What if flourishing isn't something that happens when life goes your way, but a skill you can practice and create?
On this episode of the JOY² – Live With Joy Podcast, Greg De Koker sits down with Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, CEO & Founder of The Flourishing Center, for an eye-opening exploration of what it really means to live well.
And it turns out flourishing isn't the same as being happy.
Emiliya challenges the idea that difficult emotions are problems to fix or eliminate. Instead, our emotions are information. They can help us understand what matters, what we need, and how we want to respond. The goal isn't to feel good all the time, but to develop the skills to navigate the full human experience and still live well.
And that includes joy.
Emiliya describes joy as an "underdeveloped muscle" that can be intentionally strengthened through practices like savoring, play and connection. Rather than waiting for joy to find us, we can create more opportunities to experience it.
Greg and Emiliya also take flourishing into the workplace, exploring why psychological safety, belonging and human connection matter far more than superficial perks, and why leaders have an opportunity to create environments where people can genuinely thrive.
But perhaps the conversation's most powerful idea is mattering: our fundamental need to know that who we are, what we do and how we show up in the lives of others actually matters.
In this episode, we explore:
• Why flourishing is fundamentally different from simply feeling happy
• How emotions can become information rather than obstacles
• Why joy is an "underdeveloped muscle" we can intentionally strengthen
• Why psychological safety is foundational to flourishing at work
• Simple ways to begin flourishing more today
Flourishing doesn't require a perfect life.
It asks something far more empowering:
What could I do today to flourish a little more, and help someone else flourish too?
Because joy isn't simply something we find.
It's something we practice, cultivate and share.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Welcome to JOY² – Live With Joy
00:02:02 What Does It Really Mean to Flourish?
00:09:00 Building the Skills of Well-Being
00:14:56 Understanding Emotions as Signals
00:28:13 Happiness vs. Joy
00:31:09 Training the Muscle of Joy
00:43:35 Why We Don't Teach the Skills of Flourishing
00:47:06 Mental Health as a Buildable Skill Set
00:54:51 How to Start Flourishing Today
01:00:28 Flourishing as Something We Can Practice
01:02:09 Final Thoughts & Takeaways
Connect with Greg De Koker
Website: www.joy2.ca
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gregdekoker/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/greg_de_koker/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/greg.koker.5/
Connect with Emiliya Zhivotovskaya:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiliyazhivotovskaya/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emiliyaz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theflourishingcenter
Grab a copy of “How We Flourish” here at https://theflourishingcenter.com/howweflourish
Listen and Subscribe to JOY²:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joy-live-with-joy-podcast/id1886910363
Spotify: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/joy-squared-podcast
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JOY2LiveWithJoyPodcast
Stay Connected to JOY²:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/joysquaredofficial/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/joysquaredofficial/
Take Action
Ask yourself:
• Am I confusing feeling good with genuinely living well?
• Where could I intentionally create more opportunities for joy?
• Who in my life needs to know that they matter?
Action Tip
Don't try to "be happier" this week.
Instead, practice one skill of flourishing. Savor something you'd normally rush past. Play without needing a purpose. Reach out to someone you love. Or tell someone specifically why they matter to you.
Don't wait for life to become perfect.
Flourishing is something we can learn. Joy is something we can practice. And mattering is something we can give to one another.
