In this thoughtful conversation, Kerrie shares her journey from the stage to the boardroom, revealing the research-backed practices that helped her transform a devastating career loss into authentic living. You’ll discover why being “unapologetically you” isn’t just feel-good advice; it’s supported by science at a cellular level, helping rewire your brain for long-term well-being.

In this episode, we explore:

(00:00) Why losing your identity can become your greatest gift

(04:10) How success as a high performer nearly cost everything that mattered

(07:31) When a hip replacement becomes the doorway to authentic living

(11:40) Why the most resilient people ask this one powerful question about breaking points

(15:21) How to embrace being weird and wonderful without losing connection

(19:05) The “hot stove” moment: recognizing when your values are violated

(22:34) Simple practices that support rewiring your brain for joy (hint: it’s not complicated)

(26:21) What hugging teenage boys teaches us about savouring the good

(27:39) The cellular science behind being unapologetically you

Links mentioned in this episode:

Kerrie Alanen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrie-alanen-27607417/ 

The JOY Journey

The JOY Journey is an online space for women ready to reconnect, reset, and grow – at your own pace or alongside a supportive community.

What you get:

• 10 emails each month with simple, research-backed tools
• Guided meditations, journalling prompts, and practical techniques
• Ongoing support designed to help changes actually stick
• Access to a dedicated app with all content anytime

Community option:

• Live sessions twice a month (1 hour)
• Reflect, write, and connect with others on the same path
• Fridays at 11:30 MT

If something in this episode resonated, this is your next step.

Get 30% off as a Finding Joy listener:

https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page 

Connect with Finding Joy:

Website: https://www.leonadevinne.com and https://devillepartners.com 

Subscribe for weekly emails: https://ghl.devillepartners.com/widget/form/Dvb9FUenar3xybDTFeww 

The JOY Journey https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyspot  

Finding Your Joy Spot Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991707583

Through the JOY framework and three powerful personas, this episode provides a research-backed roadmap from clarity to confidence to courage. You'll discover why we choose belonging over authenticity and learn practical ways to stop living as "adult software running on childhood algorithms."

In this episode, we explore:

(00:38) Why authenticity is the bravest work we'll ever do

(01:23) How childhood attachment needs shape adult behavior 

(03:05) Why we choose belonging over being real

(05:33) Grace as the pathway to true self-clarity

(08:04) The five-minute writing practice for self-discovery

(10:23) How to practice self-compassion like a loving friend

(12:15) Why joy requires courage over comfort

(14:38) The 5% braver question that changes everything

The JOY Journey

The JOY Journey is an online space for women ready to reconnect, reset, and grow – at your own pace or alongside a supportive community.

What you get:

• 10 emails each month with simple, research-backed tools
• Guided meditations, journalling prompts, and practical techniques
• Ongoing support designed to help changes actually stick
• Access to a dedicated app with all content anytime

Community option:

• Live sessions twice a month (1 hour)
• Reflect, write, and connect with others on the same path
• Fridays at 11:30 MT

If something in this episode resonated, this is your next step.

Get 30% off as a Finding Joy listener:

https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page 

Connect with Finding Joy:

Website: https://www.leonadevinne.com and https://devillepartners.com 

Subscribe for weekly emails: https://ghl.devillepartners.com/widget/form/Dvb9FUenar3xybDTFeww 

The JOY Journey https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyspot  

Finding Your Joy Spot Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991707583

Leona deVinne sits down with her partner, Rod Miller, to explore how trauma, identity, and a life-changing cancer diagnosis reshaped his definition of fulfilment. Rod shares raw reflections on resilience, healing, and letting go of inherited expectations. Together, they unpack how adversity can clarify what matters most: relationships, health, and living in alignment with who you really are.

In this episode, we explore:

(00:00) Prioritizing what truly matters

(05:28) Redefining success and priorities

(06:49) Finding meaning beyond traditional success

(09:32) Childhood trauma that shaped identity

(13:05) Purpose, leadership and legacy

(17:19) Turning adversity into growth

(22:32) Understanding identity through early life

(25:27) Creating a meaningful life

(26:49) Choosing to be true to yourself

Links mentioned in this episode:

Rod Miller on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodmiller/ 

Connect with Finding Joy:

Website: https://www.leonadevinne.com and https://devillepartners.com/

Subscribe for weekly emails: https://ghl.devillepartners.com/widget/form/Dvb9FUenar3xybDTFeww

The JOY Journey https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyspot 

Finding Your Joy Spot Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991707583 

Next time life gets messy – remember the key takeaway: Check your thinking, stay centered, and come back to joy. You’ve got this.

Connect with Finding Joy:

Website: https://www.leonadevinne.com and https://devillepartners.com 

Subscribe for weekly emails: https://ghl.devillepartners.com/widget/form/Dvb9FUenar3xybDTFeww 

The JOY Journey https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyspot  

Finding Your Joy Spot Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991707583

Through stories, science, and soulful discussion, this episode sets the stage for a season committed to helping listeners Just Own You – the acronym for JOY discovered in a moment of self-reflection.

In this episode, we explore:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:09) The power of joy in challenging times

(04:03) The true nature of joy

(04:54) The power of unfinished conversations

(06:27) Owning yourself

(07:16) Embracing authenticity

Links mentioned in this episode:

Brené Brown

Website: https://www.leonadevinne.com and https://devillepartners.com/

Subscribe for weekly emails: https://ghl.devillepartners.com/widget/form/Dvb9FUenar3xybDTFeww

The JOY Journey https://go.leonadevinne.com/the-joy-journey-landing-page 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyspot 

Finding Your Joy Spot Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991707583 

💡 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 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 — 

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.

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

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

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

Have you ever felt that wave of nausea after sending a perfectly respectful message, only to spiral into fear that someone might be mad at you?

Yeah… me too.

In this episode, I share a moment that reminded me how deeply our childhood wiring can still influence our adult reactions—especially when it comes to using our voice. What started as a simple email exchange brought me face-to-face with my old "be a good girl" pattern, the fear of upsetting others, and the muscle I’m still learning to strengthen: speaking up.

We’re not just purely logical adults—we’re also tender systems still running on childhood algorithms. The goal isn’t to eliminate those parts of us, but to love and integrate them with compassion.

Listen to the guided meditation to connect with the younger parts of you that get triggered when you speak up and could use some love:  https://media.transistor.fm/9b0d1082/5acc8ea4.mp3

If you’ve been holding back your voice or tiptoeing around your truth, this episode is for you.

✨ Listen in, then take a moment to reflect with the prompts below.
✨ You don’t have to do this alone—reach out if you’re ready for support in finding your voice.

🎧 Listen now and subscribe for weekly reflections on courage, joy, and showing up as your whole self. https://leonadevinne.com/subscribe
🌀 Because the world doesn’t benefit from you swallowing your truth. It benefits from you speaking up.

JOURNAL PROMPTS TO GO DEEPER:

1. What situations or relationships tend to trigger your "stay quiet" reflex?
   Explore recent or past moments where you held back your voice. What did you feel in your body? What were you afraid might happen?
2. What is your earliest memory of being afraid to speak up?
   Reflect on childhood experiences where you learned it might not be safe or welcome to express yourself. What messages did you internalize?
3. When was the last time you used your voice, even though it felt uncomfortable?
   Celebrate that moment. What helped you speak up? What did you learn about yourself or the outcome?
4. What part of you still believes that keeping the peace means staying silent?
   Write to that part with compassion. Let it know what’s true now, and how you’re learning to hold both truth and connection.
5. What would it look like to live more fully in your truth today?
   Describe how speaking up could benefit your relationships or leadership. What small step can you take to move toward that?

🖍 Bonus prompt:
 Draw or collage a version of your younger self who felt fully alive and free. Let your inner child lead the way.

#SpeakUp #FindingYourJoySpot #Leadership #SelfCompassion #InnerChildHealing #WomensVoices #HealingJourney #AuthenticLiving

When I reread it, it hit differently. It reminded me of how often we tuck away our truths, afraid of what might happen if we actually said them out loud.

In this episode, we talk about:
 — What it costs to silence ourselves
 — The fear of change that can come with truth-telling
 — The quiet power of grace 

This is a reflection on permission to be ourselves, embrace our truth, and what it means to live wholeheartedly. Not from a place of hustle or performance—but from your truth.

If you’ve been feeling a pull to be more honest with yourself, or if you’ve been wondering how grace fits into all of this… this one’s for you.

📝 Plus, I’ll leave you with a few reflection prompts to help you reconnect with what matters most.

🌸 What would be possible if you allowed more grace in your life?
🌸 What would it give you to be more gracious with yourself?
🌸 Consider something that feels challenging—a person, a situation, or something from your past. What would grace bring to that?
🌸 When you think of embracing all of who you are, what could you give yourself permission for?

​
 ​ Complete this sentence: I give myself permission to...

​
Ways to stay connected
Follow thejoyspot on Instagram

My website https://leonadevinne.com/

Check out my book: Finding Your Joy Spot https://leonadevinne.com/findingyourjoyspot/

In this episode, I share the story behind my why and how a quiet moment during a hellish season of life revealed my deeper purpose: to spread joy. 

Not performative happiness. But the kind of joy that lives deep in your bones—the kind that emerges when you Just Own You.

I’ll walk you through how I discovered the acronym JOY = Just Own You, and how this powerful truth connects us to the foundations of living an unapologetic, purpose-aligned life.

✨ Ready to find your own joy spot? This is where we begin.

From the podcast-the song I suggested listening to and then journaling through the prompts.

If you want to give it a try, you can sit and listen to this song and see what comes up. Listen to it once a day and see what shows up each day. It's not your standard meditation music as this sweet number is by my favourite band Earth, Wind and Fire :). Maybe it's even the music itself that feels good or it invites you to move- Just Own You and your experience with it.

​https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=X6KUwob9hSM&si=Mnj9ci8cMtuvoHqc​

If you want to take this contemplation a step further

Journal with these prompts-just write the answers that come up for you, try not to pause-write for one minute atleaset when you answer the questions. You could take one a day for the next week.

What would it mean for you to wake up?

What does it mean for you to walk in the light?

What would it mean to bring more substance to your life?

What part of you has been pushed aside?

What are you worthy of that you have been setting aside?

What is your heart holding that you need?

What break or change are you longing for?

What did you learn about yourself from working through these prompts? What will you do as a result?

Even a minor change could move you closer to the joy you deserve-reach out if I you could use some support.

🔔 Subscribe for more episodes on finding Joy by embracing all you are without apology, voice reclamation, leadership, and finding your truth

Follow thejoyspot on Instagram
My website https://leonadevinne.com/
Check out my book:Finding Your Joy Spot https://leonadevinne.com/findingyourjoyspot/