Find the Joy

Courtney Vroman
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Self-Improvement

Find the Joy with host Courtney Vroman is a personal growth podcast for women who want more peace, purpose, clarity, and joy in everyday life. Through honest conversations, practical mindset shifts, and encouragement rooted in faith, Courtney explores how to lead yourself well, build emotional resilience, navigate life’s challenges, and create a life that feels aligned from the inside out. As a wife, mother, farmer, and entrepreneur, she shares relatable insights on growth, leadership, gratitude, resilience, and choosing joy even in the messy middle of life. Whether you are raising a family, building a career, chasing a dream, or simply trying to feel like yourself again, Find the Joy offers the tools and encouragement to help you live with intention, confidence, and lasting fulfillment. https://www.empowerhermn.com/

  1. 2d ago

    The Journal Prompt That Changed How I Think About Joy

    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 itThe difference between happiness and joyMatthew 11:29 and the picture of Jesus carrying the heavier weight of the yokeWhy growth requires discomfort, using the image of a sprout breaking through soilBuilding real connection through community and events like Empower Herhttps://www.empowerhermn.com/

  2. Jul 14

    5 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self About Joy

    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 itHow comparison quietly steals contentmentLetting go of the need for a five-year plan and certaintyUntangling self-worth from busyness and accomplishmentTrusting God's faithfulness through every season of lifehttps://www.empowerhermn.com/

  3. Jul 7

    Why Showing Up Scared Might Be Your Next Breakthrough

    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 mindsetThe fear of showing up alone, and why almost everyone feels itHow encouraging community can change the direction of your weekLearning to invest in yourself without guiltEmpower Her as a real-world example of what's possible when you say yesPractical encouragement for identifying the room you've been avoidinghttps://www.empowerhermn.com/

  4. Jun 30

    I Almost Quit Empower Her — Here's What Changed My Mind

    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 unlockedThe 9-hour drive to Colby, Kansas and why it was one of the best decisions Courtney ever madeWhat 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 aliveWho this event is for: every age, every stage, every kind of womanThe fifth annual conference: March 6, 2027, early bird tickets July 28-30, empowerhermn.com https://www.empowerhermn.com/

  5. Jun 23

    Live It Like a Kid: How to Find Joy in an Ordinary Summer

    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 goNostalgia as a tool for reconnecting with what summer actually feels likeHow kids naturally approach summer versus how adults complicate itWorld Cup visitors finding joy in everyday American experiencesSimple, practical invitations to re-engage with ordinary summer lifeThe reminder that presence, not perfection, is what makes a season meaningfulhttps://www.empowerhermn.com/

  6. Jun 16

    5 Summer Permission Slips You Need to Enjoy Life More

    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 mindsetThe importance of saying noWhy rest is necessary and productiveReevaluating goals and commitmentsFinding joy in your current season of lifeBeing present with your family and experiencesProtecting your peace and energy

  7. Jun 9

    How to Find Joy in an Imperfect Summer

    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 realityWhy the perfect summer doesn't existLetting kids experience boredom and creativityOvercoming comparison during summer monthsReframing disappointment and unmet expectationsFinding joy in ordinary family momentsBeing present instead of striving for perfectionCreating meaningful memories without added pressure https://www.empowerhermn.com/

  8. Jun 2

    Think Like a Farmer: The Secret to Lasting Growth and Joy

    Takeaways Progress often happens beneath the surface before visible results appearConsistency matters more than immediate outcomesLearning to trust the process creates resilience and long term growthIn 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 quicklyThe farmer mindset versus instant gratificationTrusting invisible progressFaith, consistency, and personal growthBuilding resilience through patiencehttps://www.empowerhermn.com/

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About

Find the Joy with host Courtney Vroman is a personal growth podcast for women who want more peace, purpose, clarity, and joy in everyday life. Through honest conversations, practical mindset shifts, and encouragement rooted in faith, Courtney explores how to lead yourself well, build emotional resilience, navigate life’s challenges, and create a life that feels aligned from the inside out. As a wife, mother, farmer, and entrepreneur, she shares relatable insights on growth, leadership, gratitude, resilience, and choosing joy even in the messy middle of life. Whether you are raising a family, building a career, chasing a dream, or simply trying to feel like yourself again, Find the Joy offers the tools and encouragement to help you live with intention, confidence, and lasting fulfillment. https://www.empowerhermn.com/

Information

  • Creator
    Courtney Vroman
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Courtney Vroman 2026
  • Show Website
    Find the Joy