What happens when life forces you to completely reinvent yourself in your thirties? Leadership coach and former principal ballerina Kerrie Alanen discovered that losing everything she thought defined her was actually the key to finding who she really was.
In this thoughtful conversation, Kerrie shares her journey from the stage to the boardroom, revealing the research-backed practices that helped her transform a devastating career loss into authentic living. You’ll discover why being “unapologetically you” isn’t just feel-good advice; it’s supported by science at a cellular level, helping rewire your brain for long-term well-being.
In this episode, we explore:
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00:00) Why losing your identity can become your greatest gift
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04:10) How success as a high performer nearly cost everything that mattered
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07:31) When a hip replacement becomes the doorway to authentic living
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11:40) Why the most resilient people ask this one powerful question about breaking points
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15:21) How to embrace being weird and wonderful without losing connection
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19:05) The “hot stove” moment: recognizing when your values are violated
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22:34) Simple practices that support rewiring your brain for joy (hint: it’s not complicated)
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26:21) What hugging teenage boys teaches us about savouring the good
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27:39) The cellular science behind being unapologetically you
Links mentioned in this episode:
The JOY Journey
The JOY Journey is an online space for women ready to reconnect, reset, and grow – at your own pace or alongside a supportive community.
What you get:
- 10 emails each month with simple, research-backed tools
- Guided meditations, journalling prompts, and practical techniques
- Ongoing support designed to help changes actually stick
- Access to a dedicated app with all content anytime
Community option:
- Live sessions twice a month (1 hour)
- Reflect, write, and connect with others on the same path
- Fridays at 11:30 MT
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What is Finding Joy?
Finding Joy is a podcast about what it means to truly live.
Because too many of us are building lives around who we think we should be instead of who we really are.
Hosted by speaker, leadership facilitator, coach, and author Leona deVinne, Finding Joy explores the conversations that help us reconnect with ourselves, find the courage to stop performing, and start living with authenticity, not apology.
Through honest conversations, powerful stories, and practical insights grounded in psychology, neuroscience, leadership, and lived experience, Leona explores what helps us live with greater clarity, confidence, courage, and meaning.
Some episodes feature ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances. Others unpack ideas around identity, resilience, burnout, confidence, boundaries, leadership, relationships and what it takes to create a life that actually feels like your own.
Because joy is not something we chase.
It is often what finds us when we finally own who we are.