Episode 1: When Big Feelings Meet a Whole Heart

In this first full episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway One, Feel It All, with a very personal conversation about big feelings, values, and courage. She invites her longtime friend, author and educator Rebecca Pierce, to share how she learned to feel her feelings instead of being ruled by them and how that work now shapes her family, her school, and her leadership.

Rebecca grew up in a home where emotions were avoided, boxed up, or covered over with doing. As the “big feeler” in her family, she did not always have permission to name what she felt or process hard experiences. Two important people in her life first modeled emotional honesty and story sharing, and later her friendship with Justine gave her language and tools for moving feelings through her body instead of letting them get stuck.

Together, Justine and Rebecca unpack what Pathway One looks like in real life: starting with values, noticing emotional patterns, practicing “both and,” and choosing courage in community rather than getting stuck in shame and isolation.

Key Takeaways

• Values come first. Before you can feel it all in a healthy way, you need to know what you stand on. Values are the roots that keep you grounded when your emotions feel big.
• Feelings need movement. Emotions live in the body. Shaking, bouncing, and literally moving fear or adrenaline through your body is not foolish, it is wise and necessary.
• Feelings are passengers, not drivers. Your emotions deserve a seat on the bus, but letting them drive your life leads to reactions rather than thoughtful responses.
• Grace and accountability can coexist. Rebecca gives herself a few days to rest, grieve, and recover when she feels low, then intentionally chooses to shower, show up, and take the next step.
• We need people in the muck with us. Courage grows when you have people who can validate your feelings, challenge the lies of shame, and remind you of what is true about you.
• The word “and” changes everything. Launching a child, leading a school, and walking through transitions often feels both beautiful and painful. Allowing yourself to feel both is part of wholehearted living.
• Courage is built between us. From staff meetings at Trailblazer Academy to kitchen table conversations, this work happens in relationship, not in isolation.

About the guest

Rebecca Pierce is the founder of Trailblazer Academy, a micro school that offers a wholehearted approach to STEAM education rooted in the values of kind, curious, and brave. She is a mother of five, a complex feeler, and a courageous leader who wants kids and adults to have the emotional tools she did not have growing up. Rebecca is also the author of Do Today Well, a grace-based book that offers practical strategies for living a faith filled life one day at a time.

Connect with Rebecca

• Website: Explore Trailblazer
  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exploretrailblazer
  
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploretrailblazer/
  

Book: Do Today Well on Amazon