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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.
Episodes
55 episodes
Playing at a Level 10: Awareness, Leadership, and the Power of Enough with Steve Barton
What if the next level of leadership is not about pushing harder, doing more, or proving yourself again and again?What if it is about awareness?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with Steve Barton, e...
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Brainwash Yourself for Joy: The Power of Your First 30 Minutes
What if the first few minutes after waking could change the way you experience your entire day?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel talks about the science of the waking brain, theta brain waves, nervous system regulation, ...
Your Nervous System Is Choosing the Familiar, Not the Joyful with Anni Eza
In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with Anni Eza, mental health expert, master healer, shadow priestess, teacher, and co-founder of Seeds of Bliss.Annie brings a powerful perspective on healing, nerv...
Finding Your Cultural Catalyst: Leading Change from the Inside Out with Jaclyn Orent
What does it actually mean to be the change — not just talk about it? In this episode, Rachel sits down with Jaclyn Orent, cultural catalyst and CEO of the Cultural Catalyst Network, for a rich conversation about inner transformation, ...
Joy Is the Strategy: A New Model for Joy-Led Leadership
What if the goal was never to simply endure more?After starting with one of the hardest endurance races in the world, Rachel learned a truth that reaches far beyond athletics: just because you can endure something does not mean endurance...
Relaxed Productivity: Angela Jamieson on Doing More of What Actually Matters
What if productivity wasn’t about doing more… but about missing less of your life?In this insightful and refreshingly honest conversation, Rachel sits down with Angela Jamieson - former petroleum engineer turned author, speaker,...
Joy Is the Strategy: The Science of Fun, Variety, and Feeling Alive
What if joy isn’t something you wait for… but something you build?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the science and strategy behind joy—and how fun, variety, and happiness work together to create a life that ...
You’re Not Lost - You’re Becoming: Luna Westish on Identity, Curiosity, and Creative Courage
What if the life you’re building isn’t about perfection… but about curiosity?In this deeply honest and expansive conversation, Rachel sits down with author, traveler, and creative soul Luna Westish to explore identity, reinvention, and w...
Stress Is Rewiring You… So Is Joy
What actually happens in your brain under stress… and how does joy help you recover?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel goes deep into the neuroscience of resilience, breaking down how chronic stress impacts the brain and ...
Your Nervous System Is Running the Show with Tiffany Toombs
What if the thing holding you back… isn’t your strategy, your discipline, or your motivation?What if it’s your nervous system?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with global expert Tiffany Toombs to unpack...
From Frazzled to Focused: Reclaim Your Time (for Real) with Alyssa Wolf
Feeling overwhelmed, overbooked, and like there’s never enough time in the day?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with time management expert Alyssa Wolf to unpack a refreshing, realistic approach to getting you...
Collaboration Over Competition: The Science of Connection
What if the fastest way forward… wasn’t doing more alone—but connecting more deeply with others?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel dives into the science and strategy behind connection, collaboration, and why surrounding ...
Feeling Off? Your Nervous System Knows Why
You’re tired… but it’s more than tired.You’re overwhelmed. You’re procrastinating simple things. You don’t feel like yourself anymore.In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with Dr. Holly Ki...
Why You Want It… But Still Don’t Do It
You want it.You know how to do it.So why aren’t you doing it?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with performance coach, international speaker, and bestselling author Kam Knight to unpack one of the mo...
The Science of Micro Joy (And Why You Need It Daily)
What if joy isn’t something you wait for… but something you practice?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the science and strategy behind micro joys - the small, often overlooked moments that can completely shift your mo...
Release the Past, Reclaim Your Joy: A Conversation with Lesley Christine
What if the thing keeping you stuck… isn’t your life - but what you’re still holding onto?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel sits down with emotional clearing expert and meta-psychology coach Lesley Christine to explore h...
One Text Could Change Someone’s Life (And the Science Proves It)
What if changing someone’s entire day… their mood… even their life… took less than 30 seconds?In this solo episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the science behind one simple, powerful habit: sending a joyful text.
Releasing Armor Weight: Midlife Reawakening & True Self-Trust with Lisa Barwise
What if the weight you’re carrying isn’t just physical?In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Rachel sits down with Lisa Barwise, founder of The Warrior Goddess Saga, to explore the concept of “armor weight”—the emotio...
Why Laughter Might Be Your Greatest Leadership Advantage
What if laughter isn’t a break from leadership… but the reason you lead better?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the science behind laughter, nervous system regulation, and why integration—not compartmentaliz...
From Diet Culture to Compassion: A Joyful Plant-Based Life with Jenny Cheifetz
What if the way you eat could bring more joy—not just to your body, but to the world?In this powerful and honest conversation, Rachel sits down with Jenny Cheifetz, vegan lifestyle coach and host of The Flirty Vegan Podcast
Your Patterns Are Your Power: The Science Behind Joy-Led Leadership
What if the patterns you’ve been trying to fix… are actually the key to your next level of leadership?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel breaks down the Gene Keys in a way that is both grounded and practical—bridging scie...
Rewiring Your Mind Through Creativity: Finding Calm, Clarity & Joy with Crystal Mills
What if the key to clarity, calm, and joy… was as simple as picking up a pen?In this inspiring episode, Rachel sits down with Krystal Mills, a teacher, life coach, and NeuroGraphica practitioner, to explore how creativity can unlock powe...
Stop Forcing It. Start Living It.
What if the reason things feel hard… is because you’re forcing them?In this episode of Joy Unfiltered, Rachel dives into the powerful shift that changed everything in her life: surrender.Not giving up. Not checki...
From “Fine” to Fulfilled: Reclaiming Joy with Connie Cotter
What happens when your life looks “good on paper”… but something still feels missing?In this heartfelt and energizing conversation, Rachel sits down with Connie Cotter, a faith-forward, joy-driven high-performance coach, to explor...