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In a world of change, where do you belong? The

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answer's clear, it's time to be strong. Mindful

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growth, that's where we thrive. With Angela's

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guidance, watch your best self arise. Transform

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with strong, reach for the stars. Resilient minds,

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that's who we are. No weakening potential, near

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and far. Angela, our strong, raising the bar.

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Welcome back. to Transformation Talk with Angela

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R. Strong. Season two, Empowered Edge series.

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And I am Angela R. Strong, and this is episode

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five of our Empowered Edge season. Today, we're

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diving deep into something that our culture often

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teaches us to avoid. Filling our emotions fully

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and using them as intelligence. In a world that

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celebrates being fine and moving on quickly,

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having the courage to feel is actually a radical

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act of self -respect. It's also the foundation

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of true emotional intelligence and lasting resilience.

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I spent most of my military career believing

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that emotions were the enemy of good decision

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making. In high stress situations, I learned

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to compartmentalize, push through, and deal with

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feelings later, except that later never came.

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By 2018, I had decades of unfelt emotions stored

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in my body. The stress, the disappointments,

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the losses I had never properly processed. When

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my career crisis hit, it wasn't just about the

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current situation. It was like every suppressed

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emotion from 27 years of military service came

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back flooding at once. That's when I learned

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the difference between emotional suppression

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and emotional intelligence. Suppression is pushing

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feelings away. Intelligence is learning to feel

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them, understand them, and use them as valuable

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information. Most people think that emotional

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intelligence means staying calm under pressure,

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but that's only part of it. True emotional intelligence

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involves four key abilities. First, we have emotional

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awareness, where we recognize what we're feeling

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in that moment. Not just the surface emotion,

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but the layers that are underneath it. Second,

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we have emotional understanding. Knowing why

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you're feeling what you're feeling and what your

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emotions are trying to tell you in that moment.

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Third, we have emotional regulation. Not suppressing

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emotions, but choosing how and when to express

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them appropriately. Four, emotional integration.

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Using emotional information to make better decisions

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and build stronger relationships. Here's what

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I wish someone had told me earlier, and that's

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that emotions aren't obstacles to overcome. They're

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data to decode. Fear might be telling you to

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prepare better. Anger might be highlighting the

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boundary violation. Sadness might be honoring

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something important that you've lost. And joy

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might be showing you what truly matters to you.

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The courage to feel means being willing to sit

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with this comfort long enough to understand what

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it is that is teaching you. I've developed a

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framework for emotional courage called feel.

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F is for face the emotion, stop running, numbing,

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or distracting. Turn towards what you're feeling

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with curiosity, not judgment. Name it specifically,

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not just bad or stressed, but frustrated, overwhelmed,

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disappointed, or whatever fits. E is for explore

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the message. Ask yourself, what is this emotion

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trying to tell me? What need isn't being met?

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What boundary has been crossed? What value is

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being threatened or honored? Second E, express

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appropriately. This doesn't mean dumping emotions

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on other people. It means finding healthy ways

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to release and communicate what it is that you're

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experiencing. through journaling, movement, art,

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or thoughtful conversation. L is for learn and

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leverage. What can this emotional experience

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teach you? How can you use this information to

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make better choices, set clearer boundaries,

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or align more closely with your values? Let me

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give you an example. Last month, I felt intense

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anxiety before speaking engagement. Instead of

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just trying to calm down, I used the field framework.

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Face. I acknowledged feeling anxious and scared.

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Explore. The emotion was telling me that this

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opportunity mattered deeply to me and I wanted

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to serve my audience well. Express. I journal

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about my fears and I talk to a trusted friend.

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Lerm. I realized that my anxiety was actually

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excitement in disguise and preparation energy.

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And I used it to rehearse more thoroughly. The

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result? One of my best presentations ever. Let's

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practice the emotional courage power pause. Think

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of an emotion you've been avoiding or pushing

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away. Take a deep breath and create space for

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this feeling. Don't try to fix or change it,

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just acknowledge it. Now ask, what is this emotion's

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name? What might it be trying to protect or tell

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me? What would honoring this emotion look like?

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How might this feeling actually be serving me?

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Notice how acknowledgement often reduces the

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emotion's intensity. That's the power of emotional

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courage. This week, Practice the daily emotional

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check -in. Three times a day. Do it in the morning,

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afternoon, and evening. Pause and ask yourself,

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what am I feeling right now? Name it specifically

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and thank it for the information that it's providing

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you. Choose one emotion that you typically avoid

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and practice the field framework with it. Having

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the courage to feel isn't about becoming more

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emotional. It's about becoming more intelligent

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about your emotions. It's about recognizing that

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your feelings are sophisticated, guided systems,

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not problems to solve. Next week, we're exploring

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boundaries as self -care, protecting your energy.

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Until then, remember, your emotions aren't your

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enemies. They're your allies in creating a life

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that truly fits who you are. I'm Angela R. Strong,

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and this has been Transformation Talk with Angela

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R. Strong, and this is your Empowered Edge series.

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I look forward to seeing you guys next week.

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Bye -bye for now. Into legacy, we got the key

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Unlocking the leader you're meant to be Mindful,

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bold, and totally free