When we first featured Jessica Lyonford, she was challenging burnout culture and redefining happiness as fuel for leadership—not fluff.
That mission hasn’t changed.
But it has grown.
As Founder of Project More Happy and creator of The Happy Skills™, Jessica is now moving beyond mindset shifts and into systems-level change—training leaders in the everyday behaviors that create what she calls StayPower: sustainable performance, engaged teams, and cultures people actually want to stay in.
Because happiness isn’t a moment.
It’s a behavior.
And behaviors can be learned.
From Designing Happiness to Embedding It
Jessica’s earlier work focused on helping leaders understand the science of happiness and the Eight Pillars framework.
Today, she’s helping organizations operationalize it.
Through The Happy Skills™ and the Energy-Impact lens, she trains leaders to:
- Build cultures that protect energy instead of draining it
- Replace hustle-driven performance with values-driven performance
- Create clarity, alignment, and psychological safety
- Model behaviors that strengthen teams from the inside out
“When leaders change their behavior, everything changes,” Jessica says.
It’s no longer about inspiration alone.
It’s about implementation.
Reclaiming Light in High-Capacity Women
One of Jessica’s most powerful observations in her work today:
“So many high-capacity women have been conditioned to override their energy and normalize burnout.”
Her work now focuses heavily on helping women rebuild trust in themselves—especially in high-performing environments where exhaustion has been normalized as proof of worth.
She’s not just helping women succeed.
She’s helping them succeed without sacrificing themselves.
A Room Where Leaders Do the Work
Jessica recently launched her free signature gathering: Happy Leader Power Hour — and it’s quickly becoming a room leaders protect on their calendar.
This isn’t surface-level motivation. It’s a skill-building space for women who are done normalizing burnout and ready to strengthen how they lead — in real time.
What makes it different?
It’s not just emerging leaders attending.
IAW President Megan Bozzuto joins almost monthly — and openly credits the room with sharpening her own leadership clarity and energy.
When high-level leaders choose to sit in the circle, not just speak on the stage, you know something meaningful is happening.
Power Hour isn’t about inspiration.
It’s about recalibration.
It’s about accountability.
It’s about strengthening the behaviors that create sustainable success.
Come as you are.
Leave sharper. Stronger. Clearer.
Leading for the Next Generation
When asked what continues to drive her work forward, Jessica’s answer remains deeply personal:
“My children.”
They sharpened her standards for what she will and will not normalize in the world of work.
She refuses to pass down burnout, scarcity thinking, or disconnected leadership.
Instead, she is building models rooted in optimism, humanity, and shared success.
Because when enough leaders change how they lead, the entire system shifts.
Why IAW Still Matters
Jessica continues to credit the International Association of Women as a momentum-builder in her journey.
“Community isn’t just connection. It’s acceleration.”
From Monday Masterminds to accountability spaces, she sees IAW as a place where ambitious women gather not just to succeed—but to elevate one another.
Her advice to members?
Lean in.
Participate fully.
Shine your light—and let yourself be seen.
What’s Next
Jessica’s goals are bold and clear:
- More rooms to speak in
- More organizations redesigning how work works
- More leaders embedding Happy Skills™ as core leadership behaviors—not perks
“When one leader shines differently, it changes a team. When enough leaders do, it changes the world of work.”
And she’s just getting started.
Connect with Jessica
✨ Join Happy Leader Power Hour
www.jessicalyonford.com
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Connect on LinkedIN
