Joy Let Loose

April 11, 2022

7 Signs it’s Time to Hire a Life Coach (and Discover Your Purpose)

Why is it that some people seem so focused and purposeful, and that I feel so chaotic and overwhelmed? If I hire a life coach, how would it help me live with greater purpose?

I used to think that to hire a Life Coach was a dumb idea. Why in the world would I spend money to get someone to tell me how to do my life? “I am decent at living – don’t really need help with that, thank you very much.” Ha!

Well, hindsight is 20/20, isn’t it?

At some point along the way, sitting in the middle of a fog of depression, lack of motivation and clarity, I realized I probably could have used help sooner.

How did I even get here?

Well, my pride had gotten the best of me, making me think I could figure out my life and purpose on my own. I didn’t want anyone’s help.

Looking in the rearview mirror, I see that I missed the clues that could have shown me it was a good idea to hire a Life Coach.

Do you see any of these clues? Friend, don’t ignore them like I did, ok?

https://joyletloose.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/7-signs-its-time-to-hire-a-life-coach.mp4

1. You always answer the question, “How are you?” with “Sooo busy!”

Ooff. Anyone else realize how much we idolize busyness? Like full agendas and breathlessness are virtues or something. Almost like if we aren’t over-scheduled, we’re not doing it right.

When was the last time you looked at your calendar from a position of peace, and not from a place of perpetuity or pandemonium? (Do you like all the alliterations?)

Friend, ask yourself these honest questions:

  • Is there a void you are trying to fill with your busyness?
  • Are you afraid of quietness?
  • What exactly do you think that busyness says about you?

Get curious about those.

2. You live in a state of chaos or overwhelm

This relates to #1, but it’s not entirely the same. Chaos and overwhelm are regular companions.

Chaos: a state in which everything is out of order

Overwhelm: incapacitating emotional or mental stress

Do either (or both) of those sound familiar? Things out of order & disorganized? The inability to move because everything is tooo stressful?

This is not how you were created to live, friend. This does not reflect the peace and the joy that Christ offers to us in this life.

Your life coach can ask gentle, hard questions to help you to uncover what’s behind these things, and point you in a healthy direction forward. We don’t need to live in fight, freeze, or flight mode.

3. You can’t articulate your personal mission statement

You’re not alone in this one. I’ve actually found that far more businesses than individuals can articulate a mission statement.

A mission statement actually points us out of chaos. It helps us align our direction with our values. Developing one is honestly one of the most clarifying tools I have found in building a life of joy and purpose.

4. You feel like you’ve lost yourself in motherhood

Mamas. Motherhood is a beautiful gift. And with the number of friends I know who yearn for the opportunity, I sometimes struggle to call moms out of the crowd for fear of hurting someone else.

But mamas – we know that motherhood is a gift, and also so hard. And it’s so easy to get lost in the busyness and the mundane day-in-day-out of it. And when multiple kiddos rule our every moment, we sometimes forget to function as unique individuals. We can’t think, we can’t stay rested or tidy, and the goal of keeping everyone alive and fed so easily takes over every other thing.

It also often lures us into escape mode, which is definitely not ideal.

Because God created us even before He created our kids. And we have unique passions, gifts, and skills that are not only meant for our families, but for people outside of our families as well. We are made for community, and we have special roles to play in the community to bless others, and for advancement of the Kingdom.

If we limit ourselves to just our homes for the period of 18-25 years or so that we have our brood growing under our roofs, we will easily lose sight of the impact we can simultaneously have on people outside of our homes.

(PS This is not a SAHM vs Working Mom convo. This is a purposeful woman convo – and purposeful women can work outside the home or stay at home. It comes down to living with intentionality into the specific thing God calls us to.)

You just don’t have to put it off until the kids are grown.

5. You want to discover your unique radiance in the world

This relates closely to #4, but is definitely not only for moms.

Maybe you aren’t even sure what your unique value-add in the world would be. You haven’t necessarily clarified for yourself what it is about you that makes you you. You aren’t sure what it is that you could do, or how you could live on purpose to make a difference in someone else’s life. You have a sense that there is more, but you’re not sure what it is

A Life Coach is uniquely called and qualified to help you uncover these things about yourself so you can be set loose to radiate.

6. When you imagine yourself in 2, 5, or 10 years, the picture is fuzzy

Oh gosh, friend! We are invited to dream with clarity, with imagination, with vivid color! Our God is so creative. And if we are made in His image (spoiler alert: we ARE) then that means we get to dream about our future and joyfully plan for it; Not obscure, vague dreams, but clear, on-purpose ones.

If you aren’t sure how to give yourself this kind of permission, it’s time to hire a life coach who can really help you get out of your head and into the world!

7. You really would love to redesign your life and vocation to be something you love, but you have no idea how.

You know those people who seem to thrive at life? Or who seem to be able to create the exact life that they want to live, blending vocation seamlessly with passion?

Maybe they are working from home or on the road, and it never seems like “work”.

Maybe they are visiting lots of fantastic places.

Maybe they are having a crazy meaningful impact on people, doing what really makes them thrive, and makes the people around them light up.

–> How do you think they got to build that kind of life? Not accidentally, I assure you.

Instead, they decided that their future self was worth investing in now.

They decided that fear and insecurity weren’t going keep them stuck anymore in a place of discontentment.

They got brave, challenged their uncertainties, became creative about resources, and dove in.

(And they aren’t looking back, are they?)

That kind of confident, vibrant, meaningful living isn’t just for a select few – in fact, I believe it’s really the way we are intended to live. God created us to be masterpieces, and He created good works for us to do.

With such a kind, vibrant, colorful, imaginative, and abundant God, I just can’t see that He meant for us to live in gray monotony. It doesn’t fit His character.

BONUS reason: You are at a point of transition in life, and transition feels scary.

You know what? Transition doesn’t have to be scary. It can actually be a thrilling gateway to something new.

But it does take wisdom and care to proceed. And it often takes another perspective to help us see past our blind spots. It takes the nudging and confidence boosting from a third party (or even a couple of third parties) to help us quell the limitations and do. the. thing.

Life Coaching and Purpose

I became a Life Coach because I truly believe that we are made to thrive at life, and that a purposeful, colorful life now is possible as we build a joyful & lasting legacy.

I love to come alongside women to ask the questions and help them move from chaos and overwhelm into simplicity and insane purpose.

I love to help women create the calendar that makes them light up, do the things that they love that most fully radiate who God created them to be.

If you are curious at all about what it would look like for you to get brave now to invest in your soon-to-be future self and hire a life coach, man alive, I’d LOVE to dream about that with you!

I’m easy to find right here, and it would be my JOY to talk about this with you!

Here for your JOY and PURPOSE!

April 5, 2022

Where are you showing up today?

When you choose to show up in another person’s life, you may leave a forever imprint.

You showing up lets joy loose. So where are you showing up today?

Building legacy

This gentleman, Othillo, was an immigrant into Canada from the Czech Republic. He became a close friend of my parents’ back in the early 1970’s.

He and his wife didn’t have children, but they treated my older sister and me like their own.

Showing up with joy

Othillo had endless jokes, laughter, energy, and the kind of creativity we absolutely thrived upon. He told stories, built us forts, laid hopscotch down on his carpet with painter’s tape, and could incorporate chocolate milk into breakfast like nobody else.

The wheelbarrow game was one of our favorites, and his desire to let joy loose in us imprinted me deeply.

This film was recorded about 43 years ago and Othillo’s joy still echoes in me.

Showing up with legacy

It’s part of what I remember as I answer the call to let joy loose around me.

  • Let joy loose.
  • Live your legacy on purpose.

Tell me in the comments: Where are you showing up today?

Posted in: Legacy, Purpose
March 31, 2022

Do More Things That Bring You Joy

A few practical ways to build your own joy.

For some reason, I used to avoid joy.

I felt that choosing to do things that brought me joy was frivolous. Also selfish.

I believed that real value was found in hard work, so there wasn’t really room for play time. I didn’t know how important it was to build joy. How sad!

Find the Lie

I’m going to go ahead and be super honest with you here that I STILL wrestle with this lie from time to time. That joyful things need to be held off until after the hard stuff is done. Like I need to earn joy.

I. KNOW. The one who’s always talking about letting joy loose is on the joy struggle bus sometimes.

It’s almost like something wants to hold me back from living out my purpose…Go figure.

Replace it with Truth

Let me tell you what I tell myself when the struggle rises up:

  • Elizabeth, Jesus came so that your joy would be complete (John 15:11).
  • Today is a day that God made for you, so go ahead and rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24) because He is your glory and your joy. (1 Thess. 2:20)
  • And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Rom 15:13).
  • Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice. (Phil 4:4)

Why are you so downcast, O my Soul?

Another way to get in the habit of joy-building is to regularly journal your gratitude. Grateful souls tend to be joyful souls. Developing a rhythm of gratitude each morning sets us up to see our moments through the day with a better perspective, in in general to grow in increasing joy.

There is something so uplifting about speaking Scripture over your own downcast soul. Joy is such a good medicine (Proverbs 17:22) The Bible is alive and active and has the power to uplift even the saddest or most weary hearts. And when these words of truth and gratitude breathe joy back into my bones, it frees me up to step more fully into the life-giving things around me that fuel my enjoyment and express my God-wired purpose even more.

Do more things that bring you joy!

Next time you are discouraged, or overwhelmed by the hard, why don’t you give one of those methods a try too? Jesus desires for us to be full of His joy, and to do more things that bring us joy!

Tell me in the comments: What do you to increase your joy??

Elizabeth Joy

January 1, 2022

Create Your Happy New Year

The New Year brings lots of hope for change, but often convinces us to make unreasonable promises to ourselves. This year, let’s simplify and commit to repeated small steps toward our ultimate purpose.

Happy New Year to you!

I pray that you had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends, and that you have experienced the nearness of Emmanuel this season.

As we enter the New Year, we are often tempted to make huge (sometimes unreasonable) promises to ourselves, unwittingly setting ourselves up to fail.

I don’t want that for you.

Instead, I pray that you stay close to the heart of the Father, asking Him for guidance. I pray that you are intentional to simplify your activities. I pray that you are reasonable and purposeful in setting one daily and one weekly action step that help lead toward your goals, seeking accountability from someone who will help you stay on track.

I pray that in this next season you make the choice to invest in your wellness and your future by trusting a coach who hears from the Lord and desires to help you unlock your purpose.

You can find out more about how I help people with their life purpose right here.

7 helpful tasks for the first week of 2022

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.


May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.


May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.


May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you

For your joy,

Elizabeth Joy

November 5, 2021

5 Ways to Simplify the Holidays and Avoid Burnout

Instead of the holiday season “impending” this year, let’s be proactive to create the space we need for expectation. Let’s simplify the holidays and avoid burnout.

Do the holidays sometimes feel like they are “impending”?

Somehow, every year I  get shocked when Halloween decorations show up in the stores in July, and the Christmas trees are already selling in September. 


It drives me nuts, if I’m honest.


It makes me feel like I’m being rushed through the year, and I also find it leads me toward holiday burnout.
I mean, it creates in me a sense of adrenaline, and “I’ve got so much to do for Thanksgiving/Christmas and I need to start NOOOOOWWWWW.”


Then by the time the holidays actually arrive, I’m over it.

So I’ve needed to embrace important rhythms to help me not to get burned out. Because I don’t want to enter the holiday season tired, or resentful.I want to be able to embrace the whole meaning of it, and the important family time with peace, and hope, and joy.

5 ways to simplify the holidays and avoid burnout

  • Start now by making the decision to keep a healthy pace this holiday season.

Since it’s the top of November, you have the opportunity right now to craft your schedule ahead of time in a way that serves your family well.

Make a list of the very top priorities for you (i.e. faith celebrations, family time at home, certain holiday gatherings) and get them on your calendar now. Decide that it’s ok to say “no” to the extra things that pop up. 

  • Look for ways to combine multiple annual traditions into one.

If you are a DIY gift maker, and you also typically host a cookie exchange, and you always have a Christmas party with the girls, could you gather your friends together for a 3-in-one, where you make your gifts while the cookies are baking and you are drinking eggnog? We can find creative ways to simplify the holidays.

  • Plan to do a personal or family Advent Study this year.

Advent is all about waiting. This year it begins on November 28th. It’s an inhale of breath, expecting and anticipating the arrival of Jesus. Advent can be a beautiful season of slowing down, acknowledging our need of a Savior, and prioritizing our faith.

The Adore Advent Study from Joyful Life Magazine is part of this beautiful Deluxe Winter Set, or can be downloaded on its own.

  • Instead of giving dozens of gifts this year for Christmas, why not consider giving people the gift of an experience?

Think about the people you normally purchase gifts for (your own immediate family, your sister’s family, your brother’s family etc.). What lights them up? What pulls them together?
Find a gathering opportunity near them that they would love (an Escape Room, a concert, a scavenger hunt etc.) and purchase one gift card for the whole family. Create a fun video explanation or a card to send them explaining the joy you want for them to experience. Bam! Your shopping for them is done and you have saved yourself hours in the mall.

  • Finally, and perhaps most significantly, start today to create a daily and weekly rhythm of rest.

Practice prioritizing a segment of each day, and at least one day each week to rest, recharge, and simply breathe. If you practice this with regularity in the early weeks of November, it can become an established habit that will be easier to maintain through the holiday weeks.

Let’s simplify the holidays

Instead of the holiday season “impending” this year, let’s be proactive to create the space we need for expectation. For anticipation. We have the opportunity right now to change the story we are writing. So let’s write a purposeful one.

If you share on socials about purposeful choices you are making this season, please hashtag it #yourpurposefulstory so I can see it!

Tell me in the comments: How are you living on purpose this season? 

Elizabeth JOY