The EmotionAlly Podcast

In this episode, I explain the purpose of traditions and rituals in our families and relationships, and why they serve as a medicine for resilience in our times of struggle. I discuss how to determine when we may need to add traditions, and when we should give ourselves permission to let them go or to evolve. Whether during the holidays, or in our everyday lives, I explain how traditions have the power to strengthen what matters most to us. Give it a listen!

In this episode, I discuss why our love that we give sometimes gets brushed off, or goes unseen, or receives a lukewarm response. I explain how to help your partner feel the love you give. I describe the four rungs on the ladder of expressing love, how to access each step on that ladder, & why this effort will ultimately help us to see & be seen by those we love. You don't want to miss this one. Give it a listen!

In this episode, I explain how we can help our kids to find and keep their emotional resilience, and how to create a "Teflon" for the hardships that they face, like loss, bullying, correction, and personal life storms. I explain how building secure attachment fits into that resilience. I also discuss how to help kids (and adults) to speak fairly to themselves, and I describe how to help prepare our kids for the uphill climbs that they face. Give it a listen!

In this episode, I am joined by my wife, Meg, as we discuss what helicopter parenting is and what it isn't. I explain the 4 commonly labeled styles of parenting, and we introduce a new parenting style that I'm excited to share with you, and which can help you focus your parenting efforts with greater meaning, and hopefully less confusion and overwhelm. Give it a listen!

In this episode, I explain why people fear and avoid addressing mental health. I explain the key questions that we can each ask ourselves so we can determine whether our state of mind warrants additional support from a therapist or physician. And I explain why there IS hope and a solid and clear path forward for healing when we do need that help. We don't have to fear and avoid "popping the hood" on our mental and emotional health. Give it a listen!

In this episode, I discuss a popular YouTube episode I heard online that describes the world trying to make men soft and weak and brainwashed with emotion and emotional sensitivity. I discuss that popular mentality, and I explain the reality of emotional intelligence. I make the case for how emotion makes men, and women, even stronger in their grit and lifestyle, if emotion is properly accessed and accurately understood. Give it a listen!

In this episode, my wife, Meg, & I talk about parenting high-emotion kids. We discuss origins of our kids' emotional outbursts, how our own reactions can calm or elevate those emotions, and the role of empathy in our parenting response. We'll dispel myths about emotion and offer hope for any parent who struggles — because we all do. Give it a listen!

In a recent study, loneliness was declared a public health epidemic. In this episode, I summarize the main points of this study and I discuss how to foster deeper connection despite ongoing feelings of loneliness. I explain why we need to heal our attachment to ourselves, how to achieve the self-clarity this requires, and why making peace with ourselves allows for greater connection with those around us. Give it a listen!

In this episode, my producer, Richie T. Steadman, joins me to ask me the questions people often want to know about what therapy is, how it works, and what to expect. I talk openly about how to choose a therapist, how to bring a reluctant loved one to therapy, when to do therapy and when NOT to do therapy, and I explain exactly how therapy helps. Therapy should feel like it's safe, and that it is worth the effort we give to it. I explain how to make that happen. Give it a listen!

In this episode, I discuss the concept of reconciliation— what it means and why it's worth it. I describe the difference between proactive and reactive responses to emotion, why reconciliation is actually a gift, and how to extend empathetic invitations to restore connection. Give it a listen!