize a seriously epic 2024 by figur

Hello, beauties!! I'm taking a bit of time off for the holidays and wanted to be sure to loop you in! I'll be out of the "pod office" until the new year, so stay tuned for my annual New Year Planning epidsode that will air at the beginning of Jan. #yesplease Hope you have a gorgeous holiday and if you would like some freebies to tide you over, please scoot over to amygreensmith.com/free for a bunch of awesome loot! Thank you so much for your support of the show and I can't wait to connect with you all again! Huge love, a

You get super jelly that your partner gets to have extra time off work, so you say (in a snarky-ass tone), “Wow. Must be nice to have so much free time”. Or maybe a work group you’re a part of is trying to decide how to handle a specific project and instead of voicing your true thoughts you say, “We can certainly do it your way” and mutter under you breath, “And good fucking luck with that.”  What we have here, folks, are two examples of the Passive-Aggressive Communication Style. Everyone’s fav. But, even though we find it infuriating, many of us do it ourselves aaaaaall the time. If you weren’t properly taught how to advocate for your own wants, needs, and opinions [spoiler: none of us were], it’s likely that you find yourself falling into one of the less-than-effective communication styles. Research has shown that there are four main communication styles: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive (#guilty), and assertive. Fifty points if you can figure out which one is most effective. Yup, Assertive. But, if

Someone does something that really bothers you, but you’d rather pull your own teeth out than have a confrontation… so you just stay quiet. Or maybe your family is so damn aggressive that you find it easier to hide in the shadows instead of “rocking the boat”.  If you weren’t properly taught how to advocate for your own wants, needs, and opinions [spoiler: none of us were], it’s likely that you find yourself falling into one of the less-than-effective communication styles. Research has shown that there are four main communication styles: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive (a fan fave), and assertive. Twenty points if you can figure out which one is most effective. Yup, Assertive. But, if you’re like most, you probably dip your toes in a bit of the other three. And, you certainly are not alone. In this episode, part one of two, I take a deep dive into the Passive and the Aggressive communication styles. I cover off what they typically sound like, what their go-to tactics are, what to do if you communicate

Ever wonder why having difficult conversations causes soooo much anxiety, often leaving you tongue-tied, frustrated with how you’re getting your point across, and down-right bummed-the-fuck-out? It can be super stressful to approach a sticky topic with someone in your life, especially if you are anticipating a less than enthusiastic response. Believe it or not, there are actually a handful of things you can do to totally shift in your approach in order to get your message across in a MUCH more effective way. You know, without throwing your partner’s shoes at them. This episode targets 8 steps you can easily employ to feel much more powerful when you tell your mother-in-law to stop trying to parent your kids. Or whatever other challenging topic you need to address. You’ll learn the most effective way to communicate your needs (and in turn get what you want) without feeling like a big ol’ asshole. This pod explores: What you need to do BEFORE you have a tough conversation in order to set yourself up for succes

Ever feel like you’re expressing yourself like a #boss and the other person is like, “Why are you yelling? Please don’t scream at me.” And then you’re all, “Whaaaa?! I’M NOT SCREAMING!” Or have you ever addressed something with your partner/bestie/co-worker and they told you your tone was a bit harsh? Um. Yeah. Me too. Recently, a listener reached out to the show and asked how she could better control her voice when talking about serious issues with her husband. Often we think we are being crystal-fucking-clear about WHAT we are saying to another person, but in the passion of our emotions, we often lose sight of HOW we are expressing our thoughts. In this episode, I spill nine, super-easy-to-implement communication hacks you can use to control your tone, not lose your ever-lovin’ mind, and communicate in a way that gets your point across and your needs met. Boom. Just like that. This pod explores: My favorite body-related, go-to tactic to use in the middle of a heated conversation How to develop a “code word

You know *that thing* when you get totally caught off guard by a request and don’t know how to say “No”, so you say, “Um, yeah, sure. Totally”? Or how ‘bout this one: You know you need to address something with your bestie by you keep thinking, “Am I overreacting? Am I being dramatic? I feel like I should say something, but I’m so nervous!” Or maybe your boss walks into your office and asks for another report to be completed and instead of saying “I don’t think I can add one more thing to my plate”, you just verbally list out a litany of things that you have to accomplish, hoping that she’ll magically get your drift. Real talk. No one teaches us how to articulate our thoughts, feelings, needs, and opinions in an effective manner. We stumble around thinking we can’t ever let anyone down and god forbid we actually say “No”! So we learn to “sweep things under the rug” and tell ourselves that it’s not that serious until we erupt like a god-damned volcano.  If you’re sick of this rat race, but still don’t know #WT

Um. I guess I kinda lied. BUT I DIDN'T MEAN TO!

Taking a quick break from the show to catch up on a few things. Be sure to grab your freebies! "See" you next week!

One of the most amazing things about our current social climate is the influx of personal growth concepts and ideas. Although it’s been beautiful to see the self-help space blossom and expand, there are certainly some ways in which these concepts can stir up problems and sticking points. For instance… Ever have a situation where you’re all pumped up to speak up for yourself and the other person does NOT react well? Or have you ever heard a new podcast or read a book and your first thought was that you HAVE TO tell your sister about it because Lawd, knows she needs it… and you completely forget to look at the application to YOUR life? Or maybe you’ve fallen into a hoarding pattern… where you collect program after program or book after book and you don’t actually implement what you’re learning. Or maybe they simply collect dust on your bookshelf or hard drive. If any of those examples rings a bell, you’ll #def want to catch this episode. I share 6 ways self-help can go wrong and what you can do about it. And, t