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Joy Lab Podcast

Joy Lab Podcast

By: Henry Emmons MD and Aimee Prasek PhD
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 Welcome to the Joy Lab Podcast! We're your hosts, Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek, and we blend soulful insights with practical strategies to help you navigate mental health challenges like chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. In each episode, we dive deep into the art and science of joy, exploring how to build resilience and flourish, even in the face of life's overwhelming moments. You'll probably resonate and benefit most from joining us if any of the below resonate: * You feel caught in cycles of worry or anxiety. * You feel STRESSED and sick of the symptoms that go along with it (feeling tired, achy/tight in your body, tension headaches, and lots of irritation or nervousness). * You feel overwhelmed by the news of the world around you and it's impacting your mood and focus. * The grind of day-to-day life doesn't feel meaningful to you and you want something more. * Your mind feels ridiculously busy, full, and foggy. You may even be waking up in the middle of the night (3am, anyone?), with your mind racing over stuff you can't shake. * You feel depressed too often or even just stuck in a "meh" or "bleh" kind of state. You also really want to get out of that low mood rut, feel happy again, and live your life more fully. Did you sense a heaviness in your chest or belly that was like... "yeah, I'm feeling that." If so, then join us every Wednesday for a new episode. As hosts of this pod and fellow humans, we've had those thoughts and felt those feelings too. We know the struggle. We also know the relief and what it's like to go beyond just a baseline of feeling "not so bad" and into a more joyful and flourishing state. Maybe best of all, we know how to help others do that too. We've been in the mental health field and doing this work for a combined 50+ years. You can also trust that what we talk about and explore are solid mental health tools and practices grounded by modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), positive psychology, and the science of mindfulness. We'll also adventure beyond what can be measured to explore wisdom from our deepest selves or "soul." But, there's a warning there... even when we're working with that deeper stuff, this is not some woo-woo, new age kind of psychobabble. It's the practical, whole-person approach to mental health that is necessary for our complex human lives. It will challenge you to address all the bits of your being, even those uncertain/uncomfortable sides, to help you cultivate joy right now—no procrastinating for the "perfect" moment. So, if you're ready to redefine your relationship with mental health and unlock the joy that's already within you, simply choose an episode that speaks to you and press play. Each episode is your personal guide to building true resilience, embracing self-care that truly nourishes you, and reigniting a deep sense of connection. You'll walk away with practical insights to help you navigate life's challenges with more confidence—because joy isn't something you have to chase, it's something within you that's waiting for you to rediscover. The Joy Lab Podcast and Program are powered by Pathways North. ________ This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.2021-2025 Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • Welcoming Back the Parts of You That Have Not Known Love [250]

    Welcoming Back the Parts of You That Have Not Known Love [250]
    Feb 11 2026
    We're exploring the second gate of grief from Francis Weller's framework: The Places That Have Not Known Love. Unlike the first gate (episode #249)—which dealt with more of the external losses—this gate turns inward to examine the parts of ourselves we've rejected, hidden, or banished in our need to belong. And this isn't about toxic positivity or pretending everything is fine. It's about integrating the messy, uncomfortable, angry, scared, "too much" parts of yourself—and discovering that when you love what you've rejected, it loses its grip over you. p.s. Find your Simple Joy practice for this episode right here at our blog. About: The Joy Lab Podcast blends science and soul to help you cope better with stress, ease anxiety, and uplift mood. Join Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek for practical, mindfulness-based tools and positive psychology strategies to build resilience and create lasting joy. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts! And... if you want to spread some joy and keep this podcast ad-free, then please join our mission by donating (Joy Lab is powered by the nonprofit Pathways North and your donations are tax-deductible). Like and follow Joy Lab on Socials: Instagram TikTok Linkedin Watch on YouTube Sources and notes: Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life.Imposter phenomenon series: Imposter Syndrome is a Myth (ep. 175) What Imposter Syndrome Really Is (ep. 176) Self-connection series: Making Self-Connection Your Superpower in 2026 [ep. 243] The Practice of Self-Awareness: Why You're Worth Knowing [ep. 244] Stop Waiting to Accept Yourself: The Truth About Unconditional Self-Acceptance [ep. 245] The Power of Self-Alignment & Reclaiming Your True Self [ep. 246] Self-acceptance episodes: No Need to Hurry, No Need to Sparkle, No Need to Be Anybody But Yourself [ep. 160] Accept Yourself Just As You Are & Then You Can Change [ep. 150] How to Change: External vs Internal Motivators [ep. 145] Authenticity series: Unmasking Your True Self: Exploring Authenticity and Awe [ep. 216] Embrace Your True Self: Accepted, Connected, & In The Game [ep. 217] The Road Most Travelled: Awakening Through Suffering [ep. 218] Follow Your Bliss: Awakening to Joy [ep. 219] The Still Small Voice: Awakening with Soulfulness [ep. 220] Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller Full notes, sources, and full transcript available here. Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
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    22 mins
  • Everything We Love, We Will Lose: Navigating the First Gate of Grief [249]

    Everything We Love, We Will Lose: Navigating the First Gate of Grief [249]
    Feb 4 2026
    In this episode, we're exploring the first of Francis Weller's Five Gates of Grief: "Everything we love, we will lose." This isn't just another depressing truth about life—it's a surprisingly liberating gateway to deeper love, presence, and joy. We'll share some stories and practical wisdom about how savoring practices can help us hold both love and loss simultaneously. Most importantly, we'll highlight why grief is a skill, not just a feeling, and you'll learn a simple five-minute micro-ritual for tending to loss before it accumulates. This conversation weaves together Buddhist teachings on impermanence, neuroscience research on grief and savoring, and the vital reminder that grief is absolutely a team sport. p.s. Find your Simple Joy practice for this episode right here at our blog. About: The Joy Lab Podcast blends science and soul to help you cope better with stress, ease anxiety, and uplift mood. Join Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek for practical, mindfulness-based tools and positive psychology strategies to build resilience and create lasting joy. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts! And... if you want to spread some joy and keep this podcast ad-free, then please join our mission by donating (Joy Lab is powered by the nonprofit Pathways North and your donations are tax-deductible). Like and follow Joy Lab on Socials: Instagram TikTok Linkedin Watch on YouTube Sources and Notes for this full grief series: Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life.Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller"Grief is not a feeling, grief is a skill." — Francis Weller"Ritual is a maintenance practice that offers us the means of tending wounds and sorrows, for offering gratitude, allowing our psyches regular periods of release and renewal." — Francis Weller "Half of any person is wrong and weak and off the beaten path. Half the other half is dancing and laughing and swimming in the invisible joy." — Rumi"We are all the walking wounded in a world that is a war zone. Everything we love will be taken from us. Everything. Last of all life itself. Yet this reality does not diminish love. It shows us that loving is the most important business." -Christina Pinkola Estés' Website Skye Cielita Flor & Miraz Indira, The Joyful Lament: On Pain for the World. 2023 Access hereLearn more about Joanna Macy's work from the Commons Library. Beckes & Sbarra, Social baseline theory: State of the science and new directions. Access hereBeckes, et al. (2011). Social Baseline Theory: The Role of Social Proximity in Emotion and Economy of Action. Access hereBunea et al. (2017). Early-life adversity and cortisol response to social stress: a meta-analysis. Access here.Eisma, et al. (2019). No pain, no gain: cross-lagged analyses of posttraumatic growth and anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress and prolonged grief symptoms after loss. Access here Lehrner, et al. (2014). Maternal PTSD associates with greater glucocorticoid sensitivity in offspring of Holocaust survivors. Access hereKamis, et al. (2024). Childhood maltreatment associated with adolescent peer networks: Withdrawal, avoidance, and fragmentation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107125 Sheehy, et al. (2019). An examination of the relationship between shame, guilt and self-harm: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Access here Strathearn, et al. (2020). Long-term Cognitive, Psychological, and Health Outcomes Associated With Child Abuse and Neglect. Access here Yehuda et al. (1998). Vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder in adult offspring of Holocaust survivors. Access here.Yehuda, et al. (2018). Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms. Access here Full transcript available here Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
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    29 mins
  • Why We're Doing a 10-Part Series on Grief (And Why You Need It) [248]

    Why We're Doing a 10-Part Series on Grief (And Why You Need It) [248]
    Feb 1 2026
    In this introduction to our 10-part grief series, we'll explain why a podcast about joy is diving deep into grief—and why you can't truly have joy without grief. During this series, we'll mainly lean on Francis Weller's "gates of grief." And importantly, as we move through these gates, the goal is not to help you "get over it" or rush through some prescribed grief stages so you can dismiss "bad" feelings. Instead, we'll explore more about the healing power of grief, how you can see and accept loss with less resistance, and we'll share some practices and realistic ways you can build skills to navigate grief in more nourishing ways. p.s. Find your Simple Joy practice for this episode right here at our blog. About: The Joy Lab Podcast blends science and soul to help you cope better with stress, ease anxiety, and uplift mood. Join Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek for practical, mindfulness-based tools and positive psychology strategies to build resilience and create lasting joy. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts! And... if you want to spread some joy and keep this podcast ad-free, then please join our mission by donating (Joy Lab is powered by the nonprofit Pathways North and your donations are tax-deductible). Like and follow Joy Lab on Socials: Instagram TikTok Linkedin Watch on YouTube Sources and Notes for this full grief series: Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life.Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis WellerSkye Cielita Flor & Miraz Indira, The Joyful Lament: On Pain for the World. 2023 Access hereLearn more about Joanna Macy's work from the Commons Library. Beckes & Sbarra, Social baseline theory: State of the science and new directions. Access hereBeckes, et al. (2011). Social Baseline Theory: The Role of Social Proximity in Emotion and Economy of Action. Access hereBunea et al. (2017). Early-life adversity and cortisol response to social stress: a meta-analysis. Access here.Eisma, et al. (2019). No pain, no gain: cross-lagged analyses of posttraumatic growth and anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress and prolonged grief symptoms after loss. Access here Lehrner, et al. (2014). Maternal PTSD associates with greater glucocorticoid sensitivity in offspring of Holocaust survivors. Access here Kamis, et al. (2024). Childhood maltreatment associated with adolescent peer networks: Withdrawal, avoidance, and fragmentation.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107125 Sheehy, et al. (2019). An examination of the relationship between shame, guilt and self-harm: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Access here Strathearn, et al. (2020). Long-term Cognitive, Psychological, and Health Outcomes Associated With Child Abuse and Neglect. Access here Yehuda et al. (1998). Vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder in adult offspring of Holocaust survivors. Access here.Yehuda, et al. (2018). Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms. Access here Full transcript here Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
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