JoyFirst Experiences

Keynote: Story-driven, high-energy, practical, and deeply human.

JoyFirst is a heartfelt, participatory keynote built around a simple truth: joy and struggle can exist at the same time. Through stories of his life, including cancer survival and pulling a newspaper wagon uphill with his brother, Steven connects with audiences and helps them recognize what they’ve carried, accomplished and made possible for others.

Then the energy rises. The Bubble Wrap Mini Olympics gets the whole room moving, laughing and working together. The sunflower brings the keynote back to reflection, offering a fresh lesson in resilience: when life knocks us sideways, we can keep growing and turn toward the light.

Participants leave with the JoyFirst Journal—not just a memento, but a simple, practical way to notice struggles, recognize Joy Wins and reflect on the messy middle. It carries the keynote’s energy and lessons into everyday life, making joy something people can practice..

Companion  Workshops

01 / Joy of Others

Joy of Others is a 90-minute experiential workshop that helps participants rediscover connection as energizing, mutual, and strengths-based. Through visual storytelling, personal gift discovery, and a collaborative Gift Exchange activity, participants identify their own “superpower gifts” and learn how diverse strengths can combine to create practical ideas for schools, workplaces, and communities.

02 / Joy Of Self

In this 90-minute workshop, participants explore Special Projects: small restorative pursuits that reconnect them with themselves beyond performance and productivity. Through a story, guided reflection and a 5×5 discovery sheet, they discover the Five Doors to Joy of Self—Maker, Explorer, Architect, Mover and Mastery. This practice builds self-awareness, reconnects people with internal motivation, creativity and sustainable energy without performance pressure.

03 / Joy of Movement

Joy of Movement is a 90-minute experiential workshop that helps participants rediscover movement as joy, regulation, and embodied aliveness — not performance. Through story, film, guided reflection, memory recall, writing, and gentle activation, participants reconnect with how movement once made them feel and build a simple, realistic plan to bring that energy forward into adult life, work, and community.

Half-Day Experience

Joy in Action — Move. Discover. Connect.

A three-hour JoyFirst half-day begins with an inspirational mini-keynote about how joy and struggle can coexist. Steven’s heartfelt personal story grounds the message, while playful participation lifts the room’s energy and brings the idea to life.

Participants then explore activities from Joy of Movement—reconnecting with movement as a source of energy and aliveness—and Joy of Others, discovering their “superpower gifts” and combining strengths in a collaborative Gift Exchange. A guided introduction to the JoyFirst Journal gives everyone a simple way to notice struggles and recognize Joy Wins..

  • A three-hour mini-keynote and interactive workshop experience, available as a morning or afternoon session.

    • An inspirational mini-keynote on how joy and struggle can coexist.

    • Activities drawn from Joy of Movement and Joy of Others.

    • JoyFirst Journal PDF for participants; printed copies can be arranged at additional cost.

    • JoyKits for the first 36 participants. Additional JoyKits are available at a special group rate of $25 each.

    • Takeaway activity sheets for Joy of Movement and Joy of Others.

  • A sample three-hour schedule. We can adjust the timing to fit your group and setting.

    • Welcome and opening — 10 minutes

    • Mini-keynote — 30 minutes

    • Joy of Others: Superpower Gifts and collaborative Gift Exchange — 55 minutes

    • Break — 10 minutes

    • Joy of Movement activities — 45 minutes

    • JoyFirst Journal introduction, reflection and close — 30 minutes

  • The experience works best with 36–48 participants, arranged in small groups of three. Tables or desks are helpful so participants can write on their activity sheets, build their Joy of Self and Joy of Movement inventories, and develop ideas together. The room should also have enough open space for movement activities.

    We guide the group through each activity, including time to share the ideas they create together. The experience closes with the JoyFirst Journal: participants reflect on moments of joy and struggle from the workshop and try the simple Contrast Practice they can continue using afterward.