The Ode To Joy Podcast

Elena Box
  • 0.0 (0)
  • ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to "The Ode to Joy Podcast," a thought-provoking and uplifting show dedicated to exploring the transformative power of creativity, self-expression, and the pursuit of joy. Join us as we embark on a journey to discover the hidden depths of the human spirit and the boundless capacity for personal growth and fulfillment. In each episode, we dive deep into the stories of remarkable individuals who have embraced their internal muse or genius. Through their trials and triumphs, we explore the obstacles they faced in nurturing their muse and the strategies they employed to share their personal genius with the world. We believe that every person possesses a unique wellspring of creativity, waiting to be tapped into. Our guests share their firsthand experiences, guiding listeners through their own creative journeys, and providing invaluable insights and inspiration along the way. From artists to entrepreneurs, writers to musicians, and thinkers to dreamers, our diverse range of guests offers a kaleidoscope of perspectives on embracing one's passions and cultivating a life of purpose. We delve into the pivotal moments that sparked their creative awakening, the challenges they encountered, and the profound transformations that occurred when they wholeheartedly embraced their authentic selves. "The Ode to Joy Podcast" celebrates the joy of self-expression and the extraordinary beauty that unfolds when we dare to follow our creative impulses. Through engaging conversations, we explore the importance of cultivating resilience, overcoming self-doubt, and persisting in the face of adversity. Whether you seek inspiration for your own creative endeavors, encouragement to embark on a new path, or simply a dose of positivity and upliftment, "The Ode to Joy Podcast" is your go-to destination. Join us as we embark on a voyage of self-discovery, where the pursuit of joy and the celebration of personal genius reign supreme. Tune in, open your heart, and prepare to be inspired as we uncover the remarkable stories of those who have embraced their internal muse and illuminated the world with their personal genius. "The Ode to Joy Podcast" is available on all major podcast platforms. Subscribe today and embark on a journey to unleash your creative potential and find your own Ode to Joy.

  1. JAN 30

    Return To Joy During Turbulent Times

    Send us a text Feeling spun out by the headlines and the heat online? We name the collective dysregulation many of us are sensing and offer a humane path back to steadiness: grief literacy, nervous system care, and joyful integrity that doesn’t require disengaging from what matters. I share why doomscrolling is a trauma response, how the body interprets constant input as threat, and what conscious, bounded engagement looks like when staying informed starts to cost your aliveness. Together, we unpack a practical compass for hard times: think globally, act locally, regulate personally. That means honoring limits, then turning attention to small, consistent acts of care in your neighborhood—checking on an elder after a storm, sharing groceries, making eye contact, or supporting a local pantry. We also challenge binary thinking and dehumanization, choosing to see the person across from us while refusing to use hatred as a coping strategy. Joyful presence becomes a form of resistance, a way to stay human without collapsing into apathy or burning out. You’ll also get tactile tools to metabolize grief and release charge safely: submerged screams in a bath, rage rooms, angry walks in the woods, long exhales that reset the vagus nerve, cold-water resets, and a simple news boundary ritual followed by a hand-wash to signal completion. We close with a joy ledger practice and focused journaling prompts to clarify what’s truly in your control—your attention, your relationships, and your care for vulnerable people nearby. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs steadiness today, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find a humane way back to joy. Journaling Prompts “What am I actually grieving beneath my political feelings?”“Where has my nervous system been asking for rest?”“What does joyful integrity look like for me right now?”“What is one small place I can show up locally this week?”“What happens in my body when I step away from the noise?”Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    26 min

  2. JAN 21

    Becoming an Athlete of Joy: A Practice You Repeat

    Send us a text We unpack the lie that joy is a feeling you earn and reclaim it as a daily practice that builds resilience. We explore how joy coexists with grief, why breakthroughs without integration burn us out, and how small rituals train the nervous system to return to center. • dismantling myths of joy as reward, feeling, or circumstance • the spiral nature of healing and identity • practicing joy before the result through repetition • consistency over motivation and gentle returns • joy and grief coexisting without canceling each other • ordinary rituals that regulate the nervous system • three core truths to carry through the week • journaling prompts for practical integration • noticing returns, softening, and steadiness Three Elena Truths: Pick one to carry you through the week Joy is not a mood. It’s a practice.Resilience isn’t pushing through. It’s returning to yourself.You don’t wait for the life you want—you practice it in small, livable ways. Journaling Prompts: Where am I waiting for joy instead of practicing it?What is one small way I already know how to return to myself?If joy were a practice, not a feeling, what would it look like this week?What feels kind and doable right now? Once a month I send out the Calliope’s Quill newsletter with journaling prompts and notes, sign up at www.elenabox.com Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    27 min

  3. JAN 15

    Resilience Isn’t Stoic; It’s Returning To Yourself When You’re Triggered

    Send us a text We explore resilience as the act of returning to self when triggers, change, and grief surface, using a candid story from our multigenerational home and practical tools to recenter. Joy and grief travel together; small embodied steps create space, clarity, and repair. • taking the result as the path as a daily practice • balancing motherhood and work while rejecting perfection • multi-generational home dynamics and compassionate repair • naming the wobble without dramatizing it • grief, death cleaning, and the emotional labor of objects • letting go as love, not erasure • somatic resets that bring you back to shore • journaling prompts to turn insight into action • joy and grief as companions, not opposites • resilience as devotion to your life Practices / Journaling Prompts What am I ready to release right now?What feels heavy that doesn’t need to be carried?Where can I create more space — physically or emotionally?What helps me return to myself when I’m triggered? If this has been beneficial for you, reach out let me know how this landed for you let me know what tools really resonated with you and also if there’s anything that you’re like actually "I felt like that was a crock a BS"  -- let me know!  www.elenabox.com It would mean so much if you could drop us a review maybe throw us a couple of stars if there are five of them even better! Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    31 min

  4. JAN 8

    Taking the Result as the Path

    Send us a text What if the destination could walk beside you today? We dive into a living, breathing practice of becoming—one that honors grief, invites your future self into the room, and remembers what your inner child always knew. Set against winter’s slow rhythm and a tender anniversary of loss, we explore how to “take the result as the path,” a tantric insight that transforms identity work from a someday project into embodied, daily choices. I share how early motherhood, creative ambitions, and the honest fatigue of life all meet this practice. We focus on orientation over overhaul: five mindful minutes in the morning, a mantra repeated on a walk, and tiny cues that change posture, breath, and presence. You’ll hear how descent work—supported by rituals like a home sauna for grief—prevents spiritual bypass and deepens resilience. Instead of pushing through, we cultivate meaning while staying with what is raw and real. Along the way, we revisit inner child threads, future-self embodiment, and shamanic perspectives on elder wisdom already watching our path. You’ll get clear journaling prompts to surface the one aligned step for this week, plus language you can use when doubt gets loud. This is practical spirituality for people who want to become themselves on purpose: compassionate, grounded, and a little braver each day. If this resonates, follow along, share with a friend who’s cocooning, and leave a review so more listeners can find their way to this work. Then tell me: what quality will you embody for the next 24 hours? Journaling Prompts Who am I becoming in this season of my life?What qualities does that version of me embody?Where am I right now — honestly and tenderly?What is one small way I can take the result as the path this week?What is being asked to die so something truer can live?Resources WFDU 89.1 Public Radio Imagine Meditation by Boreta and Ram Dass The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries by Bill Plotkin Maria Cutronia, Master yoga teacher based in NYC/Brooklyn The Creative Act by Rick Rubin Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    30 min

  5. JAN 1

    Landing Softly Into A New Year

    Send us a text Forget the sprint. The first days of 2026 don’t demand a reinvention; they invite a softer landing. We open the year by easing the pressure of “new year, new me” and leaning into winter’s honest rhythm—quiet, composting, and the courage to let what’s done be done. Instead of chasing goals at full tilt, we practice resilience as repair and resourcing: small rituals, steady breath, and the simple act of choosing one feeling to guide the year. We talk about the long corridor from Thanksgiving to New Year’s and how joy, grief, and old patterns can collide. That mix doesn’t mean you failed; it means you’re human. You’ll hear a humble story of a neighborly New Year’s—karaoke, an early bedtime, shared intentions—and why keeping it intimate can be more potent than grand ceremony. We explore the nervous system’s timeline (spoiler: it doesn’t reset on January 1), why winter is the void in many traditions, and how shedding precedes clarity. If you’ve felt behind, scattered, or tender, this is your permission slip to arrive slowly. We also offer a grounding practice—three breaths, a quick inventory of what you’re carrying, and a one-word intention that pivots from achievement to feeling. Then, a set of gentle reflection prompts helps you identify what sustained you, what drained you, where resilience appeared imperfectly, what grief still asks for care, and what support would make the year more spacious. From practitioner vulnerability to practical resourcing, we center companionship over fixes and sustainability over hype. Journaling / Reflection Prompts  What actually sustained me these past few months?What drained me more than I expected?Where did I practice resilience—even imperfectly?What am I still grieving, even if life looks “good”?What kind of support would make this year feel more spacious?What can be simple this year? If this conversation helps you breathe easier, share it with someone who needs a softer start. Subscribe, leave a quick review, and tell us your one-word intention for 2026—we’d love to hear it. Book your one-on-one Session at www.elenabox.com Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    20 min

  6. 2025-12-19

    Resilience And Gratitude In A Heavy Season

    Send us a text We explore resilience and gratitude during a heavy holiday season, naming the small, unphotogenic practices that keep us steady. Gratitude shifts from performance to nervous system relief, helping us notice what held us while we endured. • reframing gratitude as support orientation, not a moral duty • winter as endurance and resourcing the body with warmth and rest • noticing internal wealth by what didn’t collapse • simple rituals that regulate the nervous system • allowing private, messy gratitude alongside grief • seasonal self-check prompts to track support and capacity • redefining output, capacity, and expectations in winter • acknowledging financial stress and choosing honest boundaries • blessing for the tenderhearted and the newly bereaved Seasonal Check-in Journaling Prompts: What helped me make it through this week? Where did I receive support, even indirectly?What part of me didn’t give up?What still feels intact?What do I trust more now than I did before? Book a one-on-one session container or schedule a discovery call ; I’d be happy to support you! www.elenabox.com @elenabox  Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    30 min

  7. 2025-12-10

    Resilience For Holiday Grief: Softness, Boundaries, And Rituals

    Send us a text Grief can feel louder when the world turns up the volume on cheer. We’re naming that truth and offering a different path through the season: not forced positivity, but resilient presence. As a shamanic practitioner and grief doula, I share how resilience in grief isn’t about “being strong.” It’s about staying soft enough to feel and steady enough to come back to yourself, again and again, even when the calendar and the lights say “be merry.” We unpack why holidays amplify loss—rituals, anniversaries, family systems, and the pressure to perform joy—and how to navigate the first holiday without someone you love or a last holiday you’re savoring. You’ll hear practical grief rituals you can start today: lighting a candle, setting an ancestor plate, writing letters to your loved one or your future self, cooking the dish that carries their story, and taking a gentle “grief lap” walk after the meal to digest food and feelings. I offer boundary scripts that protect your energy, permission to leave early or skip traditions that hurt, and ideas for creating new, simpler rituals that fit your real capacity. We also dive into nervous system care with somatic tools and sensory supports: four-count breathing, one-minute shaking and stretching to move stuck emotion, herbal allies like chamomile, rose, and tulsi, the comfort of warmth from tea or a heating pad, and grounding with nature or a weighted blanket. Community matters too—text a friend to witness you for five minutes, sit in a support circle, or visit a spiritual space where you can arrive as you are. And a gentle reframe to carry with you: joy is not betrayal. Laughter, warmth, and small moments of light can live beside sorrow without canceling it. If you’re craving deeper support, I’m opening a limited number of intimate one-on-one sessions this winter with somatic and shamanic tools, emotional processing, ancestral connection, and integration guidance. Join my newsletter at elenabox.com for first access. If this conversation helped, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more grieving hearts can find their way here. SuperFeastFamily-owned seller of Di Tao Medicinal Mushrooms and Tonic herbs.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    25 min
  8. Resilience Through Sacred Silly with Tabitha Crain

    2025-08-13

    Resilience Through Sacred Silly with Tabitha Crain

    Send us a text A conversation unlike any other unfolds as Elena Box invites her alter-ego Tabitha Crain—a former NPR correspondent with a BA in performance art and global economics—to interview her about resilience. The result is a profound, often humorous exploration of how we build strength through life's initiations. The dialogue begins with Elena's earliest memory of resilience: a childhood playground moment that taught her about her inner magic and power. Through Tabitha's theatrical questioning, Elena shares the extraordinary experience of her father's passing, including a transcendent moment when golden light filled her room after his death—a sign that "he had made it and was sending a message to let me know all is well." At the heart of this episode lies Elena's philosophy of holding "the sacred in one hand and the silly in the other," as she explains how levity serves as a lifeline during our darkest moments. This approach has shaped her work as a death doula and now informs her newest initiation: motherhood. With remarkable candor, Elena discusses the gap between her expectations and reality as a new mother, despite her extensive preparation. "Our culture still doesn't know what proper support looks like," she reveals, detailing her mission to rebuild the village through women's circles like "The Mother's Well" at her ritual studio. Drawing inspiration from wisdom keepers like Jane Hardwick Collings and Sister Morningstar, Elena advocates for reclaiming meaningful rites of passage around birth, death, and transformation. Throughout this intimate conversation, Elena and Tabitha weave together spirituality, humor, and practical wisdom about building resilience. Whether you're navigating grief, embracing a new chapter, or simply seeking connection in an increasingly isolated world, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on finding strength through community and self-trust. Listen, reflect, and perhaps discover your own unique path to resilience. As Tabitha reminds us: "The more you trust yourself and your path and your gnosis, the more the world becomes whole." Support the show Buy your copy of Elena's book "Grieve Outside the Box" Follow on IG @elenabox

    43 min
See All (61)

About

Welcome to "The Ode to Joy Podcast," a thought-provoking and uplifting show dedicated to exploring the transformative power of creativity, self-expression, and the pursuit of joy. Join us as we embark on a journey to discover the hidden depths of the human spirit and the boundless capacity for personal growth and fulfillment. In each episode, we dive deep into the stories of remarkable individuals who have embraced their internal muse or genius. Through their trials and triumphs, we explore the obstacles they faced in nurturing their muse and the strategies they employed to share their personal genius with the world. We believe that every person possesses a unique wellspring of creativity, waiting to be tapped into. Our guests share their firsthand experiences, guiding listeners through their own creative journeys, and providing invaluable insights and inspiration along the way. From artists to entrepreneurs, writers to musicians, and thinkers to dreamers, our diverse range of guests offers a kaleidoscope of perspectives on embracing one's passions and cultivating a life of purpose. We delve into the pivotal moments that sparked their creative awakening, the challenges they encountered, and the profound transformations that occurred when they wholeheartedly embraced their authentic selves. "The Ode to Joy Podcast" celebrates the joy of self-expression and the extraordinary beauty that unfolds when we dare to follow our creative impulses. Through engaging conversations, we explore the importance of cultivating resilience, overcoming self-doubt, and persisting in the face of adversity. Whether you seek inspiration for your own creative endeavors, encouragement to embark on a new path, or simply a dose of positivity and upliftment, "The Ode to Joy Podcast" is your go-to destination. Join us as we embark on a voyage of self-discovery, where the pursuit of joy and the celebration of personal genius reign supreme. Tune in, open your heart, and prepare to be inspired as we uncover the remarkable stories of those who have embraced their internal muse and illuminated the world with their personal genius. "The Ode to Joy Podcast" is available on all major podcast platforms. Subscribe today and embark on a journey to unleash your creative potential and find your own Ode to Joy.

Information

  • Creator
    Elena Box
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Calliope Commons LLC
  • Show Website
    The Ode To Joy Podcast