In a world of change, where do you belong? The
answer's clear, it's time to be strong. Mindful
growth, that's where we thrive. With Angela's
guidance, watch your best self arise. Transform
with strong, reach for the stars. Resilient minds,
that's who we are. No weakening potential, near
and far. Angela, our strong, raising the bar.
Welcome back. to Transformation Talk with Angela
R. Strong. Season two, Empowered Edge series.
And I am Angela R. Strong, and this is episode
five of our Empowered Edge season. Today, we're
diving deep into something that our culture often
teaches us to avoid. Filling our emotions fully
and using them as intelligence. In a world that
celebrates being fine and moving on quickly,
having the courage to feel is actually a radical
act of self -respect. It's also the foundation
of true emotional intelligence and lasting resilience.
I spent most of my military career believing
that emotions were the enemy of good decision
making. In high stress situations, I learned
to compartmentalize, push through, and deal with
feelings later, except that later never came.
By 2018, I had decades of unfelt emotions stored
in my body. The stress, the disappointments,
the losses I had never properly processed. When
my career crisis hit, it wasn't just about the
current situation. It was like every suppressed
emotion from 27 years of military service came
back flooding at once. That's when I learned
the difference between emotional suppression
and emotional intelligence. Suppression is pushing
feelings away. Intelligence is learning to feel
them, understand them, and use them as valuable
information. Most people think that emotional
intelligence means staying calm under pressure,
but that's only part of it. True emotional intelligence
involves four key abilities. First, we have emotional
awareness, where we recognize what we're feeling
in that moment. Not just the surface emotion,
but the layers that are underneath it. Second,
we have emotional understanding. Knowing why
you're feeling what you're feeling and what your
emotions are trying to tell you in that moment.
Third, we have emotional regulation. Not suppressing
emotions, but choosing how and when to express
them appropriately. Four, emotional integration.
Using emotional information to make better decisions
and build stronger relationships. Here's what
I wish someone had told me earlier, and that's
that emotions aren't obstacles to overcome. They're
data to decode. Fear might be telling you to
prepare better. Anger might be highlighting the
boundary violation. Sadness might be honoring
something important that you've lost. And joy
might be showing you what truly matters to you.
The courage to feel means being willing to sit
with this comfort long enough to understand what
it is that is teaching you. I've developed a
framework for emotional courage called feel.
F is for face the emotion, stop running, numbing,
or distracting. Turn towards what you're feeling
with curiosity, not judgment. Name it specifically,
not just bad or stressed, but frustrated, overwhelmed,
disappointed, or whatever fits. E is for explore
the message. Ask yourself, what is this emotion
trying to tell me? What need isn't being met?
What boundary has been crossed? What value is
being threatened or honored? Second E, express
appropriately. This doesn't mean dumping emotions
on other people. It means finding healthy ways
to release and communicate what it is that you're
experiencing. through journaling, movement, art,
or thoughtful conversation. L is for learn and
leverage. What can this emotional experience
teach you? How can you use this information to
make better choices, set clearer boundaries,
or align more closely with your values? Let me
give you an example. Last month, I felt intense
anxiety before speaking engagement. Instead of
just trying to calm down, I used the field framework.
Face. I acknowledged feeling anxious and scared.
Explore. The emotion was telling me that this
opportunity mattered deeply to me and I wanted
to serve my audience well. Express. I journal
about my fears and I talk to a trusted friend.
Lerm. I realized that my anxiety was actually
excitement in disguise and preparation energy.
And I used it to rehearse more thoroughly. The
result? One of my best presentations ever. Let's
practice the emotional courage power pause. Think
of an emotion you've been avoiding or pushing
away. Take a deep breath and create space for
this feeling. Don't try to fix or change it,
just acknowledge it. Now ask, what is this emotion's
name? What might it be trying to protect or tell
me? What would honoring this emotion look like?
How might this feeling actually be serving me?
Notice how acknowledgement often reduces the
emotion's intensity. That's the power of emotional
courage. This week, Practice the daily emotional
check -in. Three times a day. Do it in the morning,
afternoon, and evening. Pause and ask yourself,
what am I feeling right now? Name it specifically
and thank it for the information that it's providing
you. Choose one emotion that you typically avoid
and practice the field framework with it. Having
the courage to feel isn't about becoming more
emotional. It's about becoming more intelligent
about your emotions. It's about recognizing that
your feelings are sophisticated, guided systems,
not problems to solve. Next week, we're exploring
boundaries as self -care, protecting your energy.
Until then, remember, your emotions aren't your
enemies. They're your allies in creating a life
that truly fits who you are. I'm Angela R. Strong,
and this has been Transformation Talk with Angela
R. Strong, and this is your Empowered Edge series.
I look forward to seeing you guys next week.
Bye -bye for now. Into legacy, we got the key
Unlocking the leader you're meant to be Mindful,
bold, and totally free