The JOY CEO

For nearly nine years, I’ve started my mornings by writing down five things I’m grateful for. It’s one of my favorite habits. But this spring and summer, life got hard, and one morning I realized five wasn’t going to cut it.So I did something a little extreme. I started writing down 100.In this episode, I’m sharing what happened when I took my gratitude practice further than I ever had. I also talk about the meditation practice that helped me get there and a morning tea ritual I borrowed from a woman in The Connect. Then we look at what the research says about gratitude, and why I believe it’s one of the stepping stones to joy.Because joy isn’t something you wait for until everything is perfect. JOY is the strategy. Not the consolation prize.🔑 3 Key Takeaways:1.Gratitude Changes Where Your Attention GoesWhen life feels heavy, our attention drifts toward what’s going wrong and what we’re trying to fix.Writing 50 to 100 gratitudes a day brought my attention back to what was already working.The hard thing didn’t go away. It just lost its front-row seat in my mind.You Don’t Have to Wait Until Life Is Perfect to Choose JoyAs ambitious women, we’re wired to look at what’s next.The life you’re living today is one your younger self once dreamed about.Gratitude brings you back to what you already have.Your Practice Can Grow With YouMy five-a-day practice has served me for nearly nine years, and it was still okay to change it when I needed more.You can write your gratitudes, speak them into your morning tea, or simply pause and notice. Showing up matters more than the format.Gratitude makes room for joy, even in seasons of uncertainty or grief.🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:The Extreme Gratitude Practice: my practice of writing 50 to 100 things I’m grateful for each day when five no longer felt like enough.Transcendental Meditation: the meditation practice that helped quiet my mind and bring more clarity.Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough’s 2003 gratitude study: research on gratitude journaling and its effects on well-being.The morning tea ritual: inspired by a woman in The Connect, I now speak my gratitudes into my tea before I drink it.The Extreme Gratitude Practice 30-Day Program: my new program and workbook. Join the waitlist and get one day free. https://www.loripine.com/extreme-gratitude-waitlist ✨ Reflection Prompts:What are five things you’re grateful for today?What would happen if you pushed yourself to find 50, or even 100?What would your younger self be amazed to see in your life right now?When life gets uncomfortable, where does your attention go first?What small daily ritual could bring more gratitude into your mornings?What would it look like to choose joy before everything is sorted out?🧠 Who This Episode Is For:Ambitious corporate women who are always focused on what’s next.Leaders walking through a hard season while still showing up for everyone else.Women who already have a gratitude practice and sense it’s ready to grow.High achievers who want more joy and perspective in their everyday lives.📩 Want to Go Deeper?If this episode inspires you to explore your own gratitude practice, I'd love to do it alongside you.Explore Lori's coaching, retreats, and community at loripine.com.Join the waitlist for Lori's Extreme Gratitude Practice, a 30-day program with a workbook. You'll receive one day of the practice for free when you sign up. https://www.loripine.com/extreme-gratitude-waitlist Follow Lori on LinkedIn or Instagram to continue the conversation.🎧 Subscribe to The Joy CEO Podcast.⭐️ Leave a five-star review to help other heart-centered leaders find the show.📲 Share this episode with someone who could use a reminder to appreciate what's already right in front of them.

You would never walk into a big board meeting without a plan. You’d know the room, and you’d know the hard questions before anyone asked them. So why do so many of us walk into a hard week with our heads down, bracing for impact?This week I’m sharing a week of my own that I could see coming from a mile away. My boys’ birthdays are only three days apart, and this year neither of them is home. Add Halloween, my least favorite holiday, and the clocks falling back, and I knew I was in for a doozy.An old version of me would have plowed right through it. In this episode, I talk about what I did differently this time, how my Hula Hoop Theory helped me focus on what I could actually control, and how I planned my week so that joy had a place in every day.If you can feel a hard week coming, this one is for you.3 Key Takeaways1. Name the hard parts before they catch you off guard. You’d prepare for an important meeting, so prepare for a hard week too. When you name what’s coming, it loses some of its power to surprise you.2. Focus on what’s inside your Hula Hoop. You can’t control the calendar or the weather. You can control how you plan your days and how you take care of yourself. That’s where your energy belongs.3. Don’t wait for joy to find you. Joy doesn’t mean pretending the hard parts aren’t hard. Both can live in the same week. Look at your calendar, find the people and moments that fill you up, and make room for them on purpose.🔎 Mentioned in the EpisodeThe Hula Hoop Theory: Lori’s reminder to put your energy into what’s within your control.Inner Work: Lori reflects on her 20-year journey of personal growth and how working on the inside has changed the way she experiences life.Planning Joy on Purpose: Lori walks through her own week, day by day.Daily Anchors: the meditation, journaling, and gratitude practice that keep Lori grounded.Giving Yourself Grace: why lowering the bar and letting things go can make a hard week lighter.✨ Reflection PromptsWhat’s on your calendar in the next week or two that already feels heavy?What would change if you named those feelings instead of pushing through them?What’s inside your Hula Hoop right now, and where are you spending energy on things you can’t control?Who or what is already on your calendar that could bring you joy?Where could you lower the bar this week?🧠 Who This Episode Is ForCorporate women who are used to pushing through hard weeks without checking in with themselves.Leaders who want to manage their energy more intentionally when the calendar gets heavy.Women whose kids are growing up and whose family traditions are changing.Anyone who has ever looked at her calendar on Sunday night and thought, oh boy.📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn or Instagram at @loripine to continue the conversation.Visit Lori Pine's website to learn more about Lori's coaching, retreats, and ways to work together.🎧 Subscribe to The Joy CEO Podcast for more conversations about leadership, personal growth, and creating a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.⭐️ Leave a five-star review to help other heart-centered leaders find the show.📲 Share this episode with a friend who could use a reminder that she doesn't have to push through everything alone.

Have you ever looked at another woman's success and felt that uncomfortable little voice whispering, Wow, she’s really impressive. Maybe she's landed the promotion you wanted, built a thriving business, or seems to have everything figured out while you're still finding your way. It's a feeling many of us experience, but one we don't often talk about because professional jealousy can bring up shame, insecurity, and the fear that we're somehow not doing enough.In this episode of The Joy CEO Podcast, my dear friend Andrea Leigh, Amazon alum, retail media expert, executive, and founder of her own company, joins me for an honest conversation about what professional jealousy is really trying to teach us. AAndrea shares two moments from her own career when that feeling showed up, the relationship it nearly cost her, and the questions she asks herself now instead of closing the door. We talk about why comparison gets loudest when we are unclear on our own goals, what changes when the person stirring up the feeling reports to you, and a simple phrase I use to cheer another woman on while trusting my own timing.Then we switch gears completely. Andrea takes us inside what is happening in retail media right now, from AI shopping assistants to an ever expanding digital shelf, and why brands need to show up long before a shopper reaches a retailer's site.3 Key Takeaways1. Jealousy can be information, not a character flaw.Professional jealousy is a natural human emotion, even for accomplished women. Instead of shaming yourself for feeling it, get curious about what it's bringing up. Is it pointing toward something you genuinely want? Does it reveal an insecurity or an area where you feel stuck? Understanding the feeling gives you a chance to learn from it rather than allowing it to dictate your behavior.2. Comparison gets loudest when your own goals are fuzzy. When you are clear on your values and priorities, you can ask a better question: is what she has something I am willing to work for?3. Curiosity keeps doors open. Shutting out the person who makes you uncomfortable can cost you learning, allies and opportunity. Ask questions instead. If she reports to you, you are in the best possible position to learn from her.🔎 Mentioned in the EpisodeProfessional Jealousy and Envy – The uncomfortable emotions that can reveal our insecurities, values, ambitions, and unfulfilled goals.Andrea Leigh's Experience at Amazon – Andrea reflects on her career at Amazon and how leaving her role prompted a period of identity reevaluation.The Power of Curiosity – Asking questions and learning from people whose success triggers comparison, rather than avoiding them.“It's Her Turn” – Lori's perspective on celebrating someone else's moment while trusting that your own journey is unfolding in its own time.Long-Term Professional Relationships – Why supporting colleagues, developing people on your team, and maintaining meaningful connections can contribute to long-term success.Retail Media and the Changing Digital Shelf – Andrea discusses how social media, AI-powered discovery, and large language models are changing how shoppers discover and choose products.Social Listening and Customer Value – Why brands need to understand what customers care about by listening to online conversations, communities, and product reviews.✨ Reflection PromptsWhen have you felt jealous of another woman's professional success, and what did that feeling reveal about you?Is the thing you are envying something you want, or is it someone else's priority?Have you ever distanced yourself from someone because she made you feel insecure? What might that have cost you?If you were completely clear about your own goals, what would you stop comparing yourself to?🧠 Who This Episode Is ForCorporate women who quietly measure their progress against peers and former colleaguesLeaders who want to champion the rising stars on their teams, even when it stingsWomen who feel behind and need a reminder that their path is their ownBrand, sales and marketing leaders who want a sharp read on where retail media is heading📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn or Instagram at @loripine to continue the conversation.Visit loripine.com to learn more about Lori's coaching, retreats, and ways to work together.Find Andrea Leigh on LinkedIn or visit http://www.allumegroup.com/ to learn more about her retail media and commerce consulting work.🎧 Subscribe to The Joy CEO Podcast.⭐️ Leave a five-star review to help other heart-centered leaders find the show.📲 Share this episode with a woman who needs a reminder that someone else's success doesn't take anything away from her own.

Have you reached a point in your career where you're wondering how much longer you can keep doing this?Maybe you're exhausted, carrying too much, or waiting for things to get better. Maybe you've started looking at other jobs and wondering if leaving is the only way to feel like yourself again.I've been there. After 25 years in corporate America, more than 14 reorganizations, and 7 relocations, I know what it's like to navigate the demands of a corporate career. And while leaving was the right decision for me in 2021, I've learned that leaving isn't always the only option. Sometimes, what you need is a different plan.In this final episode of The Leadership Reset series, I'm bringing together everything we've explored about team stress, putting work where it belongs, and directing your ambition toward what truly matters. I'll walk you through how to take an honest inventory of your current role, reconnect with your strengths, identify what needs to change, and consider whether you can redesign your work before deciding to leave.Because you are more than your title, your paycheck, or the work you do. You have more agency than you may realize, and you deserve to build a role that allows you to thrive rather than simply get through another day.3 Key Takeaways1. Leaving isn't always the only option.When you're exhausted, it's easy to believe that a new company or a completely different career is the answer. But before making that decision, take an honest look at what's happening. Sometimes the problem isn't the entire role or organization; it's the way you're working, the expectations you're carrying, or the responsibilities that no longer fit.2. Take an inventory of what is and isn't working.Ask yourself two important questions: Is the job right for me? Am I right for the job? Look at what energizes you, where you're uniquely qualified to contribute, what work doesn't belong to you, and what needs to change. A “no” doesn't automatically mean you need to leave. It may mean your role needs to be redesigned.3. Your agency and joy live inside your hula hoop.You can't control every organizational decision, your title, or how other people perceive you. But you can influence how you show up, what you prioritize, which relationships and expectations need resetting, and where you focus your energy. Start with the changes within your control and build a plan that allows you to do your best work.🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:The Hula Hoop Theory – Lori's framework for understanding what you can and cannot control. Your choices, priorities, identity, and approach to your work live inside your hula hoop.The Leadership Reset Series – This four-part series explores team stress, putting work where it belongs, directing ambition toward what matters, and building a personal blueprint for a more sustainable leadership role.Personal Retention Plan – A practical approach to identifying what needs to change in your current role so you can continue to grow and thrive rather than automatically deciding to leave.Zone of Genius and Superpowers – Understanding the work you love, the strengths you bring, and the areas where your experience makes you uniquely qualified to contribute.Deloitte and Gartner Leadership Research – Lori references research on executive turnover intentions and well-being to illustrate how widespread the struggle to remain in demanding leadership roles has become.✨ Reflection Prompts:Is the job right for me? Am I right for the job?What parts of my role energize me, and what parts leave me feeling depleted?What work am I doing that doesn't belong to me, or that someone else may be better suited to handle?What do I want to keep the same about my role, and what do I need to let go of?Which relationships, expectations, or responsibilities need to be reset before I decide to leave?🧠 Who This Episode Is For:Women in senior corporate roles who are quietly wondering how much longer they can keep this upLeaders who love what they've built and want to stay, just not like thisThe woman everyone counts on to hold it all together, who has started to wonder what holds her📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn or Instagram at @loripine to continue the conversation.Visit loripine.com to learn more about Lori's coaching, retreats, and ways to work together.🎧 Subscribe to The Joy CEO Podcast.⭐️ Leave a five-star review to help other heart-centered leaders find the show.📲 Share this episode with a leader who is wondering whether leaving is the only way forward.

In pre-k I was voted most likely to become President of the United States. Ambition has been one of the greatest forces in my life. It pushed me to work hard, take risks, stretch myself, build a career, and keep asking what else was possible.And I don't want less of it.But I do believe ambition evolves.After years of proving that you can do hard things, carry the load, achieve big things, and lead at a high level, there comes a point when the question changes. Instead of constantly asking “What’s next?”, we get to start asking “What’s worth it?”In this episode, I’m talking about the difference between those two questions and how they can completely change the direction of your life and leadership. I walk you through five questions designed to help you understand what your ambition is actually chasing, whether you're pursuing achievement or meaning, and where your energy is going.Because ambition isn't something you need to get rid of. It’s a gift. But as you evolve, you get to decide where you want to point it.3 Key Takeaways1. Ambition isn’t the problem — but it may need a new direction.Early ambition can be about proving yourself, getting the promotion, earning recognition, and showing the world what you're capable of. But once you've already earned your seat at the table, ambition can evolve into something more intentional.2. “What’s next?” and “What’s worth it?” are very different questions.“What’s next?” keeps you focused on achievement, titles, money, recognition, and external markers. “What’s worth it?” asks what actually matters to you and where you want to invest your time and energy.3. You get to choose where your ambition goes.You may not control what sparks your energy, but you do have agency over where you spend it. The goal isn't to become less ambitious — it’s to make sure your ambition is taking you somewhere you actually want to go.🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:The Hula Hoop Theory:my framework for separating what is within your control from everything outside your hula hoop.The Leadership Reset: my four-part series on leadership. Next week's finale is a practical one: building a personal retention plan for staying in a role you have designed on purpose.✨ Reflection Prompts:What is my ambition actually chasing?Am I chasing achievement or meaning?What am I asking achievement to prove about me?Where is my ambition taking my energy?Is this still where I want to give my ambition?🧠 Who This Episode Is For:Ambitious women who have spent years building successful careers and livesHigh-achieving leaders who feel like their own drive may be exhausting themWomen questioning whether the next promotion, title, or achievement is actually what they wantLeaders ready to become more intentional about where they invest their energy📩 Want to Go Deeper?Follow Lori on LinkedIn or Instagram @loripine to continue the conversation.Visit loripyne.com to learn more about Lori’s coaching, retreats, and ways to work together.🎧 Subscribe to The Joy CEO Podcast⭐️ Leave a five-star review to help other heart-centered leaders find the show📲 Share this episode with an ambitious woman who might be asking, “What’s next?” when the better question might be, “What’s worth it?”