Welcome to Joy Lab!: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Joy Lab podcast, where we help you uncover and foster your most joyful self. Your hosts, Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek, bring you the ideal mix of soulful and scientifically sound tools to spark your joy, even when it feels dark. When you're ready to experiment with more joy, combine this podcast with the full Joy Lab program over at JoyLab.coach.
Aimee: Well, hey everyone. So it's Aimee, just me today. I am really excited. Actually, I'm lucky to be the one that gets to share some news with you. So, here it is in a nutshell: the Joy Lab podcast and program will soon be part of a nonprofit organization called Pathways North. That means it will be leaving the National Mental Health Organization, but do not worry.
This is not a bad thing. We will all still be here. Not much, sort of, from your experience will be changing. [00:01:00] Um, Now, you already may know some of this news if you're part of the NIMH newsletter or part of Joy Lab already, and we will continue to talk about the why of this over the next few months. But I do want to just let, you know, some important things, I think, 4 things I want to cover. First, all of this will happen in January 2025. So, there's been kind of these little changes all building up to that date and we just want to make sure that you are all in the know that, um, that you're all part of this process. So please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. We will just continue to do our best to keep you in the loop, um, ask for your feedback and make this transition really smooth.
Okay, second important thing. The podcast will still be available wherever you listen to it. Whatever your fav platform is to listen, it will still be there. If you do [00:02:00] listen to the podcast through Natural Mental Health through our website, you'll just have to head over to joylab.coach now. And you'll listen through that website. You'll just tap on podcasts at the top. So easy switch. I'll pop a link in the show notes, even. And sort of on the note of the podcast. You probably know that since day one, we have been committed to not having advertisements on the podcast and we're really proud of that, for our stubbornness in that,
because we did not want some mid roll advertisement breaking up an empowering conversation that you're resonating with, uh, regarding your mental health, your wellbeing, and then it just like crashes the vibe. So, That would negatively impact your experience from our perspective. And we weren't willing to do that.
Of course, we also need to pay for this podcast, the program, the amazing people that help make it all happen. And that's a big part of why we're going this [00:03:00] nonprofit route so that we can serve you more effectively, just fully focused on helping you tap into your joy and your strengths, your resilience, and not raise the prices on that so that there is access. That matters.
Also, you will notice that in 2025, we will highlight our sponsors at the beginning and at the end of episodes. So we still promise you there will not be some irrelevant, annoying, obtrusive mid-roll ad, but you will hear about some of the amazing organizations and the people who will keep Joy Lab up and running and who are helping to uncover more joy and resilience in this world.
Cause we're grateful for them, we're grateful for you listening, because we all do that in our own way. Uh, and on that note, if you want to be one of those people or organizations who can help fund this work, then send us a message. We want to talk about what we can do together, what [00:04:00] we can create.
Third, the program. So we are thrilled to be able to expand the program a bit earlier actually than we had planned because of this transition to a nonprofit. That means, there will be more features and support in the program when we publicly launch in January. And we've had these on our development timeline on our goal sheet, but we were not willing to raise program prices to get there more quickly,
So as a nonprofit, we are able to really expand our community of those working to support the program without passing those costs on to you so that we can make those changes more quickly. And that is really essential. If there's one thing you should know about me is that I am obsessed, harmoniously obsessed, I hope, with getting this program, this work, this kind of more empowering approach to mental health into the hands, into the minds, into the hearts of as many people as [00:05:00] possible, because it really does matter.
And it's not just because many of these elements, this approach, was really the key factor, these elements, key factors, that brought me out of dark cycles of depression and anxiety some 20 years ago, but it is just so evident, the research is so clear that I'm not an outlier. This stuff works. And given how clear and obvious it is that these elements create positive mental health shifts, then I think everyone should have access to them.
And that's what we're going to do together. Okay, fourth and last thing. Do you remember those Saturday podcast episodes we had for a while? I liked those. We did take them away a while back with a note that you'd hear more about why and this is part of that reason why. So those more resilience-focused [00:06:00] episodes, kind of more focused on mental health, generally, body focused strategies, more focused on lifestyle medicine, nutrition, supplements, sleep, things like that...
we are creating a new podcast to house those episodes, and it will live at Natural Mental Health, and it will be called, wait for it, the Natural Mental Health podcast. Sometimes obvious is best. So that podcast will start in early 2025, and it's going to be a perfect complement to Joy Lab, just kind of as it was when it sat on those Saturdays.
And so be sure to join the NMH newsletter, just head to naturalmentalhealth. com, sign up. I'll put a link in the show notes. That way you'll be in the loop for when that first episode drops early in 2025. Okay, I hope you're all excited about this. We wouldn't have done it if we didn't feel like it was truly supportive of our mission, um, supportive of your work and [00:07:00] wellbeing. We are just so grateful to have this opportunity to spread this good work and to work with all of you to do that. So if you have any questions, comments, ideas, please reach out.
Thanks for joining us!: This is a co creation of Joy Lab of what's going to be at Pathways North, the name of the new nonprofit. We are going to work together to create something really meaningful, really important. And we're grateful you're here with us. So until next time, sending you all lots of joy. Thank you for listening to the Joy Lab podcast. If you enjoy today's show, visit JoyLab.coach to learn more about the full Joy Lab program. Be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other [00:08:00] qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program.
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