New podcast Joy First helps listeners prioritise happiness over hustle

Joy First is a new podcast for those who feel like they spend most of their energy each day simply surviving.

The series is hosted by J. Nichole Smith aka Nic, a creative consultant and artist who has spent nearly two decades helping people and brands embrace colour and joy in a world obsessed with “doing more”.

Nic digs into the science and psychology behind joy, giving actionable advice for those who feel too busy to make happiness happen. Through expert interviews, personal stories, and practical tips, listeners will learn how to make joy a priority without feeling like it’s just another task on their to-do list.

The first season centres around using colour to create joy, diving into topics that will inspire and uplift, like understanding how our personality types and colour preferences shape our individual definitions of joy.

Nic reveals how to change the colours you wear to change your day, colourful ways to ease Seasonal Affective Disorder, the advantage of choosing the foods you eat based on colour, and she introduces us to the ‘four personality types of Christmas’ providing useful insights into how understanding colour preferences can make decorating, entertaining and gift-giving easier and more joyful than ever.

In one of the episodes, she speaks with recurring guests, Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle & Justin Nai’im Hurdle-Price about the significance of colour in their lives, particularly in relation to identity, race, and culture, including the impact of a lifetime of navigating predominantly white spaces as individuals of colour.

Nic says: “As a serial entrepreneur, a working mum with two young kids, a highly-sensitive person and a human who finds it hard to do all that ‘self-care’ stuff we’re supposed to do, like meditating, journaling and drinking enough water… distilling-down and sharing the principles of what I call ‘joy first’ living and working has been a total game changer for myself and my clients (who also struggle with that illusive work life balance myth).

“I’m excited to finally share these joy first principles and our most popular recipes and rituals more widely, so more people can benefit from the transformative power that learning to prioritise joy can have.”

Launching today, Wednesday 6 November, the first three episodes are available on all major podcast platforms. New episodes will be released bi-weekly.