What if joy isn't something you earn after you've fixed your life - but the thing that helps you build it in the first place?
This week I'm joined by life coach, retreat host and founder of The Joy Project, Meg Holloway.
After leaving a corporate career and moving to the Lake District, Meg trained as a coach and built a business around a simple but powerful idea: joy is not the reward at the end of the journey - it's the strategy that helps you navigate it.
In this conversation we explore how Meg transformed herself from someone who describes her younger self as "proper glass half empty" into a coach who helps people get out of their own way and take action on the things that matter most.
We talk about:
Why so many people are waiting for permission before they start the business, launch a project, change careers or pursue the life they really want.
Meg's philosophy of "messy action" and how tiny imperfect steps build self-trust far more effectively than endless planning.
Fear of failure, fear of judgement and the stories we tell ourselves that keep us stuck.
Why community, connection and finding "your people" matters more than ever.
Why learning to "date yourself" can be one of the most powerful things you do.
Finding joy during one of the most difficult periods of her life following a serious health challenge, and why that experience ultimately reinforced everything she teaches.
If you've ever felt stuck, waited for permission, or wondered whether it's too late to make a change, I think you'll get a lot from this one.
Follow Meg: https://www.instagram.com/megg.holloway/
Support the podcast:
Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653
Mentioned in the Podcast:
The Joy Project: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyprojectcoach/
The Joy Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3guaT24uvN1gky41cYfLe7?si=c1f9d15084674cf4
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Chapters
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:58 Life in the Lakes
16:50 Training to be a Life Coach
23:04 Joy is the strategy, not the reward
33:03 How to chance a mindset
39:08 Overcoming Cringe
47:58 The Joy Project
52:21 You're not stuck, you're just waiting for permission
56:25 Take messy action
01:01:15 Pause, pivot, progress
01:04:00 The Strech Zone
01:11:20 Dating yourself
01:22:30 Bossing life on your own
01:38:24 Meg's recent health scare
01:53:20 Meeting someone
01:57:01 The problem with dating apps
