Women In Wellness: Adrienne Enns of ‘May You Know Joy’ On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
I believe simplicity is key. The more we unclutter and keep things simple, the more ease there is to life. We can unclutter our minds through regular exercise and meditation. We can de-clutter our spaces and keep just what we need and what brings us joy. And, we can also double-check our calendars and keep our to-do lists and commitments simple. Let’s not overwhelm our lives with busy stuff.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Adrienne Enns.
Adrienne is the Founder and CEO of May You Know Joy Inc. May You Know Joy creates intention card decks to inspire our most intentional daily living. Adrienne’s creations are inspired by her journey of recovery.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Over 10 years ago, I had a career in advertising, a young family and a busy life. In hindsight, I can see how overwhelmed and stressed out I was. I had always loved to drink and at some point this crept in and became my go-to coping mechanism. I had horrible anxiety and debilitating panic attacks. This problem escalated until I landed myself in rehab wondering how in the world things had gone so wrong and also wondering what all of the ‘normal’ people were doing?
That was, by far, the worst and best thing that has ever happened. In the moment, it was a complete bottom. I was a shell of myself and saw no way out. It was also the best because it was a pivotal moment. Something deep inside me shifted and I decided to choose myself and create a new path forward. It’s very hard and slow going. Shame is heavy and living in this world sober is an entirely different ballgame. I sought out a lot of help. I realized how much energy I’d put into my own self-destruction and wondered what I could do if I used that energy for good?
I would ultimately leave that career to start May You Know Joy. It began as a small life coaching practice and I created some card decks to share with clients, family and friends. I created the card decks because similar decks had helped me. These simple daily reminders opened my eyes to new ways of thinking, to hope and to possibilities. I wanted to create my own to inspire people to connect with themselves and find joy in day to day living. The cards would ultimately take on a life of their own and here we are 7 years later with retail partners across North America and the globe.
Personally, this transformation has also taught me to find and cultivate joy. I make my personal well-being a top priority. It has allowed me to show up, to learn and grow. As a result, I have a strong relationship with my kids and beautiful friendships and relationships I could never have imagined. It has been a true gift.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
The thing that never ceases to amaze me is how far and wide the cards spread, who they reach and how people are touched. I often hear from people about how they chose a card, what it meant to them and how that shifted things. It’s so simple but, incredible at the same time. The cards are used in classrooms, in yoga studios, at seniors homes, by coaches and therapists. They’re in rural Africa and in retail stores across North America. I love their versatility and that they can spark joy wherever people are open to it. I regularly receive e-mails often or see social media posts to this end. It continues to blow my mind. I never get tired of it. In fact, it’s quite the opposite — I find it energizing and inspiring. It fills me with a lot of gratitude and joy. So, it’s a lot of little moments rather than one defining story per se and it reminds me that when we create from the heart and stay on a simple, consistent path, organic growth follows.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I think the biggest mistake I made was doing things that made my business feel “legitimate”. I paid a lot of attention to my logo and branding and having an office space. I believed I had to do things that “real” businesses did to be taken seriously. It was just a façade. I believe this was also combined with continuing to “hide” myself as I’d done in my active addiction days. These things were a drain financially and never yielded the results I’d tied to them.
When I began showing up authentically — just sharing my personal journey and attending tradeshows, markets and events — genuine conversations took place. I shared the cards and met all kinds of interesting people. I could really share the essence of what I wanted to create and contribute. It was imperfect, very meaningful and brought me joy. I was able to get great feedback and talk to people about their journeys. This made all the difference. I could make smarter financial and creative decisions. I was getting on the ground market research and I was able to build my business organically and authentically.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Today, we have an ever-expanding line of intention card decks. The premise is simple — people can choose a card and have it inspire their day and their actions. We have decks focused on joy, gratitude, recovery, love and self-care — with many more exciting projects in the pipelines.
The mission of May You Know Joy is to inspire people’s most mindful (and joyful!) daily living. We want to inspire them to open their aperture, be curious and create their lives on purpose. We want to remind people that it’s the simple things they do consistently that make a really big difference.
We want the card messages to be universal and resonate at the heart level. We also work with an incredible designer to deliver the reminders in a way that is intentional, inspiring and very beautiful.
In speaking to thousands of people, I see that many people have become very disconnected from the simple things that bring them joy. They deny themselves simple daily joys because they feel unworthy, like it has to be extravagant or they need to earn it. I have also seen that people want “big” joys or transformations and the magnitude of the desire often paralyzes them into inaction. So, our goal is to remind people that it’s the simple things we do consistently that create a life that we really want. If people need inspiration or ideas, that’s what we offer. We also want to encourage people to make the most of each day and remember to savor the simple things.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
- I encourage everyone to think about their intentions. When you’re starting the day or entering a new situation — this is a great opportunity to center ourselves and decide how we want to show up. In doing this, we’re aligning with ourselves and giving our energy and attention to what we’re choosing for ourselves. It won’t always go as we planned but, we also aren’t leaving things to chance.
- I believe simplicity is key. The more we unclutter and keep things simple, the more ease there is to life. We can unclutter our minds through regular exercise and meditation. We can de-clutter our spaces and keep just what we need and what brings us joy. And, we can also double-check our calendars and keep our to-do lists and commitments simple. Let’s not overwhelm our lives with busy stuff.
- Be kind to yourself. I’ve found that we can be our own toughest critics. It can be hard at first to be kind to yourself but, it can change everything. You can start when by looking in the mirror, smiling and say something kind. I know it sounds super hokey but, try it consistently and mean it. We can be kind to our bodies by moving them, hydrating them and letting them rest. You can text a friend, listen to a song you love or stop to smell the flowers. I encourage you to look for the many small things you can do in each to be a little kinder to yourself.
- Just being present in our lives is essential to our well-being. We can spend a lot of time stuck in the past or worrying about the future or generally distracted. We can miss our moments. A simple deep breath and a look around us can center us. Where am I? How am I feeling? What is here for me? Is there anything I need to shift? Let’s make our moments matter.
- And, last but not least, a tweak that can change everything is finding and cultivating our joy. I’ve spoken to thousands of people about this and joy can feel elusive or like something for later — once we’ve achieved things. It’s also common to feel like it’s for other people and we’re not worth it. I remind you that joy is already here and within you. Let’s stop and ask ourselves what actually brings us joy? What small activities, what people, what places, what music lights us up? And, can we look for little moments every day to find and cultivate joy. It’s this simple, consistent allowing for joy that really creates a joyful life.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
That’s a big question! I really believe that it’s the simple, consistent things that we do daily that add up and shift our course over time. To me, being intentional is foundational. Checking in with ourselves and our values and from there, deciding how we want to show up today. This means getting off autopilot and taking mindful action. One of my core intentions has been joy. Can we choose to create joy and harmony in our bodies and minds? Can we infuse joy into our moments, our actions and our communities? If we all opted to be intentional and commit to bringing a little more authentic joy to this world, perhaps our shoulders could drop, our hearts could open, we’d smile more and we could create some meaningful change — together.
So, I’d love for people to take a minute every morning to check in with themselves and set a mindful intention for the day. I want them to love themselves a little harder and take simple steps to cultivate joy in healthy and nourishing ways.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. Simple and consistent actions will make the biggest difference in the long run.
2. Take time (frequently) throughout the year to re-assess and to re-connect to your bigger vision.
3. Make plans and be open to the unexpected opportunities to come your way.
4. Look at the numbers, assess the risk and trust your gut.
5. You will make mistakes and, more often than not, those will be huge opportunities for growth and transformation.
To be honest, there are some things I’m happy people didn’t tell me like how long it would take and how many ups and downs there’d be. I’m glad I didn’t know that!
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health is a top priority for me. As I answer your question, I have recently celebrated my 10th year sober. I understand addiction and debilitating anxiety deeply. Recovering has been my most difficult and rewarding journey. I sought the help of many professionals (doctors, therapists, counsellors, healers, yoga teachers) and also faithfully adhere to the lifestyle tips I shared above. It’s not like one day you figure it all out. It’s always a work in progress.
When I was getting sober, I found it difficult to search out resources. That’s why I’m happy to see so many options and diverse voices sharing their experiences now. When we know we’re not alone, there’s hope. We need to eliminate the stigma around mental health issues. We need to make resources widely available and accessible at every level — without waitlists. Mental health is something I believe everyone is confronting — at varying degrees at different stages of life. Understanding how we can holistically improve our individual and collective mental health must be a priority.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Website: mayyouknowjoy.com
IG: @mayyouknowjoy
Thank you for these fantastic insights!
Women In Wellness: Adrienne Enns of ‘May You Know Joy’ On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.