Ep 236: Discovering What Was Always There (a ONE THING conversation with Joy Cho)

·1 hr 6 min·5 clips

Joy Cho launched her blog in 2005 as a marketing tool, never expecting it to become a multi-million follower brand.

Laura Tremaine introduces the 'One Thing' series, where she asks interesting people about the one thing they want others to know. This episode features Joy Cho, known as Oh Joy online, with a large following on Pinterest and Instagram. Joy recounts her background: born in Philadelphia to Thai immigrant parents, she studied graphic design, moved to New York, and started a blog in 2005 as a marketing tool for her freelance design work. The blog evolved into the Oh Joy lifestyle brand, which she focused on full-time after her first child was born in 2011. Laura and Joy discuss Joy's personal style, which she describes as 'fancy casual'—colorful, vintage-inspired, and feminine, developed over the last decade. Joy explains that wearing bold colors uplifts her mood and often brings smiles to others, though she dresses for herself, not attention. The conversation shifts to mental health, with Joy revealing she went through a difficult period pre- and during the pandemic, including downsizing her team and family challenges. She felt disconnected from her joyful public persona and sought therapy and coaching. Joy credits returning to competitive tennis, which she played in high school, as a key factor in her recovery. Tennis provided newness, a separate community where she wasn't defined by her job, and a competitive thrill that improved her mental health. She describes it as tapping into a core part of herself and helping her regain excitement for life and work. Laura reflects on her own desire to reconnect with childhood hobbies like making collages, which are tactile and meditative, contrasting with screen-based work. Joy suggests keeping a collage book as a visual journal. The episode concludes with Joy's one thing: find an activity that brings joy outside daily life, often by revisiting childhood passions, to spark fulfillment and improve overall well-being.

As heard by us

Joy turns getting dressed into a thoughtful conversation about daily ritual, public brightness, and private difficulty.

Getting dressed becomes more than a practical start to the day in Joy's story. She recalls putting outfits together when even a grocery-store trip was off the table, sharing those looks online, and finding new shape in clothes she already owned.

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Why you'd press play

You want to know what getting dressed can do for a day that has nowhere to go.

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