Joy is the fuel, not the reward: rethinking leadership, home, and self with Greg De Koker
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Most of us were taught to earn joy. Land the results, hit the numbers, and then maybe you get to feel good. Greg De Koker spent a career proving that this order is backward, and that the truth reaches into every part of a life, not only the office. On this episode of I Know I Belong When…, Greg joins host Christopher Bylone. He is a brand and culture transformation expert, a bestselling co-author, and the mind behind the forthcoming book Joy Squared: The Hidden Power of Joy in Leadership.
Greg carries a mission with a number attached to it: forty-four million people living, working, and leading with more joy, on purpose. That mission grew from a pattern he could not ignore across hundreds of stakeholder interviews. There was too much suffering at work, and it did not stop at the office door. He named it the global joy deficit, and then he built an ecosystem to help close it.
This conversation moves from the boardroom to the family cottage and back again. Greg reframes joy as rigorous strategy rather than a soft perk, and he shows how a single childhood moment reshaped what home means to him. This is a story about building belonging and creating belonging in everyday life, across self, home, community, and work.
Watch the full episode :
Must-hear insights & key moments
Why joy is the fuel for performance, not the reward that arrives after it
The global joy deficit, and what any leader can do to reduce suffering at work
Culture by design or culture by default, and why intention beats hoping for the best
The day a lost ten-year-old learned that home is a feeling, not an address
Calling people up instead of calling them out, and why judgment rarely helps anyone grow
The one honest question at a gathering of friends that opened a door for everyone in the room
How Greg caught his own bias in real time and chose curiosity over a quick verdict
Chris’ standout quotes:
“I think it's the most renewable source of energy and the most underutilized asset, and the biggest competitive advantage, and the best strategy a leader can embrace, which is joy.”
“Every company does. It's either by design or default.”
“Home isn't just a physical dwelling. It was a feeling and I could just feel it in my body.”
“I like the expression of calling people up versus calling them out.”
“In that moment, people don't need more judgment. They're already judging themselves.”
“If I'm feeling that way, maybe some of the other guys are, too.”
“When I feel at home, that's when I know I belong.”
Why this episode matters
Belonging is not a workplace program. It is the value a person adds to their family, their community, their team, and themselves. Greg gives listeners plain language for that truth, drawn straight from his own life. When leaders treat joy as strategy and treat people as though they already know they belong, culture changes. When parents create that same knowing at home, children carry it everywhere they go. This episode connects authentic leadership, strategic inclusion, and human-centered innovation to something anyone can practice today.
Who should listen
This one is for anyone working out who they are and where they add value. It is for parents and people building a home or a chosen family. It is for community builders, organizers, and friends who want to check in more honestly. It is for HR leaders, people managers, and inclusion practitioners who care about people experience, inclusive culture, and belonging in the workplace. And it is for anyone searching for language to name a sense of belonging in their own life. Everyone has a reason to listen, not only people leaders.
Press play, and ask yourself the question Greg leaves with all of us: what have you been putting off that would bring you joy?