Send us a text What if your breakthrough doesn’t come from pushing harder, but from reclaiming joy as your operating system? We sit down with strategist and licensed therapist Nicole Van Valen, founder of Keen Insights and author of The Joyful Leader, to explore a practical path out of burnout and into purpose-driven performance. Nicole brings 25+ years across healthcare, behavioral health, and corporate leadership, blending mental health expertise with real-world tools leaders can use when the calendar is packed and the pressure is high. We start by naming the traps—perfectionism, people pleasing, and the grind reflex—that keep high performers stuck in toxic environments. Nicole shares how she cultivated a “second battery” outside of work through dance and creativity, and why joy must be built, not waited on. You’ll learn the Joy Menu technique to lower friction in stressful moments, a simple three-breath reset you can use mid-meeting, and a clear distinction between happiness (event-based) and joy (internally cultivated). The conversation anchors on Nicole’s Ready–Set–Go framework: Ready to rediscover yourself and recharge, Set to design your landscape and boundaries, and Go to deliver aligned results without sacrificing your well-being. Along the way, we dive into psychological safety, resilient cultures, and why service and philanthropy expand your capacity to lead. Nicole’s stories—from boardrooms to community projects in South Africa—highlight how purpose fuels energy, creativity, and follow-through. If success still feels heavy, this is your invitation to shift from surviving to thriving, to swap grit-only tactics for a sustainable strategy that restores clarity, connection, and courage. Want more conversations like this? Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs a lift, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Then tell us: what’s the first item on your Joy Menu today? Get ready to break free from obstacles and live life on your terms! Are you readdy to create and design your best life? If so, click the link here. To make sure you never miss an episode, make sure you subscribe to the podcast and head on over to www.cassandracrawley.com and join our mailing list. Support the show Are you ready to create and design your best life on your terms? If so, click here and schedule a complimentary discovery call with Cassandra. https://www.cassandracrawley.com/discovery-call If this podcast helped you rethink whether you are living your best life on your terms, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more women find it. To get a copy of my debut book, "Is Your Way in Your Way", visit https://www.cassandracrawley.com/book Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassandracrawleymayo Website: https://www.cassandracrawley.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandra_crawleymayo/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandracrawley/ YouTube: https://cassandracrawleymayo x: https://www.tiktok.com/
