From Reaction to Response: Choosing Conscious Conflict Resolution

Why do some conflicts escalate while others lead to understanding and growth? This article explores the crucial difference between reacting and responding, and how greater emotional awareness can help us move beyond blame, work with our triggers, and choose more conscious ways of engaging with conflict.

Resonant vs. Discordant Leadership: Navigating the Balance Between Connection and Accountability

How do leaders hold people accountable without becoming controlling, and build trust without avoiding difficult conversations? This article explores the balance between resonant leadership and accountability, offering practical insights for creating teams that are both high-performing and deeply connected.

74. Mastering Emotions in Midlife: Breaking Free from Emotional Eating, Voicing Needs and Setting Boundaries with John Ford

What role do emotions play in conflict, communication, and connection? In this conversation with Kim Hynes on the Emotional Eats Podcast, I share my journey from apartheid-era South Africa to workplace mediation, and explore how emotional literacy, empathy, and conflict resolution can help us build healthier relationships and communities.

Emotional Avoidance: The Hidden Crisis in Our Lives

Why do so many of us struggle to face our emotions directly? This article explores the hidden costs of emotional avoidance, how it shapes our relationships and conflicts, and why developing greater emotional awareness is essential for personal growth and genuine connection.

Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast!

I recently joined Andrea Samadi on the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast to explore the intersection of neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution. We discuss practical tools for navigating workplace conflict, building trust, strengthening communication, and developing the emotional skills needed for healthier relationships and more effective collaboration.

Reflections on Inside Out 2

In these reflections on Inside Out 2, renowned psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman explores the film's portrayal of anxiety, embarrassment, envy, and identity formation. Drawing on decades of emotion research, he examines what the movie gets right, where it departs from the science, and why emotional awareness matters during adolescence.

What Inside Out 2 Reveals About the Diversity of Emotions

What does Inside Out 2 reveal about the science of emotions, and what might it have left out? Drawing on emotion science, sociology, and the humanities, Demond Hill Jr. explores the film's portrayal of adolescence, anxiety, identity, and belonging while making a compelling case for the importance of love, grace, and empathy in emotional well-being.

Five Practices for a Healthier Emotional Life

What can Inside Out 2 teach us about living well with our emotions? Drawing on insights from leading emotion scientists including Dacher Keltner and Marc Brackett, this article explores five evidence-based practices—self-compassion, awe, gratitude, connection, and kindness—that can help us embrace the full spectrum of human emotions and cultivate greater well-being.

What are your Unfelts costing you?

What Are Your Unfelt Emotions Costing You? explores the relationship between emotional literacy, emotional intelligence, and leadership effectiveness. Drawing on the work of the Conscious Leadership Group, the article argues that emotions contain valuable information and that leaders who suppress or ignore their feelings may pay a price in resilience, decision-making, authenticity, trust, and overall effectiveness.