Welcome to ✨The Joy Club Way✨
Playful experiments for midlife women ready to feel more free, more alive, and fully at home in their own lives.
The Goal: For us to experience at least 15% more enjoyment in our current lives, without optimizing anything, just through the practices of curiosity, playful experimentation, listening to what is true for us, and deeper connection.
It is far too easy to let the days slip by and get stuck in old routines. Then, the moment we try to adopt a new habit, life tends to get in the way.
Resistance—an obstacle or an opposing force —shows up every time.
In the War of Art, Steven Pressfield starts out by saying that every time we start on some new endeavor—pursuing a calling, addressing a health concern, starting a new program or course of study, entering a new relationship, having kids, experiencing an empty nest, retirement, or engaging in deepened spiritual growth—we will face Resistance.
[Resistance] is a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work (War of Art, p. 7)
He is absolutely correct
In my work life, I’m a research psychologist who studies belief and behavior change. In my personal life, I am a progressive, contemplative Christian, having arrived here through various deep and dramatic spiritual journeys. Both paths have shown me that transformation/growth is often opposed by some negative force.
So how does transformation happen? In community. With support. And with an attitude of play and acceptance.
This is not a platitude. I could go into the research (and I probably will, in a future post) about how development is advanced through play much faster than through “trying” and sustained through a supportive community.
We aren’t meant to do life on our own. We “get to carry each other,” as Bono earnestly pleads in his song, One.
I have felt a deep desire to start this community for quite a few years now, and I am so thrilled that I have had the courage and support to launch it. And yes, it took a supportive community to light the fire under me to get this birthed into the world. Now I want to do the same for you and your dreams.
The easiest place to begin is by subscribing to ✨The Joy Club Way Newsletter✨
I post weekly “kindling” for your inner fire—short insights and playful practices—to help us have more fun, be more free, and feel more fully alive right here, where we are now.
Though I target much of my content toward women, all are welcome here. You can choose to follow or subscribe (both are free), but the subscription will allow me to send you more fun content directly to your email, so you don’t miss a thing.
Going Deeper
The Joy Club Playground. I’m building a close-knit community to explore the ideas shared in the newsletter. It will be a playful playground, limited to 30 women and is best for those wanting to test new thought patterns and creative living practices in a safe space. It will first of all be FUN. We will have live sessions, a connected Whats App community, live experiments, and much more. In order to form a close-knit community, spaces in the Lab will only open up a few times a year, and there will be an application to make sure it is a good fit for you. If interested in getting on the waiting list, Email me or book a time to chat with me here.
1:1 Deep Dive Sessions. This is a very limited offering for those who want more personalized support in experimenting with the three anchors and personalizing them to your unique life circumstances and desires. It will require a three month commitment and is best for those embarking on a specific creative, spiritual, relationship, or health endeavor where they are facing a lot of Resistance right now. If interested in learning more, book a time to chat with me here
How Does it Work?
✨The Joy Club Way✨ is organized around three anchors: Mind, Heart, and Body.
Mind This is the anchor where we get curious about our behavior and thought patterns, for understanding why we do what you do, and discovering we can change—naturally, growing into our fullest selves, with compassion, clarity, and a sense of adventure.
In this anchor, we explore deeper self-knowing, experiment with changing old thought patterns, and get unstuck from ways of thinking that no longer serve us. The goal here is increased freedom and deeper enjoyment of life.
Heart This is the anchor for deep connection with ourselves and others. In this space, we get to explore the full range of our emotional experiences as we connect more deeply with ourselves, others, and the wider universe.
In this space, we are reminded that we are not alone, nor are we too much. We belong to each other.
Body This is the anchor for embodied joy and living out our transformation in daily life.
This anchor includes small, joyful experiments in creative living, as well as practices that increase our resilience and health so that we have the energy to live out our purpose in the world.
The Goal
Whatever path we are exploring, our goal together will be to ensure that our actions taken here are:
- Aligned with our wants, not our “shoulds”
- Playful experiments, not a to-do list of tasks
- Undertaken with enjoyment and not performatively
There’s no need to “check the box” at the ✨Joy Club Way✨ There’s no one here to please. If this space is not fun or making your life at least 15% better and more enjoyable, than it is not worth your precious and beautiful time.
I am creating it because I believe it is worth your time. It’s worth mine. (And I’m really good at making personal transformation fun).
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? —Mary Oliver
I hope you will join the party!