It's no secret that famed actor, Will Smith has begun to experience the ramifications of his decision to slap comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony. Regardless of the backstory or reasoning behind the incident, it is very clear that emotional intelligence skills could have played an important role in changing the trajectory of that infamous night. In this special edition, we explore an emotional management tool that can help us all better manage our emotions during testy trigger moments. 

Taking a brief pause to reflect on the direction of the show for the next season.

While uncertainty is something that is always present and will remain a fixture in our lives, it’s no secret that over the past 18 or so months, we’ve had unprecedented encounters with uncertainty. If this pandemic period has taught us anything, it’s really driven home the point that we aren’t half as much in control as we think we are. It’s also introduced us to some of our limitations and vulnerabilities, and opened our eyes to the need to develop strength in handling adversity and coping with uncertainty. In this episode on reflections and realizations, we explore the lessons we can glean from the pandemic period to help us navigate our way forward.

It is indeed true that change is about the only thing in our lives that remains constant, and yet we often have a hard time coping with it as it comes and goes from our lives. For many, nothing feels more cloudy and uncertain, than the pandemic times we're all living through at the moment. Courtney Wright, Wellness Practitioner, Coach and Owner of Blissfully You Wellness Services joins me for a conversation about why we have difficulty embracing change and how we can better navigate unexpected or uncertain waters we might find ourselves paddling through.  Guest: You can learn more about Courtney and her offerings at: www.blissfullyuwellness.com

Sometimes we find ourselves at moments in our lives where we just need to slow down, maybe even step back and give ourselves guilt-free permission to not feel the need to move as fast as it might feel like everyone else around us is moving.

While expectations help us operate in the world, we're living in an increasingly interconnected world that exposes us to greater societal conditioning and pressures from the expectations of others. These pressures often have us conforming to the opinions and judgements of others in ways that can leave us feeling financially, physically or emotionally drained. In this episode, we look at some of the reasons why we keep up appearances in the first place. What we can do to free ourselves from the judgement and expectations of others and what we stand to gain when we choose to hear our own voice louder than anyone else’s.

We often hear that people do business with people they like. And to that I add, people want to spend their time around people they like. Essentially, no one wants to be friends or do business with someone whose presence they’d much rather escape. Nothing will get you further along in life, than being capable of genuine productive human connections with others. In order for you to enjoy productive and meaningful relationships with others personally or professionally, you have to be someone that others enjoy having around. In this episode, we examine some of the qualities that make people enjoyable and we explore the important ways emotional intelligence influences our likeability, most especially in ‘testy’ and uncertain times.

How rich and rewarding our personal and professional relationships are, depends heavily on our ability to positively influence the experience others have in our presence. Whether we're aware of it or not, every single interaction we have, be it with our kids, a boss, a coworker, a client, a significant other, a friend or stranger, every single interaction we have leaves behind an emotional aftertaste. People generally feel a certain way having been in your presence and oftentimes, it's either bitter or sweet. In this episode, we explore the case for what we stand to gain when we care about the aftertaste of our interactions, and what we stand to lose if we don’t care. We will also examine an important strategy that helps you influence the aftertaste of your interactions in a positive and productive way.

For everything that happens to or around us in life, we tend to attach a story or narrative to that event, circumstance or situation. We do this because as human beings, we feel the need to create context around the things we experience. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, the impact of some of our own narratives can be very harmful and costly. In this episode, I challenge listeners to consider three things. To invest some time examining their own narratives, to be empowered to rid themselves of the ones no longer serving them, and to create new narratives that will serve them better moving forward.

At the beginning of each year, we often set goals for the things we want to accomplish and acquire throughout the year. What often gets overlooked, is the importance of also setting goals that help us develop into the best version of ourselves. In this episode, we explore an important challenge that listeners are invited to take on, in an effort to grow into a more likeable, approachable and truly successful human being.