The Junel Popp Podcast

Ep 14. Life Is Hard. Life Is Beautiful. It's Both, Always.

Last week I met with one of my dearest friends — a woman who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2023 and walked through hell and back. And she stood in front of me. Smiling. Shining. This episode is inspired by her, and by a question I've been sitting with: why is it so easy to share our happiness — and so hard to share our suffering? I talk about toxic positivity, the danger of pushing difficult emotions aside in the name of strength, and why half-living — whether through forced positivity or staying stuck in pain — robs us of the full experience of being alive. Life is not linear. It is hard and beautiful. Painful and full of joy. And we don't have to choose between the two. As my friend Charline reminded me — tutto passa. This too shall pass. The bad and the good. All of it. This episode is for anyone going through something really hard right now. You are not alone. 💛

Ep 13. Why we are tired

What if the thing that brings you the most joy is also the thing you were meant to do for a living? This week I'm talking about purpose — what it really means, why most of us were never taught to find it, and why we keep waiting to pursue what actually makes us happy. From watching the Rafa Nadal documentary and seeing the cost of pushing your body beyond its limits, to a conversation with a friend about how to raise kids who actually know themselves — this episode is a reminder that knowing thyself is the greatest gift you can give yourself and everyone around you. I talk about why so many C-level I've met were completely miserable despite the salary and the title, why tired people are usually just people not doing what makes them happy, and why I truly believe you can pay your bills and love what you do. You are worthy of it. And time here is not unlimited.

Ep 12. Let's stop dimming our lights

This one's the most honest episode yet. I've spent most of my life putting a lampshade over my light. Dimming my spiritual side whenever I started a new job, met someone new, or moved to a new place. Adapting, observing, surviving — and slowly forgetting who I actually am in the process. In this episode I talk about what it means to be deeply spiritual in a world that doesn't always have space for it. About the constant push and pull between shining fully and worrying you've gone too far. About the woo-woo gifts I've always known I have — and the years I spent pretending I didn't. I don't have it all figured out. But I'm tired of wearing the hat. This episode is for everyone out there dimming their light for the wrong audience. 💛 Happy Sunday everyone, I love you. Thank you for being here.

Episode 11 - My struggles with my intuition

"Follow your gut." "Trust your intuition." "The answer is within you." But what if you spent years completely disconnected from your body, your feelings, and your inner voice — and had no idea how to find any of it? In this episode, I share my long and complicated relationship with intuition. From growing up in an environment where emotions were shut down, to burnouts, digestive issues, and a body that was screaming what my mind refused to hear — I talk about what it really means to reconnect with yourself when you've been dissociated for most of your life. I also share what I'm doing differently now: how I've learned to quiet the mind, work with my feelings, and slowly — very slowly — learn to trust that quiet inner voice again. If you have any tips, advice on how to better connect with our intuition, please share! Sending you lots of love, have a beautiful week and Happy Sunday!

Episode 10 - Claim your worth

Banjo and I just arrived in France — and a Sunday market visit that left us both overstimulated opened up something much deeper.This week I'm talking about the thing that came up loudest during a few weeks of intense inner work: worth. Not self-esteem, not confidence — worth. That quiet, deep-down belief about whether you actually deserve good things.I share where this pattern came from for me, why so many of us stay in relationships, jobs, and situations that are less than we deserve, and the shift that happens when you finally stop trying to make people see your value — and just decide that you have it.If you've ever caught yourself settling, shrinking, or wondering why the same patterns keep repeating, this one's for you.Because you don't need to earn it. You just need to decide. As usual, if you want me to dive deeper, have questions or feedback, please leave a comment or write to me on instagram junel_popp. Have Sunday, I love you, and thank you for being here.