Finding Hope When Life Isn’t Okay and the Power of Micro Joys with Cyndie Spiegel

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed

Buddhism, Education, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Cyndie Spiegel discusses finding hope when life isn’t okay and the power of microjoys. Cyndie shares her personal journey through profound loss and illness, explaining how micro joys, the simple, everyday pleasures, helped her heal. She explores the difference between happiness and joy, the importance of presence and gratitude, and practical ways to notice and appreciate micro joys, offering listeners compassionate tools for resilience and self-acceptance. Discover the six hidden saboteurs that quietly derail your best intentions—like autopilot behavior, self-doubt, and emotional escape. Download our free guide to uncover what’s getting in your way and learn simple strategies to take back control. Get it now at oneyoufeed.net/ebook. Key Takeaways: Concept of “micro joys” as small moments of joy amidst grief and hardship. Personal experiences of loss and challenges faced in 2020. Distinction between happiness and joy, emphasizing joy as a deeper, more enduring state. The importance of acknowledging both joy and pain in life. Critique of the self-help industry and the pressure to achieve constant happiness. The role of mindfulness and presence in recognizing micro joys. Strategies for cultivating gratitude and awareness in daily life. The significance of reflection and memory in appreciating past joys. Discussion on the balance between distraction and facing emotions during grief. Encouragement to adopt simple daily practices to foster appreciation and presence. If you enjoyed this conversation with Cyndie Spiegel, check out these other episodes: Navigating Fear and Hope: the Everyday Courage That Shapes Our Lives with Ryan Holiday Finding Your Way to Healing, Hope, and Peace with Seth Gillihan The Path to Inexplicable Joy: How Self-Friendship Can Change Everything with Susan Piver This episode is sponsored by AG1. Your daily health drink just got more flavorful! Our listeners will get a FREE Welcome Kit worth $76 when you subscribe, including 5 AG1 Travel Packs, a shaker, canister, and scoop! Get started today! LinkedIn: Post your job for free at linkedin.com/1youfeed. Terms and conditions apply. BAU, Artist at War opens September 26. Visit BAUmovie.com to watch the trailer and learn more. For full show notes, click here! Connect with the show: Follow us on YouTube: @TheOneYouFeedPod Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Follow us on Instagram See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You don't want to sit in front of the TV all the time because then you wouldn't be living in the world.
0:04.7	But sometimes you need to get out of your head and watch Netflix or whatever it is that somebody's watching these days.
0:11.0	And that's okay.
0:12.2	And this idea that we're all looking for a prescription to do life right is irrational.
0:17.7	There is no one way to do this.
0:30.7	Yeah. irrational. There is no one way to do this. Welcome to the one you feed. Throughout time,
0:36.0	great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts we have. Quotes like garbage in,
0:40.3	garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true. And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us. We tend toward negativity,
0:46.3	self-pity, jealousy, or fear. We see what we don't have instead of what we do. We think
0:52.3	things that hold us back and dampen our spirit. But it's not
0:55.9	just about thinking. Our actions matter. It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a
1:02.1	life worth living. This podcast is about how other people keep themselves moving in the right
1:07.2	direction, how they feed their good wolf.
1:13.6	What if joy didn't have to wait until things got better?
1:17.6	What if it could live alongside the grief, the loss, the chaos?
1:21.6	My guest today, Cindy Spiegel, knows this intimately.
1:24.6	In a single year, she lost her nephew to violence, her mother
1:28.8	to heartbreak, nearly lost her brother, and was diagnosed with breast cancer herself. And in that
1:35.2	same stretch of joy, the idea of microjoys was born. Her new book, Microjoys, finding hope,
1:41.9	especially when life is not okay, reminds us that healing doesn't always
1:47.0	come in grand transformations. Sometimes it's about paying attention, just a little bit at a time.
1:54.2	One moment of beauty, one breath of stillness, one small act of noticing. Microjoys align
	...

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