What Happens When You Stop Pushing and Start Feeling: Emotional Awareness as a Leadership Skill | Ep. 273

Y'all, this conversation completely wrecked me in the best way.

I sat down with Collin Jewett—someone whose orbit I desperately wanted to be in after just one 15-minute conversation—and we went DEEP. 

Collin is the host of Superhuman Academy podcast, and he has this incredible gift: he sees beauty in people that others overlook. And not in a cheesy, motivational-poster kind of way. In a real, grounded, "I'm going to create spaces where isolated people can connect" kind of way.

We talked about everything from his childhood on the playground looking for kids who needed friends, to why adult men are struggling with deep friendships, to what it means to be "not afraid of feeling any feelings."

What we explored in this conversation:

• Why so many men lack deep friendships (and what that costs them)
• The difference between "positive judgment" and actually seeing beauty in someone
• How Collin learned his facial expressions were making people think he hated them
• Why cooperative play matters for adult male friendships
• The practice of actually answering "How are you?" with real emotional check-ins
• What happens when you don't have an inner critic (and why that's not narcissism)
• The cost of dissociation and "just doing the thing" without honoring emotions
• How emotions are both informational feedback AND motivating energy

This episode is for you if:

• You're a woman wondering how to support the men in your life (partners, sons, friends)
• You struggle with adult friendships and feel isolated
• You're curious about emotional intelligence and vulnerability
• You're tired of the "just push through your feelings" approach to goals
• You want to learn how to see beauty—in yourself and others—without judgment

Collin shared something that stopped me in my tracks: Most conversations men have are purely logistical. Work is problem-solving. Family conversations are scheduling. And when he asks men when they last had a deep conversation, they often say it's the conversation they're having with him RIGHT THEN—sometimes for the first time in a decade.

We also got beautifully weird talking about Northern Lights, asymmetrical eyebrows, the "Blue Crew" in high school, and why liking yourself doesn't make you a narcissist (my therapist had to tell me this too, apparently).

This conversation left me feeling appreciative, contemplative, and deeply curious. I hope it does the same for you.

Connect with Collin:

• Podcast: Superhuman Academy
• Email: collin@superhumanacademy.com

Resources:

• Sense the Possibilities Planner & Journal (20+ worksheets to help you connect with yourself before setting goals)
• Plan Goal Plan 2026 Weekly Planner
• Join the January Plan Goal Plan Retreat at Sign Up Here

Connect with me:

• Email: support@plangoalplan.com
• Facebook Group: Join Here
• Website: PlanGoalPlan.com
• LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334