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Joy First: Daily Summaries Delivered
by J.Nichole Smith
Finding joy in survival mode. This bi-weekly show is for high-capacity women who find themselves entering their IDGAF era. We explore what it looks like to find, choose and share joy when life is full, work is loud and you have lost the will (and ability) to keep pretending you have it all together. Expect inspiration, education and practical how-to’s for easily and consistently putting joy first in tiny little ways each day: adding-up to a life and career where instead of 'just getting by' you feel truly expressed, fulfilled and alive.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago32 min
Why I Left Mr. 8 out of 10
At 28 I had two businesses, an engagement ring, and a box of save the dates I could not bring myself to send.My fiancé was a genuinely nice guy. We had a solid 8/10 life: there was no, drama, no red flags, and we were comfortable... which I guess is what made it so hard to explain why I was leaving.Welcome to #2 number in our series on the Top 10 joy first decisions I've made. It's the story of why I called-off an engagement, packed-up and moved from Seattle to a L.A. and wrote a very important list of 200 things. It's also the story of what happened five months later at a wedding in a Bavarian-themed town... where a handsome guy handed me his business card.In this episode:- The question I kept asking myself (and why the answer sits inside the question)- What I discovered about my relationship that made me end it- The list of 200, and the worthiness work that it kicked-off- The hives, the joint pain, and the parts of this decision that were truly brutal- What made me deciding I was willing to be alone forever- How I met the man of my dreams (complete with sexy British accent)Go deeper on Substack: joyfirstworld.substack.comxx -Nic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 3 weeks ago35 min
I was supposed to be a Vet. I became a Pet Photographer instead.
At sixteen I had it all figured out. I was going to be a veterinarian: I'd get to work with animals, I'd make a decent living, and I'd never have to be the broke, starving artist everyone warned me about. Then my boss at the vet clinic looked at some photographs I'd taken at the clinic and asked me one question that blew the whole plan out of the water.This is the first in a 10-part series where I walk back through the biggest joy first decisions of my life, the ones that felt a little (or a lot) reckless at the time, and look at how they actually turned out. This one is about choosing passion and creativity over the responsible plan, dropping out of art school the same day I brought home a Great Dane puppy, and building a career in a risky field that didn't really exist yet.In this episode:- Why the "starving artist" fear runs so much deeper than money- The moment I realized what I wanted and what I'd planned were two different things- How a tiny, tightly niched photography business taught me everything about branding- The joy lesson under it all: joy is not an indulgence, it's informationCome and go deeper on Substack at Joy First World, https://joyfirstworld.substack.com/ and take the Joy First Audit to find your current joy pulse... and maybe get a nudge in the next right direction for more joy in your life.And if this one lands, for you I'd love a review. Help us help new listeners find us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jun 24, 202620 min
A Real Life Joy First Day
Today was too hot to work. Schools shut, there were heat warnings and travel bans in London, and my garden office turned into a sauna. So instead of the day I had planned, I let the day become something else, and somewhere between a slow coffee with my father-in-law, a grocery shop where my brain refused to cooperate, a garden picnic, and water fight with the kids, and a barefoot evening watering the plants, I realised the whole day had been one big joy first experiment.This one is recorded late, off the cuff, and a bit un-edited (you get to see exactly how last-minute this show sometimes is). But showing you all of it felt like the honest thing and very in the spirit of what this season is all about: what joy actually looks like in the messy middle. Not the pretty, pre-planned, beautifully spacious version we put on a pedestal.In this episode:Why joy first living is a series of small choices (not one grand cinematic gesture)The "judgey clipboard lady" in your head, and what changes when she takes the day offWhy entrepreneurs never seem to get the free passes everyone else does How to keep a commitment without letting time-scarcity turn you into a jerkIntegrating joy into the chores and the to-do list, rather than treating it as separateTake the Joy FIrst Audit Substack: https://joyfirstworld.substack.com/t/joy-first-auditIf this show gives you something, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more people find it. And come and find me on YouTube, where these episodes go up as videos too: https://www.youtube.com/@JoyFirstWorld/videos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jun 10, 202642 min
What Would Be Easy?
The first joy experiment: why ease is a better engine than discipline, and how to choose it.I wanted a cut flower garden for three years and did absolutely nothing about it, until I asked myself the question I've been putting to my clients for over a decade: what would be easy? ( £80 and 2 pre-treated wood 'build-your-own' kits later, I had one.)This is the first of the Season 4 joy experiments, and it's a big one: choosing ease and joy on purpose, and why that's a better engine than discipline.In this episode:• The two questions that change the energy you bring to just about everything, and why that energy is so important.• The dog-training science behind my dislike of the word discipline, drawn from years working with Victoria Stilwell• The honest caveat about joy vs comfort• Why frameworks make better scaffolding than gospel, and the human design insight (with Jazze Jervis) that reorganised how I work• Real "what would be easy" decisions, from the flat-pack flower beds to where values complicate convenienceLINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/FZgvz4V7VfsHow and why I ditched discipline: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZMyoCCsyN-/Forbes article | Comfort & Joy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nelldebevoise/2026/06/09/comfort-and-joy-are-not-what-you-think/Find your colour personality type (the quiz): https://go.jnicholesmith.com/quizGo deeper with us on Substack @joyfirstworld: https://joyfirstworld.substack.comFree Summer Alignment Sessions on alignment: https://go.joyfirstworld.com/summerOur Joy First Founders' Circle community: https://go.joyfirstworld.com/jffcJazze's free 'Find your Human Design' tool: https://www.jazzejervis.com.au/generate-your-chart-nic If this resonated, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more people find their way to a bit more joy.With love, xx Nic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 27, 202616 min
Colour is Free, Instant, and Everywhere. So Why Aren't We Using It?
I have spent my career using colour as a precision instrument...For brands, for commercial photography, for building the kind of visual identity that makes people trust and buy. But somewhere along the way, I forgot to use it for myself.This is the first of our joy experiment episodes dedicated to colour, and it is a bit of a confession. Because even as a colour psychology expert, I got so caught up in life lifing, that I stopped consistently putting colour to work as an intentional joy practice on the day-to-day... Something I purposefully set out to rectify this year.In this episode I walk you through how that is changing: from the rainbow placemats pulled out of a cupboard, to the home renovation I have been putting off for five years, to getting my own colours done properly and discovering I am a Seaside even though my entire personality is Fireside. And the moment I realized doing in-person colour analysis for others, in Lancashire, is one of the most joyful things I have added back into my work.What we cover:— Why colour is one of the most underused joy tools we have (even though it is free and accessible right now)— The specific ways I am using colour for joy this year— The fear that stops most of us being brave with colour in our homes, and what I think it is really about— What happened when a colour expert finally got her own colours done— Why I started offering in-person colour consultations in Lancashire — What colour harmony actually feels like when you find it for yourselfIf you want to find your own colour and personality type, take the quiz: https://go.jnicholesmith.com/quizAnd if you want to go deeper with your personal colours, including the AI tool I built to help you bridge what looks good on you with what you actually love, that is inside the Joy First Substack at https://joyfirstworld.substack.com/ - Available to founding members. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 13, 202613 min
The Unglamorous Truth About Joy
What if the most ordinary moment in your week turned out to be a joy ritual in disguise?In this episode, I'm sharing what I've been learning as I move deeper into my own 'Joy First experiments', and why the most surprising discoveries have had almost nothing to do with that big 'jump up and down' version of joy.Today we're talking about the science behind visual progress loops and how your mundane chores can genuinely light up your brain. We revisit the 10 Joy Codes and look at how a single ordinary activity can stack multiple codes at once. And I want to challenge the version of joy that most of us have been sold: the everything-is-amazing version that, if we're honest, isn't most of life.Sometimes joy is just medicine. Sometimes it's the thing that keeps you going, not the thing that goes in your feed.Key moments:• The neuroscience of why my most hated chore has become a major joy ritual for me because it feels so good• Why I started doubling down on when anxiety was at its peak• How the Joy Codes show up inside the smallest, most mundane activities• Why this season of the podcast is shifting toward real-time joy experiments, in the messy middle, with all the imperfections intactThe Joy Codes Episode: https://joyfirstworld.com/blogs/joy-first-podcast/finding-your-joy-codesTake the Joy First Audit: https://joyfirstworld.substack.com/t/joy-first-auditDiscover your Colour type: https://go.jnicholesmith.com/quizThe best glitter pens: https://calmoverchaos.co.uk/products/constellation-glitter-pensArm Knitting in Lancashire: https://chunkyarmknit.com/Painting Workshops UK: https://www.brushandtipple.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Apr 29, 202636 min
The Purpose Audit
Have you ever hit a milestone you'd been working towards for years, only to sit in the silence afterwards and think, is this it?This is the finale episode of the Joy First Audit series: where we've been exploring the 6 categories of the Joy First audit, and today we're onto Category 6: Purpose. Meaning, growth, impact, & legacy.The thread that holds everything else together.In this episode I share my own pattern of "what now, what next" moments (which, as it turns out, have arrived almost like clockwork every four years) and explore why these moments aren't a sign you've lost your way. They're often a sign you've outgrown the version of yourself that built the thing you've already built.In this episode:Why the "what now" moment is almost always an important milestoneThe Harvard Study finding that proves the power of purpose for living long, healthy lifeWhat dog ownership and ikigai have in common (and what it tells us about how even the small stuff counts)Why most entrepreneurs start with fear-fuelled drive and eventually have to reckon with something else entirelyThe pain or pleasure question that unlocks more Whyfinding® sessions than any otherWhether you scored 15/15 or felt every question land in a tender place, this episode is an invitation to start noticing what you're already chasing when it comes to being in service, and finding meaning in your life, business and storytelling.Get access to the audit on our substack: https://substack.com/@joyfirstworldUnlock the full AI-guided version with a paid subscription.Learn more about Whyfinding® sessions: https://go.joyfirstworld.com/brandingAccess the Whyfinding® co-pilot with Citrus: https://go.joyfirstworld.com/citrus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Apr 15, 202646 min
The Environment Audit
No matter what colours you choose, your environment is not neutral.The colours on your walls, the quality of your light, whether your bedroom feels like a sanctuary or a storage unit, these things are doing something to you, all the time. This episode, we're exploring Category 5 of the Joy First Audit: Environment.I scored reasonably high on this one (as I guess you'd probably expect) but then.... we found a leak in our downstairs closet, so all the floors have come up, and we've been living with industrial-sized dehumidifiers and fans running at full volume for weeks. We've just been told they will have to remain another two weeks. Once again, perfect timing to be having this conversation.In this episode, I'm exploring what happens to your sense of self when your environment is in chaos, some quick fixes to create more of the feelings you want in your spaces, and why 'aesthetic' isn't just superficial.KEY TAKEAWAYS• The five environmental factors that most consistently affect mood and nervous system regulation (according to research)• Why the colour of your walls, your light quality, and even the clutter level in your space matter more than we give them credit for• The 'What should I pick' dilemma, and the one question to answer first to get what you want in the spaces you get to choose• What the Joy First Audit's 'Environment' category is really asking, and how to use your score as a starting point for adding more joy to your spacesTAKE THE AUDITTake the full Joy First Audit on Substack: https://joyfirstworld.substack.com/p/the-joy-first-auditEXPLORE MORE:Take the Colour Personality Quiz: https://go.jnicholesmith.com/quizLearn about Colour Joy (free when you become a founding member on Substack): https://joyfirstworld.substack.com/p/getting-started-with-colour-joy-1CTAIf this episode resonated, please share it with someone who you know will love it too 🧡 This is how together, we'll spark the #joyfirstrevolution Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
About Joy First
Finding joy in survival mode. This bi-weekly show is for high-capacity women who find themselves entering their IDGAF era. We explore what it looks like to find, choose and share joy when life is full, work is loud and you have lost the will (and ability) to keep pretending you have it all together. Expect inspiration, education and practical how-to’s for easily and consistently putting joy first in tiny little ways each day: adding-up to a life and career where instead of 'just getting by' you feel truly expressed, fulfilled and alive.
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