Choose Joy with Nancy Nance

My Next Breath

The only obstacle in your way… is you. There was a moment in my life when breathing was not automatic. It was a choice. When Emily died… my next breath became the only thing that mattered. I remember the mantra that floated into my consciousness like a life raft: The only obstacle in your way is you. And I held onto it. The way a drowning person holds onto air. Because in trauma, panic comes fast. It slips its icy fingers around your throat. It tells you you cannot survive this. But I knew something. Conscious breath would save me. I had to help Jarett. I had to honor my daughter’s life. I had to continue mine… even though part of me wanted to disappear. Stress is an early, fear-fueled ego response. It feels urgent. It feels powerful. But it is useless. What saved me was body awareness. The body is the instrument through which we experience life. And in those seconds — I chose breath over panic. Instead of staying on the dock beside my daughter’s body… I went to my son. I chose the living. Later, the flood of grief came with a question: Who am I living for now? And instantly, images of my family filled my heart. I could not allow despair to take me from them too. Go to Jarett. Care for the living. Stress kills more people than we realize. But unconscious fear is what suffocates us. Looking back, I can see how life left me breadcrumbs. Every hardship had trained me for that moment. Here’s something I’ve learned: We don’t suddenly become different people in trauma. We bring our past with us. Our patterns. Our coping skills. Our awareness. My twin gifts were simple: Knowing when to breathe. And not panicking when something goes wrong. Information quiets fear. We are afraid of the unknown. Ignorance is simply lack of data. And when fear loses oxygen… we live. Eternal love cannot exist without suffering. Death is visible. Love is invisible. But love is what lasts. If you are in a season where nothing feels fast enough… where grief feels suffocating… Start here. Find your next breath. Just one. Because sometimes that is all survival requires. And if this message spoke to you… this is what we do here. On Recover Your Joy - Nancy Nance - Exponential Joy, we learn how to breathe through the impossible. We learn how to transform pain into exponential growth. We learn how to recover joy. If this resonated with you, subscribe. Share it with someone who may need their next breath today. And remember… Joy is not gone. It is waiting — on the other side of fear. I’ll see you in the next video.

I Am Here Now

Inspiration. I am so excited. I am so blessed. I walk in the footsteps of those before me — and I am inspired. And then… I step beyond their footprints and begin to make my own path. I take one step in faith. Maybe another. Above me — blue sky. Possibility. Expansion. Promise. And then the shadows roll in like clouds. Darkness moves across the light. I grow timid. Afraid. The blue disappears. Doubt fills the space where certainty once lived. For a moment, I feel lost. Nowhere. But somewhere deep inside, I know the way out. If I squint my eyes and look into the faraway distance, I can see it — The silver lining. A sparkle. A soft pink shimmer on the clouds, like cotton candy at a summer fair. Hope does not disappear. It waits. I sit down on the path beside a tree. I wrap myself in a blanket. I remove the necklace from my neck and begin to count my breaths. Inhale. Exhale. The wind brushes past me. The chill of fear tries to creep in. A whisper rises — soft, uncertain. Old doubts stir. Old fears try to wake. But with each breath comes something else. A distant scent — lilac trees from my childhood. Comfort. Joy. Wildflowers of memory begin to bloom. Hope fills my lungs. Patience steadies my heartbeat. Trust settles gently into my bones. My chest rises. My arms tingle. With each breath I am nourished by love. Not borrowed love. Not earned love. Love that has always been there. I feel strength returning — not loud, not forceful — but steady. Just for today, I am ready to rise again. In this moment, I am strong. And suddenly — I feel childlike delight. I lift my legs to skip. My arms rise to spin. The heaviness loosens. I am ten years old again. Curious. Open. Joyful. My journey begins again. Not from scratch — but from wisdom. I am filled with pure trust. Pure joy. In this moment I can be anyone. I can become everything. With a fairy smile and a contagious giggle, I erupt in glittering laughter. Not because life is perfect. But because I am present. I AM NOW HERE. And here… is enough. If you have been walking under heavy clouds… If doubt has replaced your blue sky… Pause. Breathe. Return to now. You do not have to solve your whole life today. You only have to come back to this moment. Presence is power. Breath is medicine. Joy is available. If this episode touched your heart, subscribe to Exponential Joy. Share it with someone who needs a reminder that hope is still shimmering behind the clouds. And today — choose to be here. Fully. Because here is where your joy begins again.

The Power of Infinite Love and Gratitude

The power of infinite love… and gratitude. There are three lessons on the journey to owning MY power. Not borrowed power. Not inherited power. Not permission-based power. Mine. And maybe… yours too. First — Living life powerfully takes the courage of a lion. Not the absence of fear. Not the absence of doubt. But the willingness to rise anyway. To stand anyway. To move anyway. Courage is not always loud. Sometimes it is a whisper that says, “Try again tomorrow.” Sometimes it is the quiet decision to begin — before you feel ready. To take the step while your knees are still shaking. That is power. [Lesson Two – Choice] Second — Power is a choice. It is not something granted. It is not something waited for. It is not something someone hands you. It is chosen. Every morning. With every sunrise. To embrace the day fully. Not halfway. Not cautiously. Not shrinking. Fully. You decide this day matters. You decide your presence matters. You decide you matter. And when you decide — your energy shifts. Your posture shifts. Your voice shifts. Your life shifts. Because chosen power is embodied power. And third — We need each other. We were never designed to do this alone. We are a lion pack. We are a wolf pack. We are a flock of geese — Rotating leadership. Lifting when one grows tired. Flying farther together than we ever could alone. Together we survive. Together we heal. Together we thrive. You can heal the deepest wounds. You can climb the highest mountains. You can swim the deepest oceans. But love multiplies in community. Strength expands in connection. Gratitude anchors us in truth. Each sunrise is proof. Proof that darkness does not win. Proof that light returns. Proof of your unlimited potential. Infinite love is not weakness. It is alignment. Gratitude is not passive. It is power anchored in appreciation instead of fear. When you live from love — you expand. When you live from gratitude — you stabilize. And expansion plus stability creates exponential joy. So today — Take back your power. Not with force. But with awareness. Not with control over others. But with mastery over yourself. Your destiny is not ahead of you. It is here. Now. Waiting for your yes. And you are ready. If this message resonated with your spirit… Subscribe to Exponential Joy. Share this episode with someone who needs to remember their strength. And today — choose courage. Choose connection. Choose gratitude. Because infinite love multiplies when you live it. And your power was never missing. It was waiting for you to claim it.

Adjust Your Altitude

Today I want to invite you to see something differently. What if an attitude adjustment is actually an altitude adjustment? When a plane wants to rise, it doesn’t fight gravity. It adjusts its angle. And when you want to rise in your life, you don’t have to fight everything around you. You adjust your thinking. You release old, outgrown beliefs. You let go of thoughts that once protected you but now limit you. Every limiting belief is baggage. Every resentment is extra weight. Every doubt you rehearse is another rock in your suitcase. Have you been feeling heavy? Burdened? Exhausted from carrying your own thoughts? Are you dragging around stones of comparison? Bricks of guilt? Rocks of “not enough”? How long have you been hauling those? And here’s a better question — What would happen if you put them down? When you lighten your mental and emotional load, you gain altitude. And altitude changes perspective. From higher ground, problems shrink. From higher ground, possibilities expand. Do you ever wish you could take a vacation from your life? Just escape it for a while? Now imagine this — What if you created a life you didn’t need a vacation from? What if instead of escaping, you adjusted? Do you surround yourself with people whose company you enjoy? Do you enjoy your own company? Because attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching? If someone spent a week around you, would they rise — or feel heavier? Self-understanding is the key to self-success. Your conscious and subconscious thoughts are steering your dream ship every single day. So pause and ask yourself honestly — Am I captaining The Love Boat… or replaying The Titanic? Both ships move. But only one is aligned with joy. When you shift your attitude, you shift your altitude. When you shift your altitude, you change your destination. You were not designed to crawl through life under the weight of old thinking. You were designed to rise. Lighten the load. Release the rocks. Adjust the angle. And fly in the direction of your dreams with greater ease. The sky has always been available to you. You just needed to adjust. If this message lifted something inside you… Subscribe to Exponential Joy. Share this episode with someone who’s been carrying too much. And today, choose one belief to release. One resentment to forgive. One thought to reframe. Because the moment you adjust your attitude — you begin to rise. And Exponential Joy was always waiting at a higher altitude.

Stand in Your Power

Are you like me? A people pleaser? Have you given your power away? Do you want it back? Do you want to be authentic? Did you buy into someone else’s idea of who you are? Are you ready to face your fears… your shadows… the parts of yourself you’ve avoided? Good. Let’s do this. How? By being authentic. By owning our power. This is Beautiful Beast Mode. Where your softness and your strength become one integrated force. Not beauty or beast. But both. Balanced. Whole. Power begins with honesty. What do you value about yourself? Not what others praise. Not what gets applause. Not what makes you acceptable. What do you value? What gifts do you carry? What wisdom have you earned? What strength did you build quietly while surviving hard seasons? What commodity lives inside you? And do you have the courage to bring it into the world? That long-term love connection you are seeking… It starts with you. Supporting yourself. Emotionally. Financially. Spiritually. Validating yourself. It is time to end the repetition pattern of not owning your power. Suppressing who you are no longer serves you. The relationships that ended — the ones that didn’t support your growth — they gave you clarity. They showed you what you do not want. That is wisdom. Now remove the mask. The mask that smiles to keep the peace. The mask that shrinks to make others comfortable. The mask that hides your brilliance. Radical transformation becomes available when you stop performing and start embodying. Stand in your power. You’ve been shaken. Good. Now you know what doesn’t serve you. Now you know what does. Be independent of other people’s validation. Support yourself. No more victim mentality. Step into victor mentality. Not ego. Not arrogance. Soul-centered power. Not self-centered. Use your power correctly. No manipulation. No expectation. No resentment. Self-love opens worthiness. Not everyone will love you. Not everyone will understand you. That is not your responsibility. Integrity and authenticity are your true sunlight. Continue your self-care. Do not burn out trying to prove yourself. Empty your plate of what no longer aligns. Create space for your dream. Your work matters. Your legacy matters. Yes — there is darkness. There are tests. Your shadow will bring them forward. Resistance and denial will pull you backward. But awareness moves you forward. Face your greatest fears. What is the best that could happen if you stopped running? What kingdom could open if you walked through the cavern instead of around it? Fear is often just False Evidence Appearing Real. The door of the prison is open. The chains are unlocked. You are not a victim. Be who you are — from the inside out. Wish others well. Operate from pure intent. You cannot work against others and expect to rise yourself. What lives inside you reflects outside you. To overcome duality, you must accept both shadow and light. And choose the light. You are not searching for it. You are it. Stand up. Birth the ideas that sing in your soul. Those sparks of creativity? They are not random. They are invitations. You are enough. Strong enough. Capable enough. Worthy enough. Affirm it: I am enough. Be fearless. What do you truly have to lose? Self-awareness is your work now. And power is not domination. Power is alignment. Power is integrity. Power is authenticity lived out loud. Stand in it. And watch your life respond. If this message stirred something inside you… Subscribe. Share this episode with someone who needs to remember who they are. And today — choose one place in your life where you will stop shrinking and start standing. This is Exponential Joy.