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Joy Lab Podcast

Joy Lab Podcast

By: Henry Emmons MD and Aimee Prasek PhD
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About this listen

 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
  • The Road Most Travelled: Awakening Through Suffering [ep. 218]

    The Road Most Travelled: Awakening Through Suffering [ep. 218]
    Jul 16 2025

    Join us (Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek) as we discuss strategies for awakening through suffering to foster authentic joy. We'll emphasize the challenges of becoming one's true self, acknowledging that life frequently presents opportunities for awakening. We'll also dig into the concept of post-traumatic growth and the importance of awareness, stillness, and openness in navigating life's hardships.

    If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    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.
    • Portia Nelson: There's a Hole in My Sidewalk (book)
    • Related Joy Lab Episodes:
      • Unmasking Your True Self: Exploring Authenticity and Awe [ep. 216]
      • Embrace Your True Self: Accepted, Connected, & In The Game [ep. 217]
      • Learning to Love Well: Be More Permeable [ep. 23]

    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
  • Embrace Your True Self: Accepted, Connected, & In The Game [ep. 217]

    Embrace Your True Self: Accepted, Connected, & In The Game [ep. 217]
    Jul 9 2025

    Join us (Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek) for a conversation about authenticity and the journey of becoming one's true self. We'll first explore how to let go of external masks that keep our true self hidden. How can we do that? Mainly through self-acceptance. We'll then bust the myth that authenticity is an individual sport. The truth is that our authenticity is entangled with everyone and everything around us-- which is a good thing. When we start to work within this space of support, then our life gets bigger and easier. We can go beyond our small self and work in a bigger, more connected space. And on a sports note... we'll get deep into a "basketball is life" analogy that Aimee is super into. Whether you like sports or not, we hope you resonate with the message that we can step out of a defensive way of living and into a more empowered, authentic life.

    If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    Sources & 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.
      • Related Joy Lab 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]
    • Ross Gay's website (his book "Inciting Joy" is fantastic)

    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
    22 mins
  • Unmasking Your True Self: Exploring Authenticity and Awe [ep. 216]

    Unmasking Your True Self: Exploring Authenticity and Awe [ep. 216]
    Jul 2 2025

    Join us (Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek) for a conversation about awe and authenticity. This is also the beginning of a month-long focus here at the podcast on how to uncover your authentic self. In this first episode, we'll highlight three big obstacles to authenticity. The first is the creation and impacts of a 'false self,' often developed during adolescence and driven by the need to satisfy external pressures. The second is an externally-focused search for the self that if we don't course-correct, always results in an exhausting and endless external search for the self. The last obstacle is that we tend to make this search for our true self into a big, complicated, spiritual pursuit of enlightenment. Instead, we see living authentically as a continuous, ordinary process, integral to achieving joy and contentment. Be sure to listen in for next episode as we dive deeper into authenticity.

    If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    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.
    • Healing and the Mind (Bill Moyers)
    • The philosopher Aimee was trying to remember... Ludwig Wittgenstein and his work Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

    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
    24 mins

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