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JOY Unfiltered: Joy is the strategy
Joy Unfiltered is the podcast where joy gets real, grounded, and useful.
Hosted by Rachel Bents, author of Joy Is the Strategy, this show explores joy not as a reward you earn, but as a practical strategy for living, leading, and feeling better in real life.
Each week, you’ll hear honest conversations, solo reflections, and guest episodes that unpack how joy impacts leadership, wellbeing, resilience, mindset, and connection without bypassing hard things or pretending life is perfect.
This podcast is also the heartbeat of two growing movements:
📘 Joy Is the Strategy (the book)
A deeper exploration of how joy works, why it matters, and how choosing it can change your life and leadership.
✨ The Joy Project
A global, joy-first community built on connection, conversation, and collective momentum.
If you’re tired of hustle culture, burned out on forced positivity, or curious what changes when joy becomes the way forward, you’re in the right place.
Joy isn’t the reward.
It’s the strategy.
JOY Unfiltered: Joy is the strategy
From Fear to Flow: Chris Vabre on Art, Color, and Creative Confidence
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In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with artist, designer, and watercolor coach Chris Vabre for a heartfelt conversation about creativity, fear, inspiration, and the healing power of art. Chris shares her journey from a creative childhood to working in retail and fashion, and how she eventually found her way back to her artistic voice through watercolor.
Together, they explore why so many people believe they are “not creative,” how to reduce the friction that keeps us from creating, and why inspiration is often rooted in joy, memory, and action. Chris also shares practical beginner tips for getting started with watercolor, how color connects to emotion, and why creative expression matters more than doing it “right.”
This episode is an invitation to stop waiting, release perfectionism, and reconnect with the part of you that simply wants to make something beautiful.
Full show notes
What if creativity isn’t something reserved for “real artists,” but something every human being already has?
In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel welcomes artist, designer, and watercolor coach Chris Vabre for a rich conversation about creativity, confidence, color, and self-expression. Chris shares how she returned to her creative roots after years in more traditional careers, and how watercolor became both a healing practice and a way to help others reconnect with themselves.
They talk about the fears that keep people from creating, the limiting beliefs many of us carry from childhood, and the powerful connection between inspiration and joy. Chris explains how creativity can calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and help us process emotion — and she offers simple, practical ways for beginners to get started without pressure.
Whether you see yourself as artistic or not, this conversation will encourage you to notice what lights you up, trust your inner spark, and take one small step toward creating again.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Chris’s journey from creative child to artist and watercolor coach
- Why so many adults believe they “aren’t creative”
- How fear, shame, and limiting beliefs block self-expression
- The connection between inspiration, memory, and joy
- Why reducing friction makes it easier to create
- How watercolor became a calming, grounding practice for Chris
- The emotional and personal meaning behind color
- Beginner-friendly watercolor supplies to start with
- How to reclaim your creative power without needing perfection
Connect with Chris Vabre:
Website: octopusconnection.com
Community: The Watercolor Journey
Be sure to subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review if this conversation inspired you.
Connect with Rachel
