Jessica Lyonford

Jessica Lyonford The Happiness Architect. Building People Infrastructure to create StayPower™. People require infrastructure. The Happy Skills® are how you build it.

Let's get to work. I’m a Happiness Revolutionary, on a mission to redesign how we live, work and lead, one person, one team, one community at a time. Because burnout isn’t leadership. Disconnection isn’t culture. And we were never meant to numb our way through a life that doesn’t feel like ours. I help people reclaim joy as a strategy—for leading teams, raising families, building communities and c

reating systems that actually work for all of us. Through coaching, consulting, workshops and my podcast The Unhappy American, I challenge the cultural myths that keep us overworked, underfulfilled and stuck in survival mode. This is more than a productivity hack. It’s a full-on happiness revolution. Rooted in science. Fueled by energy, engagement, and impact. Designed for a future where people thrive. Ready to rethink how you lead, live and show up in the world?

🌟powerhour.happyleaderplaybook.com/home
🌟 theunhappyamerican.com

Happy Pride. 🌈🧡I love everything about this photo.The flag. The tie dye. The pure unfiltered joy on both of our faces.Pr...
06/02/2026

Happy Pride. 🌈🧡

I love everything about this photo.

The flag. The tie dye. The pure unfiltered joy on both of our faces.

Pride is many things. A celebration. A protest. A reminder that being exactly who you are is not just acceptable. It is the whole point.

That is also the foundation of The Happy Skills®.

Authenticity is infrastructure. The skill of living your life. Your actual life. Not the one someone else designed for you.

To every happy rebel out there today. Be loudly, unapologetically, beautifully you.

That is the work. And it starts with you. 🌈

I have some news and I am not going to pretend it isn't a big deal.The Happy Skills® are officially trademarked.Years of...
06/01/2026

I have some news and I am not going to pretend it isn't a big deal.

The Happy Skills® are officially trademarked.

Years of research. Years of building a framework from scratch. Years of sitting across from leaders and watching these eight behavioral skills change everything about how they lead and live.

Now it is protected. Registered. Mine.

This is not just a legal win. It is confirmation that this work is real and distinct and built to last.

Confidence. Authenticity. Optimism. Feeling. Purpose. Curiosity. Gratitude. Compassion.

Eight skills. One trademark. And so much more to build.

Thank you for being here for this. It means everything. 🧡🎉

People require infrastructure.
The Happy Skills® are how you build it.
Let's get to work.

Join me tomorrow night to get a behind-the-scenes look (and feel) of my favorite conference of the year. If you've ever ...
05/26/2026

Join me tomorrow night to get a behind-the-scenes look (and feel) of my favorite conference of the year. If you've ever thought, "How is Jess doing ALL THE THINGS?!?!" Well, come and hear straight from my mouth how I'm doing it!

Hint, hint, Verve has A LOT to do with it ✨

Sign up here: https://suzannecastle.com/party/

Most people think of happiness as something that happens to them.I teach it as something you build.The Happy Skills™ are...
05/21/2026

Most people think of happiness as something that happens to them.
I teach it as something you build.

The Happy Skills™ are eight trainable behaviors grounded in behavioral science. Not traits you either have or you don't. Skills. Which means they can be learned practiced and strengthened.

Confidence. The skill of trusting yourself.
Authenticity. The skill of living your life.
Optimism. The skill of believing change is possible.
Feeling. The skill of knowing what's actually driving you.
Purpose. The skill of knowing your why.
Curiosity. The skill of staying open.
Gratitude. The skill of seeing what's working.
Compassion. The skill of showing up human.

On June 13 at the Strength to Rise Summit I'm building a full workshop around all eight. We reflect on where each skill is showing up or breaking down in your budget your roles and your routines.

Then we design. Concrete next steps. Real change.

This is not a keynote you listen to and forget by Monday. It's a working session you walk out of with a blueprint.

Register at empoweringfinancialcoaching.com/summit

Which of these eight is your biggest gap right now? Drop it in the comments.

You can feel it within minutes of walking into an organization.Whether the infrastructure is working or not.This is what...
05/21/2026

You can feel it within minutes of walking into an organization.

Whether the infrastructure is working or not.

This is what working looks like.

Save this and share it with your leadership team. And if this is the culture you're trying to build DM me the word INFRASTRUCTURE.

People require infrastructure.
The Happy Skills™ are how you build it.
Let's get to work.

The title came after the commitment.I've been part of IAW for awhile now. Showing up at events. Speaking at summits. Inv...
05/20/2026

The title came after the commitment.

I've been part of IAW for awhile now. Showing up at events. Speaking at summits. Investing in the women in this community because I believe in what they're building together.

Women who aren't waiting for broken organizations to fix themselves. Women who are redesigning how work works, from the inside out.

That's not a networking group. That's infrastructure.

I'm joining the IAW Virtual Chapter Board as Digital Community Director because this community already had my full yes. The board role just made it official.

If you're curious about IAW, reach out. I'll tell you why I love it.

05/18/2026

I'm going live with Micah, founder of Empowering Financial and host of the Strength to Rise Summit 2026, to talk about the event, the vision behind it and why I'm showing up. No pitch. Just two humans having an honest conversation about something they both care about. Come ask questions. Come listen. Come hang.

My youngest came home from school and asked if they could give a copy of The Happy Rebels to their principal.I had just ...
05/15/2026

My youngest came home from school and asked if they could give a copy of The Happy Rebels to their principal.

I had just received a fresh box of author copies. So the next morning they walked into school with a book in their hands and the biggest smile on their face.

By that afternoon I was on the phone with the principal talking about how to get the book into the hands of every single kid at the school.

I did not see that coming. And I absolutely loved it.

Here's what that moment reminded me.

People are hungry for this work. Not just leaders. Not just organizations. Parents. Teachers. Principals. The adults who are shaping the next generation and desperately want to give kids something the adults around them never got.

A framework for self-trust. For authenticity. For the courage to be exactly who you are.

We talk a lot about fixing the workplace. And yes, that work matters deeply. But the kids who will run the next generation deserve a head start. They deserve to grow up knowing that happiness is a skill they can build. That who they are is enough. That being a happy rebel is not a problem to be managed but a strength to be developed.

My youngest knew that book belonged in that school before I did.

Stay tuned for what happens next. 👀🧡

Here is exactly what you are walking away with from my session at the Strength to Rise Summit.A blueprint. Not for your ...
05/15/2026

Here is exactly what you are walking away with from my session at the Strength to Rise Summit.

A blueprint. Not for your calendar. For yourself.

For each of The Happy Skills™ you get a reflect prompt and a design action. You look honestly at where you are. Then you build something better. Anchored to your real life. Your budget. Your roles. Your routines.

Eight skills. Eight reflections. Eight next steps.

A good life doesn't happen by accident. It gets designed. And June 13 is where we start.

Register at empoweringfinancialcoaching.com/summit

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Portland, OR

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