Episode 19 - From People-Pleasing to Personal Power: Lisa McCourt on Joy, Healing & LGBTQ+ Advocacy
By Jessica Garrison
Lisa McCourt is a forever learner of new things, a mama bear, a collaborator, and she is dedicated to making the world a better place. Her founding of the Joy School has changed the lives of so many and has allowed people to begin their journey towards healing and feeling joy.
It’s exhausting to be a people pleaser, and no one knows this better than Lisa. While talking about living out of her own expectations versus others’, Lisa says that if someone is having a bad day, we think it’s our fault. I remember saying one time that guilt is always my go-to emotion if someone isn’t happy or if something doesn’t work out. Even if I know in my head that there’s nothing I could’ve done to prevent it, I still feel bad. It’s taken me a long time to rewire my brain, but I still warp back to the old ways sometimes. It’s helpful to recognize the emotion, and I tell myself that it’s okay to feel the way I feel, but I still tell my brain that it has nothing to do with me. Not worrying about things you can’t change is a huge burden lifted off your shoulders than should’ve never been placed there to begin with. You don’t quite realize how much damage you were doing to yourself until you drop what is unnecessary.
Lisa mentioned her trans daughter during the episode, and I want to touch on the conversation she had with Melissa. Although Lisa didn’t know much about the trans community, it wasn’t difficult to understand. Lisa became the president of her local PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter, though you can find these organizations all over the country. Now more than ever it’s important to protect minorities and share correct information about the community. Lisa’s daughter was able to take her life back and live as herself unapologetically, which is what we want for everyone. It shouldn’t matter how someone else is living their life if they aren’t hurting anyone or spreading hate. The LGBTQ+ community spreads nothing but the idea of love—love between any group of people, and that’s what we should be aiming for. Lisa’s support and activism just proves her dedication to making the world a better place, but she reminds us that it goes beyond legislation. The work begins on the ground with people speaking up and bringing awareness to issues in the community. Lisa’s why is to be a voice of love, compassion, and justice in the world, and she does this so beautifully just by being herself.
I mentioned The Joy School earlier, a “unique online space where you can learn, relax, and unfold into your greatness while being seen, heard, and honored as the perfectly imperfect creature you are.” I love hearing from women like Lisa who are not only fighting the good fight for herself, but for others as well, whether she knows them personally or not. You can check out upcoming events for the Joy School with Lisa and begin a journey towards a new appreciation for yourself.
Ways to Engage: Next time someone asks you to do something, think about if you’re being authentically yourself with them or if you’re just doing it to please others. Think about if this action aligns with your own values before automatically agreeing to it.