The Art and Science of Joy

About The Art and Science of Joy

We are on a mission to empower people to live more joy-filled lives. Through a mix of inspirational stories and hard facts, our aim is to empower people to make positive changes in their lives. So, if you’re seeking a bit more joy in your own life or seeking to bring some more joy to the lives of others then this podcast could well be for you!

Publisher

Andrew Cannon

Category

health & fitness · religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Jun 2021

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

116 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026

   The Power of Creativity

   Episode summary What happens when creativity becomes a pathway back to joy, belonging, and ourselves? In this episode of the Joy Superpowers series, Andrew speaks with international bestselling author Holly Ringland about creativity, imagination, storytelling, safety, and the inner “house” we can build for joy. Holly shares how losing her sense of belonging and joy eventually led her back to the books, gardens, stories, and imagination that had lit her up as a child — and why creativity belongs to all of us, not only those who call themselves artists. About Holly Holly Ringland is an international bestselling author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, and The House That Joy Built. She is also a writer, storyteller, TV presenter, and creator of the bestselling Substack The Joy Rise. Holly lives and writes on Bundjalung Country in southeast Queensland, Australia. In this episode Holly reflects on reaching her own personal “ground zero” at 29 after leaving cycles of violence and realizing she had lost her sense of joy, belonging, and connection to herself. She shares how childhood memories became a pathway back — from her grandmother’s storytelling and Queensland gardens to learning to read with her mother at three years old and deciding she wanted to become an author. Andrew and Holly explore the relationship between light and darkness, and Holly’s belief that joy and grief are not opposites but experiences that can exist alongside one another. Holly tells the story behind The House That Joy Built and how conversations with readers about fear, trauma, and creativity inspired her first nonfiction book. She shares the simple question she placed on her office wall while writing it: “What if I can?” The conversation explores the power of stories to connect us across generations and help us remember parts of ourselves we may have left behind. Holly describes the idea of creating an inner house of joy — a safe place within ourselves where imagination can be accessed and creativity allowed to grow. She challenges the belief that some people simply are not creative, pointing instead to the imagination already present in everyday acts of cooking, caring, humour, music, daydreaming, and connection. Holly reflects on the fear that once prevented her from writing and how confronting the reality of mortality helped her recognize how limiting that fear had become. The episode closes with the reminder that our inner creative world is not fixed: we can change what is not working and become the builders of our own imagination. Key takeaways Creativity, joy, and belonging are deeply connected. Childhood sources of joy can offer clues to parts of ourselves worth rediscovering. Creativity is not reserved for artists; imagination is an innate part of being human. Safety can provide an important foundation for creativity, self-expression, and joy. Fear can protect us, but it can also prevent us from creating. Small “what if?” questions can open the door to possibility and action. Memorable lines “What if I can?” “We are born with imagination.” “There are some kinds of beauty that can only be found in the darkness.” “We get to be the boss of our own imaginations. What a thing.”

2. 

   23 Sept 2026

   The Power of Empathy in Parent-Child Relationships: Living From the Heart with April Bell

   Episode summary What does it mean to lead from the heart in one of our most loving — and sometimes most challenging — relationships? In this final episode of the Leading from the Heart mini-series, Andrew speaks with April Bell about empathy in the parent-child relationship. Together, they explore how parents can create emotional safety, listen without immediately correcting, guide without controlling, and stay connected even when emotions run high. It is a deeply personal conversation about presence, repair, agency, emotional awareness, self-empathy, and the importance of understanding not only what a child is feeling, but what may be happening within ourselves as parents. About April April Bell is a researcher who listens for a living. In 22 years and more than 18,000 hours of empathy interviews, she has helped some of the world’s biggest brands discover what their customers feel beneath what they say. She founded Made With Empathy to bring that listening discipline inside organizations, working with leaders on innovation, culture change, and the craft of leading from the heart. April is the author of The Fire Starter: Igniting Innovation with Empathy. In this episode April reflects on why empathy can be harder with the people we love most: unlike a detached conversation, family relationships involve ongoing rhythms, expectations, growth, exhaustion, and our own emotional history. She explains why empathy matters even when there is no conflict. Everyday moments — including car journeys and simple questions about a child’s day — can help parents understand what matters to their child and create a foundation of connection before difficult moments arise. Andrew and April explore the balance between listening and guiding. April shares how asking questions about the emotion underneath a behaviour helped her better understand what her daughter was seeking, moving the conversation from criticism toward connection and practical choices. The conversation examines what happens when parents are tired or depleted, and why repair can be as important as getting the response right in the moment. Sometimes leading from the heart means pausing, breathing, returning later, and choosing connection over perfection. April and Andrew discuss the deep human need to feel seen, and why responding to a child’s “bid for connection” can sometimes require less talking and more genuine presence. They also explore agency: giving children meaningful choices, helping them build confidence in decision-making, and distinguishing between validating an emotion and approving every behaviour that may follow from it. April describes emotions as information — data that can help reveal the deeper need or problem beneath an emotional reaction — and explains why stepping back from blame, shame, worry, and guilt can help parents stay present with difficult realities. The conversation ultimately returns to self-empathy. Parents cannot control every family dynamic, but they can deepen their understanding of who they are, how they want to show up, and which inherited patterns they want to continue or change. Key takeaways Empathy is valuable before conflict happens; everyday connection creates a stronger foundation for difficult moments. Children need to feel seen and heard, even when parents need to set boundaries or challenge behaviour. Listening and guiding are not opposites; thoughtful questions can help children understand what sits beneath their emotions and actions. Parents will not always respond perfectly. Repair, reconnection, and trying again matter. Giving children appropriate choices helps build agency, self-trust, and decision-making skills. Emotions are information. Understanding the feeling beneath a behaviour can help reveal the real need. Self-empathy matters because the relationship we have with ourselves shapes how we show up for our children. Memorable lines “Do you see me? Do you see who I am?” “Emotions are just information.” “Can I stay in this moment enough without needing it to be different?” “You cannot change a family dynamic by yourself.” “The only thing that you can actually ever change… is the relationship that you have to yourself.”

3. 

   21 Aug 2026

   Aging With Purpose: Finding Meaning | Robin Kencel

   Episode summary What does it mean to live with purpose as we grow older and our circumstances change? In this episode of the Joy Superpowers series, Andrew speaks with Robin Kencel about purpose, aging, spirituality, mindset, and making meaningful use of the time we have. Robin explains why changes such as retirement, children leaving home, loss, divorce, or changing relationships can prompt deeper questions about who we are beyond our roles and achievements. Together, Andrew and Robin explore how curiosity, reflection, service, and attention to what brings us deep joy can help us discover and live our purpose through different seasons of life. About Robin Robin Kencel holds a certificate in spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition from Fairfield University and a BA in philosophy from Georgetown University. Through her spiritual ministry, Sacred Space, she works with individuals and groups through spiritual direction and contemplative practices. Robin was crowned Miss Connecticut Senior America 2025 and has used her platform to encourage women to find greater purpose, peace and joy. She is also a lifelong dancer and high-level competitive ballroom dancer. In this episode Robin begins by asking some fundamental questions about purpose: What were you made for? Why are you here? And who are you inside, beyond your résumé? She explains why these questions can become particularly important later in life, when familiar roles and circumstances begin to change through retirement, children leaving home, divorce, bereavement, or other transitions. Robin describes purpose as the central point toward which our values, beliefs, choices and use of time should ultimately lead. She reflects on the importance of noticing whether how we actually spend our time aligns with what we say matters most. The conversation explores Robin’s spiritual journey and the Ignatian Examen, a daily reflective practice that helps her notice moments of grace, review her choices and consider how she wants to live differently the next day. Andrew and Robin discuss the power of pausing and resetting rather than simply falling into habitual reactions. Robin also shares how improvisational acting has helped her become more open and responsive in everyday life. Robin explains how her own purpose, rooted in her relationship with God, provides a foundation for joy even when life itself is difficult. She also reflects on the importance of slowing down and savoring ordinary experiences rather than always searching for something profound. For people unsure of their purpose, Robin suggests looking back to childhood and noticing the activities and experiences that brought a sense of joy, meaning or connection to something larger than themselves. The conversation also explores purpose through changing relationships and circumstances. Robin argues that whether someone is single, married, divorced or widowed matters less than what they choose to do with the life in front of them. Robin shares how an open and curious mindset helped transform the final eight weeks of her mother’s life into a deeply meaningful period together. Finally, Robin offers three practical starting points for exploring purpose: spend a little time in quiet each day, regularly do something for someone beyond yourself, and identify the things that bring you a deep sense of joy and meaning. Key takeaways Purpose asks us to look beyond our roles and achievements toward who we are and what matters most. Changing circumstances can create an opportunity to rediscover purpose rather than simply a loss of what came before. How we spend our time can reveal whether our everyday lives are aligned with our deepest values. Childhood interests and experiences of deep joy can offer clues about what gives our lives meaning. Purpose does not depend on a particular age, relationship status, career or set of circumstances. Quiet, reflection and service to others can create space for purpose to become clearer. Memorable lines “What were you made for?” “What am I being invited into?” “It’s not the words. It’s the experience.” “I dance with the body that I have.” “I can do what I want to do. I just have to do it differently.”

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