# \[REPLAY\] More Than Mental Health: The Scatter Joy Project with Zach Thompson

An episode of [Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1159498258), 8 May 2026, 33 min.

Audio: https://prefix.up.audio/s/pdst.fm/e/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/clrtpod.com/m/mgln.ai/e/35/audio2.redcircle.com/episodes/bbd7077e-991a-4cdb-bd79-4e48faf9ffd7/stream.mp3

In this episode, Diane sits down with Zach Thompson, founder of the Scatter Joy Project, to discuss the personal experiences that led him to become an advocate for mental health awareness and accessibility. Zach shares how his own journey shaped the mission behind Scatter Joy Project - an initiative focused on making mental health resources more affordable, approachable, and community-driven. Together, they explore the importance of changing the conversation around mental health, reducing stigma, and creating cultures of care where people feel supported rather than isolated. ------------------------------- Links Discussed in This Episode | • Order a Copy of Minimalist Moms: Living and Parenting with Simplicity • Connect with Zach: • Scatter Joy Project • Instagram • LinkedIn About Zach | Zachariah Thompson is the founder of the mental health nonprofit, The Scatter Joy Project. In his work with Scatter Joy and as a speaker, he aims to make complex social-emotional concepts a bit simpler to grasp and put into practice. His own personal journey with anxiety and battle with suicidal ideation has inspired all of this, to help people become more aware of the strength in their story and the joy to be had in life. Zach is also a proud husband and father, and he is newly obsessed with the idea of 20-second hugs and the scientific power they hold in the world of happiness. Episode Sponsors | The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal! Enjoy the Podcast? Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity. You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook. Our Sponsors: * Check out BetterHelp and use my code betterhelp.com for a great deal: https://www.betterhelp.com * Check out Cure Hydration and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com * Check out DeleteMe and use my code joindeleteme.com/MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://joindeleteme.com * Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

## Transcript

[0:00] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Since May is mental health awareness month, I wanted to revisit a conversation that feels especially important right now.
[0:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: In today's episode, I'm resharing my conversation with Zack Thompson, founder of the Scatter Joy Project.
[0:12] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Zack's work is centered around making mental health support more accessible, affordable, and rooted in community care, something I think many of us are craving right now.
[0:20] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I also think this conversation speaks to a larger theme that I often explore here on the podcast.
[0:25] \[SPEAKER_00\]: The idea that intentional living isn't just about decluttering our homes.
[0:30] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It's also about paying attention to our inner world, our emotional well-being, and the ways we support both ourselves and one another.
[0:36] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So whether you're currently feeling overwhelmed, stretched then, or simply just need a reminder that you're not meant to carry everything alone, I hope this episode encourages you.
[0:50] \[SPEAKER_02\]: The thing that saved me was mentors really encouraging me to live a life of service or try to.
[1:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It kind of like created this idea that it was like, you can never go wrong with getting your eyes off of yourself.
[1:09] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I might not have all the solutions for the pain that I'm going through or the grief that I'm going through or the changes in my life that I'm going through.
[1:16] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But if I can do something to give back to someone else or mentor someone else or encourage someone else, then I think it's a little easier to manage you feel a little better about your situation and might not solve it, but it's a little bit of the remedy there.
[1:31] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Hello and welcome to the minimalist mom's podcast.
[1:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Joining me today is founder of the Scatter Joy Project, Zack Thompson.
[1:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Today, Zack shares his personal journey that led him to prioritize mental health and create the Scatter Joy Project.
[1:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: This nonprofit aims to make mental health resources more accessible and affordable.
[1:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And throughout the conversation, Zack emphasizes the importance of shifting the narrative around mental health and promoting a community caring model.
[1:59] \[SPEAKER_01\]: This was a great conversation, and I absolutely love the addition of a male's perspective on the show from time to time.
[2:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Also, I don't know if you know this, but May is mental health awareness month, and it's something that's important to me.
[2:10] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've seen the benefit in my own life, the prioritizing my mental health, whether it's through therapy, sharing with a friend, getting in nature.
[2:18] \[SPEAKER_01\]: but so many individuals and families affected by mental illness don't have the support they need.
[2:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So may as a month it brings attention to this problem and how we can band together as community is to ultimately extend support to those that are most in need.
[2:31] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I can't wait for you to hear this conversation with Zach, but before we get there I quickly want to share a minimalist moment slash resource of the week.
[2:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I wasn't sure how to categorize this one because I actually want to share a tip that I saw on Instagram and I so wish that I could get credit to the creator.
[2:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Honestly, if any of you have seen the same Instagram reel, please let me know and I'll add it to the showdowns.
[2:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But I saw a real suggesting that for every package you receive, you fill up that box with donations and or decluttered items from your home and get rid of it.
[3:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's kind of like the one-in-one-out rule, but you're doing it every time that you get a package.
[3:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I was saying my husband, even if it's a small box man's on, I'm thinking you could go through your drunk drawer, maybe under your bathroom, sing, old makeup, just a clever way to continue the decluttering process throughout your week.
[3:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So again, if you know of the Instagram creator that originally had this thought, let me know and I'll include it in the show notes, but I thought that tip was too good not to share here.
[3:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So hopefully it was helpful to you.
[3:25] \[SPEAKER_01\]: In lastly, if you have been enjoying the minimalist mom's podcast, please pause for a moment to leave a rating review.
[3:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've been so grateful for all of you that have left reviews over the past month.
[3:35] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm not the most sentimental of people, but your words do have a huge impact on me, and I'm so grateful for them, and I'm so grateful that the show has continued to find an audience that thinks the content is worthwhile.
[3:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So thank you, thank you for those ratings and reviews.
[3:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Thank you for sharing it with friends and your community.
[3:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm just so appreciative.
[3:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Okay, and with that, let's get in this conversation with Zach.
[4:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I mean, one of the reasons I reached out to you is because you are local to Columbus, and I like what you're doing with the Scatterjoy project.
[4:07] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So, we'll obviously get into that, but do you go by Zach or Zach or I, by the way?
[4:13] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, you can call me Zach.
[4:14] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Zacharias a hard first name to say it trips people up sometimes so I always sign up for things like Zacharias or that sign my emails Zacharias because I was registering for yoga class one time in this lady I was like, yeah, Zach when I got there and she was like, oh, we don't have Zach like we have Zacharias and I was like, oh, yeah, that's me.
[4:34] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And she was like, well, you should always go by Zachariah.
[4:36] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, that's a beautiful name.
[4:38] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Your mom named you that.
[4:39] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so to honor her, I always sign up for stuff as Zachariah now.
[4:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Oh, that's funny.
[4:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I have a Benjamin.
[4:46] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I didn't want him to be Ben, but he's actually kind of become a Benji.
[4:51] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And I feel like most people come up Benji.
[4:53] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Ooh, I like that.
[4:54] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yes.
[4:55] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But I do love Benjamin.
[4:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I mean, there's a purpose behind these classic long names.
[4:59] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I love that.
[5:01] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I love that.
[5:01] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, my my daughter just randomly yesterday just started calling me Zackie.
[5:06] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So maybe maybe Zackie will start to become a thing with my daughter leading the way with that change.
[5:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah.
[5:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: That's funny.
[5:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Okay.
[5:15] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So Zack.
[5:15] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'm going to call you Zack for sake of ease.
[5:18] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Tell me a little bit more about yourself.
[5:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You're local to Columbus.
[5:21] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Maybe give a brief introduction of who you are and then we'll get into the story of how you started the Scatterjoy project.
[5:28] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, so local hearing clumbus, my name is Zach Thompson, my wife and I and our two kids.
[5:33] \[SPEAKER_02\]: We have a four year old daughter and a two year old son.
[5:36] \[SPEAKER_02\]: They just turned to on May 5th.
[5:39] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So, Cinco de Mayo, baby.
[5:40] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So, so I'm going to live through them a little fiesta here recently.
[5:44] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But we live in Westerville, Ohio.
[5:46] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And we've been in Columbus since about 2014.
[5:49] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And it's just the best place to live in my opinion.
[5:53] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I just love it.
[5:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And yeah, so I moved out here originally from Iowa.
[5:57] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I moved out here to play baseball in college and my wife and I, we met in grad school and the rest was history.
[6:03] \[SPEAKER_02\]: My family says, you know, it's like they would love to have me back in Iowa, but you know, she got to stay here.
[6:09] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I just met too many, too many amazing friends here.
[6:12] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I met my wife here and laid down roots and that's just home now.
[6:16] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so a lot of things that we've seen within the community, a lot of things that we've seen in Columbus and the, uh,
[6:27] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But what the idea was behind Scatterjoy, and I'm sure we'll get into that a little bit more, but yeah, we're desperately in love with Columbus and what it has to offer here.
[6:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I know, but I kind of don't want you to say that because then people are going to know and then they're going to move here and it's not going to be as good.
[6:42] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It is, I think Forbes just came out and said it's the fastest growing city in the country right now.
[6:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So I think the secret's out, but we belong in a cool little neighborhood here that I think just doesn't have the chance to expand anymore.
[6:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So I think it's going to stay true to its roots,
[6:57] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, I mean it's good for it's good for the nonprofit I think as the city grows I think more eyes will come to know scattered joy
[7:05] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And we've really intentionally built it to be have the capacity for a nationwide organization.
[7:10] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so it's been pretty fun to see it expand here.
[7:14] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And even one of my friends, he was saying, like, I was on a flight from Arizona back to Columbus, and I saw someone rocking, scattered joy gear.
[7:23] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so that was just pretty fun to see it, to see it kind of grow legs within the first three years here.
[7:30] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yes, absolutely.
[7:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I do think Columbus is a great place to start a nonprofit, just because you have that midwest feel, uh, I want to help.
[7:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I want to be of service to you.
[7:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: How can I spread the word.
[7:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Again, one of the reasons I wanted to have you on, but also I love talking to people that are local.
[7:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I love supporting local businesses because it kind of just like how can we all help each other.
[7:49] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I genuinely love to see people.
[7:52] \[SPEAKER_00\]: starting something that they're passionate about, so I'm so happy to have you here to talk about it.
[7:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Why don't you tell me a little bit more about the roots of the Skydorjoy project, and all this began, forage in story?
[8:03] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, yeah, I think it become, like, begins with my story a little bit.
[8:09] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder when I was in...
[8:12] \[SPEAKER_02\]: seventh grade I lost my uncle who was like a father figured to me pretty pretty suddenly and you know as a seventh grade kid you don't really have the skills to deal with that kind of grief and and also to like I just didn't really have people that were um
[8:27] \[SPEAKER_02\]: surrounding me, like even with my family, to even, I don't think any of us really have the skills to deal with that kind of like sudden jolt within our life.
[8:35] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so, I really battled that in silence, just like my immediate family knew that I was really struggling with things I had to.
[8:43] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I was actually just talking to my mom about that.
[8:45] \[SPEAKER_02\]: She was like, I was kind of scared.
[8:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: about you moving out to Ohio, even as a college kid, just with your anxiety.
[8:52] \[SPEAKER_02\]: You'd like to be close to home, you're such a close-knit family community person and that move out to Ohio to play baseball and college that was kind of scaring me as a mom.
[9:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: because I didn't want you that far away, because I knew you were struggling with that.
[9:05] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so it kind of came to a little bit of a tipping point, a graduated from Ashland University, just our northeastern here, you can Columbus.
[9:14] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I went to Cleveland State first, and they cut the baseball program, I transferred down to Ashland, met my wife there, so it was all fate there.
[9:21] \[SPEAKER_02\]: When I got done with my college baseball career, I was diagnosed with a heart condition, a life-threatening heart disease called ARVC and had a defibrillator implanted right away.
[9:32] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And talk about another moment in life where you have a standstill time where it's like, wait, what is this?
[9:40] \[SPEAKER_02\]: My life just got flipped upside down.
[9:41] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I don't know how to deal with this.
[9:43] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I don't even,
[9:43] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Again, I don't know if I have the skills to deal with this kind of grief.
[9:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I'm kind of mourning the person that I was and the identity that I had as an athlete and as an active person and just getting into the unknown of what this new version of my identity or my health even looks like.
[10:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I think the thing that saved me was mentors.
[10:05] \[SPEAKER_02\]: really encouraging me to live a life of service or try to.
[10:10] \[SPEAKER_02\]: You know, it's like, it kind of created this idea that it was like, you can never go wrong with getting your eyes off of yourself.
[10:19] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, I might not have all the solutions for the pain that I'm going through or the grief that I'm going through or the changes in my life that I'm going through.
[10:27] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But if I can do something to give back to someone else or mentor someone else or encourage someone else, then I think it's a little easier to manage you feel a little better about your situation and might not solve it, but it's a little bit of the remedy there and so I so I got into coaching and
[10:44] \[SPEAKER_02\]: teaching and I moved down here to after grad school to work at at the Wellington School when I was an assistant AD and working at that and I was doing strength and conditioning coaching and teaching servant leadership classes.
[10:58] \[SPEAKER_02\]: and I started traveling and speaking and I was talking about social emotional learning and suicide prevention and mental health and that I worked at a church here.
[11:05] \[SPEAKER_02\]: There's a next generation director and so like I've always had this this idea or this trajectory of like how can I help people with their minds that's how can I help them see something in themselves that maybe they don't see or or pull the best out of them.
[11:19] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then in the pandemic, you know, I think everyone was just struggling, at least a little bit, like we just got the rug ripped out from under us.
[11:28] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And we thought we had moved past from a lot of things that maybe we had maybe we were coping and not healing through things.
[11:36] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so I think there was a lot of struggles that were glaring within my community.
[11:41] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And even within myself.
[11:42] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we started looking
[11:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: kind of looking at my story and everyone else's and you know there's a reason why a lot of people are struggling but not getting care even even to throw out some of the statistics.
[11:57] \[SPEAKER_02\]: There's about 52 million adult Americans that struggle with a diagnosed mental illness.
[12:03] \[SPEAKER_02\]: That doesn't include people that fight in silence.
[12:05] \[SPEAKER_02\]: That doesn't include people with general anxiety and depression.
[12:08] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And out of the 52 million, there's about 54% that don't receive care.
[12:12] \[SPEAKER_02\]: They don't go to therapy, they don't go to counseling, they don't receive care that they need and deserve.
[12:17] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And we're kind of asking the question, like, why is that happening?
[12:22] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, what is the gap between awareness and action?
[12:25] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so did some research and digging in?
[12:28] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And we decided, obviously, the stigma's a big player in that.
[12:32] \[SPEAKER_02\]: but also the accessibility of therapy and counseling is huge.
[12:35] \[SPEAKER_02\]: You know, you overcome the stigma and you overcome this idea of like maybe I do need help.
[12:41] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And you finally get to that place where you like start to search and you're like overwhelmed by the search straight away.
[12:45] \[SPEAKER_02\]: You're like, wait, who do I go to?
[12:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: What expertise do they need to have?
[12:48] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, can I even get in?
[12:50] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then also the last thing is like the affordability.
[12:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It's like, well, how can I afford on going therapy?
[12:58] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, doesn't insurance cover it?
[12:59] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Does it not?
[13:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: What's the continued care plan?
[13:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we launched in 2021, this scattered joy project with the idea that we wanted to help solve those three things.
[13:10] \[SPEAKER_02\]: We wanted to help
[13:11] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Help people start conversations, spark conversations about mental health, make it a little more accessible and to help people with the search and then help people with the cost of care.
[13:20] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so in the first year, we were able to launch a crisis text line, a find help network that connects people with free and reduced cost care nationwide.
[13:30] \[SPEAKER_02\]: and then also last year we were able to launch our therapy fund where we cover the cost of three to six therapy sessions for people that maybe can't afford therapy or counseling that that could be at the beginning of your therapy or your like journey with therapy or counseling but that also could be in the middle because ever times in my life where I was like I just can't afford this anymore I have to stop I can't continue to go because it doesn't fit the budget and and so we never want that to be a hurdle with someone's journey because
[13:58] \[SPEAKER_02\]: and a therapy is not kind of a one and done thing.
[14:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I wish it was, but it's really...
[14:03] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I go in seasons to where I'm like, okay, I probably have kind of worked this out as much as I possibly can and I think sometimes it is just verbal processing for me and I think women are pretty good about doing that with friends, but even so sometimes you just need this unbiased opinion or you can't find the solution with your friends because, again, they're biased, but I recently looked into going to a therapist that was recommended to me and it was a hundred and sixty dollars for one section.
[14:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And I'm just thinking to myself, is that worth your mental health, maybe this money would be better spent, maybe I'm okay.
[14:36] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I can definitely see how people will even spiral just trying to set out in search of health.
[14:42] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, I think there's something too within like the pricing or even our mindset around paying for therapy.
[14:49] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Even the story of at just such a complicated topic, right?
[14:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: There's a complete separation of mental health and physical health.
[14:57] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we don't view it the same way as going to see a doctor or like having a broken arm.
[15:01] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And like, of course, I'm going to go fix that broken arm.
[15:03] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Of course, I'm going to pay whatever it needs to be paid to like get this cast on and like have this thing heal because it's going to set me up for long-term health over time.
[15:12] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like what happens if I don't?
[15:15] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so I think there's work to be done within like
[15:19] \[SPEAKER_02\]: the relating mental health back to just like overall holistic health, like to be able to see it in that sense.
[15:26] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then for us within our American culture to say, like, well then yeah, there needs to be some sort of, like mindset shift within it.
[15:34] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I think even like looking at therapy in general, like I come from an athletic background, obviously, and I shared that I would never, if I was wanting to improve as,
[15:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: a baseball player or a football player or any type of athlete, I would never say, like, oh, I got this on my own.
[15:55] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I would want to probably seek out the best coach, the best trainers, the best like people to help me along my athletic performance journey.
[16:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I think if there's something that we we need and want and should desire to get the best at is like, what's the best
[16:13] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And that comes down to your mental and emotional health, spiritual health isn't there as well.
[16:18] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But I think like shifting the mindset of like, well, a therapist is just really essentially a mental and emotional coach in that sense.
[16:25] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, they're gonna give you tips and tricks and help you process these things and overcome barriers and do all these things too.
[16:30] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But shifting that mindset and shifting that narrative, I think within just our society and culture, the world at large is to say like, no, this is a necessity.
[16:42] \[SPEAKER_02\]: to be able to heal, and there's a lot of things that get in the way, it's like past stories.
[16:49] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I think from even from a male perspective, like you probably, I think like, I'm tough enough.
[16:55] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I'm strong enough.
[16:56] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I can get through this, and that was kind of my past.
[16:59] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then I even think from like, you know, just processing things with my wife, my wife, show us what things I'd eat and everything and especially like postpartum and being like, like, I got this, like I should have this as a mom, like I should be strong enough to do this.
[17:15] \[SPEAKER_02\]: and be a leader for my kids and you know and it's just it's a tricky thing to feel broken but also feel the pressure to like be perfect in our country and I think it's something that we're steadily trying to overcome.
[17:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Absolutely.
[17:32] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'm actually really glad that you said that the holistic element of, I mean, I say this with something as simple as decluttering.
[17:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: If you don't get your mind right, you're probably not going to have sustainable change in your home because you really have to get your mindset on this is something that I want to do.
[17:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I like how you said if you had a broken arm, we're going to like, you are not going to put that off because you want to heal that bone long term.
[17:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So that initial investment is is so worth it.
[17:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I think that politics aside, it is interesting how.
[18:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: We just seem to be investing all this money, and it's like maybe we should just go to the root cause like our mind and the minds of these younger generations and the mind of people that have traumatic family stories.
[18:11] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Maybe we should start there and then change it from the root.
[18:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It just seems like it all goes back to the root cause that we're not addressing.
[18:17] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Right.
[18:18] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah.
[18:18] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It's a lot easier to identify the symptom and just try to put a bandaid on it.
[18:23] \[SPEAKER_02\]: rather than, like, dig in.
[18:25] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I think that's always the harder work from an internal perspective and external side of things.
[18:31] \[SPEAKER_02\]: You know, you have, you were talking about, like, friends and family members, like, going to them for advice within your own mental and emotional health and it's easier for them to see, like, a symptom and say, well, maybe you should try this, like, maybe you should do this.
[18:45] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I think internally it's really a lot easier to do that too, but I mean you're so spot on it's like how do we how do we dig deep and and really try to get to like the root cause I always like to think of it this it's like.
[18:56] \[SPEAKER_02\]: behaviors and mindsets don't just happen.
[18:58] \[SPEAKER_02\]: They don't just occur.
[19:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: They're created by something that has happened to us.
[19:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And if you trace that back, you can always find an emotion that drives a behavior mindset.
[19:09] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then beneath the emotion, you find a belief about the world.
[19:13] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then beneath the belief about the world, you find a moment, memory, or like you said, a traumatic event.
[19:20] \[SPEAKER_02\]: that that had happened and it creates all that and so you know to me one of the things that I do outside of even therapy is like backtrack like well what's this where's this mindset come from like what what a motion it does it like is it created from what belief about the world is it created from what what moment can I pinpoint that thing and then can I deconstruct that can I figure out like
[19:44] \[SPEAKER_02\]: this new way of thinking or this new belief or even just like when my mind does go there, like can I put a trigger in place to like stopgap that and tell myself a new story?
[19:55] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So think that's a little bit where like our tagline comes from, too.
[19:59] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It's like we're kind of you ourselves as the creative mental health company.
[20:04] \[SPEAKER_02\]: You know, we're attacking this a little differently.
[20:06] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like we don't you probably would look at us and you're like they're not a mental health
[20:11] \[SPEAKER_02\]: that's a joke like we brand ourselves very differently the events that we host are very different than a traditional like medical mental health nonprofit or organization like we kind of are making it a little bit more approachable.
[20:25] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Because we want people like you and me and and our friends and family members and just people in the community to identify with it first from like a brand name and an identity perspective and and then if they say like oh that's cool like I like that I see myself within this like brand a little bit then they're more More accepting of the resources on the other side more accepting on the conversation to
[20:51] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So I think that we're trying to shift that narrative a little bit too and say like now I mean this this solution the solution can be found in different ways and one of the things that we're trying to do too is like not only point people towards professionals but also like empower people to
[21:07] \[SPEAKER_02\]: care for each other.
[21:08] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I think there's like this big shift in our society in this hunger to, I think, create a community caring model.
[21:19] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But it's like, well, what does that take?
[21:21] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It takes this shift away from,
[21:24] \[SPEAKER_02\]: this selfishness aspect of how do I get here, where's my promotion, where's my family trajectory, how can we begin going back to the beginning of the conversation, how can we take our eyes off of our self a little bit and then see the need in the people around us and try to meet it or try to work to feel empowered to meet it.
[21:54] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I love the name Scatterjoy because I do think about if you are someone that is in a negative spiral loop or you're just more pessimistic person to me times going to pass regardless and so it's like what do I want in this life and I know sometimes our brains are actually just
[22:11] \[SPEAKER_00\]: not working at their best, and so we can't chemically change some of these things, but I love the name Scatter Joy, and focusing on joy, focusing on gratitude.
[22:20] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I think that a lot of, again, where we're very aligned is that to be grateful for the things that I already own.
[22:25] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I don't need to accumulate a ton more, because I already have great things, and I'm grateful for those things that I have.
[22:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so I think sometimes when we are in those negative patterns of thought,
[22:36] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Just focusing on what we do have even if it's just the breath in our lungs because not everyone does and some people's lives are cut short So just thinking about those little things again at a very basic foundational level can maybe help I don't know you're way more versed in all of this than I am not so it's so good and even what you said to it's like I'm grateful for what I have But I think I think we're like a huge perspective shift happens especially for people
[23:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: within America.
[23:05] \[SPEAKER_02\]: We're like in a consumerism like culture is I'm grateful for what I have but I'm also grateful for what I can give
[23:13] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then it's like, well, what can I give?
[23:15] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, I can actually be a source of hope.
[23:18] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, I can actually be a source of joy.
[23:20] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I can actually be a source of peace for people.
[23:22] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, I can support people in different ways.
[23:26] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, it's not just about my life or what I have or like, what's surrounding me.
[23:32] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It's like, well, how can I be?
[23:33] \[SPEAKER_02\]: How can I like step out and do something like scatter joy it is interesting like something something There's just different about scatter joy.
[23:42] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I remember when the pandemic hit and we had just had our daughter Cooper Joe We we totally like so we have our daughter our four-year-old daughter's named Cooper Joe when she was a baby Everyone thought she was a boy because of her name
[23:57] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then my son is Archie, and we grew his hair out.
[24:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so everyone thinks he's a girl, because his hair's rough.
[24:04] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we totally flipped the script there.
[24:06] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But I remember in November 2019, Cooper was born.
[24:11] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we were kind of already in shutdown.
[24:15] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, you know, like, we were already in pandemic mode.
[24:18] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then everything actually shut down, quarantine happened in 2020 and March.
[24:23] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I started to get into reading more.
[24:25] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I read a quote from Ralph Aldo Emerson, and the quote says, there's no but there's no beautifier of a form, behavior, or complexion, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.
[24:38] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And there was something about scattered, like jumped off the page.
[24:41] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I think it's the same thing that kind of jumps off the t-shirt or jumps off the,
[24:45] \[SPEAKER_02\]: the event or jumps off the social media poster or anything to other people like there's something about scatter joy that I think people are longing for.
[24:53] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so again, one of our taglines is the best way to experience joy is to scatter it.
[25:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It's like the best way to experience joy in this life is to do something for someone else, like how do I show up in the community, how do I show up externally to again what what am I grateful to give?
[25:15] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so I think like that over arching like yeah we're trying to solve the mental health crisis or do our part to solve that but I think the root cause like you were saying
[25:25] \[SPEAKER_02\]: is like a selfishness, like an underlying selfishness mindset that we have, and that has been created over time within the country that we're trying to really overcome, and it's impossible to be lonely if you're selfless, you know?
[25:41] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so, yeah, I just love the work we do, I do, I'm so in love with it.
[25:48] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I feel like that's a great place to kind of believe it.
[25:51] \[SPEAKER_00\]: However, do you have any other ways that people can encourage you or encourage, I guess, just promoting this kind of direct project in their areas, you said, it could go nationwide.
[26:00] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so how can people support her to you?
[26:03] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, so we launched with a parallel first.
[26:06] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I'm a non-profit founder who hates asking people for money.
[26:09] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so selling a parallel was a ways your thing for us.
[26:12] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we, I remember we launched our first a parallel collection in January, 2021, and within two days that sold out.
[26:19] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we were like, oh dang, this is something.
[26:22] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so since then, our payroll sales have actually been a huge, actually our biggest funder of all of our resources and events in the projects that we do, 100% of the profits pour back into the mission and help fund the resources.
[26:37] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so the buying a payroll is honestly a huge thing because one, when you buy a T-shirter, a hoodie, or
[26:44] \[SPEAKER_02\]: or anything like that, then you become an instant advocate.
[26:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like there's so many stories about people being asked a question about their scattered joy t-shirt within a coffee shop.
[26:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And then it sparks a conversation about scattered, or sparks a conversation about mental health.
[26:59] \[SPEAKER_02\]: leads to someone utilizing the resources and different things like that.
[27:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so there's just something, there's something again with it that jumps out.
[27:07] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so we have a parallel, all of the time available.
[27:10] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But then, yeah, just being an advocate around what resources we have.
[27:15] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Anyone can text scatter to seven, four, one, seven, four, one, and get connected to a free counselor.
[27:21] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And it takes conversation with a counselor whenever they're having a bad day or
[27:27] \[SPEAKER_02\]: the fine to help network.
[27:28] \[SPEAKER_02\]: We have a nationwide search engine that connects people for introduce cost care.
[27:31] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so I think part of like being active in the scattered joint community is also knowing like what resources exist if if I ever need them to tell a friend about them or a family member or someone in my church or a local community or different things like that.
[27:47] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But also to just to give me monthly attending an event, turning into some of our digital events and digital media and stuff like that.
[27:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so
[27:56] \[SPEAKER_02\]: LA in June and down in San Antonio later this year and so yeah we're kind of all over the place.
[28:05] \[SPEAKER_00\]: No that's so great and it's I remind me of your Instagram account so where can we people find you online?
[28:11] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, so the Instagram is the scatterjoy project, the website is the scatterjoyproject.com.
[28:19] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And pretty much everywhere you can find us is the scatterjoy project.
[28:24] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So tune in, follow along, share when you can, because you never know who's going to need that word of encouragement or the resources, like I said, it's advocacy, but creating those conversations and then on the back end, it's connecting people with professionals
[28:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, I will be sure to include all of those links in the show notes for people, but before we wrap up, I just do a quick rapid fire at the end just to get to know you a little bit better.
[28:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: The first one is, what has been a beneficial resource in your life that you want to share with the listeners?
[28:56] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Oh man, a beneficial resource.
[28:59] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Book that changed my life and saved my life.
[29:01] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It's a resource to me.
[29:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I read it every single year, but it's called Love Does by Bob Gough.
[29:06] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I read it every year January 1st, I start rereading it and it's just a really unique way of storytelling and why he shifts the narrative of like what love is and says like loves actually an action word and we can do that outside of our community and so a lot of Bob Golf's work he has a non-profit himself and then it's a huge organization, a global organization.
[29:32] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Yeah, a lot of his work is inspired what we do with scatter joy too.
[29:35] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So that's a, that's a big resource for me that I always continue to come back to words of encouragement and wisdom there.
[29:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, it's a great book.
[29:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'll be sure to include that in the show notes as well.
[29:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then my last question for you is what is something that you can't stop talking about.
[29:50] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Oh man.
[29:52] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Gosh.
[29:53] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I don't know.
[29:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: It probably would be scatter joy.
[29:56] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I can't stop talking about scatter joy.
[29:57] \[SPEAKER_02\]: But I also, I can't stop talking about this, this actual, he's a creative advocate for us with the scatter joy project.
[30:06] \[SPEAKER_02\]: He's actually out in California.
[30:09] \[SPEAKER_02\]: but he's a father of two.
[30:11] \[SPEAKER_02\]: His Instagram, I believe, is Blake of today or Blake for today.
[30:16] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I'll have to look it up and let you know.
[30:17] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I can't stop talking about the way he writes.
[30:20] \[SPEAKER_02\]: He's a poet and author.
[30:22] \[SPEAKER_02\]: When does he really cool like this week in fatherhood posts?
[30:26] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And I know we're on the minimalist mom podcast and everything, but I'm a dad.
[30:32] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I'm a father of two and he does some amazing, amazing pieces
[30:37] \[SPEAKER_02\]: You know, he talks about what he's learned in fatherhood that week.
[30:41] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And that's really inspired me to start writing individually again.
[30:44] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And everyone that I coming contact with and we're talking about creative arts in some way, or fatherhood in some way, I'm always like, oh, man, you got to check up.
[30:52] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I got Blake.
[30:53] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Like, he, it's really inspiring stuff.
[30:55] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And the cool thing about it is anytime he does like this week in fatherhood,
[31:00] \[SPEAKER_02\]: post.
[31:01] \[SPEAKER_02\]: The ending is always like, and screen time was up 3% this week.
[31:06] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And screen time was down 7% this week.
[31:09] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And so that's kind of how he signs off.
[31:10] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And it's just like a really creative way to tell his personal story within Fatherhood, but also like share some of the wisdom that he's learned throughout the week and and everything there.
[31:22] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So I can't stop talking about him and his work.
[31:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Okay, I'll have to do a little search and try and find him.
[31:27] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And no, I love hearing from the dads on the minimum moms podcast, which it's funny because this show isn't just for moms either.
[31:34] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I mean, my most recent review was like, this show isn't just for moms.
[31:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Give it a listen.
[31:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So no, I love it.
[31:40] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Oh, it's so good.
[31:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I love hearing from you and your perspective.
[31:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I love to support this kind of drug project moving forward.
[31:46] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And whatever way, again, I'm so glad to have had you join me today on the show.
[31:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And I just thank you for all the work that you're doing in this area.
[31:54] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And yeah, thank you so much.
[31:55] \[SPEAKER_02\]: Thanks for having me on and inviting this conversation and helping us spread the word and the resources around it.
[32:02] \[SPEAKER_02\]: I just love the work that you're doing as well and the conversations that you're having just holistically about what it looks like to be a parent, to be a human, honestly, and try to navigate it in the best way we can.
[32:16] \[SPEAKER_02\]: And ultimately become the best version that we can be for each other and for ourselves and for our kids.
[32:22] \[SPEAKER_02\]: So I appreciate you.
[32:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: What did you think of the episode?
[32:26] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I hope you enjoyed the conversation.
[32:27] \[SPEAKER_00\]: To learn more about today's guest, including links, resources related to everything discussed today, visit the episode page at minimalismomspodcast.com where you can find the entire podcast archive, as well as my book Minimalismoms Living and Parenting with Simplicity, or other ways to connect or work with me online.
[32:47] \[SPEAKER_00\]: If you'd like to support the podcast, the easiest and most impactful thing you can do, is subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave a rating or review of your favorite episode.
[32:59] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Lastly, sharing the show or your favorite episode with friends and social media is very helpful and will encourage others on their journey to think more and do with plus.

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