Podcast Summary: The JOY Broadcast
Host: Ali Mortimer, The JOY Coach
Episode: “Hellomynameis Ali & this is my JOY Story”
Release Date: October 12, 2025
Overview of the Episode
This episode, hosted solo by Ali Mortimer, centers on the power of personal storytelling and how we choose to define ourselves—either through our pain or through possibilities. Ali weaves together her personal journey, her connection to the “Hello, my name is” charity, and the evolution of her understanding of joy. The narrative encourages listeners to reframe their stories, embrace joy as a tool, healer, gift, lifestyle, and strategy, and ultimately find purpose and peace, no matter their hardships.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Transformation and Inspiration
- Ali’s Background Shift
Ali reflects on her professional transition from IT consultant (“recoding systems in the retail industry”) to life consultant and joy coach. She draws a parallel between recoding systems and now “reprogram[ming] and recod[ing] hearts, minds, souls and lives to feel better.”
(00:01–01:20)
2. The Power of Introduction—Inspired by 'Hello, my name is'
- 'Hello, my name is' Charity
Ali introduces the audience to the legacy of Dr. Kate Granger, her husband Chris Pointon, and the impact of the “Hello, my name is…” movement. She underscores the importance of treating people as human beings, not just as their diagnoses or circumstances.
(01:21–04:18) - Key Quote:
“She realized that [Brian] was the only person who actually treated her like a human being rather than a diagnosis.” (Ali, 03:35)
3. How Our Words and Stories Define Us
- The Magic of Self-Narration
Ali discusses a recent workshop on personal introductions and the impact of the words we use. She describes words as “spells” that shape both self-perception and the way others see us.
(04:19–06:45) - Key Quote:
“Our words are like spells. The way we speak about ourselves, the way we speak about our future, are the spells that we cast onto people who hear it and what their perception is about us… and also the spells to the universe.” (Ali, 05:30)
4. Dual Introductions: The Stories We Tell
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Ali’s Candid, Vulnerable Self-Introduction
Ali lists a series of heartfelt, painful self-introductions, ranging from PTSD and grief to professional struggles and personal losses.
(06:46–09:50)Memorable Moment:
- “Hello, my name is Ali. I been diagnosed with PTSD, clinical depression, and disordered eating... Hello, my name is Ali and I’ve lost three pregnancies...” (Ali, 07:00–08:20)
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Ali’s Joy-Filled Reintroduction
Ali reframes: listing positive, hopeful self-definitions rooted in gratitude, personal triumphs, and love.
(09:51–11:45)Memorable Moment:
- “Hello, my name is Ali and I’m a mum to two gorgeous six foot blonde haired, blue eyed babies thanks to the Leeds National Hospital Trust...” (Ali, 10:20)
5. The Core Message: We Are Not Our Hardships
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Ali emphasizes that illness, hardship, or pain do not define us; we get to choose our narrative and how we frame our experiences.
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She contrasts staying in a “sob story” with choosing a “love story, a joy story.”
(11:46–13:40)Key Quote:
- “Our stories are hardships, our pain points and our greatest fears that actually come true don’t define us. But we get to choose how we experience the stories that we actually live in life.” (Ali, 11:55)
6. Turning Burnout into Breakthrough
- Ali describes her personal “annus horribilis,” or year of profound loss, grief, and burnout. She explains how this became the pivotal moment for her breakthrough and the redefinition of her life’s success.
(13:41–16:10)
7. Redefining Success and Building a Joy-Centered Life
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Her new definition of success is “loving what I do, how I do it, who I’m with, and loving myself.” She links this reframing to a compounding effect—creating more love and joy.
(16:11–18:00)Key Quote:
- “Success to me is: I love what I do and how I do it. I love who I’m with and I love myself. I get to look in the mirror and say, I’m so proud of myself.” (Ali, 17:00)
8. Joy as a Multi-Faceted Force
Ali introduces the evolution of joy in her life:
- Joy as a Tool: “In those darkest days…I wrote my joy list…If I can just do one thing off my joy list in these dark days, then I know I'm going to be able to experience a pocket of joy.” (18:20)
- Joy as a Healer: It helped restore her health, her marriage, her faith in people—including herself. (19:20)
- Joy as a Gift: Sharing her “daily dose” of joy with others, linking to the neurochemicals dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins. (20:10–22:10)
- Joy as a Lifestyle: After personal and family challenges in 2023, she and her husband deliberately made joy the centerpiece of their lives. (22:11–24:30)
- Joy as a Strategy & Power Move: Joy isn’t fluff; it’s foundational and transformative—a way to create abundance, love, and opportunity. (24:31–27:00)
Notable Quotes:
- “Joy became a healer for my body, my health, my mind. It became a healer of my marriage. It became a healer of my belief and faith in other humans…” (Ali, 19:30)
- “Joy is not the cherry on the top of the Christmas cake. It’s the brandy that pours all the way through it.” (Ali, 25:00)
9. Purpose from Pain
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Ali encourages listeners to reflect on their hardships and ask: “How can you use your pain or your experiences of hardship to help others? What did you learn? What did you do differently?”
(27:01–29:50)Key Quote:
- “I wrote down in my diary in December of 2016. I said, I don’t know why all of this had to happen, but I know that one day I will and I will use it to help others.” (Ali, 28:10)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Our words are like spells... what we say we’re open to is what we say about ourselves and what we’re saying for our future—that is so important.” (Ali, 05:30)
- “Our stories don’t have to define us... We get to choose how we experience the stories that we actually live in life.” (Ali, 11:55)
- “All of that burnout, all of that breakdown became my breakthrough.” (Ali, 14:20)
- “Joy isn’t fluff, it’s a power move... It’s the brandy that pours all the way through [life].” (Ali, 25:00)
- “Maybe your purpose is to use your pain for someone else’s hope.” (Ali, paraphrased, 27:30)
- “The ripple of joy starts with you.” (Ali, 30:10)
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Timestamp | Topic | |:---------:|-------| | 00:01 – 01:20 | Ali’s background & shift from IT to joy coach | | 01:21 – 04:18 | Introduction to ‘Hello, my name is’ charity & legacy | | 04:19 – 06:45 | Power of self-introduction, words as spells | | 06:46 – 09:50 | Vulnerable “Hello, my name is Ali” introductions | | 09:51 – 11:45 | Joyful, empowered “Hello, my name is Ali” introductions | | 11:46 – 13:40 | Message: You are not your hardships | | 13:41 – 16:10 | Story of burnout as breakthrough | | 16:11 – 18:00 | Redefining success around joy and self-love | | 18:01 – 24:30 | The evolution: joy as tool, healer, gift, lifestyle | | 24:31 – 27:00 | Joy as strategy & power move | | 27:01 – 29:50 | Turning pain into purpose; encouraging the audience to reflect | | 30:10 | Final message: “The ripple of joy starts with you.” |
Tone and Style
Ali’s tone throughout is empathetic, nurturing, candid, and uplifting. She’s both deeply personal and encouraging—never shying from vulnerability, but always pointing toward hope and agency. The episode includes direct address, gentle prompts (“Maybe your purpose…”), and inspiring affirmations.
Summary Takeaways
- You have agency to choose how you narrate your life: sob story or joy story.
- Words shape reality—use them consciously to “cast spells” for your self and your future.
- Joy can be cultivated through simple, daily actions (“joy list”).
- Pain and hardship contain the seeds for purpose and connection; you can use your story to support and inspire others.
- True success is loving what you do, who you are with, and yourself.
- Joy is not a bonus; it’s a powerful, foundational strategy for life.
Closing Message:
Ali invites listeners to share their own “Hello, my name is…” stories and to spread joy, love, peace, and abundance, reminding everyone:
“The ripple of joy starts with you.” (30:10)