TED Conferences

Psychologist Susan David shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters: our actions, careers, relationships, health and happiness. In this deeply moving, humorous and potentially life-changing talk, she challenges a culture that prizes positivity over emotional truth and discusses the powerful strategies of emotional agility. A talk to share.

TED Speaker: The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage 

Harvard Medical School

Psychologist

Penguin Random House

#1 Wall Street Journal Best Seller
USA Today Best Seller
Amazon Best Book of the Year
Strategy + Business - Best Leadership Books of 2017
Winner of the Books for a Better Life Award in Psychology
Axiom Business Book Awards Medalist
800-CEOREAD Editors' Choice
Forbes.com Recommended Books for Creative Leaders
LinkedIn's 12 Books on Leadership to Read in 2017
Business Insider's 8 Books That Will Change Your Life in 2017

In EMOTIONAL AGILITY: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life, Susan David, Ph.D. a renowned psychologist and expert on emotions, happiness, and achievement, draws on her more than twenty years of research to show that emotionally agile people experience the same stresses and setbacks as anyone else. The key difference is they know how to gain critical insight about situations and interactions from their feelings, and use this knowledge to adapt, align their values and actions, and make changes to bring the best of themselves forward.

Purchase Emotional Agility here:  http://hyperurl.co/o6vdsf

Author, #1 Wall Street Journal Best Seller, Emotional Agility (Penguin Random House, Avery)

Thinkers50 Europe

Awarded for Emotional Agility as an idea which has the potential to forever change the way we think about business.

Thinkers50 - Breakthrough Idea Award Winner (Emotional Agility)

The Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers is published every two years and is the essential guide to which thinkers and which ideas matter now.

Thinkers50 - Ranked #38 Global List of Managment Thinkers

Thrive Global

Scientific Advisory Board Member

Virgin Pulse

Emotional Agility

Consulting, advisory expertise and coaching on Emotional Agility in the areas of people, culture, leadership assessment, individual and employee wellbeing, communication, relationships and habit change delivered through the following:
 - Applications, tools, assessments, and business systems that enable organizations and their people to understand, analyze, and develop Emotional Agility.
 - Content (webinars, conference speeches) that teach the core ideas of Emotional Agility and how to develop this.

Susan David / Evidence Based Psychology

Emotional Agility

 - Consultant, advisor and coach to senior executives, boards and leaders on Emotional Agility in the contexts of personal and relationship effectiveness, people strategy, global workforce engagement and organizational change. 
 - Development of Emotional Agility tools and psychological tests for the assessment, analysis and development of skills of both individuals (wellbeing, habits and interpersonal relationships) and in organizational contexts (leadership, engagement, culture, and high performance).
 - Keynote speaker on Emotional Agility and its importance in helping individuals and employees to navigate complex environments.

Institute of Coaching, McLean/Harvard Medical School

Co-founder and Co-director

Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations

Member

Yale University

Emotions and Emotional Intelligence Researcher

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Research Afflilate, Laboratory Affiliate

Susan David, Ph.D., one of the world's leading management thinkers, operates at the nexus of business and psychology. She is the creator of the concept of Emotional Agility, and uses this lens in her consulting, coaching, and keynotes, and in the development of psychometric tools to analyze, assess, and develop these skills. 

Her focus is on how Emotional Agility contributes to effective people strategies, particularly in the areas of employee engagement, wellbeing, interpersonal relationships, high-performance leadership, and organizational culture change. Her TED Talk on Emotional Agility has more than 11 million views. Susan is also a co-founder and co-director of the Harvard-affiliated Institute of Coaching.

Susan is a sought-after keynote speaker, coach, and consultant to C-suite executives. Her unique combination of pragmatic business experience and extensive scientific knowledge allows her to help leaders meet the most pressing business challenges without losing sight of their people. 

She routinely consults internationally at the most senior levels of large organizations and has extensive experience in industries as diverse as financial services, information technology, healthcare, utilities, pharmaceuticals, and mining. Her client list includes Ernst and Young Global, the World Economic Forum, BHP Billiton, Telstra, the United National Development Program, JP Morgan, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nestlé, among many other multinational firms. 

Susan is author of the definitive Oxford Handbook of Happiness (Oxford University Press), Beyond Goals (Gower). She also authored the top-rated Harvard Business Review article “Emotional Agility” which was named as a Management Idea of the Year and was the impetus for her #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life.” Her work is frequently featured in the national media including Harvard Business Review, TIME, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and Inc.com.

Forcing positivity in a negative situation is not leadership. It's denial.

Hope and optimism are different from (forced) positivity. They are future-oriented and earned by a willingness to work hard and problem-solve to create a better outcome.

Don’t shrink from the hard conversations. Don’t insist that everyone hide their true feelings behind a smiling veneer. Instead, recognize difficult feelings as signposts that point to real issues and encourage emotional honesty.

Susan David, Ph.D.

Psychologist. Harvard Medical School. TED Speaker. Author of the #1 WSJ bestseller Emotional Agility. Co-Founder of Institute of Coaching.

Christin Light, LXD ✨✨

If you tell yourself a particular story for long enough, you might start to believe it. 

This isn’t always a good thing. In other words, if you tell yourself a story about how you lack certain skills or qualities, you can create an internal bias that works against your chances of success. 

Maybe you bombed an interview years ago and the belief that you’re “terrible at interviewing” has replayed in your head ever since. This old, outdated story could thwart your chances of acing the interview process in order to land your dream job—and all because of something that happened a decade ago! What outdated stories are you holding on to? Let those go.

Self-compassion is especially important when you're going through a challenging time.

You may say something unkind, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person. You may not get the job, but that doesn't mean your skills are unmarketable. You may not run a meeting efficiently, but that doesn't mean you're incapable of managing a team. 

How do you bring compassion to your workplace for both yourself and those around you?

Courage can be loud.

It might look like running your first marathon, participating in a protest, or saying yes to something unfamiliar. 

But mostly, courage is a whisper: those moments every day when you do what’s right for you—lacing up your running sneakers after recovering from an injury, having a respectful disagreement about something you value, or saying no to a behavior that no longer serves you. By taking steps both big and small, we find the courage to invite values-driven actions into our lives.

Our emotions are signposts that point to what we care about most. We tend not to feel as strongly about things that aren’t meaningful to us. 

What is your anger trying to tell you?

If you or someone you know is experiencing grief right now, allow for the space to just “be.” 

Don’t try to find a silver lining, pretend it isn’t happening, or fast forward through the discomfort. Meet the situation with gentle acceptance: “This is painful. It will take time to heal. I’m here for you.”

Nobody is perfect. 

When you or your colleagues make a mistake, do you respond with compassion? Or do you fall into negative dialogue patterns of shame and blame?

Shame urges you to look at yourself not as a human being who did a bad thing, but as a human being who is fundamentally bad. It shuts out any chance of transformation or change, leaving the individual stuck in a reactive place with a negative self-image.

Guilt, on the other hand, is action-based. It allows you to separate yourself from the action that was bad. You can feel regret, acknowledge that you would like to do better, and move forward having learned a valuable lesson. In doing so, you tap into your potential for growth. 

Learn to lead and work from a place of compassion. Your team, your organization, and your professional relationships will improve as a result.

We make plenty of small choices every day without giving them much thought, but in reality, they add up. A single choice repeated over a matter of days, then months, then years, could actually alter the course of your life.

If you value your relationships but often find yourself prioritizing other parts of your life over quality time with your partner, it may be time to reevaluate that. If you value collaboration but often find yourself speaking over your coworkers during meetings, you may want to focus on listening more in your next meeting.

People who can identify the full spectrum of emotion—for example, those who realize how sadness differs from boredom, or pity, or loneliness, or nervousness—do much, much better at managing the ups and downs of ordinary existence than those who see everything in a limited binary.

Your values, goals, and dreams are as unique to you as your fingerprint.

Don’t make the mistake of chasing a life that isn’t right for you just because it’s been promoted by society, people on social media, or those in your community. Take the time to look inward—rather than outward—when it comes to identifying the path that’s right for you.

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Tough emotions are not negative. They are normal.

There is a significant cost to the cultural view that these normal emotions are bad. For example, when we experience a difficult emotion at work, our impulse is often to suppress it. 

But an emotionally honest workplace is an agile workplace. The (sometimes terrifying) work of showing up to your emotions can create a ripple effect throughout your organization. The vulnerability of one person paves the way for the vulnerability of another. 

Create a culture of psychological safety so that your people feel seen, heard, and valued as human beings.

Andrea Bota

Perfectionism is most commonly interpreted as having unrealistic standards for yourself, but perfectionists can have unrealistic expectations of others, too.

When we cultivate curiosity, flexibility, and compassion instead, we free up ourselves and others to take risks, redefine ourselves, and be truly creative.

There is no such thing as a person who doesn’t feel difficult emotions. 

We all have them. We can’t completely rid ourselves of them—nor do we need to. We can meet them with emotional agility. 

One way we can begin to navigate a difficult emotion is by being grounded in our values. Think of a time you felt anxiety during a meeting. Maybe you felt anxious about whether you were going to be able to communicate your message clearly or whether you would land a new client. This anxiety was likely pointing toward something you valued, like contribution or growth. 

When you uncover which value an emotion is signposting, you can move forward toward what matters to you. You can go into a meeting holding your anxiety in one hand and your values in the other. You are beautiful, capacious, messy, and human. You can hold both.

Sometimes it’s not specific complexities or uncertainties that lead to organizational fragility—it’s the way we respond to those situations.

When a situation feels overwhelmingly complex, we often default to rigid responses, such as:
-labeling others (“He’s a narcissist.”)
-binary thinking (“You’re either with me or against me.”)
-siloed thinking (failing to consider the effects of choices on other departments)
-wrongheaded righteousness (getting stuck on one perspective)

As leaders, managers, colleagues, and community members, it’s absolutely essential that we become aware of rigid thinking. Ask, “What aren’t we seeing here?” When we elevate our curiosity, we widen the circle of possibility rather than shrinking it. We become agile.

Max Kimber SC

A tough emotion can hide a valuable message. 

By showing up to the emotion, we are able to use the data it provides and move courageously in the direction of our values with greater wisdom.

What are your emotions telling you today?

Many of us reflexively judge our normal, natural emotions. 

We might examine whether we have the right to feel the way we do or judge ourselves based on what we think someone in our position should feel. We even have expectations about how many emotions we should feel at a given moment, often imagining that our emotions will be straightforward and singular at certain times.

But it’s normal to have mixed feelings. 

Give yourself the space to be a messy, capacious human. You are capable of feeling both hopeful for a good outcome and anxious about how the project will turn out, joy for a friend leaving your company and disappointment that you will no longer see them as often. Emotional complexity is purposeful, beautiful, and human.

We just completed an incredible inaugural Emotional Agility Certification experience. My heart is full! There is nothing that compares to bringing this work forward. This is the moment that the world needs emotional agility more than ever. 

Thank you Denwich Lobato for your presence and connectedness. I so valued  spending time with you.

Driving Change on Personal & Business Level !!

Today feels like a moment of finally stepping into the light.
Here in Lamy, New Mexico, I completed the Emotional Agility Practitioner Certification — and this milestone is about much more than a new credential. In the stillness of the high desert and the depth of this community, I met a part of myself I had been holding back for years.

I grew up on the small, multicultural island of Curaçao, where many cultures, languages, and identities live side by side. From an early age I learned to listen deeply, adapt, and connect across differences.
Those experiences shaped my 25-year career driving change in the (bio)pharma, medical device, and food & infant nutrition industries. Along the way I learned an essential truth:

𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 — 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤.
And people grow when their emotions, values, and inner stories are honoured, not suppressed.

Coaching has been the invisible thread running through my life; people have always come to me with their stories.
Yet earlier this week, during a simple “I AM” exercise, I wrote:

“𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝.”

It was honest. It was painful.
And it reflected a story I had been hooked on for far too long inside my own mind.

In dialogue with my fellow participants, I realised how many of us hold similar doubts — even when we feel called to support others.
And that uncertainty is part of growth, not a reason to stop.

A few months ago, a coaching peer asked me:
“If I came to you today and asked for help, how would you help me?”

Something shifted. Deep in my body I felt:

𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡.
𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡.

This week in New Mexico didn’t just give me a certification; it gave me grounding, structure, courage, and the clarity that this is my path — rooted in Emotional Agility.

𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 — 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.

As my name catches the sunlight here in New Mexico, I allow myself to stand in that light fully — with integrity, compassion, and an open heart.

I’m deeply grateful to Susan David, Ph.D. , the MEA faculty, and my cohort for this transformative experience.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲.

#EmotionalAgility #CoachingPractice #PersonalLeadership #InnerWork #ProfessionalGrowth

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