In this episode we discuss how we may be living on borrowed values and why it matters in our own lives and in society as a whole.  Quotes "Researchers at Saatchi and Saatchi have estimated that 80% of decision making is emotional, and only 20% rational." "I don’t actually care who you vote for." "Not choosing our own values can have some difficult consequences." As always, you can find me at: createjoypodcast.com or on Instagram at @createjoypodcast

In this episode with Jenny Furse of the Of Progress and Purpose Podcast, we discuss why it is important to get to know the individual in order to have a better understanding of the group. We discuss why it is important to have hard conversations, and how it ultimately helps us understand society as a whole and helps us solve the world’s problems, one relationship at a time. We also discuss why it is complicated to address a group as a whole and why the middle is a great place to be. Connect with Jenny Website: https://ofprogressandpurpose.com/ Instagram: @ofprogressandpurpose Connect With Us! Website - createjoypodcast.com Instagram - @createjoypodcast Facebook Group - Create Joy Podcast Show Notes The Nothing Box - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjnLLw5BTmc Quotes: Being lost can be a place too… and you just find your way from there. – Jenny Furse In order to be understood you must first understand. Joshua Straub Give people the benefit of the doubt if you want to create a safe space for conversation. -Jenny Furse If you give people the benefit of the doubt often, I think you will find it was well deserved more often than not. -Jenny Furse Papercuts matter to Jesus. Numbers don’t have the same impact that people and stories do. -Jenny Stories

In this episode with Jasmine Bradshaw of the First Name Basis Podcast, we discuss why we should listen to other people who are different than us. This is an important thing to do both for our own benefit and for society as a whole. In this conversation, we talk about why being different is not something to hide, but to celebrate. In her loving and sweet way, Jasmine gives advice on how to approach difficult topics, and why we need people who are different than us in our lives. Connect with Jasmine Website: http://firstnamebasis.org/ Instagram: @firstname.basis Email: [email protected] Connect With Us! Website - createjoypodcast.com Instagram - @createjoypodcast Facebook Group - Create Joy Podcast Show Notes Quotes "How can you really love someone if you don’t love the pieces of them that are different from you - if you are only connecting on what’s the same, them your relationship might be pretty shallow. And you are going to miss out on some people who are amazing because you are not looking for that." - Jasmine Bradshaw "Our differences connect us." - Jasmine Bradshaw "Society has set it up in a way that separates us so we are going against these systems that have been taught to us since we were really really little. Lean into the discomfort." -Jasmine Bradshaw "I know I am going to be a little bit uncomfortable, but it is worth it - for my values." -Jasmine Bradshaw "What message are we telling ourselves (and our kids) by not interacting with people who are different then us?" =Jasmine Bradshaw "We are missing out on so much by not embracing other people." Jasmine Bradshaw "As an act of rebellion we have chosen to be joyful" "When we are able to connect with someone on a level of struggle, there is a deep understanding there that can create an extremely powerful bond. We don’t have to be going through the same thing to make that deep connection." "It is so powerful to be able to hold space for struggles that are different." "Reshape our idea of what UNITY means." "We all want the same thing! We have differences in how we think that we are going to get there. Recognizing that is the starting point. Be willing to try other ideas." "Anything that leads us out of a place of hurt into a place of healing is a good road." - Jasmine Bradshaw "Things that come across really mean or defensive are coming from a place of hurt." - Jasmine Bradshaw

If you could have three wishes, genie style, would you choose happiness? Do we actually value happiness? IN this episode we break down things that we may be doing to devalue happiness, which in turn creates less joy in our own lives. As always, you can find me at: createjoypodcast.com or on Instagram at @createjoypodcas

Trials are going to come in waves. They are inevitable. That’s just the way it is. Today we discuss why resisting these trials actually prevents us from feeling joy instead of protecting us from pain. As always, you can find me at: createjoypodcast.com or on Instagram at @createjoypodcast

Welcome back to the Create Joy Podcast! I am super excited to have you here! In this episode I explain the why behind the podcast and what I am doing to create more joy in my own life and in my community. I am excited for what this season is going to bring for us.  As always, you can find me at: createjoypodcast.com or on Instagram at @createjoypodcast

My dear friend Melina Chaffin is one of the sweetest, kindest people you will ever have the privilege of hearing from. She has her fair share of hard times, and handles them with grace and determination that is to be admired and learned from.  In this Encore episode, she shares some of her struggles, and how they have brought her closer to God. I promise you will be uplifted as well.   Connect with Melina  Instagram @melinajchaffin  SHOW NOTES   Learn more about Smith-Magenis syndrome Connect with Us!  Website - createjoypodcast.com Instagram - @createjoypodcast Quotes  Quote by Neil A. Maxwell - “Trials and tribulations tend to squeeze the artificiality out of us, leaving the essence of what we really are and clarifying what we really yearn for.”   “It is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Of Things that Matter Most”  “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” Russell M. Nelson “Joy and Spiritual Survival”  “Of this be sure: You do not find the happy life . . . you make it." Thomas S. Monson “Faces and Attitudes”  “Stellar spirits are often housed in imperfect bodies. The gift of such a body can actually strengthen a family as parents and siblings willingly build their lives around that child born with special needs.” Russell M. Nelson “Decisions For Eternity”

In this Encore episode, I share our family's story with my husband, Javier. He talks about the hard times, his parent’s sacrifices, some turning points, and why the word “mushroom” plays a big part in his life story. LIfe might seem unfair… in many ways, but as Javier mentions, it is not only unfair for you. It is unfair for everyone. Realize this, and do what you can to move your life in the direction that you want it to go. You might be amazed at what you can accomplish when you stop feeling sorry for yourself. We talked about his upbringing, about how life is not fair, and that’s OK, and about walking 6 hours home from school passing out resumes because he did not have the equivalent of $0.25 to pay for a bus ticket back home. He talked about how his family of 7 all shared one mattress on a concrete floor, and about some really key moments in his life that helped him to set a different path for his future. We also get to see all of those struggles start to pay off, as we learn why rejection is important, how an outburst from a teacher changed everything, and some motivation for reaching our own big dreams. I am so excited for you to learn from him. Connect with Create Joy Podcast on Website createjoypodcast.com Instagram @createjoypodcast Facebook Group - Create Joy Podcast Quotes from Episode ”The earlier you realize that life is not fair, that things are not just going to be rosy for everyone and that it is up to you to change the situation and to make things better… the easier it is to empower yourself.” - Javier Gandara “Hard work beats everything.” - Javier Gandara “The more you learn how to learn, the more you love to learn.” - Javier Gandara “Do not make small goals because they do not have the magic to stir men's souls.” - Spencer W. Kimball “The future is as bright as your faith.” - Thomas S. Monson “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." Mathew 19:26 “Success is not a matter of luck. Success is a matter of numbers, probability, and statistics.” - Javier Gandara Interesting Fact on Mexico’s Economy As of January 2019, Minimum wage in Mexico is 102.67 pesos per day, which with the exchange rate on the day of recording is $5.28 per day. = $31.68 per week (working 6 days a week) $136.224 per month $1,635 per year According to the INEGI, National Institute of Statistics and Geography, only 269,000 Mexicans earn $16 or more per hour. For reference, Scottsdale, AZ has a population of 249,950. Mesa, AZ has a population of 496,000 people. So the amount of Mexicans who make equal to or more than 33,000 per year could fit in the city of Scottsdale, AZ. Everyone else is living on much less than that.  How many other people? I am glad you asked. There are 124.6 million people living in Mexico. Which means that 124,331,000 people live on less. This makes up a mere 0.22% Of Mexican. Which is a crazy statistic when you compare it to the top 1% in the United States making $1.32 million.

Like most of the world, I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately. While spending some time with my kids, I have learned some valuable lessons about why both trials and sweetness are needed to help us become the best that we absolutely can become. Connect With Us! Website - createjoypodcast.com Instagram - @createjoypodcast Facebook Group - Create Joy Podcast

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast during daylight hours for the entire month. It is the holiest month in the culture, and one that prepares them for the rest of the year. In this Episode, I talk with Shahnila about what Ramadan is, how Muslims celebrate, what we can learn from their experience, and the wonderful contributions that the Muslim community provides to the world. This year the celebration is very different, as Shahnila describes in the interview, but that does not keep the community from celebrating and refining themselves during this time, as well as praying for the world to overcome this difficult time. Connect with Shahnila email: [email protected] Instagram: @bravemuslimparents To learn more about Muslims: www.whyislam.org Connect With Us! Website - createjoypodcast.com Instagram - @createjoypodcast Facebook Group - Create Joy Podcast Show Notes In 2020, Ramadan goes from April 23 to May 23. A simple, yet meaningful way to support our Muslim friends during Ramadan is to simply reach out and say “Happy Ramadan!” 3 Tips that will make your next fast the best ever. Know your why Think deeply about what you are hoping to gain an accomplish from your fast. Whatever you focus on grows If you are so focused on the negative things, it is going to grow. Have a plan for the day Make your plans for the day intentional and meaningful Words to Know Ramadan - the holiest month of the year for Muslims, when the Quran is believed to have been revealed. Iftar - breaking the fast together in the evening. Eid al Fitr - Festival of Breaking the Fast - when the community celebrates the end of Ramadan Iman - the Muslim religious leader that leads the congregation in nightly prayers Mosque - A building where Muslim’s worship God. Quotes "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness." (Quran 2:183). Having our basic needs met is really a privilege, it’s not an entitlement. - Shahnila Ahmad. “When the month of Ramadan begins, the gates of the heaven are opened; the gates of Hell-fire are closed, and the devils are chained.” - Prophet Muhammad Ramadan is a month of intense spiritual rejuvenation. - Shahnila Ahmad @bravemuslimparents During Ramadan you get to plant whatever seeds you want, and throughout the year, you get to benefit from the harvest. - Shahnila Ahmand @bravemuslimparents We give up bad things during Ramadan, because we know what we are going into that month for. - Shahnila Ahmand @bravemuslimparents It is leaving your bad habits at the door, and seeing on the other side, once the 30 days are over, which ones you actually want to leave behind, because it wasn’t really serving you anyway. Shahnila Ahmand @bravemuslimparents Instead of a “To Do” list, I say we have a “GET to do list” - Shahnila Ahmand @bravemuslimparents God doesn’t need our hunger. - Shahnila Ahmand @bravemuslimparents