Finding Simplicity by Leaving Chaos

Finding Simplicity by Leaving Chaos

Come and Grow is a podcast hosted by two dear friends, Joy Star Bright and Lauren Barr. Lauren runs The Smarter Creative, a business operations studio for creative entrepreneurs. Joy is a soul care coach at Meridian Soul Care. They're different in how they work and see the world, but deeply aligned in what they value. Each episode anchors in a value discussion and what each host is learning right now. In this episode: → Lauren made it happen: she figured out the logistics and is heading to the beach in South Carolina for a solo trip. Seven hours in the car alone, and she's very happy about it. → Joy dropped her son off at Camp Deerfoot in North Carolina for two weeks with no phones. Her mama heart is adjusting. → Joy is still working on her Instagram content pillars and is leaving Saturday for a 10-day trip that includes helping pack up Lucy's place. → The value this week is simplicity. Lauren and Joy unpack what it means, how it shows up differently for each of them, and why the opposite of simplicity isn't minimalism. It's chaos. → Joy shares something personal: years of overcomplicating her life were tied to self-sabotage and a deep belief that she didn't deserve to succeed. Simplicity changed when her identity changed. → Lauren notices AI-generated client emails that are needlessly elaborate and how complexity without self-expression is just cumbersome. → Lauren is doing a 40-day YAP challenge with a TikTok creator she followed. She's posting every day and gaining followers. The big lesson: soul over strategy. → Joy is in the Renovare Institute, writing papers, and noodling on the question of what it actually means to become like Jesus, especially as a woman. → Lauren is sitting with a belief she's still carrying: that making money has to require a lot of effort. She's not sure that's true. → Coming up: Joy is hiring a writing coach (Christina Hubbard) to help develop a certification for Meridian Soul Care, and possibly combine it with her Renovare final project. Prompts for this week: Where in your life are you overcomplicating something that could be simple? Is that connected to what you believe you deserve? What are you learning right now? (Lauren and Joy want to know. Hit their DMs.) Resources and Links Mentioned: Camp Deerfoot: https://blueridge.deerfoot.org/ [https://blueridge.deerfoot.org/] Renovare Institute: https://renovare.org/institute [https://renovare.org/institute] Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: https://dwillard.org/resources/books/renovation-of-the-heart [https://dwillard.org/resources/books/renovation-of-the-heart] Dallas Willard, Spirit of the Disciplines: https://dwillard.org/resources/books/spirit-of-the-disciplines [https://dwillard.org/resources/books/spirit-of-the-disciplines] A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly: https://quakerbooks.org/products/a-testament-of-devotion-2793 [https://quakerbooks.org/products/a-testament-of-devotion-2793] The YAP Challenge (Jessi Jean): https://www.instagram.com/jessijeanhome/ [https://www.instagram.com/jessijeanhome/] Lauren’s Personal Brand where the YAP Challenge is happening: @laurenbarr.co [https://www.instagram.com/laurenbarr.co] Christina Hubbard (writing coach and poet): https://www.christinahubbard.com/ [https://www.christinahubbard.com/] Meridian Soul Care: https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/ [https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/] The Smarter Creative: https://thesmartercreative.com [https://thesmartercreative.com] Connect with us: Lauren Barr: Website [https://thesmartercreative.com] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thesmartercreative/] | YouTube [https://youtube.com/@thesmartercreative] Joy Star Bright: Website [https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/meridian.soul/] We'd love to hear from you. What does simplicity mean to you? What are you learning right now? Drop a comment, leave a review, or send us a DM on Instagram. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comeandgrow.substack.com [https://comeandgrow.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

On Authenticity

Come and Grow is a podcast hosted by two dear friends, Joy Star Bright and Lauren Barr. Lauren runs The Smarter Creative, a business operations studio for creative entrepreneurs. Joy is a soul care coach at Meridian Soul Care. They're different in how they work and see the world, but deeply aligned in what they value. Each episode anchors in a value discussion and what each host is learning right now. In this episode: → Recap: Lauren's reformer Pilates verdict (four out of five, not sweaty, very bougie) → Joy met a woman at the Y who is turning 90 in November, runs 10Ks, and weighs what she weighed in high school. Joy recorded the conversation. You'll want to hear it. → This week's value: Authenticity. Lauren went to Merriam-Webster. Joy went to the Greek. Both landed in the same place: acting from self, not performing for others. IFS, parts work, and what "self" we're actually being authentic to → Lauren's one-journal-entry story that changed her life in her 20s → Joy's Substack essay on embodiment and what it took to start listening to her body → Lauren learned to make a paper zine. She brought one. Joy lost it. → What's coming up: Joy has a Renovare retreat in Colorado and a birthday trip to Texas. Lauren is deciding whether to make it to a family beach trip on Edisto Island, laptop question pending. ✍️ Prompts for this week: When are you not living your authentic self? When do you feel disconnected from who you want to be in this world? Sit with that. Take it to your journal. And if something surprises you, you don't have to share it with anyone. Full permission to keep that one for yourself. 📖 Resources and Links Mentioned: Raye, "Joy" from This Music May Contain Hope (2026): https://music.apple.com/us/album/joy/1871085677?i=1871086036 [https://music.apple.com/us/album/joy/1871085677?i=1871086036] IFS (Internal Family Systems) — Richard Schwartz: https://ifs-institute.com [https://ifs-institute.com] No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681 [https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681] The 8 Cs and 5 Ps of Self in IFS — 8 Cs: Curiosity, Compassion, Calm, Clarity, Courage, Confidence, Creativity, Connectedness. 5 Ps: Presence, Perspective, Patience, Persistence, Playfulness: https://ifs-institute.com [https://ifs-institute.com] The Renovare Institute: https://renovare.org/institute [https://renovare.org/institute] Cultivate by The Cageless Birds (Melissa Helser essay): https://shop.cagelessbirds.com/products/cultivate-the-head-to-the-heart-volume-1 [https://shop.cagelessbirds.com/products/cultivate-the-head-to-the-heart-volume-1] The Creative Bodega with Em Connors (Canva content creator): https://www.thecreativebodega.com/ [https://www.thecreativebodega.com/] Canva: https://www.canva.com [https://www.canva.com] Lauren's zine Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZCv86ZkWOH/?img_index=1 [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZCv86ZkWOH/?img_index=1] Free zine PDF formatter (Zine Arranger): https://nashhigh.itch.io/zinearranger [https://nashhigh.itch.io/zinearranger] 🌸 Connect with us: Lauren Barr The Smarter Creative: https://thesmartercreative.com [https://thesmartercreative.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesmartercreative/ [https://www.instagram.com/thesmartercreative/] YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thesmartercreative [https://youtube.com/@thesmartercreative] Joy Star Bright Meridian Soul Care: https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/ [https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meridian.soul/ [https://www.instagram.com/meridian.soul/] We'd love to hear what authenticity means to you. Drop us a DM on Instagram, leave a comment on YouTube, or send us a voice note. We want to hear your actual voice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comeandgrow.substack.com [https://comeandgrow.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Turning Towards Wholeness

Welcome to Come and Grow, a podcast hosted by two friends who live in a small mountain town in Virginia. Lauren runs The Smarter Creative, a business operations studio for creative entrepreneurs. Joy is a soul care coach at Meridian Soul Care. They are different in how they work and see the world, but deeply aligned in what they value. This show is rooted in two things: a value discussion and what each host is currently learning. The invitation is simple: come, and grow with us. In this episode: ● Who Lauren and Joy are and how they met (paint smocks were involved) ● The story behind the podcast name Come and Grow, and what each word means to them ● Their first value: Wholesomeness. What it is, what it is not, and why it matters right now ● What they are each learning: Lauren is reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and sitting with the S.A.V.E.R.S. framework. Joy discovered that creativity breeds more creativity, and is making peace with keeping her art in the hobby lane for now. ● What is coming up: Lauren tries reformer Pilates for the first time and has a birthday massage on the calendar. Joy is working on an email about disembodiment and what it means to honor your body’s design. LET US KNOW What does “wholesome” mean to you? Drop us a DM on Instagram or leave a comment on YouTube. We would love to hear it. Resources Mentioned:Joy’s Business Coach, Minette Riordan: https://www.minetteriordan.com/ [https://www.minetteriordan.com/]  The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: https://miraclemorning.com/books/ [https://miraclemorning.com/books/] The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-happiness-trap-second-edition-how-to-stop-struggling-and-start-living-russ-harris/ce72845c925af76b?ean=9781645471165&next=t [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-happiness-trap-second-edition-how-to-stop-struggling-and-start-living-russ-harris/ce72845c925af76b?ean=9781645471165&next=t]  The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252 [https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252] The Renovare Institute: https://renovare.org/institute [https://renovare.org/institute] Flewd Bath Soaks: https://flewdsoaks.com [https://flewdsoaks.com] Connect with Joy: Meridian Soul Care: https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/ [https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meridian.soul/ [https://www.instagram.com/meridian.soul/] Connect with Lauren: The Smarter Creative: https://thesmartercreative.com [https://thesmartercreative.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesmartercreative/ [https://www.instagram.com/thesmartercreative/] YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thesmartercreative [https://youtube.com/@thesmartercreative] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comeandgrow.substack.com [https://comeandgrow.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]