Episode 38: The Purpose of Emotions with Karla McLaren

When emotions arise, oftentimes we try to figure out how to fix them, rather than asking what they are trying to tell us. However, our emotions are not separate from or intelligence or logic. In fact, emotions are messengers telling us about what we may need or events to pay attention to.

In Episode 38, we speak with Karla McLaren on the purpose of emotions. She explains the importance of connecting with them and how it benefits our well-being. Karla dives into the specific messages that anger, sadness, grief, anxiety, frustration, happiness and hope are telling us. Karla also researches empathy, and she shares her model of how true empathy works. By the end of this episode, you will learn that emotions aren’t something that need to be fixed, but instead they need to be understood. If you want to grow in your understanding of emotions, this is the episode for you!

Key Takeaways

• Karla’s work and the things that she does
• Her explanation on what emotions are and what it tells
• How she thinks emotions are related to intelligence and logic
• On connecting with emotions
• The benefits of investigating emotions for her
• Her view on how emotions work
• The effects of working in an unhealthy work or social environment for her
• Sharing her communication practices for workers to create small areas of engagement
• Her view on what empathy is
• Her explanation of the six aspects model of empathy
• Her opinion on what sadness and grief are and what it tells us
• What frustration vs anger is for her
• How can people work on handling anger for her
• What hope and happiness are for her
• How she thinks understanding emotions help us deal with life differently
• Her four families of emotions to knowing emotions
• How understanding emotions helps in handling problems for her
• How she thinks people tune in to empathy despite feeling fatigue
• The message that she wants to leave with the listeners

Link

• Karla McLaren on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-mclaren-m-ed-17b947a2/
• Karla McLaren on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KarlaMcLaren
• Karla McLaren Website - https://karlamclaren.com/
• As Well App - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greencircleinitiatives.aswell&hl=en_IN&gl=US
• Green Circle Initiatives Website - https://www.greencircleinitiatives.com/

Book

• Practices for Embracing Anxiety by Karla McLaren M.Ed. - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52079401-practices-for-embracing-anxiety
• Power of Emotions at Work by Karla McLaren M.Ed. - coming out in August 2021

Bio:

Karla McLaren, M.Ed. is an award-winning author, social science researcher, and empathy pioneer. Her lifelong work focuses on her grand unified theory of emotions, which revalues even the most “negative” emotions and opens startling new pathways into self-awareness, effective communication, and healthy empathy.

Karla is the author of Embracing Anxiety: How to Access the Genius of this Vital Emotion (2020), The Dynamic Emotional Integration® Workbook (2018), The Art of Empathy: A Complete Guide to Life’s Most Essential Skill (2013), and many audio learning programs and online courses.