Emotional Agility with Dr. Susan David
Dr. Rick and I sit down with Dr. Susan David, the creator of the concept of Emotional Agility. Emotional agility is what allows us to navigate our complex emotions, make choices aligned with our values, and ultimately lead more authentic and fulfilling lives.
We begin by discussing the four parts of emotional agility and distinguishing it from related concepts like emotional intelligence before exploring how we can “unhook” from our painful or problematic thoughts, feelings, and stories. We then explore how we can identify what really matters to us, act from those values, and find our footing in an ever-changing world.
About our Guest: Susan David, Ph.D. is an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist and the author of the #1 Bestseller Emotional Agility. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, and her TED Talk on the topic of emotional agility has been seen by more than 10 million people.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:50: Distinguishing emotional agility from emotional intelligence
5:00: The four parts of emotional agility
10:30: The value of seeing yourself and feeling seen by others
16:20: Continuity of self, and considering your future self
21:45: Ways to recognize our unhelpful patterns or ‘hooks’
26:40: Maintaining context for the full scope of our values
32:55: Defining the concept of values
35:50: Learning from discomfort, boredom, and anxiety
40:30: When you struggle to identify your values in the first place
46:05: Compassion and groundedness amidst constant change
52:40: Accurately labeling your stressors
58:30: Love and the wisdom in surrender
1:00:00: Recap
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