Soul Joy: Ditch Burnout and Fall in Love with Life
Do you want to finally ditch burnout, break free from compassion fatigue, and fall back in love with your work—and your life?
Welcome to Soul Joy with Dr. Julie Merriman, Ph.D., a weekly podcast created for therapists, counselors, social workers, educators, and all professional helpers who give so much of themselves and deserve to thrive in return.
Each Monday, Dr. Merriman—Therapist, Professor of Counseling, Author, Podcaster, and Motivational Speaker—shares science-backed strategies and soul-nourishing practices to help you protect your energy, prevent burnout, and reclaim your joy. Drawing on her experience in counselor education, wellness research, and real-world practice, she offers tools that go beyond “quick fixes” and actually work in the lives of helping professionals.
Inside every episode, you’ll learn how to:
- Recognize and prevent burnout before it takes over
- Overcome compassion fatigue with proven body–mind–soul strategies
- Reignite your passion and purpose in your work
- Create sustainable self-care and wellness routines that fit your lifestyle
If you’re ready to transform stress into resilience and rediscover the joy of helping, join Dr. Julie Merriman, Ph.D. every Monday and take your next step toward Soul Joy: Wellness for Body • Mind • Soul.
Hit subscribe, and get your soul-nourished!
🙏 Be part of my FREE Community: Soul Joy Circle! ✨https://www.facebook.com/groups/1068565138818305
❤️ Visit my website: www.juliemerrimanphd.com
✉️ Email me: info@juliemerrimanphd.com
Episodes
50 episodes
Brain Boosting Breath
Wellness for helping professionals Meditation has moved from ancient wisdom traditions to the forefront of modern neuroscience, becoming a necessary component of holistic self-care for professional helpers. Scientific research...
•
23:22
Soul Detox: The Art of Energy Management for Helping Professionals
Dr. Julie Merriman explores the concept of decluttering your energy as a vital component of sustainable, holistic self-care for helping professionals. She examines how professional helpers constantly absorb, process, and navigate various forms ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 24
•
42:57
Be Here Now: Why Mindfulness Prevents Burnout in Helping Professions
Feeling scattered in your helping role? You're not alone. The Crown Chakra episode of SoulJoy tackles mindful presence—that deceptively simple yet transformative quality that can revolutionize your work as a helping professional.Mindful...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 23
•
30:39
Breaking Free from the Chains of Perfectionism: Finding Joy in Imperfection
Perfectionism can be both a blessing and a curse for those in helping professions. While striving for excellence drives us to learn and grow, perfectionism—that rigid, unforgiving demand for flawlessness—can lead to burnout, paralysis, and dimi...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 22
•
31:36
Rewiring Your Brain Through Gratitude: A Helper's Guide
Feeling exhausted by the constant focus on problems and challenges in your helping work? You're not alone. As professional helpers, we spend our days analyzing crises, addressing suffering, and navigating complex systems. This essential work ke...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 21
•
26:34
Soul Fuel: Why Helpers Need Their Crown Chakra Balanced Too
Professional helpers pour their energy outward daily, leaving many depleted, disconnected, and at risk for burnout. But what if the key to sustainable practice lies in tapping into your deepest wisdom?Your higher self—that wisest, most ...
•
27:42
Clarity to Action: Unleashing Your Professional Superpower
Ever found yourself trapped in a cycle of endless analysis with no forward movement? You're not alone. The space between knowing what to do and actually doing it is where many helpers get stuck—and it's costing us our effectiveness and wellbein...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 19
•
30:55
Wounded Helper, Heal Thyself: Inner Child Work for Professionals
Feeling like you're constantly battling self-doubt in your professional life? The roots might be deeper than you realize. This transformative episode dives into the powerful connection between inner child work and developing unshakable self-tru...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 18
•
31:26
Your Intuition Is Speaking. Are You Listening?
What if the most profound gift you could give your clients is something you struggle to give yourself? For those of us dedicated to helping others, there's a strange paradox at play: we excel at building trust with clients, yet often fail to ex...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 17
•
26:20
The Art and Science of Professional Intuition
Your primary instrument is you. Just as no one wants a surgeon with a dull scalpel, no client deserves a helping professional who hasn't maintained their most essential tool—their own clarity of mind and intuitive capacity. Dr. Jul...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 16
•
27:21
Your Inner Voice Matters: Why Self-Communication Shapes Your External Boundaries
Your inner voice shapes your outer boundaries—but what happens when they're out of alignment? This essential exploration of boundaries delves beyond the surface level of simply saying "no" to others and into the profound connection between your...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 15
•
30:07
Setting Limits from the Heart: The Throat Chakra Connection
Setting boundaries isn't just a skill—it's a vital energy practice connected to your throat chakra that prevents burnout and sustains your capacity to help others.When your throat chakra—the energy center of communication and self-expre...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 14
•
26:40
What does your communication style reveal about your inner truth?
Your voice matters—but are you using it in a way that truly reflects your authentic self? The throat chakra governs how we communicate, express ourselves, and share our truth with the world. When balanced, we speak clearly, feel he...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 13
•
24:42
Finding Courage: The Journey to Authentic Self-Expression
Ever wonder why some days you can't find the right words—or courage—to express how you really feel? The answer might lie in your throat chakra.Dr. Julie Merriman takes us on a deeply personal journey through her decades-long struggle wi...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 12
•
29:04
Show Up, Speak Up, No Apologies: Why Your Throat Chakra Matters
Struggling to express yourself authentically? Constantly apologizing for having needs? Your throat chakra might be blocked, and the consequences could be more serious than you realize.Dr. Julie Merriman dives deep into the throat chakra...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 11
•
20:13
Self-Talk Makeover: From Inner Critic to Best Friend
Ever wondered what truly lies at the heart of sustainable wellness? It all begins with how you treat yourself.Welcome to a soul-nourishing exploration of the heart chakra and its profound connection to self-relationship. This week, we'r...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 10
•
19:30
Embracing Your Flaws: The Power of Being Perfectly Imperfect
The crushing weight of perfectionism affects so many of us, subtly draining our energy while convincing us that we're never quite good enough. Perfectionism doesn't just rob us of joy—it's a direct pathway to burnout, compassion fatigue, and a ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 9
•
17:55
Your Amygdala Is Listening: What Are You Telling Yourself Today?
Your heart chakra holds the key to experiencing true soul joy. This week, we're continuing our exploration of the heart chakra by diving into the transformative practices of self-compassion and gratitude – two essential components of sustainabl...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 8
•
22:54
Sacred Space Within: Holding Compassionate Room For Your Truth
The most foundational relationship in your life isn't with your partner, friends, or family—it's with yourself. In this deeply personal exploration, I reveal how the relentless self-judgment that once dominated my thoughts became the catalyst f...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 7
•
24:29
Decision Fatigue: Reclaim Your Mental Energy
Ever been asked "What's for dinner?" after a long day and felt your brain completely shut down? That's decision fatigue – the mental exhaustion that comes from making countless choices throughout your day. And for helping professionals making u...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 6
•
21:08
Trapped in Time: Breaking Free from the Overscheduling Cycle
Time management isn't sexy, but it might be the secret key to your happiness and well-being. Drawing from personal experience, I share how I evolved from an exhausted overachiever cramming impossible to-do lists into each day to someone who now...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 5
•
18:20
When Your Goals Are Met but Your Journey Isn't Over: Discovering New Life Purposes
The quest for purpose is a lifelong journey that evolves as we move through different life stages. What happens when you've achieved all your major life goals and that once-unquenchable fire in your belly begins to fade? This fascinating explor...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 4
•
15:20
Fear: The Big Fat Liar
Fear is the silent thief that steals our joy, authenticity, and potential – and Dr. Julie Merriman isn't afraid to call it what it truly is: a big fat liar. Drawing from her own journey through paralyzing fear to empowered living, she offers bo...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 3
•
14:28
Mastering Your Personal Power
Feeling like you're constantly breaking promises to yourself? That persistent self-betrayal isn't a character flaw—it's an energy imbalance in your solar plexus chakra. Today's soul-stirring exploration takes us to the powerhouse energy center ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 2
•
15:23
Ignite Your Hot and Sexy Creativity
Step into a vibrant discussion on the importance of hot and sexy creativity in our lives as we explore its link to holistic wellness. Join me, Dr. Julie Merriman, as we dive into how embracing our sexuality can become a key component of sustain...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 1
•
16:36