The Joy Equation
It’s Time
Let’s hit reset on your world with 6 weeks of clarity + action.
Life on your terms? Hell yes!
The Joy Equation Course is a 6 week digital course for women who want more – more love, more freedom, more fulfillment, more joy.
I imagine you landed on this page because you’re feeling disconnected with yourself or frustrated about your situation. You feel stuck. Off your path. And somehow simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed by life.
Perhaps it’s been building for a while or it suddenly hit you –
The real world? Being happy? Accomplishing anything that feels meaningful? Just making it through the day with a sense of humor and your self-worth intact?
And a lot of the time, you’re not sure if anyone else gets it. Because nobody is talking about it. And they’re definitely not posting about it on Instagram.
Let me assure you, honey – you are not alone in this experience.
And there is absolutely something you can do about it.
Living a life you love is revolutionary
Since 2010, 1,608 women from 39 countries have hit the reset button on their lives with a healthy dose of self-reflection, bravery and commitment by working through The Joy Equation Course.
And now – after 8 years of honing my craft with hundreds of clients – you’re looking at the revamped version of my signature course!
The Joy Equation is still an inspired mash-up of positive psychology, coaching, and general kick assery – with more in-depth writing prompts, refined exploration tools, two entirely new steps, and loads more stories of success.
During a time in my life when the world seemed to be spinning faster than I could grasp, Molly showed me how to slow down and savor the moment. She helped me rediscover my true dreams and, in a way, meet the real me for the first time.
Through my work with Molly, I have created a life filled with passion and fun. I am truly aware of my wants, needs and values. I have set real, measurable goals that I KNOW I can achieve.
And, most importantly, I now have the confidence, attitude and tools to never sell myself short from living the life I deserve. Looking back, I am so proud of how far I’ve come and I know that I couldn’t have made a better investment.
My journey with Stratejoy began because I wanted to “go, decide, produce, push”. As a newly minted entrepreneur with a lot of ideas, I was anxious to improve my efficiency and get things moving!
The support system we created, and the reflection you encouraged combined to soften and strengthen me in a big, big way.
I’m not much for asking for help, acknowledging my wishes and feelings, or slowing down with intention, but thanks to Molly and Stratejoy, I’ve been learning how to do all three.
Molly came into my life at a time when an unsatisfying and defeating job had me feeling worthless and unmotivated.
After working with Molly, not only did I have a specific direction to take my new job search in, I was enthusiastic about the process and more confident in my abilities and myself than I ever had been before.
Molly provided me with accountability and helped me to create a constructive and active learning and development plan. She pushed me to ask and answer the right kinds of questions to help me learn about myself; who I am, what makes me smile and what I need in a job and career in order to feel motivated, happy and fulfilled.
what is the joy equation?
The Joy Equation is a 6 step guide offering tools and inspiration to get clear on who you are, identify authentic life goals, and start turning your big dreams into reality.
WEEK ONE: DEVELOP FIERCE SELF-LOVE ExpandJoyful living starts with loving yourself. And there’s no way around it, babe.
If you want to make big changes or reinvent your world, you’ve got to –
- Cultivate a strong sense of self-worth
- Develop inner resilience
- Practice kindness towards yourself without an agenda of improvement
- Even when it feels hard, even when the light is barely shining, even if you’re not sure you can do it.
That’s why this first step of The Joy Equation is a call to action to start at the beginning – the very act of falling in love with YOU.
WEEK TWO: CONNECT WITH YOURSELF ExpandIf you stripped down to the very base of yourself – if we took away your job, your bank account, your schooling, your relationship status – who would you be?
Answering this question can be incredibly hard.
You wear so many masks during your day and try so hard to please others – that your own desires, preferences and unique strengths get overlooked. And pretty soon, you forget what those desires, preferences and unique strengths even are!
There are two main problems I usually see standing in the way of authentic connection –
- Expectations of others about who you should be
- Social personas you adopt to deal with discomfort
This step of The Joy Equation is about understanding who you are at your core, embracing your authentic self, and learning tactics to stand up for your true self in a world that just wants you to conform.
WEEK THREE: DEFINE SUCCESS ExpandSuccess. It’s a big word. What does it conjure up for you?
Unless you live in a cave, there are probably aspects of money, influence and beauty woven into your vision. These are the societal definitions of success present in our western world – the powerful CEO, the gorgeous socialite, the well-funded entrepreneur, the influential politician, the sexy model, the widely recognized artist, the rich wife – all of these women are considered successful.
They are simply the most widely recognized measures of success. And in many cases, society’s darlings may not play a big role in your version of success.
This step of The Joy Equation is vital because in order to truly be successful, you need to be successful on your own terms. And it’s up to you to figure out exactly what those terms are!
WEEK FOUR: NURTURE STRONG RELATIONSHIPS ExpandNo woman is an island. Including you, sweetness.
The one thing that every happiness expert or positive psychology researcher can agree upon is the fact that people with strong connections and loving relationships are more satisfied with their lives.
And I absolutely agree.
Relationships where we are valued, heard, accepted and loved and where we value, hear, accept and love another are worth all of the effort. They are worth all the hurt feelings, and mixed signals, and awkward attempts at finding your communication groove, and boundary setting you must do. The rewards of connection, love, support and shared experience are worth it all.
This step of The Joy Equation reminds you that connection with others is essential to your joy and provides tools, tips and resources to examine your world through the lens of strong relationships.
WEEK FIVE: DECLARE GOALS, DEVELOP HABITS ExpandThe pursuit of worthwhile goals is one of the few actions you can take to markedly improve your life satisfaction. And the development of powerful habits helps support that worthy pursuit.
When you feel like you’re just going through the motions – fearful of making any change, bored by the path you feel stuck on, or scared that you’ll never actually accomplish anything – declaring goals that are in alignment with your authentic self can awaken your spirit.
You have power to make changes in your life, both large and small.
And with a little experimentation and understanding of the latest in motivation, willpower and grit, you have the power to cultivate the habits that support the best version of you.
In this step of The Joy Equation, you’ll be declaring goals aligned with your definition of success and identifying the habits you need to start or stop in order to pursue them.
WEEK SIX: COMMIT TO FLOURISHING ExpandIt’s a common trait of women – of the care-taking role we’re conditioned to embrace – to put everyone’s needs ahead of your own. How can I help you? How can I support you? How can I take care of you?
Why don’t you try asking yourself these very same questions for a change?
And the answer is commitment. Commitment to your own personal fulfillment and flourishing. Commitment with your whole heart. Commitment with your full sense of self.
You can commit in many forms – with time, energy or money, with your willingness to clash with society or the persona your partner/friends/family expect you to be, with your sacred rituals that remind you who you are and what you love.
This step of The Joy Equation confirms your dedication to joyful living and the awareness and courage it will take every day.
My hope is that this course and these 6 steps remind you that YOUR JOY is worthy of your attention and that YOU are worthy of joy.
is this course for you?
You’ve come to the alarming realization that “this” is not where you thought you’d be by now. “This” was supposed to make you happy, but it doesn’t. “This” causes you to cringe when the alarm goes off in the morning and you wake up with a pit of dread in your stomach. Perhaps “this” makes you feel guilty because your life looks fine on the outside, but it feels wrong on the inside.
Maybe you feel like you should be grateful for “this” and you are, but you also know there is something more or something different for you out there.
Guess what, honey? There is a silver lining to your discomfort.
The Joy Equation
$197HIT RESET ON YOUR WORLD WITH 6 WEEKS OF CLARITY + ACTION.
There is a special gift in those times in our lives where we are questioning everything, when our entire world seems to be disrupted. There is a certain level of honesty about what is and what isn’t working in our life when we are at a moment of change.
(Change is my nice word for the hurricane that occurs when you wake up one morning, realize you don’t recognize yourself or your life, start guzzling wine and end up chanting “What the f*ck happened to my life? Why do I feel so alone? What did I do wroooooong?”)
Moments of change give you permission to question everything. To start over. To find a new path because the one you’ve been traveling is leading you in circles.
When life as you know it is simply not working – big, positive, sustainable change is a necessity.
And YOU – with bolstered awareness, integrity and faith – are the one who is going to make it happen.
The Joy Equation Course is here to guide you through the process. It’s like hitting a soulful, clarity-fueled, courageous reset button on your experience of life.
There are so many different moments of change we experience in our life.
YOUR CHANGE CAN BE EXTERNAL
Graduating college, getting married, newly pregnant or new mama, major break up, death in your family, huge career change, moving cities, new business owner, or empty nester.
OR YOUR CHANGE CAN BE INTERNAL
Quarterlife crisis, midlife crisis, questioning your faith or sexuality, feeling stuck in other’s expectations for your life, desiring something more from your life, or any form of existential crisis.
Whatever your moment of change, the process of questioning, honoring, creating and committing is the same.
When I started the Joy Equation, I had just made some big life changes. I was excited, yet scared. At that point, I knew I needed to spend time mapping out my plans – to get real about what I wanted. So, I committed myself to the course.
Several years ago, I left an emotionally crippling job and took off on a three month backpacking trip across the country. Traveling was harder than I thought it would be, proving the cliche but oh so true-ness of “wherever you go, there you are.” Constantly on the move, the only solid thing during the first month of my travels was The Joy Equation.
I remember being in our two-bedroom apartment with a 2 year-old and an infant, desperately trying to find my way back to me. I had Molly’s voice in my ears, the workbook in my hands, and as much clarity as my new mom brain and heart could hold.what’s included?
The Joy Equation Course is on demand digital course made up of four essential components:
SIX WEEKS OF DAILY JOURNAL PROMPTS
Every day for 6 weeks, you’ll get an inspirational email from me – I’ll be writing about that week’s step and offering a daily prompt for you to journal about. That’s 42 insights from me and 42 probing questions for you to explore!
I find that delivering these journal prompts in bite-size chunks to a place you already check every day actually helps you DO THE COURSE. And that’s my great hope for you!
And of course, these prompts will also be available to you inside our Membership Headquarters once you purchase the course.
SIX 90 MINUTE AUDIO SESSIONS
Once a week, your 90 minutes audio session will unlock in Membership HQ so you can complete that week’s exercises.
The audio sessions are designed to be interactive guides to your Joy Equation Workbook – you’ll hear me explain each activity and writing assignment and give you time to complete it right then and there. The audio sessions are my chance to share my knowledge, tell stories from my own life, and support you through this process.
(Fair warning – I love visualization exercises and can’t manage get through a session without belly laughing and swearing.)
There will be six 90 minute audio sessions – one for each week of the course and step of The Joy Equation.
YOUR JOY EQUATION WORKBOOK
The Joy Equation Workbook is a gorgeous guide ready to be filled out with your answers, brainstorms, artwork, personal explorations and notes. I recommend downloading and printing it out because it’s what you will sit down with each week to complete your audio session.
You’ll use it to explore each step in the Joy Equation, house your weekly challenges, and hold all your “aha” moments and clarity.
I still hear from women who took the Joy Equation years ago and say their Workbook has become one of their personal treasures – a reference book on who they are, what they want and why it’s so important.
OPTIONAL REAL LIFE CHALLENGES
At the end of each audio session, I’ll go over a final project and exploration challenge for you to complete over the next week. You may be asked to instigate a conversation, create art, take a photographs, try something brand new that pushes your comfort zone or finalize a piece of your personal Joy Equation.
I highly recommend that you gather your courage and apply your new knowledge through these challenges!
buy the course
WHAT WILL YOU GET?
Six weeks of inspirational journal prompts delivered via email to expand on each step of the Joy Equation
Your Joy Equation Workbook, an inspirational action guide that will hold all of your explorations.
Six 90 minute downloadable audio sessions that guide you through the questions and activities in your Workbook
Optional exploration challenges to complete out in the “real world” to deepen your understanding each week.
The Joy Equation
$197HIT RESET ON YOUR WORLD WITH 6 WEEKS OF CLARITY + ACTION.
WHY WILL IT MATTER?
If you’re craving a reset button on your life – one full of clarity and forward movement – this is your chance.
By following this 6 week framework to organize your big thinking and make intentional decisions, you can stop spinning your wheels. You can stop feeling overwhelmed by all the choices. You can stop letting your life zoom right by you without any deliberate action. You can stop questioning your choices, stop letting others’ remarks sway you and stop doubting yourself.
Completing this course will you give the inspiration and tools you need to make the changes and choices necessary for your joy, your fulfillment, your version of success.
It’s a big promise. And I stand behind it completely.
If you actually do this work, babe – I can assure you you’ll experience a renewed sense of love for yourself, for your life, and for your future dreams.
Get ready for big questions and big clarity. Inner motivation and inner alignment. Wild dreams and wild synchronicity.
The Joy Equation made me set aside time each day to reflect and think for me, about my life – and no one else. That was really hard!
additional details + FAQs
The Joy Equation is a 6 step guide offering tools and inspiration to get clear on who you are, identify authentic life goals, and start turning your big dreams into reality.
Will this Course work for me? ExpandIf your inner chatter sounds something like this, “Will this work for me? Is it worth my time? My energy? What will my boyfriend/girlfriend/boss/parents/kids think? Can I commit? Will it be too hard? Too easy?” – STOP. Breathe.
This investment in your happiness is an incredible gift to give yourself, your relationships and your state of mind. Everyone in your world will benefit! I can’t promise you that I can change your life in 6 weeks, but I know that taking this Course will give you clarity and tools so that YOU can do it.
Will it be scary? Perhaps. Will it be worth it? Absolutely.
Again, feel free to contact our team if you have questions by emailing hello@stratejoy.com, but trust your gut here, sister. If you feel like you need a reset button on your life or some some dedicated time to reconnect with yourself – this is what you’ve been waiting for.
I ALREADY TOOK THE JOY EQUATION. SHOULD I TAKE THIS NEW VERSION? ExpandShort answer? If your life has changed significantly since the last time you took it – yes.
And in addition to adding two entirely new steps to The Joy Equation – Develop Fierce Self-Love and Nurture Strong Relationships – I also re-recorded all the audio sessions, revised the journal prompts, and designed a new Workbook. Plenty of the content, challenges and prompts are the same because they are still awesome and useful (like core values, future you vision, slices of life) but others have been refined and deepened to reflect the knowledge I’ve gained over the last 5 years.
I know I need to redo my own Joy Equation because many of my Big Vision dreams have already come true! And I’ve outgrown a few as well. It’s definitely time for me to open up my heart and my imagination to what the next 5 years may hold!
CAN I GIVE THIS COURSE AS A GIFT? ExpandOf course. Just make sure you enter your recipient’s info and email address when you purchase the course. And you should probably give them a heads up on what is happening!
Having trouble? Get in touch with Team Stratejoy at hello@stratejoy.com anytime. We’re happy to help. Easy breezy.
I JUST REGISTERED, BUT I CAN’T FIND THE WELCOME EMAIL! ExpandYour receipt and welcome email should arrive shortly after completing the payment process, but give it a few hours in case the system is extra busy!
Still can’t find it? Peek in your Junk Folder or Promotions Tab! Or have you made a special folder for Stratejoy emails to automatically land in? All emails will arrive from our hello@stratejoy.com address.
Last shot – if you use the Unroll.me inbox system and have previously “rolled up” our Stratejoy emails – that’s where your course emails are as well! To free them, visit unroll.me and “edit your subscriptions” so all emails from hello@stratejoy.com arrive in your inbox.
DO YOU OFFER REFUNDS? ExpandI’m happily offering a money back return policy for the first 30 days after purchase. If you don’t think the Course was worth your investment and you can show me that you’ve fully completed the first two weeks of your workbook, just ask us for a refund. We’ll make it happen.
Why? Because I know that if you put in the work, you’ll get insane value from this course. I’ve spent enough time teaching this journey to know it’s effective, worthwhile and game-changing.
I’m Molly Mahar and I’m obsessed with the intersection of community, authenticity and joy. I’m also the founder of Stratejoy, a positive corner of the Internet that provides thousands of women inspiring + useful strategies to prioritize joy in their own lives.
I’ve been teaching, coaching, writing and speaking for the past 9 years about JOY. I know the ins-and-outs of creating a life based on your own terms instead of external expectations because I’ve done it!
But getting to that sound bite took a lot of work and I’ve gone through several of my own moments of change to arrive here…
how The Joy Equation was born
In 2007, I was feeling lost, confused and totally alone in my misery. I coped by drinking wine, bitching, moping, feeling like a failure, and then – finally, finally doing something about it.
Being rather dramatic, I sold everything I owned and set off with my boyfriend Ken to backpack around the world. I wanted to figure out where I’d gone wrong and how to get back on my true path.
I filled 3 journals, ate a ridiculous amount of street food, learned how to meditate, reconnected with the part of myself that loved to teach/inspire/lead and committed to helping other women create joyful lives on their own terms.
We came home after 10 months of backpacking – broke, happy, zenned out and luckily, even more in love. As we settled back into the groove of life in Seattle, I started a little blog called Stratejoy to start talking about the kinds of things I was experiencing. I knew other women must be feeling the same way!
And though I couldn’t recreate my trip around the world for others, I knew the “personal work” I had done while I traveled – the process of thinking, writing and designing life in a fresh new way – could be done anywhere, at any time. With the right questions, exercises and support, I could help women push that reset button on their life.
Women like YOU.
As long as you’re ready to invest the time and commit to honesty, you can gain clarity. Forward movement. Trust in yourself and your capability. And yes – joy.
In 2010, I poured my heart and soul into creating and sharing The Joy Equation Course.
how The Joy Equation was revised
And of course, right as I was struggling to find joy and balance as a work-at-home Mama, my business was taking off! I sold out my very first Elevate Mastermind when Max was 5 months old.
Stratejoy had finally turned into a thriving online business after several years of hard work and many moments of doubt and fear. I was living my dream of helping other women examine their lives and choices in the context of joy and making a great living doing it.
But as a family, our values of freedom and authenticity were being challenged.
Sensing a pattern here?
This was the point I really understood that life is a series of transitions, taking responsibility for your own happiness and making heart-based course corrections, over and over again.
In 2013, the three of us moved to the small central coast town of San Luis Obispo to hit an important reset button on our lives. Less crazy working days, more time outside in the ocean and hills. Less commuting and big city pressure, more simple adventures, yoga and winery picnics. Less desire to keep uprooting ourselves, more community building and depth.
We bought a tiny beach house and had a darling baby girl named Juliet. Ken and I dedicated ourselves to making our home a beautiful retreat, raising our babies with presence, and doing our best work in our respective businesses.
And lucky you! Part of making sure I was being of service in my business was climbing in my creative cave to overhaul my signature course, The Joy Equation.
In addition to adding two entirely new steps to The Joy Equation – Develop Fierce Self-Love and Nurture Strong Relationships – I also re-recorded all the audio sessions, revised the journal prompts, and designed a new Workbook. Plenty of the content, challenges and prompts are the same because they are still awesome and useful (like core values, future you vision, slices of life) but others have been refined and deepened to reflect the knowledge I’ve gained over the last 5 years.
I absolutely trust in this Course’s transformative powers and I’m thrilled to relaunch it into the world, revised and refreshed.
The Joy Equation
$197HIT RESET ON YOUR WORLD WITH 6 WEEKS OF CLARITY + ACTION.
Call this process reinvention, self-discovery, or personal development – it doesn’t matter to me.
I’m here to guide you through it all with a good dose of humor, a lot of exclamation marks, and the occasional calling out of bullshit.
(Just like always!)
The Joy Equation
$197HIT RESET ON YOUR WORLD WITH 6 WEEKS OF CLARITY + ACTION.
