Something Shifted with Sean Loots Sean Loots Media

Do you think your co-workers have high or low emotional intelligence? What can we learn about EQ from someone that grew up in a communal home?
Theran Knighton-Fitt grew up in a home filled with love, support and more people than the average preschool class.
Theran's formative years clearly impacted how he leads his life and the work he does at Mygrow, an online employee wellness platform that drives personal growth.

In this episode of Something Shifted, Theran explains that emotional intelligence is a set of skills that helps manage oneself and interactions with others effectively. EQ involves self-management, relationships with others, decision-making, and stress handling. Core beliefs, values and personal narratives can play a significant role in the development of emotional intelligence.
Theran also shares his view on engaging with AI.

Quotes from Theran Knighton-Fitt:
"It was a complex and complicated childhood that has formed me in so many different ways."
"Emotional intelligence is so much broader than the average understanding."
"So much of the work we do at Mygrow is restorative, it is rehabilitation work to try and undermine some of the self-beliefs and narratives that we have of ourselves."

https://mygrow.me

Growing Up in a Communal Home (00:00:43) Theran's childhood experiences in a communal home in South Africa and the family's relocation plans.

Influence of Childhood on Emotional Intelligence (00:02:12) The impact of Theran's upbringing on his life and work in emotional intelligence.

Understanding Emotional Intelligence (00:05:06) Theran's explanation of emotional intelligence, its definition, and the broad involvement of emotions in various life areas.

Core Beliefs and Emotional Intelligence (00:09:43) The role of core beliefs in the development of emotional intelligence and their impact on identity and narratives.

Neuroscience and Emotional Response (00:13:25) Theran's explanation of the amygdala's role in associating past experiences with present situations and its impact on emotional responses.

The Importance of Belief and Support (00:16:25) Theran's perspective on the importance of having someone who believes in us, as seen through the lens of being a parent.

Restorative Work (00:20:16) Theran explains how the work at Mygrow is restorative and rehabilitative, aiming to address self-beliefs and identities developed in childhood.

Engaging with AI (00:21:39) Theran shares his approach to engaging with artificial intelligence and emphasizes the importance of maintaining human values and behaviors.

Emotional Sensitivity (00:24:19) Theran reflects on how exhaustion increases emotional sensitivity and the impact it has on feeling offended or misunderstood.

Recording Songs for Children (00:26:42) Theran expresses his desire to record the songs he wrote for his children, explaining the sentimental significance and meaning behind them.

Bonus Episode: In this episode of "Something Shifted," Sean talks with Noa Belling, a psychotherapist and author of "Stress Less: Managing Anxiety in a Modern World."

Noa shares her expertise on stress management, particularly the benefits of writing as a tool to alleviate stress. She explains how jotting down thoughts and to-do lists can help clear the mind and address underlying emotions.
The episode serves as a practical guide for listeners to manage stress and improve mental clarity, with an invitation to explore more of Noa's stress relief strategies in her book and on the podcast.
Noa Belling's book Stress Less is available online and in all good bookstores now.

Bonus Episode: In this episode of "Something Shifted," Sean welcomes Noa Belling, a psychotherapist and author of "Stress Less: Managing Anxiety in a Modern World."
Noa discusses the brain's negativity bias and offers strategies to counteract it, such as focusing on positive aspects of our lives and engaging in acts of kindness. She suggests practical exercises like soaking up positive experiences and placing hands on the chest to foster positivity.
The episode aims to provide listeners with tools to manage stress. Noa Belling's book Stress Less is available online and in all good bookstores.
https://noabelling.com

Bonus Episode: Listen to Noa Belling, a psychotherapist and author of "Stress Less: Managing Anxiety in a Modern World" take you from anxious to calm.
Noa shares a quick stress relief exercise focusing on present-moment awareness by engaging the senses and adjusting posture. She explains how this practice can enhance mental clarity and resourcefulness by tapping into the brain's prefrontal cortex.

Find Noa Belling's book Stress Less online and in all good bookstores now.
https://noabelling.com

Bonus Episode: Noa Belling, a psychotherapist and corporate consultant, discusses the link between posture and mental state, offering a tool from her book Stress Less that uses posture change to alleviate stress and anxiety. She suggests that adjusting one's posture can improve emotional well-being and clarity of thought, even if it doesn't eliminate the stressor. The episode serves as a resource for practical stress management techniques.
Noa Belling's book Stress Less is available online and in all good bookstores.
https://noabelling.com

Are you aware of how stress physically shapes your life?

Sean Loots sits down with award-winning, bestselling author, psychotherapist and corporate consultant, Noa Belling to discuss her latest book, Stress Less: Managing anxiety in a modern world.

In this episode, Noa shares the physiological impacts of stress and the transformative power of body awareness.

For example, have you ever caught yourself holding your breath while checking emails?
Noa Belling talks us through "email apnea," a stress-induced freeze response triggered by our digital habits.
Discover the array of stress responses—fight, flight, freeze, and the cell danger response—and learn how to shift into a state of relaxation with simple techniques.

Don't miss the valuable insights on cultivating a relaxation response to enhance your overall well-being as Noa shares practical tips and exercises to combat anxiety and depression, highlighting the crucial role of mindfulness and the body-mind connection.

Quotes from Noa:
"When you feel like it's tipping over and you can't cope, that's when you know you're on the slippery slide into too much stress."

"When you are in that kind of a frozen response, you've been sitting really still, unnaturally so."

This episode was originally published by Pagecast and is followed by a short series of guided Stress Less practices exclusively for Something Shifted listeners, led by Noa Belling.

https://noabelling.com
https://somethingshifted.co.za

The introduction (00:00:01) Introducing the podcast and the guest, Noa Belling.

Stress levels and coping (00:02:20) Discussion about stress levels, coping mechanisms, and practical stress-reducing techniques.

Physiological reasoning for stress (00:04:16) Exploration of the physiological reasons for stress and its role as a survival mechanism.

Differentiating good and bad stress (00:05:58) Differentiating between good and bad stress, and the impact of chronic stress on mental health.

Inspiration for writing "Stress Less" (00:07:57) Noa Belling's inspiration for writing the book "Stress Less: Managing Anxiety in a Modern World" and the impact of the pandemic on stress levels.

Body-mind connection and stress management (00:10:06) The connection between body awareness, mental health, and stress management, and the importance of self-awareness in managing stress.

The importance of body movement (00:14:44) Discussion on the significance of body movement in reducing stress and anxiety, and its impact on breathing awareness.

Email apnea and dissociation (00:16:13) Exploration of the concept of email apnea and dissociation experienced while being on screens, and its impact on stress response.

Understanding stress responses (00:17:56) Explanation of different stress responses, including fight-flight-freeze and frozen-stilling responses, and their effects on the nervous system.

Cell danger response (00:21:31) Insight into the cell danger response and its impact on the body's protective and regenerative functions under stress.

Developing the relaxation response (00:26:38) Explanation of the relaxation response and its benefits in fostering presence, ease, and compassion, along with practical tools for growth.

Identifying stress styles (00:29:01) Exploration of different stress styles, including anxious freeze and its physiological and emotional manifestations.

Differentiating freeze responses (00:30:08) Comparison of anxious freeze and numb blank freeze responses, and their respective physiological and psychological characteristics.