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What do you do when you start feeling an uncomfortable emotion — Maybe you avoid it? Numb it? Let it get you down? Today’s podcast guest, Dr Susan David, says the key to achieving success and living a fulfilling life is to FEEL those feelings in a healthy way. And in this powerful episode, she’s sharing her groundbreaking, research-backed techniques for doing exactly that…

Susan David, Ph.D. is one of the world’s leading management thinkers and an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist. Her new #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Emotional Agility describes the psychological skills critical to thriving in times of complexity and change. Susan’s TED Talk on the topic went viral with over 1 million views in its first week of release. She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and was named on the Thinkers50 global list of the top management thinkers.

This conversation with Susan was incredible. So many of us have gone through our entire lives never knowing how to deal with tough emotions, and letting them keep us stuck, trapped, and repeating the same old destructive patterns, time and time again. It’s eye opening to learn that dealing with these tough emotions is the price we pay for a meaningful life, and that a little bit of discomfort can open the doors to a whole new level of success…

So if you want to discover the best way to move through difficult feelings, strengthen your emotional agility, and live up to your true potential, then pop in those earbuds… this one’s for you!

In this episode we chat about:

• Her shocking experience with loss and why she became so passionate about researching emotions (06:45)  
• The toxic effect on our mental health when we suppress our emotions (12:31)
• The heavy price of faking positivity — are you willing to pay it? (16:56) 
• Debunking the myth that happiness is the only “valid” emotion (20:43)
• Is social media impacting our ability to experience true happiness? (26:30)
• Why ‘emotional agility’ is the key to an epic, wholehearted, fulfilling life — and the best way to cultivate it (33:19)
• Powerful strategies to process difficult emotions so that they don’t control you (38:12)
• How to unhook from destructive patterns, stay present, and consciously go with the flow  (47:40)

Episode resources: 

• Emotional Agility by Dr. Susan David (Amazon)
• Take the FREE Emotional Agility Quiz (website)
• TED Talk: The gift and power of emotional courage with Susan David (YouTube)
• TED Podcast: Checking in with Susan David (podcast)
• Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Amazon)
• Open Wide by Melissa Ambrosini (website)

Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could take 2 minutes to leave me a review in iTunes or on your podcast app, that way we can inspire even more people together.

P.S. Please seek advice from a qualified holistic practitioner before starting any new health practice.

P.P.S. If you’re looking for a high-impact marketing opportunity for your business and are interested in becoming a sponsor for The Melissa Ambrosini Show podcast, please email pr@melissaambrosini.com for more information.