Everything Sucks, Now What? A Merriment Method for a Messy World.

In 2013, I quit my day job, got my heart broken, danced in bars dressed like a mermaid, and filled my bedroom with 60 balloons. I swam in the ocean at 3am, measured a train platform with a banana, got interviewed on the news for guerrilla art—and was told by my blogging heroes that my work didn’t matter.

Spoiler: they were wrong.

This episode is a time capsule. I'll walk you through everything that happened in 2013.

It's A love letter to the version of me who didn’t wait for permission to be weird, wild, or wonderful—and a reminder that you don’t need permission either.

Inside this episode:

• What quitting my psych rehab job taught me about joy

• The street art challenge that changed my life

• How I built magic from heartbreak

• Why 2013 Mary still guides everything I do

• What I wish I had said to the people who didn’t “get it”

💛 Plus: A special 13% off celebration for 111 FM—my joy sanctuary built on everything 2013 Mary believed in.

📻 Tune into the frequency: https://uncustomary.org/111

PS - I got the math wrong, it's not my 13th year of being in business, it's my 12th! It's my 13th year of MERRIMENT MAKING! But we're celebrating 2013 Mary and 13 years of Merriment Making so it still works. 

What if every day could be your luckiest day of the year?

This episode invites you to tune into a new frequency—one where joy isn’t something you earn, but something you allow. Through honest storytelling, grounded tools, and playful philosophy, we explore how to reconnect with your authentic self in a way that feels real, not performative.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Pygmalion Effect and how belief shapes what you attract

• The difference between faking it till you make it and being inauthentic

• Why confidence isn’t binary—and how you can feel unsure and still be radiant

• A personal story about being seen as confident even while feeling disconnected

• The power of radical honesty as a form of authenticity

• A short grounding exercise to reset your energy in 60 seconds

• Three ways to reconnect with yourself today

📡 Bonus Companion Kit inside Positive Pulse!
Get these 4 extras to deepen the episode (free with replay access):
✅ Affirmation Pack: “Broadcast Beliefs”
✅ Journaling Prompts: “Tuning In”
✅ 3-Day Change the Channel Challenge
✅ Static-to-Signal Reflection Map

🎁 Access the replay + bonuses here → uncustomary.org/positive-pulse

🎶 Want to live life on a higher frequency?
Join 111 FM — a joy-first audio sanctuary for just $37/month.
Includes pep talks, tapping sessions, rituals, and real-world joy missions.
→ uncustomary.org/111

Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “That’s how I feel inside — I just don’t know how to get there”?

In this episode of the Merriment Making Podcast, Mary England speaks directly to the part of you that’s still here — even if it’s been buried, muted, or made to feel like “too much.”

You’ll hear why 111 FM was created as a safe space to expand, how to reconnect with your truest self (without a single self-help checklist), and what to do when you’re tired of performing and ready to simply be.

📖✳️ Includes a special teaser from the Unmuted Audio Program + practical tips to feel like you again.

This isn’t about fixing. It’s about feeling — and remembering who you were before the world told you to shrink.

💛 Plus: Find companion affirmations, journal prompts, and a mini challenge that go along with this episode in Positive Pulse! Uncustomary.org/PP

Join 111 FM ➡️ Uncustomary.org/111

What if your story didn’t have a final version? What if you got to rewrite it every time you learned something new or felt something deeper?

In this week’s episode, I’m reading aloud my interview with Voyage Baltimore—a not-so-definitive autobiography of my journey from chaos to creativity, from pain to playful rebellion.

I share about what it’s meant to grow up different, misunderstood, and misdiagnosed—and how that turned into a lifelong mission to make joy accessible for other overwhelmed humans. You'll hear the raw, unfiltered moments that shaped me, the philosophy that fuels my work with Uncustomary, and why I believe feeling good must lead to doing good.

This episode is a time capsule—capturing where I am, what I believe, and why I’ll always be a Merriment Maker.

🎧 Listen in, and then read the full interview here:
👉 voyagebaltimore.com/interview/community-highlights-meet-mary-england-of-uncustomary-merriment-maker

🌀 Want to join the movement? Start here for free: Uncustomary.org/Positive-Pulse

When the world tells you “this is it”—a diagnosis, a label, a limitation—you don’t have to accept it as your whole truth. In this episode, we’re breaking down the lie of “nothing can be done” and replacing it with creative, rebellious possibility. This is a wake-up call, a pep talk, and a reminder that you are not your prognosis—and that change is always possible.

💥 Inside Positive Pulse:

• A written pep talk for when you're losing hope

• A guide to advocating for yourself at appointments

• A creative solutions worksheet for tough situations

• Affirmations to reclaim your agency

 

Join for free: Uncustomary.org/Positive-Pulse

Check out The Feel Good Troop: Uncustomary.org/Feel-Good-Troop

You don’t need to burn your life down to start over. Sometimes you just need to throw a little glitter in the gears.

In this episode, I—your resident Joy Trickster and Sacred Disruptor—invite you to rethink what rebellion really looks like. We’re talking about disrupting guilt spirals, tuning into softer frequencies, and letting your weirdness be a form of wisdom.

You’ll explore:

🎧 How sacred disruption interrupts burnout culture
🎧 Why joy is a neurological rebellion
🎧 Gentle ways to flip the script (without flipping out)
🎧 How to be your own Trickster friend—and make mischief your medicine

✨ Want more micro-revolutions in your inbox?

Check out the 5 Day Reset or the 30 Day Reset as a journey into joyful rebellion and emotional alchemy. It’s the soft revolution you didn’t know you needed. 💖

🔗 5 Day Reset - Uncustomary.org/FeelGood5

🔗 30 Day Reset - Uncustomary.org/Merriment-Reset

🔗 Positive Pulse - Uncustomary.org/Positive-Pulse

 

 

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Short Guitar Clip by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://audionautix.com/

What if being a little bad at things was actually the secret to a life that lights you up? In this joyful and insightful conversation, I chat with Brigid Gibson of Vibrant Badass about stress relief, breaking out of perfectionism, and letting joy guide your choices—even when it feels weird, messy, or unproductive. We talk creative identity, stress management tools (like brain dumps and challenge playbooks), and how authenticity is actually the ultimate form of self-care.

🌟 Want more? Check out the replay inside The Positive Pulse, where you’ll find exclusive bonuses for this episode including:

• Affirmations for releasing pressure

• Journaling prompts to rediscover joy

• A 3-part mini challenge to help you try playful discomfort

Brigid is a fellow member of Positive Pulse, and you can find her at @vibrantbadass.

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📸 Follow on Instagram
@vibrantbadass

Let this episode be your permission slip to stop “doing it right” and start doing what feels good.

 

Positive Pulse: Uncustomary.org/Positive-Pulse

When you spend your life caring for others, who cares for you?
Today, we’re building a Joy Toolkit — a playful, powerful emotional first aid kit that helps caregivers, helpers, and heart-forward humans stay resourced, recharged, and radiant.

This episode is especially for the Heartfelt Caregivers — the over-givers, the nurturers, the ones who feel guilty resting.
Less about healing, more about sustaining your sparkle. ✨

You’ll discover real tools (plus some delightfully weird ones!) to stock your kit, tips for actually using it, and loving reminders that you matter even when you’re not “producing” or “helping.”
We’re reclaiming joy as a necessity — not a luxury.

🎉 Special Announcements at the Beginning!

• Merriment Makers and Feel Good Troop have officially shifted into Vaults!

• You have a limited-time discount for lifetime access if you’re a current member — don’t miss out before May 5th!

• Our Positive Pulse Party is happening TOMORROW (Wednesday, April 30th at 7 PM ET)! Come celebrate with us! 🎈

🎁 Want even more support? Inside Positive Pulse you’ll find free bonus resources:

• 35 Things to Put in Your Self-Care Kit

• Playful Toolkit Name Ideas

• Printable Merriment Missions Cards

• Personalized Journaling Prompts

• Link to the 1-Minute Joy Challenge

🛎️ Helpful Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Join Positive Pulse for free: https://uncustomary.org/positive-pulse

• Grab your Merriment Makers Vault: https://uncustomary.org/merriment-makers

• Grab your Feel Good Troop Vault: https://uncustomary.org/feel-good-troop

• Get your Merriment Missions Deck: https://uncustomary.org/deck

👉 And don’t forget: Take the free Joy Archetypes Quiz to find out if you’re a Heartfelt Caregiver (and get extra free resources!): https://uncustomary.org/quiz

 

 Let’s build a world where joy is part of the plan — not the prize for surviving it.

Why do some habits stick and others fade? It’s not about willpower — it’s about identity. In this episode, Mary explores the power of group culture, the psychology of belonging, and why “people like us do things like this” might be the most life-changing phrase you’ve never considered.

You’ll learn why culture always beats strategy, how rituals reinforce who you really are, and why becoming a Merriment Maker is less about rules and more about joyful rebellion. Plus, Mary shares how her free Positive Pulse community can help you embody joy — without pressure or perfection.

💛 Bonus resources for this episode — including rituals, journal prompts, and a downloadable guide — are available exclusively in the Positive Pulse. Join for free and explore what it means to create your own culture of joy.

🔗 uncustomary.org/positive-pulse

What if joy wasn’t just a personal indulgence, but a professional advantage?

In this episode, we’re exploring how therapists, teachers, caregivers, and helpers of all kinds can use delight—yes, delight!—as a real strategy for building trust, boosting morale, and deepening connection. Whether you’re guiding a classroom, holding space in therapy, or working with a team, joy isn’t just welcome—it’s powerful.

🤩 You’ll learn how joy builds rapport
🧠 Why science says play makes us more effective
🎨 Real-life joy rituals you can try today
💼 How to bring fun into your work without losing credibility

💛 Bonus Resources Available Only Inside Positive Pulse:
Get exclusive access to companion content, including:
• 20 Ways to Sprinkle Joy Into Your Workday
• Joy Rituals & Journal Prompts
• Affirmations for Joyful Professionals
• Mirror Work + Brainy Fun Facts
• A Weekly Joy Mission Challenge

Join the free community and unlock the bonus resource vault at uncustomary.org/positive-pulse

 

🎧 Learn more at uncustomary.org
🎴 Grab the deck: uncustomary.org/deck
💛 Join the free community: Positive Pulse