Just & Joyful with Kristin Carver Smith
Claim This Podcastby Kristin Carver Smith
Podcast Overview
<p><i>Just and Joyful with Kristin Carver Smith</i> strips away the prescriptive takes on mental health to offer instead stories and experiences full of nuance. Conversations feature experts from a variety of fields and cover the specifics of mental health at play in every facet of life from style and voice to workplace dynamics and relationships. Devoid of hot takes and quick fixes, tune in for honest discussions about mental health that’ll help you feel less alone and get curious about your experience. Healing is possible. Let’s discover it together.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/13/2026
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Recent Episodes
May 28, 2026
Silence Your Inner Critic & Find Permission to Speak with Samara Bay
<p>Are you struggling with how to stop overthinking every time you need to speak up? In this episode of the Just & Joyful podcast, host Kristin Carver Smith (KCS) sits down with Samara Bay, the global expert on leadership out loud and author of the bestselling book, <i>Permission to Speak</i>, to help us understand some of the complicated dynamics that keep so many of us quiet. If you’ve ever wondered how not to overthink your presence in the room, this conversation serves as a roadmap.<br /></p><p>Drawing on her decades of experience in helping celebrities, politicians, executives and more find their authentic voice, Samara discusses the transition from a "hard brain" to a "soft brain" and why learning to silence your inner critic is such a crucial step toward finding permission to speak. Whether you are preparing for a major presentation or just want to know how you can stop overthinking in daily life interactions, these insights will help you show up human and whole the next time you speak.<br /></p><p>✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:</p><ul><li>Identifying the Inner Critic: How to change the conversation happening inside your head</li><li>How Not to Overthink: Using the "Soft Brain" technique to access your intuition</li><li>Permission to Speak: Why even Hollywood's biggest stars need help finding their authentic voice</li><li>Public Speaking Tips: The three critical questions Samara always asks herself (and her clients) when preparing for a speaking engagement</li><li>Embracing the Spirit of Mischief: Why mischief is such a crucial ingredient in speaking out loud and sharing our stories </li></ul><p></p><p>00:00 – Finding Permission to Speak with Samara Bay</p><p>02:38 – How Your Inner Voice Impacts Your Wellbeing</p><p>06:12 – Tips for Public Speaking from a Hollywood Dialect Coach</p><p>08:51 – How to Stop Overthinking When You're in the Spotlight</p><p>11:42 – Finding Your Authentic Voice in Any Room</p><p>14:41 – Overcoming Your Inner Critic: Creating a Sense of Safety</p><p>18:45 – The Truth About Perfectionism and How to Not Overthink Everything</p><p>25:00 – Soft Brain vs. Hard Brain: The Secret to Finding Your Authentic Voice</p><p>28:35 – Moving from Scarcity to Abundance in Your Leadership</p><p></p><p>🔗 Connect with Samara Bay: <br />➤ Website:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://prettydamnambitious.com/" target="_blank"> </a><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.permissioninc.co/" target="_blank">https://www.permissioninc.co/</a> </p><p>➤ Get Samara’s Book: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.permissioninc.co/book" target="_blank">https://www.permissioninc.co/book</a> <br />➤ Instagram:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/iambiancabking/" target="_blank"> </a><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/samarabay" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/samarabay</a></p><p>➤ LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/samarabay/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/samarabay/</a> </p><p></p><p>Subscribe to Just & Joyful for more honest discussions about mental health that’ll help you feel less alone and get curious about your experience.</p>
May 7, 2026
Returning to Work After a Mental Health Leave & Rediscovering Ambition with Bianca B. King
<p>How do you return to work after a mental health emergency without falling back into burnout? In this powerful episode of the Just & Joyful Podcast, host Kristin Carver Smith (KCS) and Bianca B. King (founder of <i>Pretty Damn Ambitious™</i>) provide a tactical roadmap for shifting from extractive, traditional ambition to a regenerative Joyful Ambition™ framework, and the ways survival ambition can show up through it all. </p><p></p><p>Bianca shares her incredible journey, from leaving home at 13 to building a marketing agency that has generated over $280M in revenue, and the pivotal moment her husband’s health crisis forced her to redefine success.<br /></p><p>By breaking down the "Ambition vs. Burnout" conflict, Bianca explains how to leverage your drive as a sustainable resource—ensuring your professional success (like her own $1.6B in transactions) never comes at the cost of your personal well-being.</p><p></p><p>If you’ve ever felt like your business was flourishing while your personal life was in a "winter" season, or if you’re trying to navigate the return to work after burnout or a mental health emergency, this conversation is your roadmap.</p><p></p><p>✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:</p><ul><li>Survival vs. Joyful Ambition: Why traditional ambition is often extractive and how to pivot.</li><li>The Seasons of Business & Life: Navigating a "Personal Winter" while your "Business Summer" is in full bloom.</li><li>The Ambition Axis: Tactical tools to help you claim and harness your drive sustainably.</li><li>The Recovery Process: How Kristin and Bianca recalibrated their lives after burnout.</li><li>Ambition vs. Motivation: Why understanding the difference is critical for long-term success.</li></ul><p><br /></p><p>⏱️ Timestamps & Chapters:</p><p>00:00 - Redefining Ambition after a Mental Health Emergency <br />01:43 - Bianca B. King: From $700 to $1.6 Billion in Transactions <br />03:57 - When Your Business is in Summer but Your Life is in Winter <br />06:47 - How Ambition Ebbs and Flows During Personal Crises <br />09:33 - The Birth of Joyful Ambition™ <br />12:40 - Identifying "Survival Ambition" (Ambition at all costs) <br />15:49 - Coming Back from the Pit: The Reality of Burnout Recovery <br />19:37 - Becoming the "Ambition Architect" <br />24:45 - The 5 A’s of Joyful Ambition Framework <br />27:35 - The Power of Stillness and Internal Sounding Boards<br /></p><p>🔗 Connect with Bianca B. King: <br />➤ Website:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://prettydamnambitious.com/" target="_blank"> https://prettydamnambitious.com/</a> <br />➤ Instagram:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/iambiancabking/" target="_blank"> https://www.instagram.com/iambiancabking/</a> <br />➤ The Ambition Axis:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ambitionaxis.com/" target="_blank"> https://ambitionaxis.com/<br /></a>➤ Bianca’s Newsletter: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.prettydamnambitious.com/" target="_blank">https://newsletter.prettydamnambitious.com/</a> <br />➤ Bianca’s Private Podcast: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://biancabking.substack.com/" target="_blank">https://biancabking.substack.com/</a> </p><p></p><p>Subscribe to Just & Joyful for more honest discussions about mental health that’ll help you feel less alone and get curious about your experience.</p>
April 23, 2026
Getting Dressed Again After a Mental Health Crisis with Brandi Johnson
<p>Welcome back to another guest episode of Just and Joyful! On this week’s guest appearance, Kristin is joined by Brandeis (Brandi) Johnson, a Style Alignment Strategist and the founder of Brandeis Nicole, a bespoke style and image consulting firm for high-impact women navigating growth, visibility, and reinvention, to talk about getting dressed again after experiencing a mental health emergency. <br /></p><p>When we get dressed in the morning, most of us aren’t thinking about how our choices highlight the state of our mental health. However, Brandi says the two are much more intertwined than we imagine. In this episode, she breaks down just how much of an impact clothes (and all of our conditioning around what we wear) has on how we show up to ourselves and the world through the various seasons of our lives. Tune in for more on: </p><p></p><ul><li>How style differs from fashion, plus ways to untangle our personal style from industry fashion (and why this shift is critical) </li><li>Ways our relationship to style changes throughout different seasons of our lives</li><li>Why it’s not frivolous or foolish to care about how we look and how to break down this belief </li><li>How to start seeing style as a tool we can leverage to our benefit instead of viewing it as a moral judgment </li><li>Why Brandi thinks there’s nothing more dangerous than a woman who feels herself </li></ul><p></p><p>To learn more about Brandi, explore her links below. </p><p></p><p>Brandi’s Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.brandeisnicole.com" target="_blank">https://www.brandeisnicole.com</a></p><p>Brandi’s Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://instagram.com/brandeisnicole" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/brandeisnicole</a></p><p>Brandi’s Free Facebook Community: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/styleforsmartcookies" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/styleforsmartcookies</a></p><p>Brandi’s Podcast:</p><ul><li>Apple: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/undeniable-style/id1889658203" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/undeniable-style/id1889658203</a></li><li>Spotify: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5NXoCbY3fJWMOoXineHDyK?si=06uiDtXUQWOucQv2_XKCYw" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/5NXoCbY3fJWMOoXineHDyK?si=06uiDtXUQWOucQv2_XKCYw</a> </li></ul><p>Signup for Brandi’s email: <br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://brandeisnicole.kit.com/email" target="_blank">https://brandeisnicole.kit.com/email</a></p><p>Brandi’s Free 3-Day Style Challenge (kicking off May 20):<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://brandeisnicole.kit.com/538293ed3f" target="_blank">https://brandeisnicole.kit.com/538293ed3f</a></p>
11 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Just & Joyful with Kristin Carver Smith?
<p><i>Just and Joyful with Kristin Carver Smith</i> strips away the prescriptive takes on mental health to offer instead stories and experiences full of nuance. Conversations feature experts from a variety of fields and cover the specifics of mental health at play in every facet of life from style and voice to workplace dynamics and relationships. Devoid of hot takes and quick fixes, tune in for honest discussions about mental health that’ll help you feel less alone and get curious about your experience. Healing is possible. Let’s discover it together.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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