want more joy in life? 😍 | The Joyful Human Club 🌈
Hey, joyful humans!Thank you so much for being here.Want more joy in your life? Ask for it. I've been able to do some really cool things lately that have made me happy, to the degree that people have asked me how I've gotten these opportunities. It feels silly to tell them, "I just asked x person if I could," but it was true. We often overcomplicate things (myself included) to the point that we don't believe we deserve specific opportunities because they haven't magically fallen into our laps. But here's the thing—the things that make us truly happy don't appear in a simple way like that. We need first to become emotionally open to those opportunities. Then, we need to ask for them. I can appreciate the woo-woo of this, but it has a practical application to it because your mindset needs to be there to enjoy the things coming your way. Joy works this way too - she appears when you decide you're open to receiving or explicitly asking for her. If you're closed off or don't think you deserve her, she'll sit on the sidelines and wait until you're ready. So I ask you today, sweet human, what opportunities are you not asking for? What cool thing do you want to do that would make you happy but you're just not doing it? What joy are you missing out on by not speaking up? When you realize that life comes down to being open, setting a joyful intention, and permitting yourself to ask for the things that'll make you happy, big, amazing things will come your way if you're willing to work hard for them. Let's work together this year!If you have big dreams for your health and wellness in 2025, let's see if we can create magic together. Yoga with Dani IRL
Let's bring our best foot forward.
Let's become fitness besties while we achieve YOUR goals!
Song of the WeekArrow (feat. Mt. Joy) - The Head And The Heart, Mt. Joy This one came up in as a suggested song I already loved. As I listen to the lyrics, I not only felt joyfully inspired, I knew you needed to hear this one too. Enjoy!
Find this song and all the others on the Joyful Beats playlist on Spotify! Video of the WeekFinding Opportunities for Joy I was out for a walk when I found a sled library and spontaneously took it out for a spin! As we just read above, this is a double reminder that when you let yourself be open to joyful opportunities like these, more expansiveness will come to you. While you're at it, follow me on Instagram! Good News WednesdayCheck out the good news around the world! In our fast-paced world, it’s important to remember “the helpers.”
Book of the WeekThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot This book needs to be required reading in schools. I only found out about this one because I was actively looking for books to read for Black History Month (and then found a UK edition in a free library!) Henrietta's cells have paved the way for more medical advancements than we know of, and she should be in our textbooks as a household name. (Plus, HBO made a movie about this book!! With Oprah!! In 2017!! And I only knew about this yesterday!!) What makes this book extra special is the author's ability to recognize the science and ethics behind this story and write in an easy-to-understand way. I could imagine the complexities of writing this aspect of the book as the scientist involved stole her cells without her or her husband's permission. Get yourself a copy, enjoy it, and tell everyone you know to read it. More people need to know Henrietta and her family's story. (PS - Henrietta was born in 1920 and died in 1951. It's 2025. Her cells are still being used in labs TODAY.) Book SynopsisHer name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells–taken without her knowledge–became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family–past and present–is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family–especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. Support the JoyIf you liked this newsletter and would like to show your support, please consider donating to the tip jar. Your support is greatly appreciated.
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