That’s Molly. She gave me a seriouser pic to use, but I didn’t wanna. Look how cute she is!

I first met Molly Hoyne of Stratejoy via Twitter.  Yup, Internet friends. I checked out her site & fell in love with her the awesomeness of her blog, the enthusiasm & obvious passion she brings to her coaching, & how she calls everyone “cupcake” & “babe.” So, when she asked me to be an affiliate for The Joy Equation, her new “30 day guide to living life on purpose”, I…hesitated. Because, well, I’m still pimping out Danielle LaPorte’s Digital Firestarter Sessions (it launched amidst the scholarship craziness, & it’s amazeballs!) & I didn’t want youse guys to think I’m walking around with a fur coat & a cane & lots of bling. But then Molly sent me the PDF of The Joy Equation Workbook (think of a whole book of Tough (Question) Tuesdays) along with the first chapter of audio links, & it was a done deal. This is what I needed when I was going through my quarterlife crisis (although I didn’t quite know that’s what it was!), & the fact that she’s offering donation-based pricing just added to the cherry on top. So, I said, “Duh!” Molly & I then went on Skype & did a video interview to let ya know more about her & The Joy Equation, but her eyes looked demonic & the audio didn’t sync & it looked like I had rubbed vaseline all over the lens a la Barbara Walters, so we decided to have the interview in print instead. You’re welcome.

What did you wanna be when you grew up? I wanted to be a psychologist, an interior designer, a motivational speaker, a professor, a mom, a wedding planner, an actor and a biologist.  All at the same different times of course!

How did you become the Stratejoy Coach? Here’s the short version:  I had a completely dramatic Quarterlife Crisis when I was working in hospitality sales about 4 years ago.  Even though I was awesome at my job and really loved the people I worked with, I felt like I was losing touch with the real me…  A lot of my job felt “fake”: from the suits to the sales process to the “the guest is always right” attitude.

I had no idea what my right life looked like, I just knew I wasn’t living it!

So- I ran away…  My boyfriend (now fiance) and I sold everything we owned and backpacked around the world for 10 months.  I gave myself that time to get my shit figured out…  Who was I?  How did I want to show up in the world?  Who did I want to serve?  What did I REALLY care about?

It was a complete surrender of other’s expectations and a focus on  authentic joy and my definition of success.   Needless to say, it was quite the shift in perspective!

I got back to Seattle knowing that I wanted to help other women go through the same process I had– looking at their lives from this creation standpoint, getting back in touch with what “feels right”, and using THAT to create an amazing, bold, juicy, authentic existence.

And I went for it! That’s definitely one of my strengths- diving in!  I’ve been building Stratejoy, teaching workshops, creating the online content & classes, coaching women one-on-one, figuring out social media land, and living as genuinely and joyfully as I can.

Oops.  That seems more like the long version!  Sorry Michelle’s lovely readers!

What the heck is The Joy Equation, anyways, and how will it help those quarterlife crisers? The Joy Equation is a 30 day Guide to Living Life on Purpose.  It’s an online course that is made up of 30 days worth of journal prompts delivered via email, four audio 90 minute audio sessions, and a 40 page Joy Plan Workbook that you get in the mail!  I like to say it’s my “firstborn”…  That’s how much I love and believe in it!

And yes, there is an actually Equation!

The course operates on this premise:  Connect with Yourself  +  Define Success + Cultivate Powerful Habits + Commit to Your Happiness  = Authentic Joy.

It’s inspiring and empowering and insanely useful for those Quarterlife Crisisers because it gives you time and space to work through some big questions and a lot of the crap (comparison mania, ridiculously high expectations, limiting beliefs, lack of self care) that leads to a “crisis”.  I totally believe that each of us holds the answers, but sometimes we need someone to ask us the right questions!

I think the help really comes from gaining clarity about next steps, reigniting hope, and putting together an action plan to make it all happen.  And all of this occurs within a really supportive community.  We’re starting a movement and building a tribe of women living and working for authentically joyful lives.

And FYI asked question:  What if I’m not 24-32?  Will this still be useful? As long as you don’t mind the examples I use of 20/30 somethings and the fact that I call you sunshine and cupcake, the course is right for anyone looking for some powerful deliberate living work.  Woo Hoo!

Does donation-based pricing mean I really just pay whatever I want?  What’s the catch? I like to refer to it as “pay what you can afford” pricing.  I believe that each person who invests in the course will think about what that means for them and make an honest choice.  Many people have paid the full price of $149, and many others have paid $49.  And I’ve definitely shipped out a few Joy Plans that cost me money!

But there’s no catch.  It’s a karma thing.  If someone thinks this course is going to change their lives (which I believe it does!), I want them to have it.  So if you spend $5 on it and it costs me $10 to ship to you in Switzerland- I’m still gonna do it.  (Yup.  True story.)

I’m hoping that people will pay it forward and spread the word.  That makes it soooo worth it to me and the message of Stratejoy.

How does The Joy Equation help career changers and/or creatives? One of the amazing things about changing your career is that you have freedom to really think about how that new career affects the “rest of your life”.  One of the core beliefs behind the Joy Equation is that living on purpose means making deliberate choices about our personal resources- our time, money, energy and love. And when you’re changing careers- that’s exactly the kind of things you’re thinking about!  Perfection!

As far as creatives go, I think most of us creatives are already committed to living a life that is an authentic reflection of who we are!  I’m pretty sure it’s in the “job description” of making a living creatively! The Joy Equation helps supply some structure to our dreaming and scheming, and just like the rest of the world, creatives still need to take action to move forward.

Parting words? Always!  Can’t you tell I like to say my piece?  I’ll leave you with my anthem.

This is Life.  Jump In.   Make it Count.

*********************************************************************************************************

1 person. $710 worth of resume sprucing. Get The Goods with Alexandra Franzen’s Scholarship.

Get Danielle LaPorte’s Nuggets of Genius in your own home, on your own time. Announcing the Digital Firestarter Sessions from my “cult leader.”

What’s your Joy Equation? Find out with Molly Hoyne’s Pay-What-You-Can-Afford Program!

Tags: Grown-Up Gigs, Hearty How Tos

This entry was posted on Monday, May 17th, 2010 at 7:55 am and is filed under Encouragement for Everyone, Happy Hooplah. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.