The Path to Joy

Yes!! This a podcast about joy, perspective, and being human. I share stories from my own life -- the things that make me laugh, make me think, and sometimes make me rethink everything.

No expertise. No perfect answers. Just one person paying attention and sharing what she finds along the way.

Join me every Tuesday and Thursday for a new episode.

Enjoy the journey.

Episodes

May 21, 2026

11 min

After Tuesday's episode about the backstory, today I finally share a bit about the April retreat. There's always a theme, a take away that comes from each one -- and this one was no different! 
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

The Backstory!

May 19, 2026

May 19, 2026

10 min

Today’s episode is a little backstory on how I started leading retreats in the first place. I’ve always found origin stories fascinating -- the unexpected ways things come to be.
 
Spoiler: I never intended to lead retreats. Honestly, they sounded like a lot of work. But apparently, even the most reluctant among us can be convinced.
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

May 14, 2026

10 min

For full disclosure, I do begin today’s episode with some bowling talk. I mean, we can’t go too long without talking about bowling! But the primary focus is what happens when we unravel. We all do it — reach a point where we just can’t handle it all anymore. It might be brief, but it happens. There’s really no avoiding it because, sorry to tell you, you’re human. Me too.
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

The Prom!

May 12, 2026

May 12, 2026

10 min

Yes! Ben went to the prom. Let’s talk about the prom -- I know for some people it can be this big, magical event: a defining moment, a before-and-after experience. For me, it wasn’t. I don’t think it was for Ben either. Because for me, at least, it’s always the small moments I remember far more than the highlight reel.
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

May 7, 2026

8 min

Today's episode started with me thinking about spring and my dogwood tree, and somehow ended up spiraling into an episode about time flying, my boys growing up, and how the goal of motherhood is this beautiful, brutal kind of loss. Basically, I’m trying to soak in every messy, chaotic, ordinary moment -- even the 7:00am lunch-packing madness I swear I’ll miss someday.
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

May 5, 2026

10 min

So, you may think more or less of me after today’s episode -- which features teenage boys, a drone, and some very questionable judgment. Spoiler alert: everyone is fine and no one is going to jail, but the whole experience got me thinking about how our minds evolve over time. Maybe the second half of life isn’t about learning more, but about unlearning what’s no longer true.
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

Apr 30, 2026

10 min

Yes -- today is all about money. I could probably do dozens of episodes about this topic, but in this one I’m sharing a bit of the history of money -- from cowrie shells to crypto. And along the way, we might start to see that money isn’t quite as ‘solid’ as we think it is.
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

Apr 28, 2026

7 min

Today's episode is inspired by words by Bonnitta Roy (and shared by my friend, Cara Bradley): Go Slow, Stay Wide, Don't Chase. I think we all need permission to slow down and stop pushing. Me especially!
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

Apr 23, 2026

8 min

I love the idea of being spontaneous and go-with-the-flow but, the truth is, I'm not. I love planning. I love structure. I love being prepared. So, after many years, I've decided to stop apologizing for it -- this is just who I am and how I thrive. And maybe you can stop apologizing for being 'who are you' too.
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

And It's Decided!

Apr 21, 2026

Apr 21, 2026

11 min

Well, it's been a big few days in the Bloom/Kish household. Ben made his college decision -- in a very 'Ben' fashion. All about the 'feeling.' I would love to make decisions like him -- less analytical, more emotionally driven. Maybe I should I get shirt that says "Be More Like Ben" but that's probably weird. At least I get to write a podcast episode about it!
 
Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.
 
Here are links that I mention in the show!! 
 
🌱 Create the Life You Love Living Retreat (for women only)
🌱 Melissa Bloom's JOY SCHOOL!
🌱 Free workbook Your Daily Guide to Finding More Joy
🌱 Stay Connected Newsletter
🌱Schedule a 20 minute call with me for FREE!
🌱Check out my website
 
If you'd like to check out my book, The Path to Joy, on Amazon, click here!
 
If you'd like to connect, share your thoughts on the show, suggest a topic to discuss, etc.  please feel free to email me at: connect@melissabloom.life. I LOVE connecting!
 
Enjoy the journey!

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