Half a Million Views Later...

What Going Viral Taught Me About Joy

Hi friend,

This week’s newsletter wasn’t what I planned to write.

But sometimes life hands you a story, and you simply have to tell it.

Last week, I posted a short video on Juneteenth that brought me so much joy.

No strategy.
No expectations.
No thoughts of “going viral.”

I simply wanted to share a moment that made me smile.

The video was from The Aligned Life Retreat by Omnoire in Scottsdale, Arizona—a beautiful gathering of Black women led by Christina Rice. Shanita Miller, founder of Black Girls Guide to ATL, along with Christina, curated this amazing day for us. During our retreat, Shanita created a Black Girls Guide to Scottsdale so we could intentionally support local Black-owned businesses throughout the weekend.

One of those stops was a hat shop called Straw & Wool, where I found the perfect hat. I paired it with the cutest little bubble romper, and I felt…happy. I didn’t know I was being recorded when I stumbled upon a hopscotch board on the sidewalk. When you see hopscotch, you hopscotch.

I also felt…Light.

Free.

So I shared the video one of the retreat attendees sent me later.

Today, that little moment of joy has reached more than half a million people and received nearly 20,000 likes.

Half a million.

I’m still wrapping my head around that.

As someone who has spent years creating meditations, teaching yoga, hosting retreats, writing newsletters, recording podcasts, and building community, I have to admit…

It’s fascinating what captures people’s attention. Not that those offerings do not, because they do what they are supposed to do, but they’ve never captured this many eyes. I was shocked!

Sometimes moments need minutes to land. Sometimes it’s an eight-second video of you simply enjoying your life.

But the more I’ve sat with it, the more I realize this story isn’t really about going viral.

It’s about joy.

They say joy is contagious.

I think they’re right.

Because joy has a way of traveling farther than we ever expect.

When I watched that video back, I wasn’t seeing an algorithm.

I saw Black women celebrating Juneteenth.

I saw community.

I saw us supporting Black-owned businesses.

I saw freedom.

I saw laughter.

I saw myself feeling completely at home in my own skin.

Maybe that’s what people connected with.

Not perfection.

Not performance.

Just joy.

The kind that asks for nothing in return.

The kind that reminds us life isn’t only about checking the next box or chasing the next accomplishment.

It’s about being fully present for the moments that make us feel alive.

The internet measures success in views, likes, comments, and shares.

But I’m walking away measuring something different.

If one joyful moment can reach half a million people, imagine what happens when each of us chooses to share more of what genuinely lights us up.

Maybe we don’t need to create more noise.

Maybe we need to create more joy.

Because joy has a way of traveling farther than we ever expect.

Maybe joy was never meant to be kept.

Maybe it was always meant to be shared.

And maybe that’s always been its superpower.

Journal Prompt ✍🏾

What version of yourself feels the most free?

The one that’s laughing so hard you forget who’s watching?

The one dancing in the grocery store?

The one traveling with friends?

The one creating just because it lights you up?

Go spend more time with that version of yourself this week.

The world doesn’t need a more perfect version of you.

It needs the joyful one.

Thank you for being here, for reading my words, and for allowing me to share these little moments of life with you. Whether you’re one of the first people who ever took a yoga class with me or you’ve just found this community through a viral video, I’m so grateful you’re here.

Stay Brave in Your Pursuit of JOY.

Love,

Your favorite Ram