948: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: Why You Should Lead with Joy When the World Is on Fire

Shameless Leadership

Sara Dean

Education, Management, How To, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When the world feels heavy and hard, it can feel wrong or even selfish to feel joy amidst the suffering. But in this episode, we explore a powerful reframe: What if joy is not an escape, but an act of resistance or perhaps even revenge? As a leader, what if reclaiming your joy isn’t just allowed—it’s essential? As I’ve witnessed global unraveling happening alongside so many people’s individual pain and heartbreak, I’ve seen firsthand how joy has shown up not in spite of this season, but through this season and these events. In this episode, we dismantle three major myths about joy and leadership, including the belief that modeling joy is tone-deaf or that it diminishes the seriousness of the world’s pain. Instead, I make a compelling case for why joy is a mental health necessity, a leadership superpower, and a radical tool for personal and collective resilience. Backed by neuroscience and wisdom from some brilliant people who work in the field of joy and resilience research, this episode explores how joy rewires your brain (literally), boosts your team’s ability to thrive, and helps you lead with more presence, empathy, and clarity, even when everything feels uncertain. You’ll walk away with six tangible joy practices, such as joy hits, daily rituals, and joy-driven leadership tools, that will help you cultivate joy that is not only supportive of your own mental and physical health but contagious to those around you. Joy is not a betrayal of the pain. It’s a balm. It’s a strategy. It’s your birthright—and it might just be your most powerful form of leadership. Links Mentioned: Women Business Owners, join me for a free business-building workshop on July 16th, Focused & Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Book: Joy is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi Book: Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit Book: Ritual Roadmap by Erica Keswin Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Oh, that's my prime delivery.
0:01.6	What, already?
0:02.7	Only one thing can match the buzz of Prime's fast delivery.
0:06.2	And that's the buzz of Prime's entertainment.
0:09.0	What are we watching?
0:09.7	Heads of state, that new action comedy with Idris Elber as the Prime Minister,
0:13.3	John Sina as the president, and Prianka Chopra Jonas,
0:15.9	as their only hope.
0:17.0	It looks like a blast.
0:18.2	From fast delivery to explosive entertainment, it's on Prime. For only
0:23.0	899 a month, join now. Content includes limited ads, subscription, or to our news. For more information,
0:28.2	go to amazon.com.uk.U.K. slash prime. Welcome to shameless leadership. I'm your host, Sarah
0:37.3	Dean. This show is for women, transgender people,
0:40.2	non-binary folks, as well as allies, who are committed to advancing their leadership while also
0:45.2	advancing the leadership of those around them. In each episode, we will offer practical tips,
0:50.3	leadership strategies, and inspiring stories to help you become a more confident, compassionate, and
0:55.2	inclusive leader. The truth is, you were born to lead. What might happen for you if you were to
1:00.9	wholeheartedly embrace that part of yourself? So let's start now, together. Hello, shameless leaders,
1:07.1	so happy to be here with you today. It's very gray in Seattle today in the middle of summer,
1:11.1	which feels a little bit weird and off-brand. Gray is on-brand for Seattle, but not in July,
1:16.4	so it feels a little off-brand. So I'm glad I'm doing an episode today on Joy, because hopefully
1:21.0	it will lighten the mood a little, because it's feeling a little heavy, a little Novembery.
	...

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