You can’t out-think your emotions — but you can change your relationship with them. In this episode, I share a simple exercise that helps you stop fighting uncomfortable feelings and start making space for them instead. Pursuing a meaningful life doesn’t mean you’ll feel good all the time, it means learning to coexist with discomfort without letting it control you. This episode will show you how calm starts not by pushing feelings away, but by welcoming them home.

Key insights:

• Every emotion in you is a child. Some loud, some quiet. None of them deserves to be cast out
• Chronic emotions are just feelings that never got permission to pass
• You don’t have to like your feelings. You just have to make room for them.

Timestamps

00:30 — Why a meaningful life includes uncomfortable emotions.
01:51 — Writing exercise: listing and acknowledging all the emotional “children.”
05:31 — Why rejecting emotions makes them stronger and more dominant.
07:25 — Kindness narrative: Gifts from an architect.

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/parent-your-feelings-dont-punish-them

Submit Your Kindness Narrative:

• Share a moment of kindness that moved you or changed you.
• Email your story (written or audio) to calmyourcaveman@gmail.com or
• DM me on Instagram @CalmYourCaveman.

Are your emotions trying to help you — or just hijacking your day? In this episode, we break down a clear, science-backed way to know when to trust your emotions and when to let them pass like weather.

You'll learn:
• Why emotions aren’t commands, they’re information
• How to uncover what matters more than how you feel in the moment
• A practical framework for deciding whether to act, or simply observe
• Why you don't need to wait to feel better in order to start living your life

Timestamps
00:30 — The core question: Should I act on this emotion or not?
02:00 — Why chasing happiness backfires.
03:18 — What research says produces real well-being.
04:40 — Values vs. feelings: the powerful “If fear weren’t an issue…” questions.
06:52 — When to ride the emotion vs. when to wait and watch.
09:10 — Kindness narrative: Money just in time.

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/when-to-trust-your-emotions

We all tell ourselves, “I’ll be happy when…” — when the job changes, when the move happens, when life finally clicks into place. But what if you didn’t have to wait? In this episode, I share a powerful exercise to build agency, reduce anxiety, and support both mental and physical health. You’ll learn how to find meaning in the middle of uncertainty, feel grounded before the outcome arrives, and start living the life you want — right now, not “someday.”

🔑 Key Ideas
•Happiness based on future achievements keeps you stuck in dissatisfaction.
•Values, unlike goals, are ongoing directions—not destinations.
•Acting according to values (even in small ways) provides immediate fulfillment.
•Use the question “I’ll be happy when…” to uncover what truly matters most.

Timestamps:
00:30 — The “I’ll be happy when” mindset.
01:41 — What psychology research teaches about real fulfillment.
02:18 — Goals vs. values: the key difference.
03:44 — Story of Jeff: I’ll be happy when I’m rich.
06:59 — My story: I’ll be happy when I move.
11:37 — How to feel fulfillment today.
14:18 — Kindness narrative: Caring for the overlooked

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/stop-postponing-happiness

When the world feels divided, our anxiety often rises with it. Whether it’s political polarization, tense family discussions, or social media arguments, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless. But division is, at its core, an emotional problem — and that means we can work with it emotionally.

In this episode, we explore two powerful mindset shifts that can help you move from tension to constructive connection. You’ll learn how empathy and perspective-taking can calm anxiety and open doors for real understanding, even when others seem impossible to reach.

👉 Subscribe for more science-based tools for emotional mastery, anxiety recovery, and inner peace.

Timestamps:

00:30 – Intro: Why tension and division create anxiety
01:31 – The story of The King with Six Friends
09:37 – The first lesson: Seeing needs instead of judging behavior
10:58 – The second lesson: How differences expand our problem-solving power
12:02 – Applying these insights to modern social and political conflicts
13:07 – Kindness Narrative: An adopted Grandma

We’ve all had feelings we wish we could erase. The harder we try to push these emotions away, the stronger they often come back. In this episode, I share two powerful concepts that can shift the way you relate to unwanted emotions. Instead of resisting them, you’ll learn how to recognize the hidden ways your feelings are trying to protect you—and how to move forward in line with your values, even when those emotions linger.

🎧 This is a practical, compassionate approach for anyone tired of fighting with their own inner world.

You’ll Learn:

• Why your most uncomfortable emotions are actually attempts to protect you
• A simple two-step process to observe your feelings without magnifying them
• How to align your choices with your deeper values, even when emotions resist

Timestamps

• 00:30 — What happens when we fight unwanted emotions
• 02:11 —Step 1: Reframe “Everything inside you wants to save your life
• 07:46 — Step 2: Action “How will I wish I had lived this day?”
• 09:55 — Putting it all together: Embrace your demons and follow your heart
• 16:06 — Kindness Narrative: A generous old man at the right moment

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/what-to-do-with-unwanted-feelings

Struggling to break old habits or feel stuck in anxiety? In this episode we dive into the brain science of neuroplasticity and why discomfort is the key to lasting change. Discover how your brain rewires itself under stress, how “no pain, no gain” applies to mental growth, and practical ways to use discomfort to reduce anxiety and build resilience.

You’ll learn how to:

• Use discomfort as a trigger for rewiring.
• Shift default anxious habits into resilience.

Timestamps:

00:30 – Why lasting change feels hard as an adult
03:16 – Discomfort as a biological trigger for rewiring
06:56 – How illness forced my brain to change
10:19 – Rewiring by choice: Overcoming social anxiety
12:54 – Why habit change is so hard (and how to work with your biology)
14:08 – Two reasons to welcome hard things
16:18 – Kindness Narrative: An attentive nurse

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/how-to-get-your-brain-to-change-itself

Emotions are contagious, but that doesn’t mean you have to get swept up every time someone around you spirals. In this episode, we dig into the science of emotional contagion, why your nervous system syncs with others, and a practical mindset shift that lets you step back, see the bigger picture, and respond with intention.

You’ll Learn:

• Why emotions spread like wildfire (and how our brains are wired to catch them).
• The difference between direct and indirect ways emotions shape our stories.
• A simple “once upon a time” phrase that creates instant emotional distance.
• Real-life examples of breaking free from mirroring anger, stress, or fear.
• How practice turns this high-effort skill into a reliable tool when you need it most.

Timestamps:

00:30 – Why other people’s emotions feel like they take over your own
03:17 – Direct vs. indirect ways to change your emotions
06:31 – Client story: irritation that shows up every time he leaves the house
10:39 – Client story: parenting stress and family emotional escalation
13:32 – Client story: catastrophizing and conflict
17:09 – How to practice emotional differentiation
19:03 – Kindness narrative: A friend sharing time and attention

Submit Your Kindness Narrative:
Share a moment of kindness that moved you or changed you. Email your story (written or audio) to calmyourcaveman@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram @CalmYourCaveman.

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/how-to-stop-absorbing-everyone-else’s-stress

Too many anxiety tools, not sure which to use? In this episode, I’ll teach you a simple 2-step rule to match the right tool to your stress level. You’ll learn why big anxiety doesn’t require big strategies—it requires easy, low-thinking tools—and how to build a personalized toolbox that grows more effective the more you practice.

You’ll learn how to:

• Quickly rate the intensity of your anxiety
• Match strategies to your anxiety level with confidence
• Turn once “hard” tools into automatic go-to’s
• Expand your toolbox so you’re never stuck without options

Timestamps

• 00:30 – Why one-size-fits-all doesn’t work for anxiety
• 02:01 – The two-step process: measure, then match
• 02:51 – Why high anxiety needs easy tools
• 04:36 – My top “easy tools” for intense moments
• 05:54 – Making harder tools automatic through practice
• 09:42 – Building your personal “easy list”
• 10:37 – How to practice new strategies before you need them
• 11:51 – How to measure your anxiety
• 15:03– Summary and key takeaways
• 17:10 – Little acts of kindness add up

Submit Your Kindness Narrative:
Share a moment of kindness that moved you or changed you. Email your story (written or audio) to calmyourcaveman@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram @CalmYourCaveman.

For full shownotes, including resources mentioned, go to: https://www.calmyourcaveman.com/episodes/stop-choosing-the-wrong-coping-strategy