For most of my life, I thought I understood emotions.
I'm a therapist. I've spent years helping people navigate anxiety, trauma, relationships, and healing. But recently, something unexpected happened in my own therapy that completely changed the way I think about feelings.
It started with what I jokingly called a "woo-woo" exercise.
My therapist asked me to stop analyzing my emotions and start feeling them.
What followed led me back to childhood memories I hadn't thought about in decades—a lonely walk home through freezing rain, a realization about why I became an ultramarathon runner, and a deeper understanding of the message I'd been carrying my entire life:
"Hold it all together."
"Figure it out yourself."
In this episode, I share how emotional suppression begins, why so many of us learn to distrust our feelings, and what happened when I finally stopped trying to fix, explain, or outrun my emotions and simply let them exist.
If you've ever felt like you're carrying the weight of the world, constantly pushing through, or wondering why you struggle to access your feelings, this conversation might resonate more than you expect.
Sometimes healing isn't about becoming someone new.
Sometimes it's about finally listening to the part of you that's been trying to get your attention all along.
00:00 Therapist Meets Emotions
00:54 Going Full Woo Woo
02:35 Listening to Feelings
03:08 Why We Suppress
04:50 Holding It Together
05:34 Rainy Walk Memory
07:45 Ultramarathon Connection
09:12 Inner Child Imprints
10:28 Let Emotions Be
11:59 Welcome Back Emotions
