Hey Reader, heyyyyyy!

Happy FriYAYYYYYYY! I’ve got a bit of a storytime for you today — one I believe will set somebody free.

Because this is the JOY I want for you every day (👇🏾).

“...Is the marriage good?”

The question caught me off guard.
Not because I didn’t know the answer — but because of everything it brought up.

I hadn’t seen my aunt in over 12 years, and the last time we talked, I was in my late 20s.

Since then, I had:
• left my career
• gotten married
• had three children
• spent nearly a decade at home
• and rebuilt my professional identity from scratch

So last weekend when she asked, I paused — because if I’m honest, there was a season when that answer didn’t feel so simple.

The season I quietly disappeared

Early in marriage + motherhood, I felt swallowed whole.

I loved my family deeply, but I had absorbed the belief that being a “good woman” meant sacrificing myself completely:
• My creativity
• My autonomy
• My rest
• My voice

And resentment crept in — not toward my husband, but toward a life that felt suddenly smaller and more constricted.

Because the truth?
His life didn’t have to change the way mine did.

And yet, I felt guilty for feeling anything other than gratitude.
Motherhood was something I prayed for.
So why did I feel torn?
Would I lose myself forever?
Would anyone value my time at home once I returned to work?

And then… something shifted

There wasn’t a dramatic moment — no lightning strike or burning bush.

But one day, I got honest with myself:
I wasn’t just tired…
I was jealous of his freedom.

Jealous that it felt like he had choices — and I didn’t.
Jealous that he could come and go without negotiating nap schedules.
Jealous that his career trajectory wasn’t questioned because he had kids — while I was shrinking my options around childcare.

Something needed to change — and it had to start with me.

Clarity + courage changed everything

With clarity came language.
With language came vision.
With vision came support.

Slowly, I started rebuilding:
• my identity
• my creativity
• my marriage
• my faith
• my JOY

I stopped living as a shell of myself.

I stopped feeling like I was stuck.

I started living rooted in the truth of who I was — a Child of God first.

I no longer felt trapped, and that identity unlocked:
✨ REST
✨ creativity
✨ boundaries
✨ JOY as a daily practice, not a future reward

So when I finally looked at my aunt, considering the journey behind me (and the one ahead 🥹), I smiled and said:

“The marriage is good. Praise God.” 🙌🏾

If you’ve been quietly asking yourself…

Is the marriage good?
Is the relationship good?
Is the job good?
…or even, Am I good?

It doesn’t necessarily mean something is broken.
It may mean you need clarity.

And clarity is where reclaiming JOY begins.

Two Ways to Take Your Next Step

1. If you’re not sure what’s holding you back…

Reply FREEDOM to this email.

I’ll send you the free clarity assessment that reveals the subconscious patterns keeping you stuck.

2. If you already know you’re ready to break the cycle…

​The JOY Quest™ was created for this exact moment.

It’s a gentle but powerful 60-minute reset designed to help you:
✨ reset your rhythm
✨ redefine your priorities
✨ reconnect with the life God is calling you into

Because patterns like overwhelm, resentment, and emotional exhaustion don’t fade on their own – in fact, if left unaddressed they only worsen – creating bitterness. This can typically be the point where divorce, isolation, burnout, and a desire to quit everything and everyone – can silently take root.

Friend, a life of JOY-fueled freedom (in every area of your life) is waiting for you – all you have to do is say “yes!”

We’re on the JOYrney™ together… ONE feel-good thing at a time,​
Erica

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The JOYrney To Purpose® Podcast

ICYMI: Wanda Ramos is back on the podcast for another nugget-packed episode! And this time she’s joined by her husband, Herman Ramos!

Together, through laughter and wisdom they share a transparent story of:
• loving when your spouse isn’t aligned in faith (yet)
• building a Christ-centered marriage
• raising + homeschooling three kids with peace
• how God restores anything surrendered to Him

If you’re navigating marriage, motherhood, or personal growth, this episode WILL bless you.

Click the links below, to subscribe and be notified so you don’t miss part 2!

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COMING SOON: A NEW JOYrney™ Drop

JOY in F.A.I.L.ING™ — (F)aith (A)lways (I)nspires (L)earning

A wearable reminder that forward movement — even messy, imperfect movement — can be holy ground.

Join the waitlist for first dibs when the collection drops!

Have a blessed, and wonder-filled weekend!

Until then, we’re on the JOYrney™ together… ONE feel-good thing at a time!
Erica

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