Sydney Weiss Is Paving The Way For You To Seek The Joy

Sydney Weiss has pioneered a massive wave towards helping people seek all the joy life has to offer by immersing herself wholeheartedly in sharing stories that resonate and inspire to the deepest core of the human experience.

Her passion for nurturing human connection while spreading joy led her to launch “Seek The Joy” podcast in September 2017. As the creator, producer, and host of “Seek The Joy” podcast, Sydney offers heartfelt storytelling and conversations covering self-love, joy, wellness and spirituality.

What’s refreshing about Weiss is her authenticity and vulnerability in sharing the bumps along the way through her journey in ultimately finding joy in her life. Interviewing guests ranging from intuitive healers, entrepreneurs, joyologists, and more, Weiss gives listeners an opportunity to learn how to explore their joy blueprint.

I interviewed Weiss (creator, executive producer, and host) of Seek The Joy podcast to learn more about her journey through finding joy and creating her uplifting podcast. Weiss also graciously offers advice to aspiring podcasters in the interview below.

Sydney Weiss: Thank you so much for having me! “Seek The Joy Podcast” is your go-to podcast for heartfelt storytelling and conversations on all things self-love, joy, connection, empowerment, wellness and spirituality. Seek The Joy is inspired by my ongoing journey toward growth, empowerment, and self-love, and every episode offers a fresh perspective, aha! moments, laughs, stories, and wisdom that will stick with you throughout the week. It’s a space for real, honest, and open conversation and an opportunity to connect, inspire, empower and grow.

Weiss: “Seek The Joy Podcast” is an idea I dreamt up in September 2017 while I was waiting for California Bar Results. It was the second time I sat for the exam (p.s. I passed! Hallelujah!) and I was sitting in my apartment reflecting on the last year. The woman I saw in the mirror staring back at me was different. She was calmer, kinder to herself, and happier. She was no longer the panicked negative self-talker she was a year ago.

I should probably rewind a little bit. In 2016, I had a slew of health issues – from shingles to appendicitis – and when you couple that with graduating from law school and sitting for the California bar exam, and not passing, I wasn’t in a good place. When I found out I didn’t pass the bar exam in November 2016, the negative self-talk I’ve carried with me my entire life got worse. I was in a space of shame, anger, and embarrassment, and months of not listening to my body, running myself ragged, and being down right mean to myself took its toll.

I decided it was time for a change, and over the next year I made space for myself. I took time to get to know me and I started listening and trusting my gut more. For the first time in my life I started to peel back the layers and understand and love who I am, and who I wanted to be. I was in a different place, mind, body and soul, and little did I know it was just the beginning.

While staring at myself in the mirror in September 2017, I remember experiencing this moment of inspiration and excitement. I knew I wanted to start a conversation and create a way to connect with others who had similar stories and experiences. I wanted to build a community and a space to share personal stories, explore our joy, and learn and grow through stepping into our vulnerability, courage, and reconnecting to our authentic voice. That night it clicked – why not start a podcast? I took out my journal and started sketching out my idea. The next thing I knew, “Seek The Joy Podcast” was born.

The more I think about it, the show was really born out of my desire to create deeper connections and be part of something much bigger than me. I love podcasts and I listen to about 8-10 different shows pretty religiously every week. When you combine that with my love for learning about people through listening to their stories, connecting through podcasting felt like a no brainer.

I honestly had no idea what I was doing when I first started, and there was a lot of fear and uncertainty. I was definitely afraid to share my voice, truth, and vulnerability in such a new and public way. As a kid who grew up with a pretty strong lisp and embarrassed by my own voice, I had no idea what I’d sound like or if anyone would tune in. I have a good amount of public speaking experience (I credit my moot court team days in law school for that), but I had never hit publish on something that could potentially be heard by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. I was so nervous! It didn’t take me long though to get comfortable with sharing the podcast and my voice, and start to seek out opportunities to connect with this amazing community.

Weiss: I work full-time in Business and Legal Affairs at a studio here in Los Angeles, and all of my creative work for the podcast is done in the evenings and on the weekends. From contacting and coordinating guests, recording and editing the audio for every episode, and crafting the social media content and marketing, I do it all!

I really enjoy wearing so many hats and it keeps things interesting and exciting. I’m completely self-taught, and I had absolutely no media or podcasting experience before this. I get so excited and inspired when I’m working on the show that I often get lost in it. I’m always dreaming up new collaborations and opportunities to feature more voices and stories through this platform. There’s truly never a dull moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

JJ: As the great Albert Einstein once said: “Failure is success in progress.”  What have been some of your failures, and how has it helped propel you towards success?

Weiss: I’m a firm believer that there’s no such thing as failure, but instead moments that ask us to hit pause. These moments challenge us to look at who we are, the path we’re walking down, and ask ourselves if it aligns with who we want to be and the impact that we want to have.

I’ve had a lot of moments in the last six years that have asked me to shift and redirect. The biggest moment that comes to mind is not passing the California bar exam on my first try in 2016. When you go to law school, you plan to be licensed and start your career right away. You don’t plan for the possibility of a delay! For someone who had based her entire self-worth on external achievements her entire life, it was a really difficult and challenging time. I had to regroup and start over. I had to shift and change how I was speaking to myself, how I viewed myself, and I had to embrace self-love, self-care, and my joy in ways I never did before.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and it’s easier to look back at difficult times and see the lessons after you’ve experienced them. I really believe that getting knocked down, and learning how to pick myself back up, is how I got to where I am today. If I had passed the bar exam the first time, I wouldn’t have learned to slow down and be kinder, gentler, and more compassionate to myself. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have felt the inspiration to launch “Seek The Joy Podcast” either! Through starting this platform, I discovered a passion for creating connection and community. Today, I know I want to do this through producing media and content that resonates and inspires. Working in an intentional media space, one that allows me the opportunity to uplift other voices through connecting to our joys and passions, is the direction I see my career going. I wouldn’t have known that if it weren’t for the roadblocks or “failures” that I’ve experienced, and the courage to turn them into stepping stones. This podcast and community has completely altered the direction of my life and career, and I’m so grateful.

I’ve learned not to fear the roadblocks or the moments of “failure,” because without them we wouldn’t have the chance to know who we are, who we want to be, and how we want to show up in the world. It’s through discomfort and uncertainty that we grow so much stronger than we would without those challenges.

Weiss: I love this question. For anyone that might be struggling with figuring out what brings them joy, my biggest piece of advice would be to get quiet and give yourself the space to explore. For me, this meant spending some quality time with my journal. What did you love to do as a kid? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What ideas, places, and people inspire you? In my experience, the answers to these questions help to reconnect to our joy, and cultivate a relationship with it.

Weiss: The truth is for most of my life I didn’t know what brought me joy, or how to connect with it. It wasn’t until I embarked on my own wellness and healing journey that I began to find my joy. It all started with my willingness to make changes in my life, and shifting my self-talk, moving closer to greater self-love, and taking better care of myself played a really big role in that. Also, giving myself permission to say no to people, places, and things that didn’t light me up was huge. As a recovering people pleaser, I know how hard this can be! I’m learning it’s like a muscle, the more we flex it, the easier it becomes.

Weiss: Tip #1: Get really clear on your “why,” because it expresses who you are and what your intentions are for your platform. Why are you starting a podcast? Who are you trying to reach? What is your message? If you can get really clear on this from the beginning, you’ll be able to create a clear direction for your show and content that will keep listeners coming back week after week.

Tip #2: Don’t be afraid to make changes along the way. As you grow and evolve, so will your path and that means content, subjects, guests, and listeners are going to change too – and that’s okay! Allow yourself to be flexible and open. It’s amazing how life and the universe responds to you when you allow yourself to grow and change.

Tip #3: Be unapologetically who you are, embrace the skin you’re in, and don’t be afraid to share your voice with the world. When I first started, I was really insecure about my voice and sharing my truth. A question I kept asking myself was, “is anyone even going to listen to this?!” I’ve learned that each and every one of us has a unique message, voice, and gift that is meant to be shared.

Weiss: From the beginning, it’s been really important to me to start a conversation and create a community around shared experiences, and everything that I’ve done to promote and market the show has been focused around that intention.

Early on I created social media channels for the podcast, and that’s where I do the majority of my marketing. For every episode, I put together a social media package with graphics and audio. It’s always so much fun to share the highlights from every conversation and see how listeners connect to that moment. The community that we’ve created on Instagram and Facebook has been really wonderful too, and there isn’t a week that goes by that the feedback doesn’t blow me away. I also create show notes on my website for every episode where I share more information about the guest and our conversation.

There are so many podcast platforms, and I’ve made sure to list the show everywhere, from Apple Podcasts to Spotify. I’ve also sought out ways to collaborate with other podcasts and brands whose messages align with Seek The Joy. Over the last year, I’ve been really fortunate to team up with some amazing women-led brands and platforms. These connections have led to some pretty incredible opportunities to share the podcast’s message with other communities through in-person speaking events, guest spots on other podcasts, giveaways, and more.

I’m really grateful that so many people have connected with the podcast, love it, and are sharing it with their friends and family.

Weiss: This is such a tough question! It’s like picking your favorite child. Some of my favorite conversations have been with Mirna Valerio aka The Mirnavator – ultramarathon runner, adventurer and author, Kelly Boyer of Paleta, Kimothy Joy – illustrator and author, Melissa Palmer of OSEA, Josette Tkacik – internationally known and renowned Zumba instructor, and Aiden Chase – third generation healer and intuitive.

There’s always a moment during every conversation where something is said that stops me in my tracks or where a lightbulb goes off in my head. We all have so much wisdom to share, and what’s shared is always so wonderful and tangible.

Weiss: Yes! I’m so excited for 2019 and what’s on the horizon. My hope is that this is a year of greater collaboration and opportunity to share and showcase more stories and voices through this platform. I’m really passionate about changing the world through creating connection and community, and I want to continue do so through creating and producing content that resonates and inspires.

I have a few different projects in the works this year that I can’t wait to share. In January, I launched my first new project Joy Corner, a new interview style blog series that features inspiring souls, moments that bring you joy, products we love, and so much more. The response to the podcast and its message has been nothing short of incredible, and I really wanted to create a way to feature more incredible people through this platform. I’m so excited and overwhelmed by the response to this new series, and I can’t wait to watch it continue to grow.

Later this year, I’m planning to publish my first book, which is something I never saw myself doing! It’s a compilation of poetry and prose taken straight from my journals. This collection will encourage us to wake up to our joy within, all while staying true to our authentic voice. I don’t have a publishing date yet, but I’m aiming for Summer 2019!

Creating and launching Seek The Joy was a huge step outside of my comfort zone, and starting and running a podcast was never something I saw myself doing, but it’s truly the best decision I ever made. The opportunity to provide a platform and a space to share our stories of vulnerability and courage through Seek The Joy Podcast has been incredible and I cannot wait to watch this next chapter unfold.

Weiss: This is going to sound so corny, but my greatest inspiration has truly been every single person that tunes into the show. It’s been incredible to see, hear, and read about the impact Seek The Joy has had on people’s lives. Over the last year and a half I’ve received countless e-mails and messages from people all over the world who love the podcast and connect to its message. They write in and share their stories and the impact the podcast has had on their lives. Every single message takes me by surprise, and stays with me. They remind me of why I started, and I’m just so grateful. You never know how your bravery, courage and joy will inspire someone else to stand in their truth and share their story.

“Stay patient and trust your journey” is a mantra and affirmation that I’ve kept close for the past five years. Life is a journey and we’re constantly evolving. We have moments of struggle and then we also have moments of profound victory and joy. Life requires us to be patient and trust the path that’s unfolding in front of us. That’s not always easy, and there have certainly been (many) moments where I’ve questioned my path.

I’m grateful that “Seek The Joy Podcast” celebrates every aspect of our journey, and I’m so excited to continue this journey of of connection, love, and joy!

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Berenice Famli is the CEO and founder of the Jewish emoji app Shalomoji and a Los Angeles based writer who covers lifestyle, health, and entrepreneurship.