How well do you know what you’re feeling - beyond “fine” or “off”? This episode uncovers how emotion isn’t just a reaction; it’s a construction of your brain, shaped by past experience, present cues, and crucially, the words you choose. For leaders, the language you use isn’t just descriptive - it’s powerful.

In this episode, we begin by exploring how your brain doesn’t simply feel emotion - it predicts it. Drawing on the work of Lisa Feldman Barrett and the theory of constructed emotion, we show how the words you use (internally and with your team) act as levers of emotional leadership. You’ll hear the story of “Maya”, which illustrates how labelling the same physiological response as “frustration” versus “determination” leads to very different outcomes. We trace how emotions are built through prediction, language, and culture. From there, ...