Greg and Missy didn't come to Connection Codes as experts — they came as a couple who almost didn't make it. Thirty years married, with a near-divorce and a two-year separation somewhere in the middle, they found the Core Emotion Wheel during the slow work of rebuilding. In this episode, Phyllis sits down with these longtime listeners (who emailed in after we invited friends onto the show) to talk about the quiet superpower underneath all of it: putting language to what you actually feel. They get into how the wheel gave their daughter, who has Down syndrome, words to be heard and seen; how they stopped fighting about things they secretly agreed on; how they're using the wheel situationally through a giant life transition; and how connection is what makes room for creativity in the first place — the idea behind Greg's brand-new book. Along the way, the conversation cracks open one of the most misunderstood emotions of all — Anger — and lands somewhere genuinely surprising.

In this episode:

• Why "result words" like overwhelmed, anxious, and upset keep us stuck — and how the core emotions give every brain a common language
• How the wheel gave their daughter language to be heard, seen, and felt
• Fighting about things you actually agree on — and the emotion hiding underneath
• Using the wheel situationally through a major transition: a move, a business relocation, a house sale falling through, a son changing schools
• Holding Joy and grief at the same time — and not rushing a kid out of his Sad
• Why processing emotion is the opposite of wallowing in it
• How conflict quietly steals creativity — and Greg's book, Created to Create
• Anger as a protector and a driver, not violence

About Greg & Missy: Greg and Missy have been married 30 years and first found Connection Codes through the Foundations course in 2021. Both are creatives by trade — Greg is an architect, Missy is an interior designer — and they've used the Core Emotion Wheel as a daily and situational tool with each other and with their two kids. Greg recently released his first book, Created to Create.

Resources mentioned:

• Core Emotion Wheel (free download) → connectioncodes.co/cew
• Find a certified Connection Codes coach → connectioncodes.co/coaches#find-a-coach-menu
• Foundations Masterclass → connectioncodes.co/foundations
• Created to Create: How to Partner with God and Uncover Your Creative Destiny by Greg — available on Amazon
• Want to be a guest on the podcast? Email us → [email protected]