Find the Joy
Season 1
by Courtney Vroman
Takeaways Joy doesn't have to come from big life moments. It's often hidden inside ordinary, everyday ones. Noticing small joys doesn't remove a hard season, but it can give you the strength to keep walking through it. James 1:17 reminds us that every good and perfect gift, big or small, comes from God. Keeping a simple joy list (three small things a day) is a practical way to train yourself to notice goodness. You don't have to compare your burdens to anyone else's to have permission to notice your own joy. In this follow-up to last week's conversation on peaks and valleys, Courtney picks up right where she left off: still in the valley, still walking through a hard season, but choosing to notice the small gifts along the way. She shares that joy isn't meant to fix everything or erase the heaviness of a hard week. Sometimes its only job is to remind us that goodness is still showing up, even when nothing about our circumstances has changed. Courtney walks through a list of the small joys she noticed this past week: a good cup of coffee, a peaceful car ride with her kids, saying yes to a tickle fight instead of brushing it off, watching her kids ride along on the tractor, voice memos with her best friend, a favorite worship song coming on the radio at just the right moment, wildflowers from her daughter, and an impromptu game of baseball at the sandlot. None of it changed her circumstances. All of it changed her perspective. Grounding the episode in James 1:17, "every good and perfect gift is from above," Courtney challenges the idea that good gifts from God have to be big ones. She closes with a practical challenge: keep a joy list. Every morning or evening, write down three small things that made you smile. It doesn't have to be a gratitude list. It just has to be true. Key Topics Covered: Why joy isn't meant to fix or erase a hard season, just remind us of God's presence in it Everyday examples of small joys, from coffee to tractor rides to voice memos James 1:17 and the idea that every good gift, no matter how small, comes from God Why comparing your burdens to someone else's isn't the answer How to start a simple daily joy list practice https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Takeaways Life moves in seasons of peaks and valleys, not one steady climb upward. Growth, faith, and joy are built in the valley, not on the mountaintop. Trials produce perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-4). God never wastes a painful season, and He's present in every valley, not just the peaks. Real joy isn't the absence of hardship. It's discovered because of what hardship teaches us. Summary of the episode In this episode, Courtney sets aside the polished success story and gets honest about where she actually is right now: not at rock bottom, but definitely walking through a valley. She describes the feeling of a season changing before it arrives, the anxiety and bitterness that have crept in, and the tiny voice that whispers "don't get too comfortable" every time she reaches a mountaintop season. Using the image of peaks and valleys, Courtney unpacks why life was never meant to be one long climb upward. The mountaintop feels good, clarity, gratitude, ease, but nothing actually grows there. The valley, rocky and slow as it is, is where rivers flow, trees take root, and faith gets built. She walks through James 1 and Romans 5, showing how trials produce perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope, not because suffering feels good, but because God never wastes it. Courtney closes with a reminder for anyone currently in a hard season: every valley you've survived has prepared you for the next one, and there is never a moment when God isn't present, on the mountain or in the valley. Key Topics Covered: Recognizing when a hard season is approaching, even before anything "goes wrong" The difference between mountaintop seasons and valley seasons Why growth, faith, and joy are built in the valley, not on the peak What James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:3-4 teach about trials and perseverance How to hold onto gratitude and hope in the middle of a hard season https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Takeaways Comfort has a cost. Naming exactly what comfort is costing you (change, growth, health, connection, honesty, peace) reveals what you actually want. Happiness can show up in comfortable moments, but happiness and joy are not the same thing. Joy is built through discomfort and growth, not around it. Jesus never promised an easy life, but he did promise to carry the heavier weight. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me" is the invitation to grow without carrying it alone. Summary of the episode In this episode, Courtney trades her usual scripted format for a conversational one, because the topic showed up everywhere in her life at once: her Bible study, her group coaching, her individual coaching, and even her journal prompts. The topic is comfort, and the question she's been sitting with is simple but heavy: can joy live inside of comfort? She starts with the journal prompt that cracked the whole conversation open for her: what is comfort costing me? For Courtney, comfort looks like sleeping in, staying home, avoiding confrontation, and keeping everyone else happy at her own expense. But when she lists out what that comfort actually costs her, change, growth, better health, connection, friendship, authenticity, honesty, peace, and discipleship, she realizes it's the exact list of goals she keeps setting for herself year after year. That realization leads to the heart of the episode: her greatest growth seasons have always come through discomfort, never around it. She leans on the image of a sprout pushing up through the dirt to reach the sun, and on Jesus telling his disciples that following him will make life harder, not easier. But there's a promise tucked inside that hard truth. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me" means we're never carrying the heaviest part of the load alone. Courtney closes by answering her own question. Happiness can live in comfort for a while, but it doesn't last. True joy lives on the other side of discomfort, in the growing seasons we'd rather avoid. Key Topics Covered: The journal prompt "what is comfort costing me" and how to use it The difference between happiness and joy Matthew 11:29 and the picture of Jesus carrying the heavier weight of the yoke Why growth requires discomfort, using the image of a sprout breaking through soil Building real connection through community and events like Empower Her https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Takeaways Joy isn't the absence of hardship. It shows up in the middle of hard seasons, not after them, because God is present through all of it. Comparison always measures your life against someone else's highlight reel, and it steals the joy that's already sitting right in front of you. Your worth was never tied to your productivity. You're valuable simply because you belong to God, no other measurement required. Summary of the episode In this solo episode, Courtney sits down with the version of herself who thought she had to have life all figured out, and shares the five things about joy she wishes someone had told her sooner. Drawing from her own seasons of loss, grief, and unanswered prayers, she unpacks why joy was never meant to wait for easier circumstances, and why comparison, the pressure to have all the answers, and tying her worth to productivity kept her from experiencing it fully. Grounded in scripture, including Nehemiah 8:10 and Proverbs 3:5-6, Courtney walks through comparison culture, the exhaustion of chasing certainty, and the quiet relief of realizing that God's love was never something to earn. She closes with a reminder that joy isn't hiding somewhere down the road. It's already here, in the ordinary Tuesday, the messy kitchen, and this exact season you're living in right now. Key Topics Covered: Finding joy in the middle of hardship, not after it How comparison quietly steals contentment Letting go of the need for a five-year plan and certainty Untangling self-worth from busyness and accomplishment Trusting God's faithfulness through every season of life https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Takeaways Growth rarely starts with a perfect plan. It starts with one decision to show up, even when you don't feel ready for it. Almost no one walks into a new room feeling fully confident. Courage tends to show up after you take the first step, not before it. You can't expect your life to change if you never change your environment. The rooms you're willing to walk into shape what becomes possible next. In this episode of Find the Joy, Courtney Vroman explores a simple but powerful idea: the next chapter of your life doesn't have to start with a giant leap. It can start with one decision, one yes, one room. She reflects on how many of life's most meaningful relationships, jobs, and opportunities began the same ordinary way, by someone simply showing up. Courtney gets honest about the fear that keeps so many women on the sidelines: the worry that we're not ready, that we won't know anyone, or that it isn't worth it. She reminds listeners that almost nobody feels fully confident walking into a new room, and that some of the strongest friendships start because two people were both brave enough to walk in alone. Confidence, she says, often comes after obedience. Courage shows up after your feet do. She also tackles the guilt so many women carry around investing in themselves, pointing out that we'll research equipment, vacations, and home projects for hours, yet hesitate the moment it's our own growth on the line. Taking care of yourself isn't selfish. It's what allows you to keep showing up for everyone else. The episode closes with an invitation, both to Empower Her and to whatever room listeners have been quietly avoiding. Courtney's challenge is simple: you don't have to know what's waiting on the other side of the door. You just have to be willing to walk through it. Key Topics Covered Why growth requires changing your environment, not just your mindset The fear of showing up alone, and why almost everyone feels it How encouraging community can change the direction of your week Learning to invest in yourself without guilt Empower Her as a real-world example of what's possible when you say yes Practical encouragement for identifying the room you've been avoiding https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Takeaways The spaces that change your life are often the ones that don't exist yet, so you build them. Courtney didn't wait for someone to create the community she was craving. She found her inspiration and brought it home to the women in her own region. Showing up open and willing to be changed is how the most important relationships in your life find you. The friendships that came out of Empower Her weren't accidental. They happened because women walked in the door ready for them. Sometimes the thing you almost quit is the thing that was made for you. Courtney was close to walking away from Empower Her entirely until a single testimony from a friend reminded her exactly what she was building. Summary of the Episode In Episode 18 of Find the Joy, Courtney Vroman pulls back the curtain on the event that has become the heartbeat of her year: the Empower Her Women's Empowerment Conference. She traces the origin story back to a single invitation from her older sister to a women's event in Central Minnesota that opened a door she hadn't known she'd been searching for. That experience led her nine hours across state lines to a similar conference in Colby, Kansas, with one of her sisters in tow and nothing but a hunch that it would be worth it. It was. So much so that she went back the following year. And then she brought the whole idea home to Minnesota. Four conferences later, with more than 20 speakers and 300+ women impacted, Courtney shares an unexpected detour: a season when she was on the verge of quitting. She reads aloud a testimony from Vicki, a past attendee and close friend, that stopped her cold and reignited a passion she thought she'd lost. It's one of the most honest moments in the episode and worth every second. The episode is also an invitation. The fifth annual Empower Her Conference is coming to Minnesota on March 6, 2027. Early bird discounted tickets go on sale July 28th, 29th, and 30th at empowerhermn.com. Whether you're a first-timer or you've been waiting for exactly this kind of space, you're welcome here. Key Topics Covered The origin story of Empower Her: a sister's invitation and what it unlocked The 9-hour drive to Colby, Kansas and why it was one of the best decisions Courtney ever made What a one-day Empower Her Conference actually looks like (keynote speakers, workshops, breakfast, catered lunch, door prizes, swag bags) Vicki's full testimony and how it kept Empower Her alive Who this event is for: every age, every stage, every kind of woman The fifth annual conference: March 6, 2027, early bird tickets July 28-30, empowerhermn.com https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Takeaways The ordinary, unremarkable moments of summer — the muddy shoes, the karaoke in the car, the laughter at supper — are the ones you'll miss most. You don't have to make every day magical for it to matter. Summer is going to pass whether you stress about it or enjoy it. Being present for the season you're actually in is more valuable than optimizing it. Try looking at your everyday life through the eyes of someone experiencing it for the first time. Visitors at the World Cup are finding joy in free refills. Imagine what you're walking past every day. In this feel-good installment of the Find the Joy summer series, Courtney Vroman delivers the one thing we all actually need right now: a deep breath and a reminder to unclench. After spending the last several episodes encouraging listeners to let go of perfection, notice the small things, and give themselves permission to enjoy the season they're in, Courtney wraps the series with a simple, grounding message: the summer you're already living is enough. She takes listeners back to her own childhood summers in a small rural town in the late '90s and early 2000s — rollerblading all over town, running lemonade and jewelry stands at the end of the driveway, spending babysitting money on gas station candy and rented movies. Kids, she points out, don't stress about how to spend their summers. They just enjoy them. Courtney also draws inspiration from an unexpected source: social media videos of World Cup visitors experiencing the United States for the first time, completely captivated by things Americans overlook every day — including free refills. She challenges listeners to spend the rest of summer looking at their own lives through that same lens of fresh-eyed wonder. The episode closes with a quiet, powerful invitation: joy isn't hiding in some perfect summer waiting to be unlocked. It's already tucked into the ordinary moments you're living right now. Don't miss it. Key Topics Covered The social pressure to "make summer count" and why you're allowed to let that go Nostalgia as a tool for reconnecting with what summer actually feels like How kids naturally approach summer versus how adults complicate it World Cup visitors finding joy in everyday American experiences Simple, practical invitations to re-engage with ordinary summer life The reminder that presence, not perfection, is what makes a season meaningful https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Last week's episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/find-the-joy/2901623 Many of us enter summer with high expectations: family adventures, productive days, meaningful memories, and a perfectly balanced schedule. But what if the biggest obstacle to enjoying summer isn't your calendar, budget, or circumstances? What if it's the pressure you're putting on yourself? In this episode of Find the Joy, Courtney shares five powerful permission slips designed to help you release unrealistic expectations, embrace rest, and find more joy in your everyday life. If you've been feeling overwhelmed trying to create the "perfect" summer, this episode is your reminder that joy doesn't require perfection. Takeaways Give yourself permission to have an imperfect summer. Learn why saying no protects your time and energy. Discover the difference between true rest and simply staying distracted. Understand why it's okay to change your mind and pivot. Stop waiting for a future season and enjoy your life right now. Key Topics Covered: Letting go of the perfect summer mindset The importance of saying no Why rest is necessary and productive Reevaluating goals and commitments Finding joy in your current season of life Being present with your family and experiences Protecting your peace and energy
Takeaways Stop chasing the idea of a perfect summer and embrace the one you already have. Comparison steals joy, especially during seasons that look different from everyone else's. Joy is often found in ordinary moments when we're present enough to notice them. Summer finally arrives and yet for many families it doesn't feel like the relaxing season they imagined. Between sports schedules, camps, endless snacks, work responsibilities, and the pressure to create magical memories, summer can quickly become overwhelming. In this kickoff episode of the Find the Joy Summer Mini Series, Courtney Vroman shares how she's learning to let go of unrealistic expectations and stop striving for the "perfect summer." Instead, she explores how reframing our thoughts, embracing imperfection, and focusing on the good already present can help us experience more joy in the season we're living. If you've ever felt disappointed that your summer doesn't look like everyone else's, this episode will encourage you to release comparison, lower the pressure, and discover joy in everyday moments. Key Topics Covered: Summer expectations versus reality Why the perfect summer doesn't exist Letting kids experience boredom and creativity Overcoming comparison during summer months Reframing disappointment and unmet expectations Finding joy in ordinary family moments Being present instead of striving for perfection Creating meaningful memories without added pressure https://www.empowerhermn.com/
Takeaways Progress often happens beneath the surface before visible results appear Consistency matters more than immediate outcomes Learning to trust the process creates resilience and long term growth In this episode, Courtney explores why so many of us give up too early and what happens when we shift our mindset from chasing immediate results to embracing steady growth. Using the metaphor of farming and reflecting on powerful wisdom from Galatians, this conversation is about patience, trust, consistency, and learning to believe in progress even when we cannot yet see it. Key Topics Covered: Why we abandon goals too quickly The farmer mindset versus instant gratification Trusting invisible progress Faith, consistency, and personal growth Building resilience through patience https://www.empowerhermn.com/