What if joy isn’t the reward after hard work, but the fuel that makes the work energizing, generative, and sustainable?
That’s the question at the center of this week’s Subtraction Session, and it’s one that M. Shannon Hernandez has been living — and working on — for over a decade.
Shannon is the founder of Joyful Business Revolution, the author of Practical Joy, and the creator of a motto that has traveled around the world in ways she never anticipated: If it ain’t joyful, we ain’t doing that shit.
(It started with a standing ovation in a Mormon community. You’ll want to hear that story.)
In our conversation, Shannon and I got into:
The joy line: her elegant framework for deciding what to delegate, delete, or deal with (and why it matters that her dentist gives out candy)
Message sovereignty: why over-relying on AI to write costs you the very reason you’re writing in the first place
Practical joy vs. spiritual bypassing: how Shannon lives in grief and gratitude without skipping either
Joy as fuel: and the surprising moment her CFO told her she could retire, and why she’s still working
This is a WORLD week conversation for a reason. Because joy, at scale, isn’t just personal wellness. It’s a stance against extractive systems in business, in marketing, in education, in how we show up for the people we’re trying to serve.
Shannon left a 15-year teaching career in Spanish Harlem when she wrote in her journal: I deserve to be happy again. From there, she built a million-dollar business. Then she moved to Valencia, Spain, scaled back, and kept going, because the work itself is the joy.
Watch the full Subtraction Session to hear more. And stay tuned for details on Shannon’s summer book club, where she’ll guide people through finding your own practical joy, to fuel a life that feels as good as it looks.
And then consider: What would you subtract today to let joy back in?
I’d love to hear what you come up with. Reply here, or add a comment directly on substack.
Shannon's prescription: subtract your phone for 15 minutes and stare at the ceiling. Mine: try it.
Or hang out with your coffee, in a Diane Shiffer-inspired Sit and Stare. Either way, have a great rest of the week and keep on rollin’!
Nell
