Risking Delight
We can’t control what happens to us in life, we can only control how we respond to it. JJ Duncan is choosing to live her life in delight and joy despite the recent loss of her eleven year old son Mason. JJ talks with Lauren about the power of community, what’s kept her from folding, and how even the smallest pleasures of life can be enough to help us keep going!
In this podcast episode, Lauren and JJ discuss:
JJ’s story and her son Mason’s final battle against leukemia
Recognizing what you can’t control and embracing support from community
Finding the love that pours through no matter what’s happening
Micro-joys, gratitude, and tactile experiences to stay present
Fighting anxiety and why JJ chooses to risk delight vs. self-pity
The power of storytelling and the real purpose of strength
Believing that the sun will come up and the cycles of life will always continue
Memorable Quotes:
“I don’t want to leave her with the example that one folds after terrible tragedy. I want to leave her with the example that we continue to embrace life with all the joy we possibly can.”
“I didn’t have to produce things to happen. I just learned to let go and little by little, my anxiety of needing to be in control, needing to be the smartest person in the room, needing to have all the answers, it left.”
“As soon as something awful happens, if you surround yourself with the kind of people who are authentic and on the path, what you’ll find is the love that pours through. There is love. There is so much love. And that love becomes so tangible I can’t put it into words.”
“None of the answers lie in our head. They just are not in our head. The more I can put something tactile in a tangible experience, and not think about it—just sense it, that’s my advice for someone who can’t keep going.”
About JJ Duncan:
JJ Duncan is an Executive Producer of Bravo’s mega-hit: Project Runway. She is a writer, a health-care advocate, and a public speaker. She is also a mom, a wife-of-a wife, and an exuberant story teller at most any dinner party. In short – JJ is busy.
Having lost her eleven year old son to leukemia in the autumn of 2020, JJ has joined forces with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in several ways to help other cancer patients and to help find a cure to prevent the loss of future children. She is an LLS Advocacy Member and through the Alliance of Childhood Cancer JJ spoke with members of Capitol Hill this past spring, fighting for boosts to funding for the NIH, the NCI, and for pediatric cancer research through the STAR ACT. JJ also serves on the Family Council of LLS’s newest initiative, PedAL: Precision Medicine for Pediatric Acute Leukemia.
Finally, JJ is captain of this year’s Number One Family Fundraising Team in the nation through Team in Training and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The team is named for her son, “Team Mason.” The team mission is to complete physical challenges in the name of fundraising to go help find a cure for blood cancers.
JJ’s mission in life is to “risk delight,” in honor of her son Mason and her daughter Madeline, both of whom have taught her how to not fold in the face of tragedy.
Links Mentioned:
Listen to the episode here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/risking-delight-with-jj-duncan/id1537849403?i=1000526632038
