Emotions Are Not the Enemy: Unlocking Leadership, Clarity & Decision-Making Through Feeling
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Most entrepreneurs think their emotions get in the way. But what if they’re actually your greatest untapped superpower?
In this no-fluff conversation, Jesse and Dave explore how emotional awareness is directly tied to clearer thinking, better leadership, and faster decision-making. Drawing from real-world founder coaching, this episode dives into emotional intelligence for leaders, how to identify suppressed emotions, and why your resistance to feelings like fear or shame might be holding you back.
If you’ve ever said “I’m just not a feelings person,” this one’s for you.
Show Notes:
01:00 – Why Jesse wanted to talk about emotions this time
03:00 – What emotions really are (energy in motion)
04:30 – Emotions vs. logic: the brain injury case study
06:00 – Manufactured emotions vs. present-moment feelings
07:30 – Fear isn’t dirty fuel… resistance is
09:00 – Why your whole life may be built around avoiding 1 or 2 feelings
10:30 – What are the core emotions? (Dave’s 7-emotion framework)
12:00 – Inside Out, Pixar, and understanding emotional intelligence
14:00 – Are emotions intelligent? Can they help you?
15:30 – Anger as boundary energy: why leaders need to feel it
17:00 – Setting real boundaries at home and work
19:00 – Why founders avoid firing people (the sadness trap)
22:00 – Jesse’s example: how repressed sadness led to 5 costly years
24:00 – Emotions you can’t feel will distort your decision-making
26:00 – The fear of feeling vs. the feeling itself
27:00 – I’m not emotional = repression in disguise
30:00 – Excitement is fear without resistance
33:00 – Can you love every emotion? (The “white light” theory)
35:00 – Jesse on how he actually learned to feel
37:00 – What most people are doing when they say they’re not emotional
39:00 – Personality as a defense mechanism, not identity
42:00 – Clarity lives on the other side of feeling
44:00 – Leadership superpower: feeling your team’s real emotions
46:00 – Closing practice: get out of your head and into your body
48:00 – Teaser for next week: Resistance
What You’ll Learn:
In this episode of Heart of Entrepreneurship, Jesse Pujji and Dave Kashen dismantle the myth that emotions are a liability in business. They argue the opposite: your inability to feel key emotions like anger, sadness, or fear could be the very thing sabotaging your clarity, leadership, and decision-making.
You’ll learn:
- The real function of each core emotion (anger, fear, sadness, joy, etc.)
- How repressing emotions leads to poor business decisions
- What leaders miss by being “logical” instead of emotionally intelligent
- How emotions are actually gateways to wisdom, not distractions from it
- Practical ways to start feeling again (even if you don’t think you’re emotional)
Like this episode? Let us know in the comments, hit that like button, and subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, personal growth, and entrepreneurship.
#emotionalintelligence #leadershipdevelopment #foundermindset
