In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling carefree - that state of having no cares or worries where things feel easy. The conversation examines how responsibilities and life stages affect our ability to experience carefreeness, whether this feeling can be intentionally cultivated, and how creative flow states might provide unexpected moments of being carefree. The hosts discuss practical ways to reverse-engineer carefree moments in adult life despite accumulated responsibilities. 

Episode Highlights:

• Tina reflects on not feeling truly carefree since her late teens/early twenties during a brief period after finishing college before starting work, describing carefree as "having no responsibilities, nothing to worry about, nowhere to be, nothing to do" and wondering if it's possible to craft such experiences now
• Michelle suggests that the stage of parenting significantly impacts carefreeness, noting how she couldn't feel carefree when vacationing with young children but now experiences it when traveling alone as an adult with grown children
• The hosts explore "reverse engineering" carefree moments through mindfulness techniques like 20-minute meditation, mind-mapping to dive into problems without worry, or giving yourself permission to let your mind wander freely
• Michelle observes that Tina likely experiences carefree moments during creative flow states when deeply engrossed in art or singing, even if she doesn't consciously recognize them as carefree in the moment because she's so absorbed in the creative process
• The conversation concludes with the insight that cultivating carefree might be more accessible than chasing joy directly, offering a pathway to joy's "slightly different flavor" that feels more achievable given adult responsibilities - noting that "you have to work harder to find your happy feelings when you're older, but you can still find them"

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling mortified - that sense of being so incredibly humiliated that you may have lost your dignity. The conversation examines the Latin roots of "mortified" (meaning death), how this emotion differs from simple embarrassment, and why it's more common during teenage years when identity is still forming. The hosts share personal stories of mortification and discuss the importance of self-soothing and curiosity when processing this painful emotion.

Episode Highlights:

• Michelle explains the etymology of "mortified" comes from the Latin word for death, describing it as "I did something so bad, so disgusting, that I just died a little," and notes the mortifying feeling makes you want to curl up small to avoid others' judgment
• The hosts reflect on how life experience reduces mortification, with Michelle noting she hasn't felt truly mortified since her teenage years when identity is still forming and stakes seem higher, raising her empathy for young people navigating this intense emotion
• Heather distinguishes mortification from embarrassment by noting intentionality - getting caught cheating on a test in high school created mortification because she knew she "was better than that" and had acted against her own integrity
• Tina shares being mortified in her early twenties when a manager's "joke" led her to ask restaurant customers to leave, resulting in complaints and feeling she'd "ruined their night," describing the classic response of going into the walk-in cooler to cry
• The conversation emphasizes curiosity as a resilience mindset for mortification and highlights self-soothing techniques like comfortable blankets, favorite tea, pleasant scents, or showers - small sensory experiences that bring you into the present with pleasant sensations when you don't have "your mommy to come and snuggle you"

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the intense emotion of revulsion - that sense of loathing or repulsion toward someone or something. The conversation distinguishes revulsion from simply finding something revolting, examines how this emotion often connects to moral beliefs, and explores how life experience affects both the frequency and processing of this powerful feeling. The hosts share personal triggers for revulsion and discuss when mindfulness techniques are helpful versus when walking away is the better choice.

Episode Highlights:

• Heather distinguishes revulsion from merely finding something "revolting," describing revulsion as including layers of loathing, disgust, and abhorrence - using the example of feeling revulsion toward attacks on hospitals during wartime versus simply finding roadkill revolting
• Michelle shares how she experiences revulsion when encountering certain personality types, particularly narcissists, based on past negative experiences, questioning whether her knee-jerk avoidance reaction still serves her or blocks potentially meaningful connections
• The hosts observe that revulsion often appears in response to large-scale issues that make them feel disempowered, with Heather noting she lets the emotion go quickly because "there's nothing I can do about it"
• Tina reveals her experience of revulsion remains "childlike" and tied to physical disgust (like gross porta-potties) rather than evolving to encompass larger moral or societal issues, describing this as where the emotion is "stuck" for her
• The conversation emphasizes that mindfulness techniques for processing revulsion work better for interpersonal situations (like difficult coworkers) than for moral offenses, and sometimes the healthiest response is simply to "turn the TV off" and walk away from the trigger

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the state of being present - a grounded emotional state where your attention, awareness, and energy are fully in the here and now. The conversation examines how presence can be both uncomfortable and powerful, how introverts and extroverts may experience presence differently, and the relationship between presence and flow states. The hosts discuss practical ways to practice presence and why it's often easier to be present for others than for ourselves.

Episode Highlights:

• Heather describes being present as "bringing a light bulb into your life" that shines a spotlight on things that may not be working, noting that this awareness can feel uncomfortable if you're not ready to make changes
• Michelle observes that as an extrovert, she tends to be most present in social situations and conversations with others, while at home alone she switches off environmental awareness and becomes more "internally present"
• Tina distinguishes between presence as a practice versus presence as a feeling, describing the emotional experience as "quiet and still" - like turning off a ceiling fan so you can sense energy moving through your body and interpret your senses clearly
• Heather connects presence to flow states, wondering if practicing presence as a discipline can help people more easily access that powerful state where time seems to disappear
• The hosts suggest that activities requiring focus but not being too hard - art, music, creative pursuits, sports, puzzles, or spending time with animals or children - can help cultivate presence and potentially lead to "hyper presence" or flow states

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling humorous - that sense of being amused, finding something comical, or feeling like acting silly. The conversation examines humor's relationship to life's absurdity, its healing power in difficult times, and how laughter serves as emotional release similar to crying. The hosts discuss how humor connects us communally and how multiple emotions can coexist, including humor during periods of depression.

Episode Highlights:

• Michelle describes her belief that "life is absurd" and her tendency to find humor even when it's not appropriate, noting how she uses humor in public speaking to make connections by getting people to "sit in the space of humor" with her
• Tina shares how humor can emerge at the bottom of "emptying that sadness cup," describing humor as both healing and a coping mechanism she uses to break the hold of negativity when situations get dark or uncomfortable
• Heather offers important insight for understanding depression, explaining that people can experience multiple emotions simultaneously - laughing and having fun with friends doesn't mean depression has disappeared or been "cured"
• Michelle draws a powerful parallel between crying and laughter as forms of emotional release, noting both are "cathartic, therapeutic, and healing" and give us what we need to continue moving through difficult experiences
• The hosts explore the communal nature of humor, noting how we literally buy tickets to comedy shows to "feel humorous with other people" and how sharing emotions - whether positive or challenging - is essential for emotional intelligence growth beyond just naming our feelings

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore sadness - one of the most universally recognized yet complex emotions humans experience. The conversation examines how sadness differs from depression, the cumulative nature of unexpressed sadness, and the importance of self-compassion when experiencing this heavy emotion. The hosts share vulnerable personal experiences and discuss how to support others who are grieving or experiencing deep sadness.

Episode Highlights:

• Tina describes sadness as having a "physical feeling, like a tightness and heaviness in the chest" and shares her current experience of feeling sad and helpless watching someone she loves suffer, noting how sadness can become "compounded" and engulfing
• Heather introduces the powerful metaphor of sadness as a cup that fills with "little sadnesses" until one more tips it over, causing all the accumulated grief to spill out - often revealing sadness about things we didn't even know we were carrying
• The hosts discuss distinguishing sadness from depression, with Michelle noting that sadness triggers tears and emotional pain while depression feels more like shutting down, though both share that heavy "lead muscles" quality
• Tina emphasizes that self-compassion is the "guiding North Star" when sad, encouraging listeners to give themselves permission to feel sadness without judgment, noting that "sitting with those emotions is the more courageous thing to do" rather than pushing them down
• The conversation explores how to support others experiencing sadness, acknowledging that people often avoid grieving friends because sadness is "contagious" and uncomfortable, but emphasizing that simple presence, witnessing, and validating someone's sadness ("I see how sad you are") is what's truly needed

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Heather Hampton, Michelle Stinson Ross, and Tina Schweiger explore the emotion of feeling sullen - that experience of being unhappy to the point where it becomes an ongoing mood. The conversation examines sullen as a protective response when we've run out of emotional capacity, the need for processing space when triggered, and how to support both ourselves and others (especially teenagers) when this withdrawn state emerges. The hosts share personal strategies for navigating and respecting the sullen experience. Episode

Highlights:

• Heather describes sullen as appearing when something has "peeved you off" to a low simmering level of anger, requiring alone time to process what's bothering you before you might "erupt more" if forced to interact with others
• Michelle uses the metaphor of a "Dairy Queen chocolate-dipped cone" to describe sullen - creating a "hard crunchy shell" around herself when she's run out of emotional capacity to deal with people, noting that the coating will eventually "melt and ooze off"
• Tina connects sullen to being physically stuck or unable to accomplish things due to fatigue or illness, describing it as feeling "mopey" when prevented from getting the dopamine rush of completing tasks
• The hosts discuss sullen as common during teenage years due to hormonal changes affecting brain chemistry, offering advice for parents to give space and acknowledgment rather than chasing teenagers for conversation during these moods
• The conversation emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and allowing processing time when experiencing sullen, with Heather noting that being forced to engage while in "fight or flight mode" can lead to hurtful reactions that don't reflect what's really going on internally

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Tina Schweiger, Heather Hampton, and Michelle Stinson Ross explore the emotion of guilt - that feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing, whether or not harm has actually been inflicted. The conversation distinguishes guilt from shame, examines how guilt particularly affects women in society, and shares strategies for reframing guilty thoughts. Tina vulnerably shares a recent experience of standing up for herself with a healthcare provider and the conflicted feelings that followed. 

Episode Highlights:

• Tina clarifies the distinction between guilt and shame: "guilt is I did something bad and shame is I'm a bad person because I did something bad," noting that guilt relates to behavior while shame attacks identity
• The hosts share Tina's experience with an unprofessional healthcare provider who made inappropriate comments about her appearance, exploring her conflicted feelings about standing up for herself and requesting a refund
• Michelle identifies guilt as particularly common in the female experience, noting how women are socialized to "don't make a fuss, don't make noise" and be accommodating, leading to guilt when they advocate for themselves
• The conversation explores "overly responsible syndrome" as a generational issue for Gen X women who hold themselves to impossibly high internal standards that others don't expect from them
• Tina shares her strategy for managing guilt through reframing, choosing to focus on how she "probably provided that office a service" rather than dwelling on guilty feelings, and training herself to redirect from guilt to gratitude when her mind returns to self-criticism

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of indifference - that feeling of having no preference when faced with choices or not caring about something that's happening. The conversation challenges the typical view of indifference as negative, examining how it can sometimes serve as healthy professional detachment or signal relationship problems. The hosts discuss the nuanced role indifference plays in boundaries, relationships, and professional settings.

Episode Highlights:

• Michelle reframes indifference as potentially beneficial in professional settings, sharing how she wished she could be more indifferent when a stressed client tried to transfer their panic to her, noting that "professional indifference" can help maintain healthy boundaries
• The hosts connect indifference to Buddhist concepts of detachment, with Tina suggesting that the desire for indifference often stems from wanting to detach from drama that's been imposed on you
• Heather raises the important question of whether indifference in personal relationships signals a problem that needs addressing, particularly when one partner reacts strongly to something while the other feels indifferent
• Michelle shares how complete indifference was a clear indicator that her previous marriage was ending, describing it as "purely, I'm indifferent" - neither good nor bad, but simply absent of care
• The hosts explore how indifference might lead to contempt if the same situations repeatedly arise, while also questioning whether partners need to give everything the same priority level, suggesting that sometimes indifference reveals that one person's anxiety or stress "resides in you and not in me"

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Tina Schweiger, Michelle Stinson Ross, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling colorful - that sense of being interesting, multifaceted, energetic, and distinctive. The conversation delves into how colorful manifests as both an emotional experience and a personality trait, the connection between color theory and emotions, and why this vibrant feeling lands in the humor category. The hosts share personal stories about how they express their colorful nature through fashion, hair, and creative choices. 

Episode Highlights:

• Tina describes feeling colorful while writing a thank-you note with gold paint pen on blue glitter cardboard, explaining how creative expression with vibrant colors brings her self-satisfaction and joy, especially when "sparkles" are involved
• Heather reveals that dyeing her hair pink and purple serves as both self-expression and a reminder that there's "something beautiful and effervescent inside" her, even during periods of depression when she may not feel it
• Michelle connects her colorful wardrobe choices to her personality, noting how she gravitates toward vibrant clothing and uses even black as a base for contrast and impact rather than to hide
• The hosts explore Tina's background in color theory and graphic design, learning how colors like McDonald's red and yellow combination are deliberately chosen to create discomfort that encourages quick turnover
• Tina explains why colorful belongs in the humor category rather than joy or energy, noting that colorful people often have a "silly" quality and don't take themselves too seriously - embodying a "I don't give a crap about what you think because this makes me happy" attitude that celebrates uniqueness without needing approval

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling affectionate - that warm regard for another person or animal, characterized by loving and fond feelings. The conversation delves into the relationship between affection and physical touch, the biochemical aspects of affectionate feelings, and how past trauma can complicate our ability to express and receive affection. The hosts share vulnerable personal experiences about navigating affection with consent and emotional intelligence. Episode
Highlights:

• Michelle describes the visual representation of affection as looking "a little stoned," connecting this to the dopamine and "love chemicals" that create a natural high when we experience affectionate feelings toward others
• Heather shares how physical touch is central to her experience of affection, noting that while you can feel affectionate toward someone from a distance, expressing that affection is difficult without being physically present
• Tina vulnerably discusses her anxiety around physical touch due to childhood emotional neglect and past abuse, explaining how this creates a challenging conflict between craving human connection and experiencing physical discomfort when touched
• The hosts explore the distinction between feeling affection and expressing it, with Michelle emphasizing the importance of consent when offering physical comfort, always asking "Would you like a hug?" before touching others
• Tina shares a powerful story about comforting a delivery worker who was grieving, illustrating how emotional intelligence allows us to step outside our comfort zones to meet others' needs, and reflects on how she's grown from losing a friendship years ago due to not understanding how to show affection during difficult times

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Heather Hampton, Michelle Stinson Ross, and Tina Schweiger explore the emotion of feeling moral - that sense of being connected to principles of right and wrong, especially regarding teaching right behavior. The conversation examines how moral feelings differ from other emotions because they're deeply rooted in our conditioning and values, making them particularly challenging to examine objectively. The hosts discuss how moral convictions can both guide positive action and fuel destructive conflicts.

Episode Highlights:

• Heather describes moral feelings as deeply tied to personal values and sense of self, making them more difficult to examine from different perspectives compared to other emotions, using current deportation policies as an example of how moral differences create unbridgeable gaps between people
• Michelle distinguishes moral emotions from other feelings by noting they're based more on conditioning, upbringing, and cultural training rather than biochemistry or neurological wiring, requiring us to acknowledge how our responses are shaped by what we've been taught
• Tina raises the provocative question of whether moral feelings might be "our deadliest emotion," pointing out that religious persecution and wars often involve both sides believing they're morally right
• The hosts discuss how moral feelings can interfere with kindness and empathy, with phrases like "get off your high horse" revealing how moral positioning can become judgmental rather than genuinely principled
• The conversation concludes with practical approaches to examining moral feelings, including using the "why ladder" technique to get to the root of beliefs and practicing self-acceptance to distinguish between core identity and potentially outdated belief systems

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of worry - that feeling of being troubled or having a mind busy with anxiety or doubt. The conversation examines worry as primarily a mental rather than physical experience, its relationship to control and choice, and how it differs from anxiety. The hosts share contrasting perspectives on worry, with some experiencing it frequently while others find it largely absent from their emotional landscape.

Episode Highlights:

• Heather notes how the visual representation of worry shows the character looking off into the distance rather than at the viewer, illustrating how worry takes us out of the present moment and focuses on an unknown future
• Heather shares her approach to worry using the phrase "worry doesn't have a place in a plan," explaining how she gathers information before deciding if something is worth worrying about, and how having a plan eliminates the need for worry
• Tina theorizes that worry can become addictive because it creates an illusion of power or control over situations we actually cannot control, suggesting people can become "worry warts" as part of their personality
• The hosts contrast worry (primarily mental rumination) with anxiety (more physical sensations), and explore how worry represents "over-engaging in choice" while exasperation comes from lack of agency
• Heather offers a surprising perspective that her intimate relationship with depression may actually make her "immune" to worry, since she already has a pessimistic worldview and doesn't need to add more negative thinking on top of that baseline

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling glad - that sense of being pleased, happy, and gratified. The conversation delves into how gladness differs from related emotions like happiness and joy, examining its unique combination of gratitude and surprise. The hosts discuss the sustaining nature of gladness compared to more fleeting emotions and emphasize the importance of recognizing these positive feelings when they occur.

Episode Highlights:

• Michelle defines gladness as "the intersection of joy and gratitude," distinguishing it from simple gratitude (being grateful for paid bills doesn't spark gladness) and noting how relationships with friends create true gladness in her life
• Tina connects gladness to unexpected pleasant encounters, using the phrase "I am so glad that I ran into you" as an example of how gladness often contains an element of surprise mixed with gratitude and joy
• The hosts distinguish gladness from happiness, describing happiness as more ephemeral and fragile (like a balloon that could pop), while gladness has a "longer shelf life" and is more nourishing to the soul
• Heather notes that while happiness can be more superficial and driven by external circumstances, gladness has more substance because of its gratitude component, which helps ground it and make it sustaining
• Michelle emphasizes that the goal isn't necessarily to have more positive emotions in our lives, but to become more aware of when we're experiencing them, noting that we often miss moments of gladness rather than lacking them entirely

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of exasperation - that feeling of having your patience greatly tested and feeling super annoyed or overwhelmed. Tina vulnerably shares her current experience of exasperation in real time, leading to an authentic discussion about how small things can feel overwhelming when we're already stressed, and how this emotion often signals that our boundaries or sense of agency have been compromised. The hosts examine generational and cultural factors that may contribute to this feeling.

Episode Highlights:

• Tina shares her current state of exasperation, triggered by something as simple as not being able to find dry erase markers that were "right in front of me the whole time," illustrating how small things become overwhelming when we're already dealing with persistent stressors
• The hosts identify exasperation as often occurring when circumstances take away our sense of choice, control, or agency, with physical symptoms including tension, headaches, and fatigue
• Heather connects exasperation to boundary violations, sharing her experience caring for someone with Alzheimer's where emergency situations (like a lost dog) force her to drop everything despite feeling like she can't say no
• Michelle suggests this may be a generational issue for Gen Xers, who were raised with "no pain, no gain" mentality and are now in the "sandwich generation," caring for both children and aging parents while lacking self-care skills
• The conversation reveals how exasperation can evolve into resentment when the same circumstances repeatedly occur, and how simply having someone "bear witness to your emotions" and talk them through can be powerfully healing

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. FeelWise | Turn Emotions into Your Superpower ✨💫

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This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of ambivalence - feeling two opposite feelings or attitudes at the same time, or simply feeling indecisive. The conversation distinguishes ambivalence from indifference and examines how this emotion can manifest both as a symptom of depression and as decision fatigue. The hosts discuss how ambivalence can put people on the precipice of isolation and share strategies for moving through this challenging emotional state.

Episode Highlights:

• Heather describes experiencing ambivalence in two ways: as part of depression where she simply doesn't care about outcomes, and more commonly through decision fatigue when overwhelmed by daily responsibilities and unable to make even simple choices like where to eat dinner
• Michelle connects ambivalence to the "mental load of caregiving" that drives people to a point where they refuse to make any more decisions, noting there's a difference between "can't" and "won't" make decisions, with the latter tinged with irritation
• Tina admits she struggles with holding space for people experiencing ambivalence because indecision is a pet peeve for her, honestly sharing that she might not be the right person to bring ambivalence to
• The hosts discuss hope as the recommended mindset for ambivalence, with Tina suggesting that sometimes you can "trick your way out" of the emotional space by envisioning a positive future rather than trying to think your way out
• Michelle shares the personal significance of her Phoenix tattoo as a symbol of hope and resilience, explaining how it reminds her that she has consistently risen from challenging situations and can do so again, providing evidence that "you can" rather than "you can't" get through difficult times

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the intense emotion of feeling furious - that state of intense anger, actively raging, or feeling violent. The conversation examines fury as an "amygdala hijack" that can signal the need for significant change and growth, while also offering practical strategies for managing this overwhelming emotion. The hosts share personal experiences with fury and discuss techniques for de-escalation when this intense emotion emerges.Episode Highlights:

• Michelle describes fury as rare for her but connected to feelings of helplessness when she has no control over a harmful situation, noting that for her it takes "something excessive" to reach this level of intense anger
• Tina explains fury as a complete "amygdala hijack" that can actually precede significant personal growth, suggesting that when you're helpless enough to feel furious, it can drive you to realize what you cannot control and need to accept
• Heather shares that she rarely experiences fury in daily life except while driving (where her car serves as a safe space to express strong emotions), and emphasizes that anger emotions often signal core beliefs being challenged
• The hosts discuss practical de-escalation strategies, including the "exit sign" visualization technique for removing yourself from volatile situations, and Tina shares a road rage story that illustrates how choosing not to engage can defuse dangerous confrontations
• Michelle introduces the "whisper technique" for managing fury - deliberately speaking in whispers forces others to calm down to hear you while simultaneously helping regulate your own nervous system and buying time to regain clarity

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling charming - that pleasant feeling with an air of charisma that creates connection with others. The conversation examines the distinction between authentic and inauthentic charm, how charm functions in relationships and performance settings, and the positive dynamic that can emerge when people mutually experience this delightful emotion. The hosts discuss charm as both something we feel within ourselves and something we experience from others.

Episode Highlights:

• Tina introduces charming as feeling "pleasant with an air of charisma," using the old-fashioned greeting "I'm charmed" as an example, and questions whether charm is a natural state or something crafted to influence others
• Michelle explores the difference between authentic and manipulative charm, sharing experiences of initially finding someone charming only to discover they were "working extra hard" to win her over, leading to disappointment when the charm disappeared
• Heather describes authentic charm as feeling adjacent to "flow" - something that comes naturally without working hard, like being inspired in the moment or genuinely wanting to connect with someone
• Tina observes that charm can create "positive escalation" where feeling charmed by someone makes them feel more charming in return, creating an expanding "dance of delight" between people
• Michelle connects charm to public speaking and performance, noting how successful speakers and performers (including Tina's stage presence) use charm to create connection with audiences, describing it as "the intersection of charisma and connection"

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Tina Schweiger, Michelle Stinson Ross, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling novel - that sense of having no precedent or experiencing something completely new. The conversation examines how novel differs from fear of the unknown, the importance of actively seeking novelty as we age, and how this childlike sense of wonder can contribute to innovation, creativity, and compassion. The hosts share personal examples of experiencing novelty and discuss how to cultivate this positive emotion in daily life.

Episode Highlights:

• Tina describes novel as a "childlike sense of wonder" that becomes harder to cultivate as we age and get stuck in patterns, emphasizing the importance of actively seeking new experiences to foster innovation and creativity
• Heather distinguishes between encountering novel moments unexpectedly (like seeing a wild animal on a hike) and deliberately seeking them out (like watching "Love on the Spectrum" to better understand autism after meeting a colleague on the spectrum)
• Michelle highlights the key distinction that novel is "the delight in the unfamiliar rather than the discomfort of the unfamiliar," noting how travel provides excellent opportunities for experiencing novelty through different architecture, culture, language, and food
• The hosts note that when you identify you're feeling novel, the recommended action is simply to pause and recognize the positive aspects of the moment - the delight and enlightenment happening within the unknown experience
• Tina connects novel to humor, explaining that something must be novel (catching us by surprise) to be funny, and emphasizes that novel is an emotion you want others to "catch" from you, promoting a mindset of compassion when experiencing this childlike wonder

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform


Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your...

In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling lively - that sensation of being full of life and energetic. The conversation reveals how introversion and extroversion influence experiences of liveliness, using their recent conference attendance as a case study. The hosts discuss how to harness lively energy when it appears and emphasize the contagious nature of this positive emotion.

Episode Highlights:

• Michelle describes feeling lively at their recent conference while working the expo hall floor, noting how as an extrovert she was energized by constant interaction with curious attendees despite being on her feet for long periods
• Heather contrasts her experience as an introvert who found the conference draining but felt most lively during an intimate lunch conversation with colleagues, illustrating how introverts typically need smaller, deeper connections to feel energized
• Tina shares her challenge with sensory overload at the conference, describing feeling "overwhelmed and panic" rather than lively in large crowds, but noting she becomes lively after recovery through one-on-one conversations and reflection
• The hosts recommend using lively energy purposefully when it appears - tackling tasks you've been putting off, making phone calls that require energy, or engaging in creative or athletic endeavors like going to the gym
• Heather emphasizes that lively energy is "strongly positive" and contagious, with the hosts agreeing that sharing this energy through smiles and random acts of kindness is a responsibility, noting that "kindness is the mindset for lively"

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform





Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform