What's inside:

• A crazy awesome photography trick
• The sentence that changed everything for me
• Rethinking Fear
• Queen Charlotte is a Joyful Rebel
• and Rachel channels Winona Ryder, 2017 🤣

Hey Friend

Yesterday was launch day. (Eep!)
And I want to start this Joy Spark letter with a confession:

I didn’t wake up one day confident.
I woke up tired of disappearing.

Tired in a way sleep just didn’t fix.
​Restless even when life looked “good.”
Capable, faithful, dependable, extra… and quietly editing myself in rooms where I should’ve felt safe.

Back then, I labeled the editing many things:

I thought it was maturity.
I thought it was humility.
I thought it was being “good.”

But it actually was fear.

God has been gently, loving, and sometimes very directly showing me over the last two years a simple, but profound truth:
He never expected me to disappear in order to follow Him.
He called me to become more fully myself.

To own my awesome, my unique brand of quirks, my childlike joy, and all my imperfections. To straighten my crown and radiate rebellious authenticity, because when I do so, it helps anyone watching me do the same.

That’s the heart of Episode 1 of The Joyful Rebel Podcast—The Joyful Rebel Manifesto — Why I’m Done Shrinking (and You Might Be Too)—and it’s live now.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted without a “good reason,” or like your life is full… but you’re missing from it—this one is for you.

→ Listen (audio): The Joyful Rebel on Buzzsprout ​
→ Watch (video): YouTube​

→ Read (Substack): Exhausted: The Unspoken Weight of Shrinking​

🌸This Week's Joy Sparks (Not Sponsored. Just Delightful)

Made My Heart Happy Just in time for Valentine's Day, I've discovered Hershey's sells frozen pre-dipped chocolate-covered strawberries. Can you say, YUM? Whether you're celebrating Galentine's Day, Independence Day, Valentine's Day, or another day of being alive, these sound like an excellent party favor.

Made Me Say "Woah" File This Under: Life Truths That Change The Game. A photographer on Facebook shared a simple but powerful truth about taking better photos: it’s not about angles, lighting, or knowing your “good side.”

It’s about what you’re thinking in the moment the photo is taken.

When you’re present—connected to joy, curiosity, or affection—your eyes stay open and alive.
When you’re in your head wondering Do I look okay?, your eyes subtly close off.

I'm definitely stealing this tip next time I take a photo!

It also made me pause… how often do we do this in life, not just photos?
​Presence reads as beauty. Connection shows.

Made Me Feel More Human My daughter sent me a link to a happy place on the Internet—and we need all of those we can get. Good News Movement is an account that shares genuinely good things happening every day. Especially helpful when the world feels loud.

Made Me Snort-Giggle Cute animal videos and memes are basically modern-day medicine. Prove I'm wrong ;) Just try watching this compilation and not smile, laugh, or say awwww.

What I'm Learning Lately: Shrinking is a Story...Not a Prophecy

Here’s a pattern I noticed in myself (and see in so many women I work with):

Fear loves to dress up like wisdom.
​Shrinking loves to dress up like humility.
​Self-betrayal loves to dress up like obedience… or “being kind.”

And the result is subtle, but costly:

• We rehearse courage instead of living it
• We manage our brilliance
• We soften our opinions
• We second-guess our instincts
  …and we call it maturity, being a "good Christian," or respect

I thought I struggled with confidence. I was wrong.

I had an inner-story problem.

The shift: the goal isn’t “become someone new.”
The goal is to pause and notice what story is running the show—and reclaim the pen.

A tiny tool for today:​
When you feel yourself editing in real time, pause and name it:
“The story I’m telling myself right now is ______.”
Then add: “What’s also true is ______.”

No lecture. No perfection. Just agency.

A Sprinkle of Heartwork

Let me ask you something—as someone who's been there.

Where have you learned to shrink?
What part of you has been waiting patiently to be invited back into the room?

You don’t have to answer today.
Just notice.
Awareness is the first act of courage.

Radiant Permission Slips & Statements

Here are this week's Permission Slips from Episode 1:

You don’t have to fix yourself.
You don’t have to figure out your whole life.
You don’t have to become someone new.
You are allowed to remember who you already are.

Radiance Statement: I Own My Magic & Show Up Real

Real Life, Unfiltered

A few current delights from my real-world orbit:

• Bath & Body Works rolled out their spring collection, and apparently, it's giving "fresh start energy"
• I saved a clip from Shondaland of Queen Charlotte channeling Joyful Rebel energy, basically straightening crowns like it's her spiritual gift. Any Bridgerton fans?👑

And perhaps the realest, most unfiltered of them all...the most difficult part of the whole podcasting journey remains THUMBNAILS and promotional photos...because Riverside's AI is convinced my brand is unhinged mom's about to sneeze.

So, I decided to get ahead of the slow scroll of video to find a decent shot by filming a couple minutes of nothing but me holding a ton of faces I can use in the future. I got some great stuff...

And some really random, "when will I ever use that" stuff.

​

Doesn't it totally give "Winona Ryder at 2017 SAG Awards" vibes?? Don't know what I mean? Do yourself a favor and revisit this classic moment from one of my favorite actresses.

Seriously...Who did it better? 🤣

Thank you for joining me on the journey, friends!

With Joy,

Rachel

P.S. - If you want a simple, no-pressure place to begin, I made you something: The Hidden Stories Inventory — a short, reflective guide to help you notice the stories shaping your life (without turning yourself into a project).