Welcome to the Kim Strobel Joy Newsletter!

  Where did summer go?  

For those new to my email list, I send out a monthly newsletter to my entire list, not just my educator list. I share a bit about the going-on's in my life, my favorite things, and some inspirational thoughts. 

What's happenin' over here.

August has been a whirlwind. I was in a different state, delivering a keynote almost daily! It was exhilarating, motivating, exhausting, and exciting. I think one of my favorite things is seeing all the goodness that is happening in school districts.

For example, when I was in Beatrice, Nebraska, I was walking out with an older woman with a shirt that read Foster Grandparent, so I stopped to ask her about it.

She said her name is Grandma Helen, and she is a foster grandparent along with others. She volunteers her time all day on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.

She spends time in classrooms helping teachers, especially kids who come from traumatic backgrounds and need to know they are loved and cared for.

She said she does puzzles with them, helps them learn how to hold a pencil and scissors, and, most importantly, she makes them feel loved. What a wonderful program this school district has for retired people who want to make a difference in a child's life.

I was in Pottsboro, Texas, giving a keynote on "Remember You Why: How to Reclaim Your Purpose & Ignite Your Passion." In the crowd was a 4th-grade student who was attending the keynote because his sitter fell through. I noticed how engaged he was during my presentation, and he even joined in on the dance party at the front of the auditorium. (Yes, we do dance parties during my keynotes).

During the presentation, I ask participants to think about their "why" and share it with a partner. Then, in the end, we shared a few of our "why's" whole group.

This young man, Bowen, came up to the front, placed himself in front of the microphone, and shared his why. He said, My why is that I want to create a YouTube channel and make videos that make people happy." This 9-year-old is already thinking about what kind of impact he wants to have to make the world a better place.

I am always so blessed to encounter such good people all across the country whose work is heart-centered and genuine. Each of you that I met during August was a gift to me. Thanks for the smiles, hugs, and Instagram messages!

Books I'm reading...

I'm obsessed with Colleen Hoover! I don't know how she came out of the woodwork, but I cannot stop listening/reading her books. They are soooooo good! 

Quote, I'm Digging!

I saw this quote and was reminded of the Power of the Pause, as my friend Loretta shared. I'm a HUGE reactor, and I'm trying to get better at this and create some space between what is happening and how I want to respond.

I actually had a big WIN on this recently. Someone who triggers me, as in he's been triggering me for 20 + years, sent me his normal nasty text in response to a simple question I had asked.

Usually, I would respond and say something like, "Why do you have to take a simple neutral text and respond with negativity towards me." But instead, I didn't respond.

Oh, I started to type a text back to him, but then something in me stopped myself, and I deleted what I was texting and didn't respond. It's taken me 22 years to learn not to engage with him, and I finally did it!

In Case You Missed The Last Few Podcast Episodes 

Season 8 of She Finds Joy has been crazy-fun. I want to make sure you are not missing out on any of these amazing episodes!