Today is Memorial Day in the United States. And while many of us may be enjoying a long weekend, sunshine, food, family, rest, or a slower Monday, I want to pause and honor what this day is truly about. Today we remember the men and women who died while serving our country. Not as a vague idea. Not as a calendar square. But as real people. People with families. Stories. Laughs. Favorite meals. Inside jokes. Dreams they did not get to finish. And I think joy has a place here, not the loud, confetti kind of joy, but the sacred kind. The kind of joy that says: I will not waste this life. I will notice the people around me. I will love out loud. I will practice gratitude with my feet on the ground. I will remember that freedom is not abstract. It has names. Joy does not erase grief. Joy can sit beside remembrance. Joy can become reverence. Joy can become the way we live with more intention because someone else gave everything. So today, our joy practice is simple: Pause for a moment of gratitude. Say a prayer. Think of a family who is missing someone today. Notice something beautiful. Hug someone a little longer. Send the text. Take the walk. Live this day with honor. And then, if you feel comfortable, share below: What is one thing you are grateful for today? Today we remember. Today we honor. Today we let joy be a form of gratitude.

Who else has a count down of things happening in their lives being days till a bday or a trip or a special day, each day that passes it’s a flip on my numbers calendar

The Joy-Led Leadership Forum officially begins today, and I am SO excited to have you here. This is more than an event. It is a gathering of people who are ready to explore a different way to lead, live, build, and create. A way rooted in: Energy over endurance Regulation over urgency Integration over compartmentalization Collaboration over competition Here’s what to do: 1. Go to the Calendar for all live session links. 2. Check the Classroom for replays after each session. 3. Replays are free for 48 hours. 4. Upgrade to the All-Access Pass if you want lifetime replay access. 5. Upgrade to VIP if you want to join the daily recap conversations and the June application session. And most importantly, show up. Bring your questions. Bring your curiosity. Bring your leadership. Bring your joy. Drop a comment and tell me: Which session are you most excited for? Let’s go. This is going to be powerful.

Before the week starts grabbing at your ankles, take a minute to check in with yourself. Not to judge the week. Not to make a 47-step plan. Not to decide you need to become a brand-new person by 7 a.m. tomorrow. Just notice. What gave you energy this week? What drained you? What felt easy? What felt heavier than it needed to be? Where did joy sneak in, even for a minute? Joy-led living begins with awareness. Because once you notice what gives you life, you can repeat it. Once you notice what drains you, you can adjust it. And once you notice joy, you start training your brain to find it more often. Tonight’s practice: Choose one thing you want to carry into the new week. Not twelve. Not a whole personality renovation. One thing. A walk. A pause. A text. A boundary. A slower morning. A little more laughter. A little less forcing. Joy is not something you chase after everything is handled. Joy is something you build into the way you begin. What is one thing you are carrying into this week?

Drop your letter below.