Episode 46: The Courage to Feel What You’d Rather Avoid

In this episode of Courage Is Built Here, Justine welcomes Moe Carrick to Pathway One, Feel It All, for a conversation about the courage required to experience difficult emotions without allowing them to become all of who we are. Moe shares a personal story about unexpectedly encountering a client during an incredibly difficult moment in her family life and choosing vulnerability instead of trying to maintain a perfectly professional appearance.

Together, Justine and Moe explore emotional amplitude and what happens when feelings build without being understood or processed. Moe explains the importance of noticing what is happening inside of us, finding words for those emotions, identifying where we feel them in our bodies, and recognizing that information as valuable data. They discuss how this kind of self-awareness can transform communication and create connection rather than withdrawal, resentment, or judgment.

They also explore how men and women are often taught different rules about which emotions are acceptable to express and why developing emotional vocabulary matters. Moe shares that when anxiety, disappointment, fear, frustration, and other emotions are expressed, they can create both relief and connection. Rather than pushing people away, allowing ourselves to be seen can remind us that we are not alone.

Finally, Moe reflects on experiencing grief as her adult son moved on from working in her business. Rather than immediately fixing the situation or escaping into strategic planning, she recognized that courage meant allowing herself to feel the loss. Together, she and Justine discuss how change always involves losing something and why honoring that grief is an important part of moving through change.

Key Takeaways

• Pathway One, Feel It All, teaches us how to feel our feelings without allowing those feelings to become all of who we are.
• Vulnerability can create connection when we allow trusted people to see what we’re actually experiencing.
• Feelings are temporary, and experiencing intense emotion does not mean we will remain overwhelmed by it.
• Recognizing emotions as data helps us understand what is happening internally before deciding how to respond.
• Unprocessed emotions can build like a pressure cooker and show up as resentment, withdrawal, anger, or other reactions.
• Expressing what is happening inside of us can lead to two powerful experiences: feeling seen and realizing we are not alone.
• Men and women are often taught different rules about emotional expression, making emotional vocabulary and awareness important skills to develop.
• Connection requires intentional effort, including noticing our own internal experience and helping others feel seen and heard.
• Every change involves some form of loss, and allowing ourselves to experience grief can be an act of courage.
• Values can become a compass during uncertainty by helping us slow down, identify what matters most, and choose our next action accordingly.

About the Guest

Moe Carrick is a leadership expert, facilitator, author, and founder of Moementum, Inc. For decades, she has worked with leaders and teams to strengthen connection, build trust, and navigate the human dynamics of work. In this conversation, Moe shares her perspective on vulnerability, emotional awareness, and connective labor, helping us understand how recognizing and expressing what is happening inside of us can create deeper connection with others.

Connect with Moe:

Website: https://moementum.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moecarrick/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moe.carrick/