Why I almost gave up on Joy: What I Learned Speaking About Joy in Corporate America

Why I Doubted Joy as a Leadership Topic - and Why It’s Exactly What Teams Need

When I first started talking about joy in business settings, I’ll be honest - I was skeptical. It felt like I was bringing a fluffy pillow into a boardroom filled with steel chairs, sharp suits, and an unspoken rule to keep things serious and strategic. There was no room for color and creativity. I worried that Corporate America wouldn’t take me - or the message - seriously. That I’d be seen as the “sunshine and rainbows” speaker. No depth or substance. No business acumen, just a nice blonde energizer. 

When you say the word joy, many picture something soft, irrelevant, or too “feel-good” for the fast-paced, high-pressure world of business. I used to think: Why would a corporate audience want to hear about joy when they could listen to someone who’s climbed Everest, won an Olympic medal, or sold a company for millions? And honestly, I thought I needed to be more like the stiff, serious stoic women for people to listen to me and for it to have an impact in their lives. 

But here’s the plot twist: after a decade of doing this work, I’ve learned that joy is anything but fluffy. It’s rocket fuel. It’s the secret sauce that turns a good team into a great one. It’s the key ingredient for high performance and healthy culture, it's what brings deep human connection. Great leaders bring joy, and create space for others to find it in the everyday. Leaders who bring joy to the mountain top mountains but also make space for joy in the roadblocks, hurdles and challenges are the ones who unite teams and grow and push beyond the limit.  

When Joy Was Dismissed in Business - And Why That Feedback Almost Made Me Quit

I remember one of my early keynotes. I was reading through the feedback forms when one comment hit me like a freight train:

“Joy doesn’t have a place in our business. We’re here to talk about real strategies. Honestly, her story is sad and I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk about joy on such a serious matter. I would’ve preferred a sports analogy.”

That one line almost made me quit. I seriously considered walking away from everything I was working towards, and if I was to stay speaking -  joy was out the door and I needed to find an entirely new topic entirely. It just felt too weak. 

The Turning Point: What Michael Strahan Taught Me About Joy in the Workplace

Fast forward to this year - Keynote #37 in Boston for the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP). And no this isn’t financial planners this is the top companies around the globe in treasury and finance.  After my keynote session, the entire audience, myself included, raced to hear the closing keynote by none other than Michael Strahan. He delivered a powerhouse message. I had so many take-aways. One being never to say if - and to always say when. I have used that line every day since. And the most powerful reminder that blew my mind and was a gentle nudge that my work matters now more than ever. 

He said “it’s our responsibility to bring joy into the workplace, because the world needs it more than ever.”

I sat there, and gave a very loud cheer. This was the reminder that I am not off-track at all and joy is not soft - it's needed. I am exactly where I am meant to be. It was the reminder that even sports guys like Micheal Strahan who played in the NFL know and believe in the importance of joy. 

Why Corporate Audiences Need Joy More Than Ever

After his session my business manager Jenn and I were walking the exhibition floor when people started approaching us. Person after person shared stories of loss, grief, and burnout - and how my keynote had sparked something in them. It was the exact reminder that they needed to start bringing joy again - even in the financial world it is possible. 

Many hadn’t realized just how much they and their teams needed a moment of genuine connection, lightness, inspiration and of course joy. A session of very tactical and analytical data was the exact keynote they needed. 

Joy Isn’t Fluffy - It’s the Fuel for Resilience and High-Performing Teams

I have had many reminders in the past several years that joy isn’t fluffy. It’s essential. It’s the fuel for high-performing teams and the heart of human connection.

The more I do this work, the more stages I stand on, the more brilliant humans I meet from around the world, the more convinced I become that joy is the backbone of resilience. It’s what helps us keep showing up, even when life is hard. Especially when we wouldn’t choose a lot of our circumstances that are thrown at us.  

Why I Almost Dropped Joy - And Why It’s Actually a Leadership Advantage

For years, I wrestled with how to position myself. Should I drop “joy” and chase a trendier buzzword? Something sexier to market? Something with more edge to be taken more serious?

But here’s the truth: I’m proud to be known for this work. The world needs all the dang joy it can get. And I’m here for it.

It’s wild how a few comments from strangers, who have no stake in your long-term success, or aren’t the ones flying back and forth across the country, paying my bills or fighting my fight can make you doubt the thing you’re most called to do.

I’m so glad I didn’t quit on joy.

I’m so thankful I bring all of me into every keynote. Wild, crazy, and a bit extra. 

And I’m deeply honored when people say they think of me when they think about joy.

If you’ve ever believed joy is a luxury for only the elite who vacation to Bora Bora, or that joy is a soft skill not meant to be in your office or boardroom, and that it is not essential to your leadership, career, or business, think again.

Joy is strategy.

Joy is resilience.

Joy is what helps us rise and the fuel for forward momentum. It is essential to unlock the next level. 

And if you’re still skeptical or doubting if joy has a place in your world.  Let me leave you with this:

In a recent episode of The Diary of a CEO, Brené Brown shared that the most vulnerable emotion isn’t grief or fear, it’s joy. That struck a deep chord. Because to choose joy is to choose openness. It’s to risk connection. And that’s exactly the kind of leadership we need now more than ever. 

To every client and team who’s believed in this message - thank you. You’ve been the fuel for my forward momentum. You have been the evidence that this work matters and is so critical. 

If You’re Doubting Your Message, Don’t Quit - Joy Is Your Strategy

Lastly - to anyone doubting your own message or mission right now? It’s not soft, its not silly. Keep going. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and borrow their belief until yours returns or catches up. 

Joy isn’t fluff. Its the very emotion that will set you apart. 

Now go have dance party or something ridiculous so you can give others permission to bring the joy in their world. 

Cheering you on! 

~jess