S2 - 02 | Soft Skills, Sharp Leadership: The Real Power of Naming Your Emotions

We’ve been taught to treat emotions like noise — something to push through, suppress, or ignore. But what if the real leadership edge in this AI-powered world isn’t in how much data you can process — but in how precisely you can name what you’re feeling?

In this solo episode, I explore a surprising truth: emotions are data , and emotional granularity — the ability to name your feelings with specificity — is a form of clarity most leaders lack.

Drawing from a deeply personal story of loss and recovery, I unpack the neuroscience of how emotions are made, why our brains generate them as prediction errors, and how labelling them with precision actually sharpens our decision-making, strengthens trust, and helps us show up as more grounded, resilient humans.

We’re not talking about “being in touch with your feelings” for the sake of it. We’re talking about practical emotional intelligence — the kind that reduces noise, builds trust, and increases control under pressure.

If you lead teams, manage change, or just want to stop getting hijacked by vague emotions — this one’s for you.

• Why emotions are a prediction system — and what that means for decision-making

• How emotional granularity reduces the intensity of difficult feelings

• A real-world example of using emotional check-ins to build team trust

• A step-by-step breakdown of how to start naming your emotions — and why it matters

• What a toddler conflict taught me about judgment, shame, and self-awareness

Next time you feel a surge of emotion — pause. Name it. Just one word. Then ask: “What is this emotion trying to teach me?”