The Kindness Matters Podcast
So. Much. Division. Let's talk about how to change that. Re-engage as neighbors, friends, co-workers and family. Let's set out to change the world. Strike that. Change A World. One person at a time, make someone's life a little better and then do it again tomorrow and the day after that, through kindness.
Kindness is a Super-Power that each of us has within us. It is so powerful it has the potential to change not only your life but those around you, too. Let's talk about kindness.
The Kindness Matters Podcast
When Kindness Meets Purpose, Lives Transform Everywhere
What if your childhood dreams held the key to your life's purpose? For Michelle Joy, founder of the Global Joy Institute, a third-grade assignment revealed her destiny—she wrote that she wanted to "grow long legs and walk to Africa to help people." Decades later, that innocent wish has manifested as a philanthropic initiative bringing clean water, business opportunities, and educational support to communities in Uganda.
Michelle takes us on a fascinating journey from her introspective days growing up on a Midwest farm to traveling solo around the world and eventually creating an organization that brings joy to people across the globe. Her approach is refreshingly focused—rather than trying to solve every problem, she follows her specific calling and encourages others to do the same.
As both a therapist and coach, Michelle shares powerful insights about relationship communication that will transform how you handle conflict. Her simple yet profound advice about responding with curiosity rather than defensiveness provides an immediately applicable tool for deeper connection. "Can I disagree with you and try to understand you at the same time?" she asks, cutting straight to the heart of what makes relationships work.
For those feeling burned out or disconnected from their passions, Michelle offers a structured approach to rediscovering joy. Through practical exercises like journaling and addressing fears head-on, she guides clients back to what truly matters. Her message resonates deeply in today's high-pressure world: we're all born with unique purposes, and reconnecting with what brought us joy as children can illuminate our path forward.
Whether you're struggling with relationship challenges, feeling stuck in your career, or simply searching for more meaning, this episode delivers actionable wisdom wrapped in heartwarming stories of global impact. Listen now to discover how kindness and purpose can transform not just your life, but ripple outward to change the world.
#global #joy #givingback
This podcast is a proud member of the Mayday Media Network. If you have an idea for a podcast and need some production assistance or have a podcast and are looking for a supportive network to join, check out maydaymedianetwork.com.
Like what you hear on the podcast? Follow our social media for more uplifting, inspirational and feel-good content.
It's one thing to highlight the kindness that we see in the world, but it's another to, as I put in many of my social media posts, #bethechange. I am donating all of my royalties from the sale of my book, Change A World; In Order to Change The World to local and national non-profits. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Well, hello there and welcome. You are listening to the Kindness Matters podcast and I am your host, mike Rathbun. What is this podcast all about? It's about kindness. It's a pushback against everything negative that we see in the news and on social media today, and it's a way to highlight people, organizations, that are simply striving to make their little corner of the world a little better place. If you want to join in on the conversation, feel free, Go ahead and follow us on all of your social media feeds. We're on Facebook, instagram, tiktok. We're even on LinkedIn under Mike Rathbun. Check us out. We're even on LinkedIn under Mike Rathbun. Check us out. And, in the meantime, so sit back, relax, enjoy and we'll get into the Kindness Matters podcast. Hey, welcome to the show everybody. Thank you so much for joining me, for taking 30-ish minutes of your day to listen to little old me and my amazing guest. If there's something in this episode that speaks to you, that inspires you or motivates you or moves you, please feel free to share it. Share it with your friends, your family, your work colleagues. Perfect Strangers on the street is great. Just, you know, get the word out and I would appreciate it. And so let me talk to you about my guest today.
Speaker 1:My guest today is Michelle Joy, and she is a therapist, a coach, a certified Enneagram We'll have to talk about that one A teacher and founder of the Global Joy Institute. Her institute helps bring joy to people all over the world. For those in developing countries it looks like food and clean water, and for others it's helping people live their dreams. She has a philanthropic initiative in Uganda Uganda I guess I said that wrong which was a childhood dream of hers, and she has traveled to over 35 countries. One trip was a solo trip around the world and she helps her clients live their best lives. This is going to be such a great show. Welcome, michelle Joy.
Speaker 2:Thank you, mike, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:This is, and you know, I wish I had traveled to 35 countries, but I haven't. But you know, traveling looks a lot different nowadays, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, it's been a while since since I did that, but you know, I grew up on a, a farm, you know, in the in the Midwest and it was. It was an isolated area, but I remember that I would kind of lay on the hills and the pastures and I would look at the sky and kind of ponder life. Really I was like what is the bigger purpose? As a kid I did that. You know, why are we here? What's this all about? And I had a desire to expand and to see more and to experience more.
Speaker 1:At that point, yeah, those are big thoughts for a kid, though, why are we here? I think some kids do it anyway, but I mean, that's a lot to compliment, contemplate, yeah.
Speaker 2:I can talk, really I can yeah, I was kind of kind of thinking like introspective. I've always been a pretty introspective person and I remember in the third grade I do remember this, but I also have a written, written kind of assignment still I saved it where the teacher would ask us you know, if you could do anything, what would you do? And this was in the third grade I said I would grow long legs and I would walk over to Africa and I would help the people. And I don't know why I chose Africa. I don't know why at the time, but I had that in me, you know, to have a bigger impact or to help people in other countries.
Speaker 1:At that point, yeah sure yeah, wow so that and you did that event or where you're doing that.
Speaker 2:Not just did it, but yeah, I, it's kind of interesting evidence that I had that in me. I think that points to the idea that we're all kind of born with a purpose. You know, we're all kind of interesting evidence that I had that in me. I think that points to the idea that we're all kind of born with a purpose. You know, we're all kind of born with something that I think we we want to do and a reason why we're here. And you know, I'm doing a.
Speaker 2:I'm the host and the creator of a summit called the Life Purpose Summit and I talked to 20 different speakers and it's kind of unanimous and we're talking about they're looking at your fingerprints. You know the guy who owns Richard Unger, who owns the Institute for Hand Analysis. He's read 60,000 hands and he's like you know, this is really a blueprint and all these different. Anyway, everybody says you know, we're all here for a reason. We're all here to for a very specific, unique reason. I think that kind of points to that kind of remembering what we were interested in as children.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I believe that. I believe that you know, and however you want to frame that, that we are all put on this earth for a reason, and I think some people they search their whole lives to figure out why they're here. Do you help with that? Do you help people figure that out?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do, because I think what happens is, as adults, we forget, we forget what we were interested in as children. And it's so easy, especially if we're bogged down with working full time or we have a family or all these stresses and responsibilities. It gets to be kind of the same old, same old and survival mode. And when we're in survival mode it really isn't conducive to also being in touch with what drives us or what our passions are. So a lot of people say I don't really know what my passions are, or I forgot what they are, or I don't have any more. And I think we just lose touch with it because we get so consumed with getting things done and we go into survival mode I have so much on my plate, right?
Speaker 1:yeah, is that, and that's, that's so cool. Um, I had a question.
Speaker 2:So now you are a big believer in joy so much so that you changed your last name to that well, yeah, you know, I married into it, so I inherited this last name of joy yeah, oh, I thought you changed it.
Speaker 1:Okay, never mind, I thought you legally changed your last name to joy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I did, but it was a result of yeah, I just kind of, I married this guy his last name of Joy. So that's how it happened, but I've used it, you know, I think it happened to align with something I believe in. So it was kind of a coincidence or synchronicity, because I think that part of our quest in life as humans is like how can we feel more joy?
Speaker 1:But, again.
Speaker 2:I think it's. I think it's kind of tuning into what we're, you know, what drives us, what we're passionate about. So you asked earlier, you know, about my philanthropic initiative or my interest in helping people in other countries. You know, when I, when I moved into adulthood and I was on my own, I found myself volunteering a lot and I volunteered from everything to make a wish foundation, which I was very passionate about, to spending time with Holocaust survivors, just you know, it really made me feel good. And then I but I've always had an interest in helping people in other countries and so I did found a philanthropic initiative in Uganda and I call it global joy giving, and we've been able to do some great things so far.
Speaker 2:We've brought clean water, We've put in a clean water well to hundreds of people, and one of the way that was when I was first starting out and the way I did that was it was my birthday and I went on Facebook and I said, guys, I have a birthday wish. I would love if you would donate to my cause and here's what it would do and it would bring clean, clean water that was the project we were working on to these beautiful people in Uganda. They don't bring clean water. That was the project we were working on. To these beautiful people in Uganda, they don't have clean water, and I saw there was a video that's showing what they're doing instead.
Speaker 1:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker 2:And so I was able to raise funds for that for then, and we've since done a lot of other great things at that location.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and your organization, your Global Joy. You do a lot of work with helping people in Africa start their own businesses right so that they can be self-sufficient. I love that idea. I've heard about it before. I absolutely love that. Can you tell me more about that?
Speaker 2:love that. Can you tell me more about that? Yeah, so another aspect that we've helped with is to for people who have small business to start small businesses so that they can support their families. So we've done things like provide sewing machines and fabric to some people there and they turn that into a business and that's how they can support their families. So really helping empower women and helping get you know being able to provide for their families. We've also brought some scholastic supplies and food to the children in school and the attendance has really grown since then. So that's feeding, you know, hundreds of children in school, yeah, yeah, so we've had a couple different projects and it's really been gratifying couple different projects and it's really been gratifying.
Speaker 1:I'm wondering now, with the world as it is, with the news and everything, do you see an opportunity for Global Joy now that some people are pulling back from that space, you know, like with the closure of USAID, do you see an opportunity for GlobalJoy to be more of a player in that area?
Speaker 2:Possibly, so I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:I ambushed you with that question and I apologize.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if I understand what you're asking, um, possibly so it's. It's a very small organization right now and I actually like it that way, because I can see exactly where any funds that I'm donating goes. I can tell any donate donate donators, I can show them where their funds are going with photos and videos. Um, so, yeah, I so okay I like the size of it right now.
Speaker 1:I don't want to be some huge multinational corporation or LLC or org or whatever the case may be. I get it. I understand that. I mean yeah, so talk to me about your. I'm losing my. I've lost my hearing, I think. Talk to me more about the work that you do as far as mentoring or coaching.
Speaker 2:Sure, sure. I just wanted to say one last thing about the philanthropic initiative before I forget, and then I'll move into the coaching part, which is, you know, along the way, a lot of people say, like why don't you help the homeless people up the street? You know, I think just right in your own town, you know people need help and it's true, but I'm kind of a believer in doing what we feel called to do really, and what I feel a passion for. So I think people need help all over the place.
Speaker 1:Oh for sure, In terms of the coaching I mean there are. Yeah, I'm sorry, go ahead. There is so much need all over the world and I don't think anybody can fault one person for focusing on one area versus another. I know I talked to a guy earlier today that is trying to just end school lunch debt in his area. We each have a thing that we're called to do and I don't think anybody should be able to judge that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so too. Like I said, I'm a believer in each person kind of doing what they're called to do, and I think that's why we're here, and that's a little bit about what I would say in terms of you asked about the coaching and mentoring, and that's really what I help people do. So I do a few different things when it comes to coaching and mentoring. One of them is I help people communicate better with each other. I think that's really important because it provides peace in the family and peace in the home for children to grow up in. I think when we are in a relationship, we kind of go off of what we learned when we were kids. We watched our parents and they're just our parents.
Speaker 2:We're all doing the best we can, but nobody really teaches us how to be respectful with each other, how to communicate, how to be heard. So I'm very passionate about teaching people communication and conflict resolution to bring more peace. I think that has a ripple effect outside the home. So that's one portion of what I do yeah, on that subject.
Speaker 1:What do you see the most often in your business in that area? The communication that people are doing wrong. A couple comes to you and are doing wrong.
Speaker 2:A couple comes to you and yeah, here's a pretty key area that a lot of people are doing wrong is because I don't agree with you. I have to interrupt what you're saying and get defensive. So let's say, my partner tells me I'm controlling.
Speaker 2:Let's just say that and then it's like okay, I'm going to get defensive, I don't agree with you, rather than saying tell me more. When do you think I'm that way and what's? How's that feel toward you and what are some examples. And I think if we just get defensive, we miss an opportunity to understand our partner and maybe to to grow right and to become a better person and a better partner and improve our relationship. To become a better person and a better partner and improve our relationship.
Speaker 2:So that's probably the number one. Can I disagree with you and try to understand you at the same time? That's probably a core piece of improving communication.
Speaker 1:Oh sure, yeah, I know, and you started to say that and I held up this mirror and I'm like, yeah, I'm totally guilty of that. I know exactly what you're talking about, and, yeah, your life, your relationship would be so much better if you listened more obviously. And so it's asking open-ended questions, is that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really open-ended questions. Is that? Yeah, it's really being exactly. It's being curious and seeking to to understand our partner's reality, even if we don't agree with it. We always think, oh, I have to agree with what you're saying. It's usually like, no, that's not fair, and you're, I don't agree with how your paint the picture of me. Me is inaccurate, and then it's just off and and I think that can really stifle relationships. And I think if we want closeness, connection, conflict resolution, understanding, it really takes a willingness in myself to withstand the discomfort of hearing my partner's truth and their own perspective, because we're two different people, it's going to be different.
Speaker 1:So it takes a willingness to be comfortable yeah yeah, yeah, absolutely okay. So that was one aspect of it. Talk to me more yeah.
Speaker 2:So then the other aspect and I feel equally passionate about this too is, you know, having people kind of live their best life. You, you know, I don't think. I know that we have responsibilities and things that we need to do, but there's so much more to life than that and I just, I don't know for me, I've always tried to stay plugged into that. I haven't always been successful. I have gone off track myself, I've gotten lost. I've been lost, but I just feel so passionate about, um, staying plugged into the idea that there idea that there's a lot to life and there's more than just the stress that's in front of us and a higher way of viewing things. So I help people understand what their passions are, what their purpose is, what their gifts are, and to help them really feel like they're expressing that and living their life in alignment with that. I work with a lot of people. I live in northern california. This is where silicon valley is, you know a?
Speaker 2:lot of the corporations and stuff, and it's it's. There's a lot of stress going on around here, maybe in all parts of the world, but a lot of pressure, a lot of comparison, a lot of. So I work with a lot of people who burn out and feeling like I have to stay at this job because of A, b and C, or I need to do this, there's no other options, and I just don't have the quality of life that I'm seeing. I just don't think that this is the way to go.
Speaker 1:Like the tech industry.
Speaker 2:Well, just in general, I think we can get burned out in any industry. I mean as a, as a therapist, I've gotten burned out before, so I think we just have to be aware of you, know what we're doing and and you know trying to take breaks and is this really the career that I want to be in? A lot of people aren't in the career that they want to be in, but they feel forced to do it.
Speaker 1:I know my son has been doing the same type of work for probably 15 years. We were talking the other day and he says I can't do this forever. I can't keep doing this. I have to find a new job. And I'm like you know, whatever you want to do is great. I can't advise you.
Speaker 1:I mean 20 years ago, I was let go from a job and and I said to my wife she was my fiance at the time I said, okay, I want to start my own business. What do you, what would you like to do? And she said I've always thought about owning a cleaning business. I'm like, really, because I had never, ever considered it and I bet we've been doing it now for 20 years and I'm every day. I'm happy to go to work because I get to see the difference that we make on other people's lives.
Speaker 2:See exactly and something like that, like whatever feels fulfilling because I think it should be fulfilling and we say like how can I look forward to getting up in the morning? But see what you just said, you feel like you're making a difference in other people's lives. I think in some way we have to have that kind of meaning in our life or that kind of purpose, like something greater than yourselves is unfolding through the work that we're doing or the actions we're taking.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. We clean for busy parents, busy people that have children and families, and I look at that and I go, okay, I'm taking one more thing off of their to-do list for that week or what have you. And I know that when they come home and they walk into a house that's cleaned and there's no toys on the floor and the dishes aren't in the sink no toys on the floor and the dishes aren't in the sink that I made a positive difference.
Speaker 2:We made a positive sorry, honey, we made a positive difference in their lives. You know, oh, absolutely, and I'm hearing loud and clear what you're saying as being so true, not only because I'm one of those people I mean, I'm married, have a child, and I'm one of those people but also the many, many hundreds of couples I've come across where that is so much the case, where they would probably bow down to you right now and say thank you so much for taking, you know, for help, Because, boy, we get so busy and bogged down.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah it is. And you walk in at the end of the day without a house cleaner and you know the house, maybe five minutes after you get home, may be completely destroyed again. But for that brief moment in time everything was perfect.
Speaker 2:Right, it never stays that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, you let the dogs out, you let the kids get home from school. A backpack goes over there and there's a peanut butter sandwich on the counter and yeah, it doesn't stay that way. But yeah, I mean. So how do you lead somebody? And you got a hundred different clients that are going to have a hundred different answers but how do you lead somebody to find that joy in their life?
Speaker 2:I'd like to give you an example, I think, of something I ended up walking myself through. So this was years ago. I mean, I love traveling, right. I love just getting out and seeing the world, but in one case I had a passion to do it by myself. I'm like no, I want to go alone and I want to be gone for about six months and I don't want to stay in one place, I want to kind of hop around, and that was really scary for me. It was a scary thought. I also figured that's God, that's irresponsible. Look at all the money you're going to waste. It felt to me like wasting money. You're responsible. It was scary. What if something happens?
Speaker 2:And so it kept me stuck for a while, but I am a believer in hey, if this thing is coming to you so strongly that it's meant for you to do it, I'm just a believer in that, and so I was saying no to it for a very long time because of all the things I just told you. So it was like a battle between hey, you should do this versus no, I'm scared.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. So I really kind of I started first with number one, believing that if I have a strong inclination to do something, I think I should do it. I just think for me that's how life is supposed to be. And then step two is okay, I have to address the fears or the things that are in the way. So I got them out of my head, wrote them all on paper, got them, got them down Some of them were.
Speaker 2:I looked at them. Okay, some of them are irrational. Is it really irresponsible? I think those are old voices from my past. I learned that from people from my past so kind of worked on those. And then some of them were were reasonable. Like what, if you're not safe, that's a reasonable thing. Okay, what can I do here? So I found ways to kind of get on certain websites and talk to other in some cases helpful to talk to other women, or were you safe as a woman in this country? Uh. And got some, got some real grounded planning under my belt and say, okay, if I go to Egypt, maybe I won't go alone, maybe I'll have a friend come or join a tour group there for things like that, so that helped with those fears Nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I think it's that process, a similar process.
Speaker 1:So taking a I'm sorry, taking a very precision, deliberate approach to addressing the things that have you stuck, so that you're not stuck anymore. That was a really simplistic way to look at it. I get it, but I mean, is that basically what we're talking about here?
Speaker 2:I think that's at least part of it. I mean, sometimes people don't really know what they want to do or what drives them or what's interesting. And I'll say I think we have to get back in touch with what we enjoyed doing as kids and or spend some time alone, get out of the rat race, get out of the busy, busy, busy and really spend some time with either journaling and writing it down or being alone in nature and seeing what surfaces and beginning to ask ourself you know what would really bring me joy every day. It doesn't have to be something big. I'm not telling people to go and travel around the world. That's not my point at all.
Speaker 2:You know, sometimes it's something we start with, whatever it is. I would like to, you know, have 10 minutes a day to go stand outside in the sun. I don't know what it is, but just something, what can bring me joy. And sometimes it's like, if it's not big, I'm not going to do anything. But we start with, just go with the small stuff. We start judging these things in our head instead of just going with it. So to me, it's that getting in touch with what we want. And then, yes, the second part is we're always going to hear a yeah, but, yeah, but, and so we have to get that out of our head, put it on paper and then look at it one at a time and say this is what's keeping me stuck. What can I do about this situation? Sure, yeah.
Speaker 1:You were talking about writing down your fears and then going through with the list, and I immediately thought of journaling. That's a huge help for something like this, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It's a huge help because I think when it's in our head, god, anxiety can swirl around and around and around. But getting it out now we've externalized it and I think if we get it out of our head, we can look at it more objectively, because it's not just in, we put it down, we can see what it is and it allows for us to discover or explore what can we do with these things? Well, some of this is a legitimate concern. You know. This one's not just an irrational fear.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it comes up with a game plan and helps us get unstuck yeah, for sure, um, and I, I I've been there and with the wheel around in your head and and oh, we all have been. I guess I shouldn't say it. It's not unique to me, but yeah, it oftentimes looks a lot different when you're looking at it written down than when it's swirling around in your head, right?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And something else that I've done is I've written it down, gotten those things out of my head, put them down, and then I'll wait for about a week, and I've even mailed myself a letter before. In the past I've mailed myself a letter and thought pretend that somebody is mailing you a letter and you're the wise wizard and they need help with figuring out how to navigate these things. And then I'll just pretend it's not me and I'll write back, and then I'll wait another week and I'll read it and see if that is a higher way of looking at it or I'll just do it right on the spot too. But I think putting some space in there is helpful, yeah.
Speaker 1:It gives you perspective, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but sometimes we can't do that stuff on our own and we need the help of an outside person who is not in it, where they can see things more clearly, because we all have blind spots and sometimes we don't know how to sidestep them.
Speaker 1:so, like a coach or a mentor something is helpful I was gonna say, that's where you come in yeah nice. Uh, one last thing before we wrap up. Talk to me about Marriage Prep 101.
Speaker 2:Yeah, marriage Prep 101 is a bit of a subsidiary of the first sort of way that I help people, which is helping people have great relationships, and I work with a lot of part of the population I work with as couples and sometimes they've been together 25 years and I see where they've gotten off track and if only we could have started off on a different foot in the beginning. It would make a difference. So I'm real passionate about hey, when you're first dating, or you're before you're married, or you're newlyweds, let's learn some really effective tools that may not be common knowledge for you to instill so you can start off on a positive trajectory in your relationship. And if you both decide to that you're going to do this from this day forward, you know it can really make a difference in the longevity of your relationship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:It's a seven hour, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:What longevity of your relationship. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, it's a seven-hour. I'm sorry what?
Speaker 2:It's a seven-hour structured program where we walk through like just some main parts of a relationship and you know what's helpful to understand about each other, tools to learn and things like that. So that's just another service that I offer.
Speaker 1:tools to learn and things like that. So that's just another service that I offer, just another service from the many faceted, michelle Joy. Oh, michelle, it was so lovely having you on and speaking with you. I absolutely love everything you're doing and you're making such a positive difference in the world. I really appreciate you.
Speaker 2:Thank you and thank you for what you're doing as well. I really appreciate you. Thank you and thank you for what you're doing as well. I love the message behind what you're doing. I think it's important.
Speaker 1:I, yeah, thank you. The more people who can hear about and and maybe be inspired by, by kindness of others, I think it's certainly a good thing.
Speaker 2:Yes so.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you. Your episode will come out the first week of April and we'll talk in between there.
Speaker 2:Okay, wonderful, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:You're welcome, take care.
Speaker 2:Okay, bye-bye.
Speaker 1:I want to thank you for taking this time to listen to this episode with my guest, michelle Joy, and I hope that you're able to take something positive from the time that you shared with us. Maybe you'll be inspired, maybe you'll be motivated, maybe you'll be moved. If you experienced any of those positive feelings, please consider sharing this podcast with your friends, your family, your work colleagues. Strangers on the street? No, okay, maybe not. That might not be a good thing, but you know I'm always striving to offer you a better podcast and so, in that vein, feel free to give me some feedback. Let me know how you think I'm doing. You can email me, you can leave a message on my socials. Anything at all would mean the world. Also, feel free to follow us on socials like Facebook, instagram, linkedin and TikTok.
Speaker 1:This podcast is part of the Mayday Media Network. If you have an idea for a podcast and need some production assistance, or have a podcast already and are looking for a supportive network to join, check out maydaymedianetworkcom and check out the many different shows like afrocentric spoil, my movie generation mixtape in a pickle radio show, wake up and dream with d anthony palin, stacks of packs and the time palettes. We'll be back again next week with a new episode, and we would be honored if you would join us. You've been listening to the Kindness Matters Podcast. I am your host, mike Rathbun. Have a fantastic week.
