Build Resilience with the Science of Joy
Joy Lab is an evidence-based mental health tool designed to help you feel genuinely better, build resilience, and tap into more joy — delivered weekly by Henry Emmons, MD and Aimee Prasek, PhD.
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Joy Lab is powered by the non-profit Pathways North and relies on support from folks like you. Donate or subscribe to support our work.
You are wired for joy
And yet, in a busy, stressful world, it’s easy to lose touch with anything that feels joyful. If you've ever felt that distance between who you are and who you've had to become just to get through the day, you're not broken. You're human. And your joy is still there, waiting.
That's the paradox at the heart of Joy Lab: joy is your human nature, but reclaiming it takes practice. That's what Joy Lab is for.
We built our approach on four things that don’t just support good mental health, but that can help you find your way back to joy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Helps gently untangle the thoughts that can keep you stuck in ruminations and patterns that make change tough.
Positive Psychology
Helps remind you of the strength you've had in you all along.
Science of Mindfulness
Helps you breathe with more ease and feel present in your own life again.
The Wisdom of the Soul
Helps you tap into the deep wisdom and sense of purpose that can't be reasoned or forced into existence.
Joy Lab is a free mental health tool available on your favorite podcast listening app
Joy Lab is a nonprofit-powered, Ambie-nominated podcast that blends science and soul to help you cope with stress, navigate mental health challenges, and build genuine resilience. The scientifically-backed podcast episodes are weekly steps towards better mental health and wellbeing.
The podcast is freely available wherever you get your podcasts. Donate to access Joy Lab+ (includes Joy Lab app, guided practices, & more)
Learn more about the podcast →Joy Lab is about more than feeling better. It's about thriving.
Joy Lab helps you understand your patterns, practice acceptance and letting go, and take meaningful action—week by week, Element by Element.
Identify What's Keeping You Stuck
Uncover the unconscious patterns and common obstacles contributing to chronic stress, anxiety, or low moods.
Practice Acceptance & Letting Go
Learn to release what no longer serves you through evidence-based practices that feel gentle, not forced.
Take Empowering Action
Create new patterns and pathways that help you feel better and tap into the joy that's been there all along.
Build Lifelong Practices
Deepen your sense of connection and meaning with practices built on your unique strengths rather than a one-size-fits-all fix.
We're a nonprofit on a mission
Joy Lab is powered by Pathways North 501(c)(3), a nonprofit on a mission to improve our individual and collective resilience and make mental health resources more accessible and empowering. mission to provide supportive mental health tools that truly address the whole person—and are practical enough for everyday life.
whose goal is to provide supportive mental health tools that truly address the whole person—and are practical enough for everyday life.
Joy Lab is possible because of people like you.
Joy Lab remains accessible as a free and ad-free tool because of generous donors like you. Support our mission: make a tax-free donation to support our work.
Support the podcast + go deeper with access to Joy Lab+
Build a life that actually feels good. The Joy Lab Experiments are science-backed, skill building practices that pair with each Joy Lab podcast episode. Each week you go deeper, connect more fully, and uncover the joy that's already in you.
-Subscribe to the Joy Lab app (get the most features)
-OR Subscribe right on your podcast app (best for those who want to stay on the podcast platform)
Donate and get Joy Lab+ →
Every subscription directly supports Joy Lab as a nonprofit-backed public mental health tool. Pick the plan that fits how you listen.
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Tax Deductible
Joy Lab
Sustainer $5/mo
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Most Features
Joy Lab
App $12/mo
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Best for Apple
Apple
Subscription $6.99/mo
or $69/year
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Best for Spotify
Supercast
$6.99/mo
or $69/year
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| Core Benefits | ||||
| Support a Nonprofit-Backed Public Mental Health Tool | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keep Joy Lab Ad-Free | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vote on Future Elements of Joy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Joy Lab Experiments | ||||
| Access to Joy Lab Experiments | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Early Access to Experiments in Joy Lab App | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Back Catalogs of Experiments | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Exclusive Joy Lab App Features | ||||
| Exclusive Joy Lab App Access | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| In-App Podcast | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| Access to Joy Lab Channels | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Track Your Progress | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Earn Badges Based on Your Progress | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Earn Monthly Completion Certificates | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Community & Extras | ||||
| Quarterly Mailbag | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| Grief Series | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Ready to support Joy Lab? | Get Started Tax deductible | Join the App Most features | Apple Subscribe Best for Apple users | Join Supercast Best for Spotify |
Expert Voices. Human Hearts.
Joy Lab is co-hosted and guided by two leading mental health experts who blend science with soul to help you cultivate more joy and make real, lasting changes.
Henry Emmons, MD
PSYCHATRIST & CO-HOST
Dr. Emmons is an integrative psychiatrist and author whose approach to mental health has helped thousands of people find a path through depression, anxiety, and mental health struggles. He believes that healing should be whole-person, sustainable, and rooted in what makes us fully human. His work weaves together clinical experience, mind-body and natural therapies, mindfulness teachings, and other holistic approaches, making science feel like soul.
Aimee Prasek, PhD
MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCHER & CO-HOST
Dr. Prasek brings the rigor of research science to the warmth of practical, human-centered wellness. Her expertise in positive psychology, integrative modalities, and mindfulness shapes how Joy Lab translates complex science into meaningful, actionable practices. She's committed to building programs that actually work for real lives.
Popular Podcast Episodes
The Joy Lab Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode 249
Everything We Love, We Will Lose: Navigating the First Gate of Grief
This conversation weaves together Buddhist teachings on impermanence, neuroscience research on grief and savoring, and the vital reminder that grief is absolutely a team sport.
Episode 220
The Still Small Voice: Awakening with Soulfulness
Join us as we explore the concept of the 'Still, Small Voice' and its role in authenticity and soulfulness. We'll talk about the importance of turning inward and listening to our inner voice—our wisest self.
Episode 222
Are You Stuck in Joyless Urgency?
In this episode, we talk about "joyless urgency," a brilliant phrase coined by Marilynne Robinson. The short story is that our modern kind of hustle culture and constant busyness often leads to little personal fulfillment.
You're wired for joy.
Track your journey to joy.
Joy Lab membership is simple, affordable, and built to support you for as long as you want to keep growing. Join a supportive community of people committed to building a more joyful, resilient life.
Listen to the Joy Lab Podcast on our website or your favorite podcast listening app.
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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. See our terms for more information.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at [email protected]. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
