This week on WORDS MATTER, Deanna Ley, The Catalytic Coach, brings voice to something we often overlook in our pursuit of healing and growth: joy. The real kind that’s soul-filling. The kind we forget to let ourselves feel.
This episode is rooted in seven powerful words from poet Mary Oliver:
“Joy is not made to be a crumb.”
Deanna dives into how so many of us treat joy like a reward we haven’t earned — something we postpone until everything is handled, fixed, or perfect. But joy was never meant to be the thing we get after. It’s meant to be part of the during. The fuel — not the fluff.
What Listeners Will Learn:
• Why joy isn’t a luxury or distraction — it’s a necessity
• How we’ve been conditioned to see joy as something earned
• The truth about what happens when we starve ourselves of it
• How to let joy in, even when life is hard
• A beautiful invitation to notice joy in the ordinary and let it settle
Memorable Quotes:
• “Joy is not made to be a crumb.” – Mary Oliver
• “Joy isn’t the opposite of hard. It’s what holds us together in the middle of it.”
• “You are allowed to feel joy. Right now. Just as you are.”
• “There’s no medal for postponing your joy.”
• “Choose the joy.”
• “You deserve more than scraps, friends. You don’t have to wait another day to remember that.”
This episode is your reminder that joy belongs here — now, in the middle of the messy and the beautiful. Because you are not a crumb. And your life wasn’t meant to be lived like one.
Your WORDS MATTER, because YOU MATTER.
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Text Deanna! She'd love to hear from you!
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Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!
Follow Deanna on social media for frequent insights and inspiration, and share your favorite takeaways from this episode on social media. Tag her! She’d love to hear your thoughts.
Facebook: https://Facebook.com/TheCatalyticCoach
Instagram: https://Instagram.com/TheCatalyticCoach
Subscribe to the WORDS MATTER by Deanna Ley podcast so you never miss an episode at:
https://wordsmatterwithdeannaley.buzzsprout.com
For more inspiration, coaching, and tools to ignite your Possible, visit:
https://DeannaLey.com
For ladies who want to join Deanna's CORE4 Community, visit:
http://CORE4community.com
Ready to take the next step? Explore Deanna’s coaching programs and resources designed to help you RISE and IGNITE YOUR POSSIBLE at:
http://TheCatalyticCoach.com
Contact Deanna to have her speak to your group at:
https://DeannaLey.com/Contact
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