Hi Reader,

Welcome to Your Dose of Mana — a quick, weekly note with:​
1 real story
1 leadership insight
1 practical takeaway
1 dose of art
​

Joy needs more Oy!

1 Real Story

I use the word joy a lot.
– Job joy.
– More joy, less friction.
– Go to the joy.

But the truth is… when I use the word joy, I feel like it has branding problem.

For many people, it feels sappy. Seasonal. A little too tied to December and Christmas cards.

It can sound light and fleeting, when what I’m talking about is grounded ,deep, and meaningful.

Then I was driving one day and I had a thought (I get a lot of those when I drive).
​
​Oy! We need to put some OY in joy.

My background is Jewish and in Jewish culture, “Oy!” is almost an art form.
​
I can still hear my Grandma Mildred (yes, that really was her name) say “Oy, let me look at you, it’s been so long!” as she twisted my cheeks.

It’s expressive. It’s emotional. It’s honest.

Yes, it can mean exasperation — “Oy vey!” — but it also can carry warmth, humor, presence, and often a kind of affectionate emphasis.

And when you look it up, OY is defined as an exclamation used to express a range of strong emotions.

In other words, it gives joy some volume.
It gives joy a center of gravity.

OY! That was an incredible show.
OY! That meal was outrageous.
OY! That view…wow, it’s stunning.

When you add OY to joy, it becomes something lived, not performed.

And at a moment when the world feels fractured, and cultures feel polarized, blending these expressions — thoughtfully and rooted in your own identity — becomes a small act of connection.
A way of expanding meaning rather than diluting it.

1 Leadership Insight

Leaders often sanitize emotion.
They try to make joy quiet, appropriate…professional.

But real joy — the kind that powers teams and signals progress — has OY in it.

– It’s expressive.
– It’s grounded.
– It’s the spark that tells you something meaningful just happened.

Joy with OY is what you feel when:

→ A conversation finally clicks
→ A team solves something together they kept missing alone
→ A direct report steps into a new level of confidence
→ You recognize growth — theirs or yours
→ A problem dissolves because you finally understood the human dynamics underneath it

That’s not sappy.
That’s leadership.

And here’s the bridge:
When we allow more emotional truth at work — not chaos, not oversharing, but honest human expression — teams feel more connected.

Cultures feel more inclusive.

We create space for people to bring more of who they are, not just what they do.

Putting some OY in joy is a quiet reminder that emotion can unite us.

It can broaden the conversation instead of narrowing it.
And in today’s world, Oy, we could use more of that.

1 Practical Takeaway

This week, try this:

When something genuinely moves you — even a small moment — say “OY!”

Let it register.
Let it land.
Then ask yourself:

“What about this moment brought me joy?”

Because joy doesn’t have to be soft.
It doesn’t have to be seasonal.
It doesn’t have to be polite.

Joy with OY is emotional presence.
And leaders who cultivate that presence create workplaces that feel more human, more aligned, and more alive.

More OY.
More joy.
We need both.

1 Dose of Art

A little whimsy. A little joy. A little doodle.

Doodle by Gary Schechner, 9/22/16

Even though this is a “mass email” I mean it when I say—let me know what you are up to. Reply, book a Zoom, pick up the phone. I’d love to catch up.

And if leadership, culture, or people challenges are taking up too much brain space lately—
→ Book a complimentary 30-minute strategy session.​

Thanks for letting me show up in your inbox.
See you next week with another Dose.

More joy. Less friction. Always.
—Amy

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