In this episode, we kick off the new year by slowing down on purpose.
This episode is all about our new January Joy initiative we’ll be talking about all month as part of our Joyful Growth Club. Join at:
https://www.joyfulgrowthclub.substack.com/
Rather than jumping straight back into optimization, output, and “doing it right,” we talk about what it actually means to grow with joy—and why joy isn’t the opposite of ambition, discipline, or sustainability. It’s often the prerequisite for all three.
We explore the idea that a rich creative life isn’t just about happiness or meaning, but also psychological richness: the kind that comes from doing hard, stretching, sometimes uncomfortable things that still move us forward. That tension between ease and challenge, rest and momentum runs through the entire conversation.
From there, we dig into practical realities creators are quietly wrestling with:
Why ads can feel exposing (and how to approach them without betraying your nervous system),
How audience growth can become destabilizing if it isn’t tethered to boundaries,
And why “return on energy investment” matters just as much as return on money.
We talk candidly about burnout, visibility, paid work, boundaries, and the invisible labor of holding space for other people—especially online. We unpack why sustainability isn’t about forcing the thing you love to carry everything, and how building systems that support you creates room for rest, depth, and long-term creative freedom.
This episode also introduces Joyful Growth Club, our shared January-long experiment in community, collaboration, and conscious growth—daily posts, live conversations, challenges, and a final masterclass designed to help creators find momentum without self-erasure.
If you’ve ever felt torn between wanting more and wanting peace, worried that slowing down meant giving up or whether joy can coexist with real growth…
This conversation is for you.
Here are 5 actionable takeaways you can take away from this one:
Audit your return on energy, not just results. For the next week, notice which activities give you energy back (ideas, clarity, momentum) and which quietly drain you, even if they “work.” Start shifting time toward the former.
Choose one boundary to enforce this month. Pick a single boundary and make it explicit. Boundaries aren’t about controlling others; they’re about protecting your capacity to keep showing up.
Stop forcing the thing you love to carry everything. Identify one way your creative work could be buttressed, repurposed, systematized, or supported, so it doesn’t have to perform nonstop to justify its existence.
Design growth that fits your nervous system. If a tactic makes you freeze, avoid, or spiral, don’t push harder. Break it into lower-stakes steps (e.g., awareness before conversion, presence before pressure) until it feels workable.
Reconnect with the people who are already there.
Instead of chasing numbers, spend time learning who your current audience, their names, patterns, and reasons they stay. Depth builds stability faster than scale.
