Finding Joy is a podcast about what it means to truly live.Because too many of us are building lives around who we think we should be instead of who we really are.Hosted by speaker, leadership facilitator, coach, and author Leona deVinne, Finding Joy explores the conversations that help us reconnect with ourselves, find the courage to stop performing, and start living with authenticity, not apology.Through honest conversations, powerful stories, and practical insights grounded in psychology, neuroscience, leadership, and lived experience, Leona explores what helps us live with greater clarity, confidence, courage, and meaning.Some episodes feature ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances. Others unpack ideas around identity, resilience, burnout, confidence, boundaries, leadership, relationships and what it takes to create a life that actually feels like your own.Because joy is not something we chase.It is often what finds us when we finally own who we are.
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Episode #20
Are You Living Intentionally or Just Going Through the Motions?
Sep 30, 202617 min
Most of us are running on autopilot – adult software on childhood algorithms – missing the version of ourselves that's waiting to emerge. In this episode, Leona unpacks the research-backed framework of clarity, confidence, and courage as the essential map to intentional living. You'll discover why creativity and joy require space and ease, and learn how to recognise when you're "hustling for your worth" instead of living in alignment with what truly matters. In this episode, we explore: (00:56) Why intentional living starts with protected, uninterrupted time (02:30) What it means to be "outrageously you" – and why it matters (05:03) How joy feels when you're finally in alignment with your purpose (06:19) When pursuing what matters becomes dread instead of delight (08:18) Why we hustle for our worth and stuff down our feelings (10:22) How space and ease are non-negotiable for creative living (13:26) What you're aching for when you imagine living more intentionally (15:13) Why intentional living is a practice, not a destination The JOY Journey The JOY Journey is an online space for women ready to reconnect, reset, and grow – at your own pace or alongside a supportive community. What you get: 10 emails each month with simple, research-backed tools Guided meditations, journalling prompts, and practical techniques Ongoing support designed to help changes actually stick Access to a dedicated app with all content anytime Community option: Live sessions twice a month (1 hour) Reflect, write, and connect with others on the same path Fridays at 11:30 MT If something in this episode resonated, this is your next step. Get 30% off as a Finding Joy listener: https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page Connect with Finding Joy: Website: https://www.leonadevinne.com and https://devillepartners.com Subscribe for weekly emails: https://ghl.devillepartners.com/widget/form/Dvb9FUenar3xybDTFeww The JOY Journey https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyspot Finding Your Joy Spot Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991707583
Joy Is More Than a Feeling: The Neuroscience of Joy and Why it Matters
Sep 16, 202630 min
Joy Is More Than a Feeling: The Neuroscience of Joy and Why it Matters What if the reason joy can feel so elusive has less to do with your circumstances and more to do with what your brain has learned to notice? In this episode of Finding Joy , Leona talks with neuroscientist and behavioural psychologist Natasha Sheyenne about the neuroscience of joy and how our brain chemistry influences our emotions, relationships and ability to navigate difficult experiences. Natasha explains the four-part neurochemical “symphony” of joy: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins. She explores why the brain naturally pays more attention to threats, how joy can counter this negativity bias and why that matters for emotional regulation and resilience. You’ll also discover how pausing to savour a positive experience for just 15 seconds can begin to strengthen new neural pathways. This research-backed conversation offers a hopeful reminder: joy is not simply something you either have or don’t have. It is a capacity you can intentionally build. In this episode, we explore: What happens in the brain when we experience joy The neurochemicals connected to happiness and social bonding How joy supports emotional regulation and resilience Why the brain tends to focus on threats and negative experiences How neuroplasticity allows us to build new patterns Why savouring a positive experience for a few extra seconds matters The relationship between joy, meaning and resilience Practical ways to strengthen your brain’s capacity for joy Memorable moments “Joy acts as a vital counterweight to negativity bias.” “Joy is more contagious than the flu.” “Savouring joy for just 15 seconds can rewire your brain.” In this episode, we explore: (00:45) What neuroscience actually is and why it changes everything (02:02) The four reasons understanding joy's science matters (03:35) Why joy is more contagious than the flu (07:38) The symphony inside your brain when you feel joy (09:20) The 15-second practice that builds new neural pathways (11:07) How meaning-making unlocks joy even in the darkest moments (14:40) Why joy is one of the most vulnerable emotions we experience (16:44) The "bummer genre" of resilience and its surprising connection to joy (19:52) Micro-wins, oxytocin moments, and how we become agents of joy for others (25:04) Natasha's 2-minute TED Talk: upgrading your brain's operating system Connect with Natasha Sheyenne Visit Natasha’s website Subscribe to her LinkedIn newsletter Listen to the Life Alchemized podcast Connect with Natasha on LinkedIn Follow Natasha on Instagram Watch Natasha on YouTube Natasha’s Books Coming November 2026: The Alchemy of Leadership Even Here There Is a Path: A Mental Health Journey Connect with Finding Joy Subscribe to Leona’s weekly emails Visit Leona deVinne’s website Learn about leadership programs and services at deVille Partners Learn more about The J.O.Y. Journey Follow Leona on Instagram Order Leona’s book, Finding Your Joy Spot CULTIVATE MORE JOY IN YOUR LIFE-Join the JOY Journey The JOY Journey is an online space for people seeking support to find a life that feels like their own—a place for those ready to reconnect, reset, and grow—at their own pace. What you get: 10 emails each month with simple, research-backed tools Guided meditations, journalling prompts, and practical techniques Ongoing support designed to help changes actually stick Access to a dedicated app with all content anytime If something in this episode resonated, this is your next step. Get 30% off as a Finding Joy listener: https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page
<p>Ever notice how the moment you let yourself truly want something, shame shows up like an uninvited guest? What feels like selfish desire might actually be your inner wisdom trying to guide you toward the life you're meant to live.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, Leona explores the "shame slough" – that murky, uncomfortable space between wanting something and actually pursuing it. You'll discover why vulnerability feels so gross, how shame uses the "who do you think you are?" message to keep us small, and the crucial difference between surviving in a straitjacket versus thriving in alignment wi...
Nourishment Over Numbers: Finding Food Freedom in Midlife
May 20, 202630 minS0
<p>Registered dietitian Kristyn Hall reveals why midlife demands we abandon the calorie-counting games of our younger years and embrace a radically different approach to nourishment – one that prioritizes elevation over manipulation.</p><p><br></p><p>In this conversation, Kristyn introduces her two-bucket framework for supporting women through midlife nutrition challenges, from ending "calorie hoarding" to understanding why our bodies need more fuel, not less, during biological transitions. You'll discover why three consistent meals can stop the 3 p.m. craving wars and how to shift from nutritional math to nutritional grace.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we...
Beyond the To-Do List: Discovering What Actually Matters
May 6, 202617 minS0
<p>What if everything racing through your mind right now – your endless to-do list, that low hum of urgency – doesn't actually matter as much as you think? Research shows that our dopamine-driven, checkbox mentality can become as addictive as a slot machine, keeping us productive but rarely fulfilled.</p><p><br></p><p>Arthur Brooks' groundbreaking happiness research reveals three pillars that create genuine meaning: coherence (why life unfolds as it does), purpose (why you're here), and significance (how you want to make a difference). When we shift from survival mode to intentional living, we discover that joy becomes both our...
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