The Lulu Essey Podcast
Welcome to The Lulu Essey Podcast — a raw, unedited space for honest conversations about building a life that feels deeply aligned with who you truly are.
Here we explore the full spectrum of well-being: mental fitness, emotional resilience, authentic confidence, and the courage to create a life on your own terms. Through lived experience and evidence-informed approaches, you'll discover that transformation is truly an inside job.
Each episode offers practical tools and tiny, consistent steps for navigating anxiety, uncertainty, and life's challenges. You'll learn how to build confidence from within, find calm in chaos, and deepen connection with yourself and others — one small, powerful action at a time.
Come as you are — no judgment, no quick fixes. Because creating a meaningful life isn't about perfection; it's about progress with self-compassion, acceptance, and the willingness to embrace both light and shadow on your journey.
The Lulu Essey Podcast
Joy Thievery: How to Steal Back Your Happy | Summer Superfood Series Pt. 2
Feeling burnt out, joyless, or stuck in the productivity loop? In this bite-sized episode, discover how to reclaim your joy—without quitting your job, escaping to Bali, or fixing everything in your life.
Welcome to Joy Thievery: the second instalment of the Summer Superfood Series, where we expose the four hidden thieves stealing your happiness—and teach you how to steal it back.
Meet the joy thieves: your productivity-obsessed brain, The Comparison Cartel operating through social media, The Guilt Gang convincing you happiness is selfish, and The Perfectionist Mob that confiscates joy unless everything's flawless.
They've convinced you that joy must be earned through perfect circumstances. But here's the truth: Joy isn't the reward for getting your life perfect—it's what makes an imperfect life worth living.
This week's superfood? Joy Reclamation—the art of stealing back what was always yours.
Learn how to reclaim joy—even when you're overwhelmed, stressed, or stuck in comparison.
🎯 What You’ll Learn in This Episode (About Joy, Comparison & the Perfection Trap)
✨ The 4 joy thieves sabotaging your happiness (and how to identify them)
✨ Why joy and stress can coexist—you don't need to fix everything to feel good
✨ The micro-joy heist technique—finding goldmines in ordinary moments
✨ Memory bank robbery—actively stealing joy from your past experiences
✨ Future joy heists—small things to anticipate that bring happiness today
✨ The gratitude heist—feeling goodness instead of just thinking it
✨ Joy vs. happiness—understanding the crucial difference
💎 Quotes That Hit Different
"Joy isn't denial—it's defiance. It's your soul saying 'Despite everything that's hard, I still choose to find beauty here.'"
"Joy is like a muscle—use it or lose it."
"Your joy isn't missing—it's just buried under should-dos, have-tos, and the exhausting belief that joy must be earned."
⏰ Chapters
00:00 — What is Joy Thievery? Why You Might Be Missing Joy (and Not Know It)
02:30 — Meet the Joy Thieves: Productivity, Comparison, Guilt & Perfectionism
06:55 — Redefining Joy: It’s Not What You Think
08:22 — The Joy Heist Toolkit: 4 Tiny Techniques to Steal It Back
12:13 — The Joy Thief Manifesto + Your One Assignment This Week
✨Your Joy Thief Assignment Become a serial joy thief this week. Steal one moment of delight daily—not for social media, just for your heart.
Share this episode with someone who needs to feel joy again. And if it landed with you—consider rating or reviewing the podcast. It helps others find these episodes too.
#MentalFitness #JoyReclamation #TinyTools #SelfLeadership #SummerSuperfoodSeries #PodcastForWomen #PersonalGrowth
Next week's superfood? Your Body's Secret Superpowers—time to start listening.
Until next time, Beautiful Souls...
Stay connected and keep growing with me:
✨ Instagram: @lulu.essey – Join the conversation and get daily insights!
✨ YouTube: Lulu Essey – Watch exclusive content, deep dives, and video podcasts. Need a quick boost? Check out my YouTube Shorts—powerful insights in under a minute!
✨ Website: luluessey.com
✨ Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap– Download my free guide
💛 If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube and please SHARE this episode!
THANK YOU for being here. Sending you grace and love!