David and Margaret dive into the ways that Leadership and Emotional Intelligence can help when relationships get hard. They announced a free masterclass on June 4th, 2025, to provide tools for improving emotional awareness and communication.
Reading the Space
Margaret shares that for the recording of the podcast, she is wearing an orange sticky note. After a rough relationship moment before recording the podcast, the color orange is for her a symbol of possibility and enthusiasm. This concept is drawn from their leadership training, where they used colors as a code for the hard-to-describe emotions and energy that are often unacknowledged in conversations and in rooms. It’s a way to talk about “reading the space.”
They explain how they learned to recognize what’s in the space by naming colors like blue, which represents permission to feel sadness in service of creating emotional intimacy.
Exploring How Men and Women Differ on Emotional Intelligence
David acknowledged his ongoing journey in emotional intelligence and expressed appreciation for Margaret’s support.
The duo wonder, do men have additional challenges in expressing and recognizing their emotions? Cultural norms often discourage men from expressing emotions and being vulnerable, and encourage anger as an alternative.
They explore the importance of acknowledging and accepting emotions in the conversation without immediately trying to change the texture. Many of us have an impulse to cheer things up or steer conversations away from topics that feel hearvy. And men often seem to be taught to alter conversations rather than accept them as they are. They also touched on the societal expression of anger, noting that while some find it easier to confront anger with anger, this approach can lead to contention.
What Do Leadership and Emotional Intelligence Have To Do with What’s Going On NOW?
The environment of the world right now feels challenging to many — and it can have a big impact on personal relationships. External stressors, such as global and political events, can affect our emotional capacity. And when our emotional capacity feels full or flooded, then we can react unskillfully in personal and professional relationships.
Tuning into world events seems these days to lead to increased stress and emotional fatigue. Many of us are feeling at capacity right now.
For example, the same situations can trigger different reactions, depending on one’s emotional state. When we are calm, we can be spacious. But if we are already stressed out, the same set of circumstances can make us blow.
So what can we do?
Margaret emphasized the importance of skills to help people navigate these challenges, which was the inspiration for their upcoming masterclass, called “Manage Your Inner Chaos.”
One Skill To Start With
One starting point in navigating hard days is to recognize emotional triggers in relationships. How do our hosts know they are triggered?
David shared his experience of feeling judged during a recent Christian men’s group meeting, which led to a physical reaction in his gut. He knows that feeling means he’s getting triggered. David also mentioned that feeling his face and chest flush is another one. It points to feelings of shame, which he has learned to recognize and address, rather than being controlled by them. Margaret described her own physical cues when triggered, which include rubbing her face and fidgeting.
By learning to notice these triggers, we take an important step towards preventing reactive behavior in relationships.
Join Us To Learn More
The the two invite listeners to save their spot at their upcoming free masterclass on June 4th at 12 noon Eastern.
The one-hour session will focus on tools for managing difficult emotions and improving emotional intelligence. It will provide practical skills and introduce participants to a follow-on program about self-sabotage and relationships.