Hi Reader -
"Joy is the matriarch of a family of emotions. She won't come into your house if her children are not welcome."
— Joe Hudson
I used to look at emotions as a hierarchy.
At the top was the pinnacle state of Joy and Bliss.
At the bottom — the dreaded state of Shame.
Today we even know the vibrational frequency of each emotion, and scientifically, can map the spectrum of vibration into what we call the emotional ladder or emotional scale.
The problem, though, is when we look at this hierarchical scale through the lens of judgment.
If I see the top of the scale as “good” and the bottom as “bad,” then I end up judging a significant portion of my human experience as “bad.”
Imagine my awe when I discovered a graphic that literally flipped my understanding upside down.
This graphic is based on the original image created by Dr. David Hawkins who pioneered this work of emotional vibrational frequency.
This image more accurately depicts the emotional state of contraction vs. expansion we feel with each frequency.
We still see joy at the top but look how expanded she is to truly embrace all of her children!🥰
That shift in perspective aligns so beautifully with Joe Hudson’s words:
“Joy is the matriarch of a family of emotions. She won't come into your house if her children are not welcome.”
This quote hit me right in the heart.
It reframes everything I’ve believed about emotional “success.”
Instead of seeing joy as the reward at the pinnacle, I now see her as the wise mother — the most expansive one of all who welcomes and embraces all her children.
There’s something so comforting about this image.
It invites me to mirror her — to become the wise mother to myself.
To love and accept all parts of me.
To welcome every emotion without judgment.
And goodness...
the peace this brings is indescribable.
It makes the old idea of joy — as a reward for righteousness or perfect obedience — feel like fool’s gold. (Because it requires us to judge and reject parts of our self and our experience as "bad".)
While this — the full love and acceptance of all of me, all of life, and all of my feelings — feels like the real thing.
This may feel counterintuitive at first, especially if you were conditioned otherwise.
That’s why I invite you to test it for yourself.
Next time you find yourself at the “lower” contracted end of the scale, ask:
- What happens if I welcome this feeling?
- Can I breathe into it and make space?
- Can I let it be here — just as it is?
- Can I love and accept this part of me?
In my own practice, the effect on my nervous system — and on my heart — has been astonishing.
The relief.
The expansion.
It almost feels too good to be true… And yet it’s not. It’s real. It's so so real. And it’s available to everyone.
If joy truly is the matriarch of all emotions,
then it stands to reason: she is wide open.
She welcomes all of it.
That’s exactly what we’ll explore together in this month's breathwork session:
Accessing Joy.
Because here’s the thing:
If we’re not feeling joy, chances are we’re not allowing ourselves to feel something else...One of her children.
When we welcome what we’ve repressed or suppressed, we open the door to feel her, too.
I know this can feel scary sometimes. That’s why, as a certified trauma-informed coach, I’m here to hold space for you — in safety, in tenderness, and in unconditional love.
If this calls to your heart, I’d be honored to have you with us.
Joy is bigger and more expansive than we may have ever been told.
Why?
Because she is everything.
The all. The alpha and the omega.
You are so loved, dear one. All of you is welcome.
Delightfully,
brooke
P.S. Can’t make it live? You’ll get the replay for 21 days — but if you can be there in the moment, the shift runs deeper. I’d love to hold space for you. Register HERE.