🎙️ Finding Your Joy Spot with Leona deVinne
Episode Title: The Vulnerability Hangover
Length: 5–6 minutes

💡 Episode Summary

What does The Lion King have to do with courage, self-doubt, and grace?

In this honest and relatable episode, author and guide Leona deVinne shares a story about waking up with what Brené Brown calls a vulnerability hangover, that moment when bravery feels more like panic than power.

From nearly “throwing in the towel” to being reminded (by both her coach and Mufasa) to remember who you are, Leona takes us inside a morning of stretching, self-doubt, and grace.

She reminds us that bravery doesn’t always look bold; sometimes it looks like rolling out your yoga mat when you want to hide, listening for the still, small voice that says remember, and choosing not to back down when the stretch feels uncomfortable.

Because this is the art of not giving up.

🪞 In This Episode

• What it feels like to have a vulnerability hangover - and why it’s not a sign to stop.
• How small grounding practices can anchor courage when you feel uncertain.
• The unexpected wisdom of The Lion King and the power of remembering who you are.
• The poem that brought Leona back to her purpose - and what “Just Own You” really means.
• How grace helps us hold both self-doubt and self-belief at the same time.

📝 Journal Prompts

• Where in my life am I being stretched right now?
• What would it look like to offer myself grace instead of criticism?
• When I “remember who I am,” what truths rise to the surface?
• What does Just Own You mean to me in this season?

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Grace - Leona’s meditation soundtrack from The Womb series.
• Blog: When Courage Feels Uncomfortable
• Learn more about Leona’s work at leonadevinne.com

✨ Connect with Leona

• Website: leonadevinne.com
• Instagram: @thejoyspot
• Substack: Finding Your Joy Spot
• YouTube: Leona deVinne - Finding Your Joy Spot

💬 Episode Quote

“Grace is what we need when our courage feels shaky - it’s what keeps us from quitting when the stretch gets uncomfortable.” - Leona deVinne

Episode Title: Be a Bob: The Hardest Thing I Did Wasn’t Changing the Tire
Host: Leona deVinne
Podcast: Finding Your Joy Spot

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and surprisingly funny reflection, Leona shares the story of a flat tire that turned into an unexpected retreat — and the moment she realized that the hardest thing she did that day wasn’t changing the tire.

It was asking for help.

From a dusty roadside to a chance encounter with a stranger named Bob, this episode explores what it means to lead, live, and love without armouring up — and how courage sometimes looks like raising your hand instead of holding it all together.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why “muscling through” can quietly become a coping strategy that keeps us disconnected.

  
  

• How to reframe asking for help as a strength, not a weakness

  
  

• What a flat tire can teach us about self-reliance, grace, and the real work of joy

  
  

• The power of small, ordinary acts of kindness (and how to be a Bob for someone else)

  
  

• Why life’s detours often deliver the lesson we needed most

  Key Quote

“The hardest thing I did that day wasn’t changing the tire — it was admitting I couldn’t do it all myself.”
— Leona deVinne

Reflection Prompt

Where in your life are you still trying to muscle through something alone?
And who could you reach out to — or quietly help — this week?

Connect with Leona

🌐 Website: www.leonadevinne.com
📰 Subscribe to the Newsletter: leonadevinne.com/subscribe
💫 Join the Membership: The J.O.Y. Journey — a community for women ready to live, lead, and love without apology.
📸 Follow on Instagram: @thejoyspot
🎧 Listen & Share: Finding Your Joy Spot is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen.

❤️ If You Loved This Episode

• Share it with a friend who tends to do it all by themself.

  
  

• Leave a review —

What if your life were a movie — and the audience was screaming for you to stop hiding?

In this episode of Finding Your Joy Spot, Leona explores the paradox so many of us live: desperately wanting to be seen, while making ourselves invisible through people-pleasing, perfecting, and performing.

You’ll learn:
✨ Why being needed isn’t the same as being valued
✨ How to take off the “superhero cloak” of always being the helper
✨ What it looks like to live with clarity, confidence, and courage
✨ How JOY — Just Own You — can become your daily practice

Reflection Questions:

• Where are you hiding behind a helpful persona?
• Where are you overextending instead of showing up authentically?
• What’s one boundary you know you need to set?

Take some time to journal these questions and notice where the audience of your life might be screaming for you to speak up.

Want to go deeper?

Join me for the Just Own You Retreat on October 18 in Bragg Creek, Alberta — a day to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with your authentic self and discover life changing JOY! https://leonadevinne.com/events/

🔔 Subscribe for more episodes of Finding Your Joy Spot where we explore what it means to live and lead with clarity, confidence, and courage.

What if the highest tax you’re paying isn’t financial — but personal? In this episode of Finding Your Joy Spot, Leona introduces the concept of the Integrity Tax: the hidden cost of saying yes when you want to say no, of staying small when you’re called to more, and of silencing your truth.

Drawing on personal stories, Brené Brown’s research on resentment, and Gabor Maté’s insights on health, Leona unpacks how integrity tax accrues quietly — and what it takes to stop paying it.

You’ll discover:

-How integrity shows up through clarity, confidence, and courage.
-The real costs of living out of alignment.
-Practical prompts to help you audit your life and realign with your truth.

Because integrity isn’t about perfection — it’s about alignment. And the more aligned you are, the less you owe.

Please stay connected with Leona, sign up for my weekly emails https://leonadevinne.com/subscribe

Free reflection & resources:

Values Finding Tool: https://leonadevinne.kit.com/keynote

Blog post https://leonadevinne.com/personal-growth/the-integrity-tax/

Just Own You Retreat (Oct 18): https://leonadevinne.com/events/

Self-Compassion Meditation: https://share.transistor.fm/s/504a9ea9

Looking for more Quiet Space? Join The Womb —a monthly reflection circle, Sept 14 at 1 pm MT, a camera-off, no sharing space, simply a time to relax, reflect, reset: https://leonadevinne.kit.com/f7d99ccdac

🎙️ Subscribe to Finding Your Joy Spot on YouTube and your favourite podcast platform for more conversations on clarity, confidence, courage, and joy.

Bury Doubt Before It Buries You

Episode Summary

Doubt has a way of slipping in quietly, convincing you that you’re not ready, not enough, or not the right person for the job. And when we believe it, we start living smaller—bit by bit—until we’re only bringing a fraction of ourselves into the world.

In this episode of Finding Your Joy Spot, Leona shares how she confronted her own self-doubt—literally burying it in her backyard—and why this simple ritual can help you reclaim your voice and power. She dives into how doubt keeps you from living the essence of JOY (Just Own You), what science says about using your own name to shift your inner dialogue, and how intentional action sends a powerful message to your brain that things have changed.

You’ll walk away with a set of powerful journal prompts, a guided reflection to help you rewrite your doubts into truth, and a tangible ritual you can use any time those old voices start to creep back in.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Doubt is one of the most effective jailers of your true self.

  
  

• The role of distanced self-talk (from Ethan Kross’s Chatter) in quieting mental chatter.

  
  

• How small rituals can create big shifts in your mindset.

  
  

• The JOY framework—Just Own You—and why doubt is its biggest obstacle.

  
  

• Seven journal prompts to uncover, challenge, and release your doubts.

Links & Resources Mentioned
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross
Jefferson Fisher Podcast featuring Damon West https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/podcast/damon-west-communication

Connect with Leona

Instagram: @thejoyspot
Website: leonadevinne.com
Get the Book: Finding Your Joy Spot https://www.amazon.ca/Finding-Your-Joy-Spot-Unexpected/dp/0991707583

Join the Finding Your Joy Spot newsletter https://leonadevinne.com/subscribe

Finding Your Joy Spot - Episode: When Finding Your Voice Requires a Shovel

Episode Summary

In this episode, Leona explores why women often silence themselves, play small, or soften their edges in both personal and professional settings. Drawing from evolutionary psychology and her own Lioness Project research, she discusses how our ancient brain wiring still impacts how we show up today—and what we can do about it.

Leona shares practical reflection exercises to help listeners excavate old patterns, heal childhood wounds, and step into their full power with courage and compassion.

Key Topics Discussed

• Why women experience safety differently and how it impacts our behaviour
• The evolutionary wiring that keeps us playing small
• The difference between "pushing through" and doing the deeper excavating work
• How childhood experiences shape our adult patterns
• Practical exercises for healing and integration using Internal Family Systems principles
• Finding joy in courageous acts and making courage contagious

Reflection Exercises

Take these at your own pace—one a day, one a week, or all at once with strong coffee:

1. Stream of consciousness writing: How did a difficult childhood situation impact you? Write for 2-5 minutes without stopping.
2. Pattern recognition: What has that situation imprinted on you? How does it impact you now?
3. Inner child work: Go back to that situation and comfort your younger self. Write from their voice—let them express their fear, sadness, or devastation.
4. Compassionate acknowledgment: How has that moment shaped you? Write a compassionate note to that part of yourself.
5. Strategy awareness: What did you learn from that pattern? What strategies did you develop to avoid feeling that way again?
6. Integration: Welcome your younger self in. Remind them they don't need to keep you small anymore.
7. Honouring: Ask how that younger part wants to be honoured—through play, creativity, or simple pleasures.

Resources Mentioned

Internal Family Systems Research:
IFS Institute

The Lioness Project:
www.thelionessproject.com

Connect with Leona

Website: www.leonadevinne.com

Email: leona@leonadevinne.com

Instagram: @thejoyspot

Facebook: @thejoyspot

Subscribe & Share

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to Finding Your Joy Spot wherever you listen to podcasts. Share it with someone who might need to hear this message—remember, courage is contagious, and joy shared is always joy squared!

Quote of the Episode

"The digging is about cultivating the soil of our hearts and lives to make room for our truth to grow. And when one has the courage to do that, there's often a spot of joy in those courageous acts."

Description:
What started as a staycation quickly turned into something deeper—a Soul Spa-a sweet slice of homemade goodness.

In this episode, I share what happened when I gave myself two weeks of intentional nurturing: daily meditation, quiet contemplation, healing sessions, writing, painting, and simple moments of presence. I talk about reconnecting with what matters most, letting my inner five-year-old play, and why tending to ourselves isn’t a luxury—it’s how we live well and find our spots of joy.

If you’re feeling scattered, worn down, or like you’ve forgotten parts of yourself, this is your reminder: you don’t have to wait until you’re empty to take care of yourself.

Tune in for a grounded, soulful reflection—and an invitation to create your own version of a Soul Spa. (You can call it what you like :))

🌀 Plus: Details on the August 10 recorded session of The Womb (focused on nurturing) and the upcoming Just Own You retreat on October 18 in Bragg Creek, AB. More details on the retreat here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/just-own-youwomens-retreat-a-time-to-reflect-reconect-and-be-restored-tickets-1507997403829?aff=oddtdtcreator

Something to consider journaling about:

• What part of you is quietly asking to be nurtured right now?
• When was the last time you did something just for you—no outcome, no expectation, just because it felt good?
• What would your version of a Soul Spa look like this week, even in a small way?
• Have some extra fun-ask your five-year-old self what they would love to do to feel nurtured?

Newsletter: https://leonadevinne.com/subscribe

Finding Your Joy Spot On YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwuQCZ4ydBQTFM9JN7nOOFQ

Looking for some summer reading? Grab your copy of my book, Finding Your Joy Spot, Just Own You: How Joy guides you back to what matters most and the truth of who you are. ​https://www.amazon.ca/Finding-Your-Joy-Spot-Unexpected/dp/0991707583

Joy in the Dark: How Small Moments Saved Me

In this episode, I reflect on what it means to find joy, not in the obvious places, but in the challenging ones.

This week marks 10 years since my son’s brain surgery, and it’s stirred something deep in me. I didn’t find joy the way many people talk about it. For me, it came in little spots—tiny moments that gave me just enough grace to get through the day.

I write about it more in my book-Finding Your Joy Spot. https://leonadevinne.com/findingyourjoyspot/

I also share the powerful H.E.A.L. method—a neuroscience-based tool that helped me let joy alleviate chronic pain.

If you’re in a tough place, this episode is a reminder that joy can still find you… even in the dark.

✨ Mentioned in this episode:

H.E.A.L. Method by Dr. Rick Hanson: https://www.rickhanson.net/take-in-the-good/

📬 Want more like this in your inbox? Sign up here https://leonadevinne.com/subscribe

🎙️ Subscribe for more episodes on joy, healing, and finding your voice.

Prompts to find your own Joy Spots:

Listen to a joyful song daily

Take a photo of something joyful each day

Write down 3 joyful moments before bed

Do a random act of kindness

Compliment someone sincerely

Donate something meaningful

Text someone just to say you appreciate them

Want some journaling prompts to find or create more joy? https://leonadevinne.kit.com/1f2b09daa8