Stories of Inspiring Joy

Sydney Weiss

Sydney Weiss is a lawyer and the creator, host, and producer of Seek The Joy Podcast and Stories of Inspiring Joy. Over the last five years, Sydney has sat down with thought leaders in health, wellness, mindfulness and beyond for empowering conversations and heartfelt storytelling on all things self-love, joy, connection, empowerment and wellness.

In today’s episode, Sydney shares her journey - from launching Seek The Joy Podcast in 2017 out of a desire for greater connection and community and Stories of Inspiring Joy - to where she is today and what’s next. It’s our final episode of Stories of Inspiring Joy, and you’re not going to want to miss it.

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Lindsay Weisner

Dr. Lindsay Weisner is a clinical Psychologist in Long Island, New York. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1999 and was awarded a fellowship in child development at the NIH/NICHD. She received her doctorate from C.W. Post, LIU, and went on to pursue post-doctorate training at the American Institute of Psychoanalysis. Dr. Lindsay is the host of the Neurotic Nourishment Podcast and the co-author of the upcoming book Ten Steps To Finding Happy. This book will be released on March 20, 2020, in accordance with the United Nations International Day of Happiness. 

In this week’s story, Lindsay shares her journey becoming a psychologist and writer, through the lens of her love for words and storytelling. She shares the impact that reading at a young age had on her life, and how her love for words propelled her to become an author, podcaster, and clinical psychologist. Books, and her love for reading, got her out of her own head and her own home. But - she didn’t love choose your own ending books! For her, there was nothing more annoying, she wanted hard and concrete facts. Lindsay’s home growing up, despite being perfect on paper, lacked a fine line between truth and fiction. You’ll hear it in this week’s episode, her experiences as a child and teenager impacted her need for a beginning, middle, and end - both in books, and in life.

Dr. Lindsay fell in love with psychology in college, and combined with her love of writing, she pursued a career in journalism. In this week’s new episode she shares the rejections she received, how she dealt with it, and the first job she landed after college. You’ll laugh her story about beanie babies . . . trust me.

To learn more about Lindsay and her work visit her on Instagram @PsychShrinkMom on Twitter @LindsaySKallen and Facebook @LindsaySKallen and you can find the Neurotic Nourishment Podcast on Instagram @NeuroticNourishment and on Apple Podcasts here and for more about her upcoming book, Ten Steps To Finding Happy, you can learn more on Facebook at Finding Happy and on Instagram @10StepsFindingHappy

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Leah Recor

Leah Recor is the author of “Where the Light Is… A Parent’s Guide to the Law of Attraction,” and a mother of two young girls who turned personal traumatic experiences into her mission to help other struggling parents. 

In this week’s new episode Leah shares her journey in finding the law of attraction, and how she’s relied on optimism as a floatation device to keep her going. Leah’s reflections on how she began to see the struggles in her life as a gift to expand and grow will remind you that there is always a larger (and often hidden!) message in our experiences. Her words on the new sense of hope she found, and the signs and serendipities that began to show up for her and her children, will remind you of the magic that’s here waiting for us to wake up to it.

To connect with Leah and to learn more about her work visit her website www.theAbundantParent.com and connect with her on Instagram @theabundantparent Facebook @theabundantparent

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Eda Schottenstein

Eda Schottenstein is the founder and CEO of Multi-Role Woman™, a personal wellness and lifestyle brand that supports women in creating healthy, happy, balanced lives. She is also the author of “You Got This: 21-Day Mental Wealth Challenge” — a step-by-step action guide and journal anyone can use to transform their experience of personal wellness in just three weeks.

In this week’s new episode Eda shares her about her passion and her journey. She openly shares about her ADD diagnosis, the times she’s been riddled with self-doubt, and this overarching feeling that she didn’t have what it takes to reach her goals and potentials. It wasn’t an easy mindset to live in, and it took a lot of soul searching for Eda to realize that the only person that was responsible for change in her life - was her! She did the work, research, and dove in - and it all led her to building her own unique toolkit for change. She amassed a wealth of knowledge that she knew was life-changing, and she knew she had to share it. Eda recognized how important it is to have tools and tips, and implement them into your life, in order to reach your goals and bridge the gap between where you are, and where you want to be. Today, that’s exactly what she’s done. Eda’s story will remind you that your story and experiences are valuable, that our struggles are more universal than we realize, and the impact of our vulnerability is far reaching. value, and you never know how it will impact someone else.

To learn more about Eda and her work check out her website www.multirolewoman.com and you can connect with her on Instagram @edaschottenstein 

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Corina Sowada

Corina Sowada is an empowerment coach who is on a mission to help women find themselves (and love!) again after a toxic relationship. Through her work, Corina helps women dive into identifying toxicity, narcissism and abuse, all to break the cycle. She helps you identify and break trauma bonds and heal from a toxic relationship.

Corina so beautifully shares her journey in this week’s episode, moving from an on and off again toxic relationship for for years, to ultimately choosing herself and her self-worth. In many ways Corina lost herself during that time. She lost her voice, her passion, and optimism. She no longer recognized the woman she saw in the mirror.

Then one day something clicked, and she made the decision to end the relationship. She started to prioritize her health and wellness, and she learned to love her body again. Her mindset began to shift too, and through setting boundaries she started to become Corina again. Corina’s reflections will remind you that we are all capable of choosing the life we deserve, but we first have to get really clear on who we are, and what it is that we want. 

To connect with Corina and learn more about her work visit her website and on Instagram @corina_unleashed and Twitter @CorinaSowada you can find her Facebook group here and she has spots open for 1:1 coach, you can book a discovery call here

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Amy Oestreicher

Amy Oestreicher is an Audie Award-nominated PTSD peer-to-peer specialist, artist, author, writer for The Huffington Post, speaker for TEDx and RAINN, health advocate, award-winning actress, and playwright. She’s also the author of a brand new novel, “My Beautiful Detour: A Unthinkable Journey from Gutless to Grateful”.

In this week’s new episode Amy shares how she was an ambitious, audacious teenager who had her life all planned out: go to college, win a Tony, and conquer the world. But life took an unexpected detour when the week before her high school senior prom, she found herself in unusual pain. She was rushed to the emergency room, and due to a blood clot, Amy’s stomach exploded to the ceiling of the operating room. After both lungs collapsed, she almost died. Months later, she awoke from a coma covered in tubes, bags, and drains, and was told that she had no stomach anymore, she could not eat or drink, and it was not certain if or when she would ever taste one bite ever again. It took 27 surgeries and six years, but eventually, Amy was miraculously reconstructed, and with the intestines she had left, was given a system that digests food.

Today, through her #LoveMyDetour “Detourist Campaign,” she creates content that inspires, educates, entertains, and transforms our perception of obstacles for individuals faced with unexpected bumps and “detours” in their lives – much like what Amy faced at 18 years old. As founder of #LoveMyDetour, she provides advocacy, entertainment, seminars, and peer-to-peer education on trauma, mental health, women’s issues, storytelling, and diversity. Her vital message is delivered with humor, eloquence and heart in a down-to-earth, relatable and positive manner.

To connect with Amy and to learn more you can connect with her on her website www.amyoes.com and on Instagram @amyoes70 Facebook @amyoestr and on Twitter @amyoes and to learn more about her new book, “My Beautiful Detour: An Unthinkable Journey from Gutless to Grateful” click here

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Stephanie Lauren Moore

Stephanie Lauren Moore is a twenty-year-old YouTube Influencer, cancer survivor, mental health awareness advocate and charity worker from the UK. Stephanie’s empowering messages are influenced by her own cancer survival and mental health recovery, and she has truly dedicated her life to helping others thrive, just as they are. You’ll hear it in this week’s new episode, Stephanie has turned her challenges into opportunities to embrace the joy in her life, and ultimately recognize her true beauty and worth.

Stephanie is here to help as many people on this planet through her YouTube channel and charity work She’s the author of “I AM”, a unique workbook-style publication that, aside from empowering the reader with the author’s own amazing life story, takes them through a series of tasks to recognize their beauty, potential and worth to humanity. Stephanie wants to see people start to believe in themselves and develop the ‘I am’ attitude. “I AM” is about the art of self-love, finding your purpose in life, and feeling you are enough. It’s an opportunity for readers to take stock of their life, redefine their challenges, and ultimately build a new existence of prosperous joy and balance. It contains simple techniques and tips that will transform your life for the better, and simple exercises that will help you learn to love yourself, set some goals, and gain a new positive outlook on life.

To learn more about Stephanie, you can connect with her on her website https://www.stephanielaurenmoore.com/ YouTube channel here Facebook @stephanielaurenmoore Twitter @itsstephmoore Instagram @stephanielaurenmoore and you can find I Am on Amazon here

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Kaitlyn A Faria

Kaitlyn A Faria is aspiring to make the world a prettier place through design. Currently based out of The San Francisco Bay Area, Kaitlyn works as a Product Coordinator & Designer for a furniture & home decor company. She also runs an interior design & lifestyle blog.

In this week’s new episode Kaitlyn shares with us her journey with design, and the postgrad journey she never expected. While in college, Kaitlyn found out that she had a brain tumor, she was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and PTSD. Once she graduated, she was over $100k in debt, and her first job was as a sales associate. While on her lunch break, Kaitlyn would go to a coffee shop nearby and write down what she was grateful for, and religiously listen to self-help podcasts. As she shares in this week’s new episode, there are two major things she learned during that process. One, write down the things that you want and be clear. Two, she decided that she was going to change her story. She wasn’t going to focus on the negative, but instead focus on the positive - she was young, passionate, and that her opportunities are endless.

To connect with Kaitlyn and her work, visit her website www.kaitlynfaria.com and on Instagram @oh_kayfairy

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

Sinead Sharkey-Steenson

Sinead Sharkey-Steenson is The Career Elevator Coach at Generation Women where she helps women get the promotions and pay-rises they deserve. Passionate about equality and seeing more women in leadership,  Sinead blends practical strategies with simple mindset tools to achieve amazing results…with several getting over 100% payrises and multiple promotions!  To date she’s helped close to 10,000 women take a step up.

Sinead draws on over 20 years corporate experience in HR, Leadership Development, Business Improvement, and Cultural Transformation to help her support women to achieve their ambitions.  She has been recognised as one of 22 Leaders to Learn from in 2022 by Bunch Leadership App. She has developed and delivered career and leadership programmes for multiple global organisations including; Sensata, Citi, Deloitte, the IFA, and Lean In. Sinead has a lifelong love of learning and strives to bring the best academically and professionally to her work. She has a BA Hons in Psychology, MSc Computing, MSc Human Resource Management, is an NLP Master practitioner, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and an accredited ICF Coach and Positive Intelligence (PQ) Coach. 

She’s a mum of two girls who have made her even more passionate about equality. She also loves live comedy and music, sleep, and cold water swimming…in that order!

In today’s episode Sinead shares her story taming her imposter. For years others described her as shy - but she didn’t feel like she was shy! She thought she observed and made her move when she was ready. It was always Sinead father’s dream for her to be an international lawyer and that became her goal and ambition too. Suddenly, at the age of 15 her father passed away. But she didn’t just loose her parent, she lost her compass. What did she want to do? Who was she really? Sinead went off to university, she studied psychology, and it didn’t take long for the shy 7 year-old to come back out. Her imposter kicked in. She lived in fear of being found out, of speaking up in meetings, of being asked to do anything on her own. Sinead realized she was going to have to tackle her imposter syndrome, step up, and change things for the better, and that’s exactly what she’s done.

To connect with Sinead visit her website https://genwomen.global and on LinkedIn here Facebook @GenerationWomen and Instagram @GenerationWomen

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.

 

 

 

Michelle Burke & Lilamani de Silva

Michelle Burke is a sought-after leadership coach, facilitator, speaker, founder, and CEO of Energy Catalyst Group, a consulting and training company for well-being. Lilamani de Silva, MSc, has had an eclectic career across multiple industries including media relations, TV production, and the creation of innovative products for home, work, and play.

Michelle and Lilamani have partnered to coauthor and create Joy Cards, Personalogy™ games, and Teambuilder™, a card game to build collaboration. Lilamani's paintings illustrate Joy Cards. In her spare time, Lilamani enjoys being active, traveling, reading, painting, and spending time with loved ones. Michelle enjoys time with loved ones, cooking, fun adventures, reading, sports, and walking her dog Jadie.

In today’s episode Michelle and Lilamani share their story about two women from completely different walks of life - how they became lifetime friends, creative partners, and how they’ve cultivated joy. It all started with a chance meeting. They both care about making a meaningful difference in the world and even though they’re separating by an ocean, over the years they’ve learned to embrace technology to make their incredible collaborations possible. Over the last few years they looked for a way to create something that could help them rediscover their own joy and spread joy to others at the same time. Enter the Joy Cards. Michelle and Lilamani’s reflections on joy and its impact will remind you the importance of hitting pause and allowing yourself the opportunity to reflect and enjoy the life you’re living.

To connect with Michelle and Lilamani visit https://energycatalystgroup.com/personal-development/ and energycatalystgroup.com/joy-cards/

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.