The night I was sure I shouldn't be in charge

It’s 11:19pm on a Tuesday, and the fifth day in a row that I’ve been troubled by the same feeling.

I don’t know when it started. Maybe when I heard a podcast about expert brand building. Or when I watched the woman who made “7.9 million in six weeks” offer to show me how to do it, too.

I can’t say for sure. I just know I’ve been hearing a little voice lately, coming from the back of my mind.

“Joy Finders would be better off with a business pro at the helm.”

“Someone else would know how to do this better than you.”

You see, I’m a single, divorced therapist who washed up on the shores of 43 with no husband, no kids, no long-dreamt-of published book, and certainly no marketing experience.

Before Joy Finders, I didn’t know anything about sales funnels, retention, or CAC-to-LTV. (Just be glad you don’t know what that means…). I only knew the intermittent, aching feeling that I had somehow reached midlife with none of my childhood dreams realized.

It was getting so painful, I started an Instagram account to shout into the void.

It was getting so lonely, I joked about starting an adult scouting troop.

And then something crazy happened. You all formed a line around the block, asking to join.

If I were more settled in my life — planning family holidays or taking someone’s laundry to the drycleaners — I would have dismissed the moment as a funny fluke that I didn’t have time to take seriously.

But I’m not busy with drycleaning, which leaves a lot of time to sit here and write to you about all of this. And plan your badges. And make sure your stickers go on straight, so you know your letter was packaged with care.

It’s true that I may not have the business skills of a Steve Jobs or Sara Blakely.

I don’t know if that matters. In my darkest moments, I’m sure it does.

But they aren’t my heroes anyway.

Walt Disney and Mr. Rogers are. They built things from imagination, kindness, and an almost unreasonable belief that delight matters.

Those are the values that push me to make Joy Finders better for you every day.

They’re why I pull all-nighters getting your badges ready for you. And why I bite my tongue every time I tell someone about us and they smirk about our “little badge club for women.”

But the truth is, when the self-doubt creeps in, I don’t actually think about Walt or Fred.

I think about you.

When you send me: “I only finished half my challenge this month. Does that count?”

And: “I changed the rules to fit my needs. Do I still get a badge?”

What I hear is: “I don’t know if I fit the criteria. Can I still belong?”

And the answer is always, always yes. When you do Edible Canvas with apples instead of dough. When you paint flowers instead of picking them. When you try taking your Sick Day but end up getting called into work.

It all counts.

Your efforts matter, because you matter.

And when I tell you that your efforts are good enough, I’m reminded that mine are, too.

So I’m not shouting into the void anymore. The calls I put out are met by your resounding chorus, reminding me that this work matters, even when the doubt creeps in.

I like to say Joy Finders is “a place for being and becoming.”

We’re all doing a lot of that around here. Thank you for letting me be and become with you.

Now then, let’s get out there and find some joy.

Your leader,

P.S. Beverage Bingo is still going strong, and there’s plenty of time to earn your bonus badge. It’s free to everyone—complete the challenge and we’ll send you a real, physical sticker badge. No strings attached. Just a lot of joy.

Download your Bingo Board here and get sipping.

P.P.S. And who am I kidding? Sara Blakely is a HUGE hero of mine, and a champion for women in business. Please don’t forward her this email.