Smart Communications Podcast – Episode 197: “How Can You Find Joy?”

Host: Farrah Trumpeter (A)
Guest: Alandria Ayoka Jackson Charles (C), Founder and Chief Joy Officer, Ayoka Partners
Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the transformative power of joy—both as a personal practice and a professional imperative—for nonprofit leaders, particularly Black women. Host Farrah Trumpeter welcomes Alandria Ayoka Jackson Charles, a champion of sabbatical care and advocate for intentional joy, to explore practical strategies for integrating joy and rest into daily life and leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Meaning of Joy and “Ayoka”

• Personal Connection:
  • Ayoka means “one who brings joy to all” in Swahili ([02:10]).
  • Alandria shares her realization: “In order for me to [make joy accessible], though, I had to make sure that I have my own practices for joy.” ([02:22])
• What Brings Joy:
  • Emphasizes small “micro moments” over big gestures.
  • Example: Discovering a lavender flower during a quiet morning reset brought her genuine joy—“I think it is about the micro moments of appreciating and noticing the beauty and the spectacular things that are all around us.” ([03:40])

2. Founding Ayoka Partners and Supporting Black Women Leaders

• Origin Story:
  • Created Ayoka Partners for her “old version” on the brink of burnout, and for today’s self aiming to show up as a whole person ([04:51]).
• Who She Serves:
  • Focus on high-achieving Black women who feel exhausted and disconnected from their own needs and brilliance.
• Core Offerings:
  • Provides sabbatical care (extended breaks and daily “sabbatical moments”) to help leaders reconnect and access joy consistently ([05:31]).

3. The Urgency of Joy

• Making Joy Urgent:
  • Joy is a “currency of life”—essential, inalienable, and self-generated ([07:19]).
  • Notably, “If you haven’t noticed, in 2025, you can’t rely on anything around you to fill your cup. So what are you doing within yourself…?” ([07:35])
• Health Imperative:
  • Connects the stress and pressure faced by Black women leaders to increased health risks—“50,000 Black women die from cardiovascular disease every single year. So you want to talk about urgency—it’s urgent.” ([07:54])

4. Practical Joy Practices and Creating “Sabbatical Moments”

• Personal Toolkit:
  • Segmenting life into domains (spiritual, physical, mental, financial).
  • Example practices: meditation, prayer, 20 minutes of daily physical movement—“Having almost like a menu of options where you are aware on the front end of what I can go to, what I can draw on when I need to access joy.” ([09:07])
• Finding Joy at Work:
  • Encourages small, consistent moments even during workdays, not just during “vacations or weekends” ([09:54]).
• On Sabbatical Moments:
  • Two Types:
    1. Natural Pauses already in your day (e.g., the moment upon waking, between meetings, transitions).
    2. Created Pauses through changing environment or intentional breaks.
  • Practical Example:
    • Morning Question: “What is the best fuel for your dreams today?”—a daily prompt for reflection and intention ([11:05]).
    • Box Breathing: After Zoom calls or stressful moments, “reset your nervous system and you’re off to the next thing.” ([12:07])
    • Changing physical environment—even moving away from the desk for lunch ([12:54]).
    • “Listening to this podcast was a sabbatical moment.” ([13:24])

5. Rest and the Role of Sabbaticals

• Rest as Joy:
  • The value of naps, not over-booking vacations, and building in true downtime ([13:31]).
• Redefining Sabbatical:
  • Not just a luxury, but “intentional time away from the usual”—which can mean “2 minutes, 20 minutes, [or] 2 months” ([14:51]).
  • Connection: “It is really, really hard to access joy when you are tired, when you are teetering on the brink of burnout and chronically fatigued.” ([15:13])
  • Rest allows clarity: “Slowing everything down so that you can hear your heart and listen to what it is telling you will bring you joy.” ([15:40])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Micro Moments of Joy:
  “When I think about joy, I think it is about the micro moments of appreciating and noticing the beauty and the spectacular things that are all around us.”
  —Alandria Ayoka Jackson Charles ([03:40])

• On the Urgency of Joy:
  “Joy is the currency of life. Joy is the thing that we own and that we have and that it cannot be taken away.”
  —Alandria Ayoka Jackson Charles ([07:20])

• On Practical Application:
  “What is the best fuel for your dreams today? Since December of 2024, I have opened my eyes every single day and asked myself that question. And it has been game changing.”
  —Alandria Ayoka Jackson Charles ([11:05])

• On the Accessibility of Joy:
  “Start small. Stop thinking about accessing joy as this big, large, unwieldy thing. It is very accessible and can happen in the most micro ways and will make huge difference.”
  —Alandria Ayoka Jackson Charles ([16:29])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:16 – Introduction to guest and topic
• 02:10 – What does “Ayoka” mean and what is joy?
• 03:40 – Joy in micro moments
• 04:51 – Ayoka Partners: Mission and story
• 07:19 – The urgency of joy and its health implications
• 09:07 – Building a joy toolkit
• 10:58 – Creating daily sabbatical moments
• 11:05 – The daily morning question (“What is the best fuel for your dreams today?”)
• 12:00 – Using box breathing to pause between transitions
• 12:54 – Changing physical environment and making agency over your time
• 13:24 – Listening to podcasts as a sabbatical moment
• 14:49 – Redefining sabbaticals and connecting rest with joy
• 16:29 – Final advice: Start small; joy is accessible

Final Takeaway

This episode encourages nonprofit leaders and listeners to see joy as a daily necessity—not an indulgence—and to proactively weave micro-moments of rest, reflection, and delight into one’s routine. Start small. Notice beauty. Prioritize rest. Joy is urgent, and it is yours.