A Powerful Pleasure: Reclaiming Meaning, Love, and the Life You Wanted

What if pleasure isn’t something we chase—but something we consciously choose? In this reflective episode, we explore how a simple shift in language—“It is my absolute pleasure”—can transform the way we experience work, relationships, purpose, and daily life. Through personal storytelling and research-backed insights from psychology and neuroscience, this conversation reveals why meaning, not ease, is the foundation of lasting fulfillment and wellbeing. You’ll discover how obligation quietly drains energy, how the brain responds differently to choice versus duty, and why many of us are unknowingly living yesterday’s dream while calling it “no big deal.” Drawing on evidence around hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing, this episode bridges science and soul to help you reconnect with purpose, presence, and joy—without forcing positivity or ignoring difficulty. This episode is for anyone feeling stuck, tired, or disconnected from work or life they once wanted. It’s an invitation to reclaim agency, reframe routine moments, and remember that even hard things can be done with love and with joy. A grounding conversation on pleasure, meaning, mindset, and the quiet power of how we speak to ourselves. Con amor y alegría, Dr. Saidie Science mentioned in the episode: Peiró JM, Kozusznik MW, Soriano A. From Happiness Orientations to Work Performance: The Mediating Role of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 9;16(24):5002. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16245002. PMID: 31835311; PMCID: PMC6950632. Allan BA, Kim T, Liu TY, Owens RL. Are work well-being variables distinct? A bifactor model of fulfilling work. J Couns Psychol. 2021 Jul;68(4):425-434. doi: 10.1037/cou0000559. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33956470. Tandler N, Krauss A, Proyer RT. Authentic Happiness at Work: Self- and Peer-Rated Orientations to Happiness, Work Satisfaction, and Stress Coping. Front Psychol. 2020 Aug 7;11:1931. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01931. PMID: 32849134; PMCID: PMC7426460. Luo Y, Qi S, Chen X, You X, Huang X, Yang Z. Pleasure attainment or self-realization: the balance between two forms of well-beings are encoded in default mode network. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017 Oct 1;12(10):1678-1686. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsx078. PMID: 28985373; PMCID: PMC5647812. Sosin A, Neubauer AB. Why we do what we do matters for how we feel: Links among autonomous goal regulation, need fulfillment, and well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2024 Nov;127(5):1103-1125. doi: 10.1037/pspp0000522. Epub 2024 Aug 8. PMID: 39115902. Follow: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soulshine-the-art-of-becoming/id1831612144 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KOkEyzGgMDLI2QifC3XH0 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoulSHINE_global Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulshine_global/ or @soulshine_global Website: https://soulshine.global/ Email: [email protected] Subscribe, rate and review the vodcast. Email a screenshot of your review for a free gift guided meditation and enter a drawing for a free coaching session. Drawings will occur every 50 review milestone.