We are excited to share with you the next interview in our “Beyond the Page” series featuring Marissa Levin.
What if joy isn’t a perk but the operating system of high performance? We sit down with visionary leader and five-time entrepreneur Marissa Levin to unpack why joy—grounded in psychological safety and clear structure—creates cultures where people do their best work and stay longer. No fluff here: we connect joy to engagement, retention, and real business results, while sharing practical steps leaders can take this week.
Marissa introduces her joyful leadership model, built around the symbolism of the lotus: growth through the mud, resilience in the storm, and the softening of ego. We break down the six petals—principles, process, perspective, presence, people, and play—and show how each petal translates into daily leadership moves. From clarifying values and mission to eliminating chaos with clean processes, from widening your lens to being intentional about your energy, the model offers a roadmap any leader can use to reduce friction and unlock creativity.
We also tackle skepticism head-on. Drawing on research around psychological safety and gratitude, Marissa explains how safety becomes the gateway to joy, and how joy fuels sustained performance. You’ll hear concrete stories from remote teams, a powerful “soul behind the role” lens for seeing your people, and a simple joy audit you can run on yourself before you try to shift your culture. Expect fresh language you can take into the boardroom and immediate actions that move joy from “woo-woo” to “must do.”
If you lead a team, coach executives, or simply want work to feel alive again, this conversation will equip you with tools to align purpose and paycheck, spark innovation with play, and build the kind of culture that holds steady under pressure. Listen, take notes, and tell us: where will you plant the first petal today?
In this episode, I talk with Marissa about her article published in our December 2025 issue.
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