Say Less, Mean More: The Art of Setting Boundaries, with Alex Masten

In today’s episode, I’m joined by one of my closest friends, Alex Masten, to talk about something we all know we need, but often struggle to actually do: set boundaries. Together, we unpack why boundaries can feel so uncomfortable (especially for women), what healthy boundaries really look like, and how they can completely transform your relationships, your confidence, and your day-to-day life.

We’re also getting real about what happens when people don’t respect your boundaries, how to communicate them clearly without guilt, and where to even begin if this is something you’ve been avoiding.

You’ll walk away with:

• A clearer understanding of what boundaries actually are (and aren’t)
• Practical ways to communicate boundaries with confidence and kindness
• A simple starting point to help you protect your time and energy this week

This episode is your reminder that saying no isn’t selfish. It’s necessary. 

I hope you enjoy today’s episode and that you continue to find your Hour of Happy in every single day!

Thanks for listening to Hour of Happy. If this episode sparked something in you, share the episode, follow the show, and come back for more conversations about joy, purpose, and entrepreneurship.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Welcome to the Hour of Happy, where ambition meets joy and big dreams don't come with apologies. I am Devin Roof, entrepreneur, marketing expert, and your inside source for what it really takes to build a life that you love. Whether you're building a business, making a career leap, or just chasing the spark that lights you up again, this is your space to grow, laugh, learn, and remember who the heck you are. This is the Hour of Happy. Let's dive in. Hi everyone, welcome back to the Hour of Happy. I'm your host, Devin Roof, and today we're diving into a topic that touches every single one of us setting boundaries. Whether it's professionally, in our personal relationships, or in the day-to-day moments where we feel pulled in every direction, boundaries protect our time, our energy, and our peace. And today I'm joined by someone who does this so well, my girl, Alex Maston. We're gonna talk about what healthy boundaries really look like, why they're so hard to set, and how learning to honor your own needs can change everything from your confidence to your productivity. So let's get into it. Alex, thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

What's up? I am jacked to be here with my bestie, my girl, Devin. What is up, everybody?

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Yay! So we're gonna have fun with this one today, you guys, because this is actually one of the topics I feel like you and I, it's one of those like ones that always comes up. Yep. Especially when we're stressed out. Yep, over wine, on a couch. Yep. So it's kind of perfect for us. Um, before we dive in though, share with our listeners a little bit about you.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Yeah. Oh, gosh. Wow. Okay. Um, well, first things first, I am a career-driven woman. I got lots of things going on in that department. I am the director of entrepreneurship at the Lean Rocket Lab, which is a startup incubator. I'm also the co-leader of Michigan Tribe, which is a nonprofit where we help female entrepreneurs with events and funding. And then I'm also a photographer, portrait photographer. I really like taking pictures of seniors and doing branding sessions and stuff like that. But in my personal life, I am a rich auntie. I have no kids. I am child-free. I am married to my high school sweetheart. We have the same exact birthday. Shout out to Mar. What's up, babe? Um, and yeah, I am a huge, huge advocate for Jackson, Michigan, and our business owners like you are entrepreneurs that make this community great. So I'm happy to be here.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Awesome. And it's so true, you guys. She's a huge resource um for anything you need, you know, straight up. She wears many, many hats, you know, whether you're looking for a family photo shoot, senior photos, weddings. Um, like your weddings too, yeah. Yes, or if you're a business owner. So we're so lucky to have you in this community. And I'm lucky to have you as my friend.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Oh, yes, girl. Thank you. I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

So I feel like you do such a wonderful job with the topic we're talking about today and that setting boundaries. First things first, why do you think it's so hard for people to set boundaries, especially women?

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Yeah, it's a good question. I thought a lot about this as you and I were talking about this podcast and the topic of it. Um, I really, really think it comes down to how we value ourselves and the confidence that we feel from within. I was raised by a father who is super confident in everything that he would do. And I was a firstborn, and so I saw that firsthand and I really, really take over my dad in that department. Um, if ever you meet him, he's really great at setting boundaries himself and just saying it how it is and being confident and knowing that, you know, whatever he's going after, he's gonna make it happen. I got that from my family, but I specifically want to shout out my dad for that.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

I love that. Yeah. Have you heard the phrase, how do they say it, where they're like, the firstborn daughter is actually the son?

SPEAKER_01 3:57

I'm son, girl, I've said that in meme so many times. Yeah. Like the the scariest uh person is the firstborn daughter, whatever that thing is. I mean, I think it's so true. I think it's so true.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

I love it. I love it. So that's really cool. I love a little bit of that background that you shared there. So maybe for someone that doesn't do well, you know, with setting boundaries, and this could be for anything, whether it's professionally at work, I'll give an example. Like, what if someone really needs to start shutting down at five o'clock per se, but they have a boss or a manager that is constantly emailing them all hours of the night or a client, you name it. How could someone start by claiming their time back in that situation? Do you have any recommendations?

SPEAKER_00 4:42

So if I that were me and I've had a job, I actually took a job and my boss was very much like that. You don't answer when he wants you to answer, he's gonna be on top of you. He would contact you on vacation. He actually wanted me to come back from my vacation to work on during it. It was a very interesting experience for me.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Um, and if that were me, like if we're talking about like I need to shut down at five o'clock, I need to start doing that for my mental health and just for the well-being of me, what I would do is I would put an automatic response on my email. It starts at five o'clock every day and it just lets people know that um, you know, I am uh not working during these hours and I will get back to you as soon as I can. My main thing with boundaries that I think a lot of people aren't good at is communicating the boundary. So even though you're like, yeah, I want to stop working at five, you have to communicate that to people. So even if you're if you've communicated that to your boss and your boss is still not um respecting that boundary, you're gonna have to have a sit-down conversation with him. And that's gonna be uncomfortable. And that's why I always go back to the confidence part. I really think you have to look internally at what your limits are because a lot of people don't know where their limits are. And an example of this for me is kids. I, from a very young age, knew that my personality, the way that I like to live, the way that I am as a person, is probably gonna have a little bit of a difficulty if I wanted to have kids. Now, that's not the reason I don't have kids. I've never really wanted them, but I know the limit of my personality and I know that if I were to have a kid, my career would still come first. I know that about myself. Then I have to ask myself the question am I okay knowing that if I started a family and I had to give up portions of my career, or am I gonna be okay with that? So I think it's asking yourself internal questions to identify where your limits are so that you can start communicating that to the outside world. Um, really hard to do, but you really need to set time aside to really have that honest conversation with yourself, whether that's in therapy or with yourself, yeah, like or with a friend. I I feel like I've always been really good at that part.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

It's so true. And I love that because I think we forget that when we talk about boundaries, it's not so much for the other people as it is for ourselves. Absolutely. And so the fact that you said it's our job to own it, live it, communicate that. I love that because it's so true. That's what that's where it starts. And and it is, it's like we're never gonna be able to control everyone else. But what we can do is decide for ourselves what we want, communicate that and yeah, put the ball in motion for for things to come. So I love that you just said that. That's great.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Kind of like circling back a little to my first question. Yeah. Because I feel like women struggle with this, yeah, especially.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

So why do you think that is? And I guess let's start there.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Yeah. It the reason why is because we're caretakers. We like um a majority of us, I don't want to say all, but a majority of women like to take care of people. And if they feel like they're not doing a good enough job of that, a lot of us will go above and beyond. And that means taking our boundary or what we said that we weren't gonna do and putting it out the wayside so that we can make sure that this person is taken care of. I'm not gonna say I don't do that because I you know that I do that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

But I think it comes to the point of where you have to start asking yourself, is my mental health breakdown worth this? Oh, I love that. I love that. And again, that comes to knowing your limits and asking yourself the questions. I myself am really bad about being fast-paced and I mean, being productive. I mean, I'm known to be like, I'm an achiever, like I feel like I'm not doing it if I don't achieve, right? But I think as we get older, we have to be like, what is it in the sacrifice of? That's so true. You know, like what is the point of that? Yeah. Or the boss who who won't respect the boundary, I'm quitting the job then. Yes. Bye. Yep, yep. See you later. Absolutely. Like, I know I'm more valuable than what you're dealing with when I'm dealing with here. So I know that the next place is gonna be better. See you later. Knowing and being secure enough to know that even if you make that jump, it's scary, but you have the confidence to know you're gonna make it work. That's no matter what.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

That's right. Yeah. And that you are in control. Absolutely. Once you throw that out there, it's like it could go one of two ways. They respect it and it's a win-win, or they don't, and then you can take the next step, you know, as a choice for something else.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Yeah, it's giving you an opportunity to make a choice. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:08

So this one's kind of hard. This next question. Give it to me. What should someone do? And maybe we, you know, we can shift this to personal to give an example. You know, we're starting the new year off fresh. I want y'all armed with some good uh ammo here, heading into the new year. Yeah. So setting boundaries with anyone, just not even whether it's a friendship or anything. What if you do set a boundary and someone doesn't respect that? You know, and it's hard, right? Because especially when it comes to personal relationships, there's so much invested there. Yeah. And it's not as easy as walking away from a job or a boss that doesn't listen or, you know, respect. Personal hits a little bit deeper.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Yeah, let's talk about personal.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

I feel like when you make a boundary and the person, the the relationship that, whether it's an intimate relationship or a sibling or a a parent or just a friend, I feel like when if they are not respecting the boundary that you're asking, then you have to ask yourself, what is this relationship? What am I getting from this? What are they getting from this? Is it family where it's just like, okay, we're family, but you're not respecting what I'm asking for you. So I need um this to happen. And I I'm not gonna come to that event or I'm not gonna come to that family gathering if you can't respect the boundary of not asking me when I'm gonna have kids. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Yes. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

There's her thing, guys. Or if it's like a friend and, you know, they're not again respecting what you're asking of them, you have to ask yourself, is this friendship something that is beneficial to me and I enjoy hanging out with this person, even if they don't respect me in that way? Right. Is that a limit I'm willing to like lean into a little more and see how far I can go? Or do I know that once that happens, I know what's gonna happen on this end and you don't want to see that part of me, right? You know? So I think again, it's like, what am I willing and not willing to deal with as time goes on? For me, I'm 40. You know, when I was in my mid-20s, would I have said this? Probably. Probably. Yeah, she would. But as you get older, you start to realize like, time is fleeting. Um, does it really matter? Is this person really that important to me? I really just feel like it comes down to you really have to ask yourself some really good questions. Yeah. You have to be your own therapist sometimes. You do, you do, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

And I and you know, sometimes I feel like having those harder conversations can weed or trim the fat a little bit. Not to say that, you know, relationships aren't important, but it does come down to that. You know, if your energy is feeling sucked or drained all the time, you know, it can kind of work in a positive way. And I do feel like creating these boundaries, you know, is for the positive for everyone all the way around, you know, even though it may feel a little negative or sounds negative, but it's positive. Right. You know, it won't feel so draining for you to show up once these are set. Right. You can feel at peace knowing the other person understands, clearly knows like where you're at, where you're coming from.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Yeah, it's like guardrails. I look at it as guardrails. It's like this is the guardrail of the relationship that we're in. Once you start going off the guardrail, then's when I start going, am I willing to like go there with them? But that's a choice. That's a question and a choice I have to make. And am I willing to be okay if it doesn't go the way I feel like I want it to go?

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:24

So guardrails, man, boundaries. If you have to physical look at think of guardrails if you gotta have a visual of how you want your relationships in your world to be, you know? That's so and when they're worth it, they're worth it. And you go that extra mile and you go over that guardrail and you go off the cliff.

SPEAKER_02 12:41

Yeah. And also too, the other person, you go flying off, she's gone.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

You're like, I'm I'm down with you. I'm all the way with you. Like my husband. Okay, let's go off the clip, you know.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

Yeah, yes, exactly. And I think too, in like real, real relationships, whether it's intimate or friendships, even especially friendships is what I'm thinking of right now. The friend consents when you're going through something, anyways.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

You know, and it almost isn't, you know, necessary for those ones because it's like, right, you don't have to apologize 5,000 times. You don't need to say an excuse as to why X, Y, and Z. They know you. Yep. You have your base. And if something's going on that's a little different, you know, they're gonna understand and whatever.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

So yeah, that's but I think it gives structure to the relationship. What I mean at the guardrails is I mean I give structure and they know what to expect when they're coming in to talk with you. Yeah. Because we all have like, oh, okay, I'm hanging out with Devin tonight, and uh, and I know your personality and I know how we talk. And yes, we can talk about anything, but you I also know your boundaries. I also know where you protect your peace. So I know not to go there. Yeah. So it's a respectful friendship, and we both understand that and respect the boundary. When you're dealing with somebody who can't do that, that's when it gets really out of control and you start to have to ask yourself questions like, is it worth it? Amen. Is it worth it to go to dinner with this person? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

Amen. You know what I'm talking about, amen. Yeah, and it comes down to respect. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

So how would you communicate this to a friend? Can you give an example? Because again, ladies, I know it can be a little difficult, it can be hard, whether it's family or friendship, and I kind of want to stick to the personal side because I feel like it is more difficult over here in this world. So, do you have any framework, advice, recommendations that you could give if someone wants to try and start new in the new year, you know, with setting up some boundaries?

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Well, number one, no is a full sentence. If you don't want to do something, say no. But what I always say to people, I use the Phoebe. If you anybody watch Friends, Phoebe, there is a quote where she's like, I wish I could, but I don't want to. I use that all the time. I think sometimes your personality, you have to show your personality in the way that you um talk to people. So I think if you're not a serious person or you don't have, you're not good with confrontation, you don't like communication, use your sense of humor. Yeah. Or if you're more graceful, shy, you don't talk much, send a text, put it in writing. You don't have to have it in verbal communication. You can write it down. Um, you can email people. You you gotta say it from your personality. So whether it's with a sense of humor like I use, I use that a lot in the way that I put up my boundaries. Yeah. In honesty, I don't have a problem being honest with people. So I use that and I just tell people, no, I'm not comfortable with that, but what about this? Or no, I'm not, I don't want to go out that night, but what about brunch this day or whatever it is? Yeah. Or I've had people, friends, be like, um, see me in a moment of haste or a moment of, you know, maybe anger or something, and they're like, oh, what's going on? And I'll just say, I don't want to talk about it. Yeah.

unknown 15:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

And they're like, oh, okay, okay. And then, you know, it's awkward for a second, and then, you know, we keep moving on. But I think you just have to be okay, really, with making people feel uncomfortable. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

So, do you ever feel guilty after doing this or a little uncomfortable at all? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Totally normal. And you're always gonna feel that. And I think again, be comfortable with the uncomfortable. I think a lot of people sway away from things because they want to feel good about everything and they think that if there's a negative feeling or connotation to something, they shouldn't be doing it. That's absolutely opposite from the truth. So if it's gonna protect your peace and it's gonna keep a boundary and it's gonna make you happier, then you need to just be okay with saying it and be okay with them not being taking it maybe the wrong way or having a moment about it. They're gonna get over it because they're gonna, if they respect you, they're gonna get over it.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

That's what I would say about that.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

Yeah. And it is. I think we can all relate. If it's gonna feel a little normal or a little uncomfortable, you know, it's normal for it to feel uncomfortable when you're having it will never not feel uncomfortable either.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

I I want to make sure people know that it will never not feel uncomfortable because you're speaking your truth and that's not the other person's truth, especially if you're a woman. A majority of us are people pleasers. And so we want to make sure that people are happy and feel comfortable. And so saying no or saying I can't do that can be really triggering. So absolutely working through that is important.

SPEAKER_02 17:26

So, kind of going with that, do you have any advice for business owners or leaders or anyone in general who feels like they always have to be on?

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Oh man, that's a good question. Cause I feel like I always have to be on.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

Um, my boundary is as soon as I get home, I'm not doing any work. That's the limit that I've set. And that's because my husband has always also expressed that. So I'm taking into consideration his boundary and then my need for rest and to be able to spend time with family. And so I know that even though I may want to keep working, that the boundary for him is that. And I respect him and I will I will do that for him.

SPEAKER_02 18:07

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

So yeah. How great for your relationship, too. Yeah. And I think once you start setting boundaries for yourself, it makes you it easier to accept boundaries from others.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

Absolutely. And Alex has been with Mark since middle school. And so I think 1998. From the 1900s. The 1900s. And she still wants to hang out with him. I do after she gets home from work. And they want to with each other. I love that. I think that's so cool.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Yeah. And the fact that he can say that to me and I can respect him, I think that's important for marriage, especially if you're a career-inspired woman.

SPEAKER_02 18:41

Yeah. And such a good tip, you guys. Like it doesn't have to be earth-shattering. These changes you're going to try to implement. It could be something small like that. Yeah. You know, choosing and deciding to shut down at a certain time at the end of the day and going home and doing something for yourself or with your husband, wife, partner, you know, focusing and nurturing on that relationship. Yeah. And it's so easy to forget. So I went to brunch um two weekends ago with some friends. And I, it's been a really, really busy season for me. And I remember thinking before this, oh, I don't have the time. Why did I say yes to this? I got there and you guys, it was like I ended up sitting there for four hours and I was the happiest I had felt in weeks. Yep. And it was a good reminder of like we get so in and stuck in the day to day and the work and the work and the work that we forget how good it feels when we do step aside. And then when I came back, I was refreshed. And it sounds so silly. Cause it was just, it was a Sunday and it was her four hours. You know, but but I am right now, you know, I'm used to working on the weekends too. And so it just felt like almost a little wrong, you know, to go to brunch. But I'm like, why? Yes, why do I make myself feel like that?

SPEAKER_00 19:50

You know, and that's I think the important key takeaway is that it's gonna feel wrong. But again, be okay with that. Yeah, be uncomfortable because the more you do it, the better you'll get at it. And that feeling will go away over time. That's right. But if you stop doing it because it feels uncomfortable, you will never you will burn out and you will never be able to get yourself there. So you've got to talk to yourself and ask yourself the important questions about what you need to get to that place. So be uncomfortable, y'all.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Oh, it's so true. And it felt good just a laugh. Oh man. Yeah. So like it sounds ridiculous, but just to be completely clocked out. Yep. And free and just like free. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, laughing, it just felt so good. It felt so good. I'm glad you did that. Yeah. Yeah. Nothing major. It can be something small like that too. And that's still a step in the right direction for yourself. Okay. So tools and takeaways for today. Are you ready? Yeah. Do I have any? I'm kidding. You dropped so much good knowledge during this conversation. Yes. I know you have. I know you do. How about just one? What small boundary can someone set today that would make their week lighter heading into the new year? And you can give, you know, a professional one, something small, a personal one. Just one little tip. I really like the personal tip that you gave about, you know, you're closing up at five. You did it out of respect for yourself and your husband.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

Yep. I guess for me right now, what I'm doing is anything that anybody wants me to do, holiday party, holiday event, interview, whatever, I ask myself, why? Why would I want to do this? Okay. And if the answer is, well, you're you want to do that because you enjoy hanging out with that person and um what they're doing is an impact on the community and being there will be great because you'll be able to blah, blah, blah, blah. Then I'll be like, okay, I'll do it. But if the answer is, why are you gonna do this? And I'm like, I hate that person, I hate that, then I'm like, I'm not doing it. So I think a lot of times during this time of year, women say yes to everything for the kids, for the husband, work. Whatever it is, I think you really need to ask yourself, why am I doing this?

SPEAKER_02 22:04

I love that. That's great. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

It's like the smallest thing, but yeah, no.

SPEAKER_02 22:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

I mean, I asked myself questions 24-7.

SPEAKER_02 22:13

Well, that's what we need. You know, just a small tip. Nothing major, nothing massive. Yeah. You know, and it's true because, like, when I got home that Sunday, circling back to the story I just shared, I left my computer shot all day. And guess what? Nothing happened. The world didn't stop. There was no fires to put out. Everything was fine. And so even making that small adjustment, like on Sunday, I'm not gonna open my laptop no matter what.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

You know, something like that. And I love your tips too. I mean, small things, you guys. Something little.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Well, another one that I will tell you is I haven't checked my emails in two days. So that's a boundary I'm setting because I'm in meetings, I'm on the go. So if you, if if I don't answer an email and you need to get a hold of me, you're gonna have to figure out a way to get a hold of me. So I'm not gonna kill myself and do meetings all day and then from five to seven check my emails. So this week I chose I'm not checking my emails, and anybody that needs to get a hold of me can figure out how to do that. That is hard to freaking do. Yeah. Because when you have a lot of people who need you and a lot of people who have questions and all of that, it can be feel very overwhelming to say that I'm not gonna do something that is the easiest way to get a hold of me.

SPEAKER_02 23:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

But for the next two days, it's just the way it is, and I'm not gonna change it up because somebody came in screaming at the lab that they can't find me. Yes, no, nobody did, but I'm just saying, you know, boundaries, nobody can't, nobody, nobody has that urgency. Your urgency is not my emergency.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

That's right. And I think that's what we forget too is it's not our burden to carry. If someone chose to wait, you know, if they if they could have emailed or requested something two weeks ago and now here they are because they chose to wait, that we have to turn it around in 24 hours. Exactly. It's a great point.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Exactly. Your urgency is not my emergency.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

Yeah, love it.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

I say that in my head all the time. Say that again. Your urgency, girl, is not my emergency.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Snaps for that. Yes. Love it.

SPEAKER_02 24:08

I love it. Well, anything else before we wrap up today, anything else you'd like to share, thoughts, wisdom, advice? You know, you are totally engulfed around so many women in this community between Michigan Tribe, the lab, everything that you're doing. Yeah. You know, I know you have solid insights on this, and and you could add value to a lot of those people. So anything else that you'd like to share, feel free.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

I think the only thing I would say is that if you're looking to grow, whether it's personally, professionally, or whatever it is, you have to sacrifice things to grow. So whether that's you sacrificing yourself and your mental load or you being uncomfortable and telling people no so that you have some peace to be able to grow. That's what you gotta do. Yes, do it.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

I love you grow, girl.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

You grow. Always back to the peace, too.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

Yeah, of course. We gotta have that peace, baby.

SPEAKER_02 25:00

Yes. All right. Well, Alex, thank you so much for such an honest and refreshing conversation. Thank you. You're yes. This is so fun. It was, it was. I love having you here. Boundaries aren't always easy, but they're they really are one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. To everyone listening, I hope today's episode helps you step back, breathe, and remember that protecting your time and energy isn't selfish. It's one of the best things that you can do for yourself. So if something resonated with you today, come share it with us on Facebook and Instagram at Hour of Happy. And until next time, I hope you find your Hour of Happy in each and every day. Thank you for listening to the Hour of Happy podcast. If today sparks something in you, a truth, a challenge, or a fresh new idea, share it. Tag me, DM me, or send it to a friend who should hear it too. And remember, joy isn't a reward. You don't have to hustle harder to earn it. You just have to choose it. Until next time, I hope you find your hour of happy in every day.