Hope Regained

Ever said something you instantly regretted — and wondered why it came out so fast? You had a few seconds to choose differently. Here's how to stop overreacting and actually use them.Welcome to Episode 3 of The Emotional Edge: A Hope Regained Series — a weekly series on building real emotional intelligence after life's hard chapters. Today, Christianne Boudreau unpacks why emotional intelligence isn't about staying calm or swallowing your feelings — it's about widening the gap between what happens to you and what you do next. And that gap is trainable.You'll learn why "swallowers" and "reactors" are actually stuck in the same pattern, what emotion-regulation research says about suppressing your feelings (spoiler: it costs more than you think), and a simple four-step tool to respond instead of react — The Response Gap: Notice → Name → Narrate → Navigate. It builds on the RULER approach from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, plus research on affect labeling ("name it to tame it"), self-distancing, and if-then planning.You'll see it worked through three real moments — a one-word text from a partner, a colleague talking over you in a meeting, and a group chat joke at your expense — and then we practise the gap together, live, in under a minute.📝 FREE COMPANION WORKSHEET — The Response Gap (4-step guide, if-then plan builder, 7-day gap tracker, Feelings Log #3, tear-out card): 👉 hoperegained.com/blogIN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: ✔ Why emotional intelligence isn't "staying calm" — and why swallowing it backfires ✔ The research on suppression — and why your poker face isn't fooling anyone ✔ The 4-step Response Gap: Notice, Name, Narrate, Navigate ✔ The one tiny word that slams the gap shut (you've probably said it this week) ✔ The question to ask before you respond to anything: "What else could be true?" ✔ The difference between letting it go and swallowing it ✔ This week's practice: Feelings Log #3CHAPTERS 0:00 Why you say things you regret (you had 6 seconds) 0:40 Welcome to The Emotional Edge, Episode 3 3:05 Why "staying calm" isn't emotional intelligence 3:20 Swallowers vs. reactors: the same problem 6:57 The truth about the "6-second rule" 7:58 What reacting on autopilot costs your relationships 12:28 The Response Gap: a 4-step tool to respond, not react 13:48 Step 1 — Notice: catch the surge 15:24 Step 2 — Name it to tame it 16:47 Step 3 — Narrate: the story you tell yourself 17:37 The one word that slams the gap shut 19:37 Ask this before you respond: "What else could be true?" 20:17 Step 4 — Navigate: respond now, later, or let it go 21:52 If-then plans: decide in the calm, not the heat 22:37 Missed the gap? Why catching it late still counts 23:48 Example: the one-word text ("No.") 26:08 Example: talked over in a meeting 28:20 Example: the group chat joke 31:29 Your practice of the week: Feelings Log #3 32:59 Let's practise the gap together (under a minute) 35:03 Next week: empathy without absorbing everyone's feelings🎧 LISTEN EVERYWHERE Spotify, Apple and YouTube. Blog + free worksheets: hoperegained.com/blog🔔 Subscribe for a new episode every Sunday — this series builds one emotional intelligence skill each week. Start from the beginning: Episode 1 — "You Don't Have an Anger Problem. You Have a Vocabulary Problem"Episode 2 — "Your Body Knew Before Your Brain Did"This episode is for education and encouragement and isn't a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're struggling, please reach out to a qualified professional or your local emergency services. In the U.S. and Canada, you can call or text 988 any time.You're WORTH it!#EmotionalIntelligence #HowToStopOverreacting #HopeRegainedPodcast #EmotionalRegulation #RespondDontReact #SelfControl #EmotionalHealth #PersonalGrowth #MentalWellness #SelfAwareness #HealingJourney #TheEmotionalEdge

Ever snap "out of nowhere" — and then wonder where that even came from? It wasn't out of nowhere. Your body felt it first. Here's how to read the emotions in your body before they take over.Welcome to Episode 2 of The Emotional Edge: A Hope Regained Series — a weekly series on building real emotional intelligence after life's hard chapters. Today, Christianne Boudreau breaks down why so many of your reactions seem to come from nowhere, and what's actually happening underneath: your body registers emotion — a clenched jaw, a tight chest, a stomach drop — often before your mind puts it into words. When you miss that signal, you meet the moment already flooded.If you want to learn how to control your emotions without suppressing them, grow your self-awareness and emotional intelligence, and finally understand how emotions show up in the body, this episode is for you.📝 FREE COMPANION WORKSHEET — The Body Barometer (body map, 7-day scan tracker, Feelings Log #2):👉 hoperegained.com/blogIN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:✔ Why emotions show up in your body before your brain catches up✔ What interoception is — and why it's the missing first step of emotional intelligence✔ The 4-part Body Barometer: The Signal, The Scan, The Source, The Shift✔ The one "feeling" that usually isn't a feeling at all (and how it starts arguments)✔ A 10-second body scan you can do anywhere — at a red light, in a meeting, or hiding in the bathroom at a family gathering✔ This week's practice: Feelings Log #2CHAPTERS0:00 Your body already told you (why you "snap out of nowhere")0:44 Welcome to The Emotional Edge, Episode 22:39 Why emotions seem to come out of nowhere6:47 Interoception: how your brain reads your body7:50The study that mapped where we feel emotions in the body9:12 What ignoring your body costs you12:10 The Body Barometer: a 4-step tool13:02 Step 1 — The Signal: find your first-responder14:08 Step 2 — The Scan: a 10-second body check15:19 Step 3 — The Source: the "feeling" that's really hunger17:31 Step 4 — The Shift: calm your body, choose your move19:23 Example: "Can we talk later?" (relationships)21:23 Example: the "Quick question" email (work)23:11 Example: dishes in the sink (home)25:46 Your practice of the week: Feelings Log #226:33 Let's do a 10-second body scan together28:47 Next week: the six seconds that change everything🎧 LISTEN EVERYWHERESpotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeBlog + free worksheets: hoperegained.com/blog🔔 Subscribe for a new episode every Sunday — this series builds one emotional intelligence skill each week. Missed Episode 1? Start with "You Don't Have an Anger Problem. You Have a Vocabulary Problem": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCleQ6nrLa8💬 Tell me in the comments: where does your body talk first — jaw, chest, stomach, or shoulders?Hope Regained is a podcast about rebuilding — your confidence, your relationships, and your understanding of yourself — after the parts of life that knock you down. Hosted by Christianne Boudreau.This episode is for education and encouragement and isn't a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're struggling, please reach out to a qualified professional or your local emergency services. You're WORTH it!#EmotionalIntelligence #MindBodyConnection #HopeRegainedPodcast #BodyAwareness #Interoception #SelfAwareness #EmotionalRegulation #EmotionalHealth #PersonalGrowth #MentalWellness #HealingJourney #TheEmotionalEdge

You don’t have an anger problem. You have a vocabulary problem — and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.In this first episode of a brand-new series, The Emotional Edge: A Hope Regained Series, we’re breaking down why most people can only name three or four emotions — fine, stressed, mad, sad — and why that vagueness is exactly what makes your emotions feel impossible to control. Grounded in Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett’s research on emotional granularity, this episode teaches you a simple, repeatable framework — The Granularity Method — for turning a vague feeling into a precise one, so you can finally understand what you’re actually dealing with in the moment it’s happening. This one goes deeper than past episodes on this topic — two full worked examples (a relationship moment and a workplace moment), not just one, so you actually walk away able to use it.If you’ve ever wondered why you snap over small things, why “I’m fine” never feels quite true, or how to build real emotional intelligence and self-awareness without years of therapy-speak, this episode is your starting point.FREE COMPANION WORKSHEET (Feelings Log #1 + full emotional vocabulary list): → hoperegained.com/blogWHAT YOU’LL LEARN: – Why naming your emotions precisely is the #1 skill behind emotional regulation – The 4-part Granularity Method: The Vague Label → The Zoom-In Question → The Precise Word → The Pattern – The one question to ask yourself that reveals what any feeling is actually trying to tell you – Why anger is almost always a “bodyguard” for a softer, more vulnerable feeling underneath – This week’s practice (homework): Feelings Log #1CHAPTERS 0:00 You don’t have an anger problem, you have a vocabulary problem1:08 Welcome to The Emotional Edge series (Intro)2:23 The Problem: why “fine,” “stressed,” and “mad” are the only four words most of us use4:29 Why It Causes Us Challenges: the real cost of staying vague 7:59 The Solution: The Granularity Method (two worked examples) 20:27 How to Get to a Better Place: this week’s practice + Feelings Log #1 22:42 Next week’s episode + free worksheetSUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Sunday, and follow The Emotional Edge series all the way through — one new tool every week, building toward one emotional vocabulary you’ll actually use.Listen everywhere: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeTell me in the comments: what’s the vaguest word you catch yourself using the most — “fine,” “stressed,” or something else?Hope Regained is here to help you rebuild — your confidence, your relationships, and your understanding of yourself — after the parts of life that knock you down. New episodes every Sunday.#EmotionalIntelligence #EmotionalGranularity #SelfAwareness #EmotionalRegulation #MentalWellness #PersonalGrowth #TheEmotionalEdge #HopeRegainedPodcast #AngerManagement #HealingJourney

Your emotions are being used against you, and most of us never see it happening. In this series opener of the Hope Regained Podcast, Christianne Boudreau shows how manipulators, media and even the people closest to you steer your feelings, and how emotional intelligence, self-awareness and emotional resilience put your hands back on the wheel.If you've ever woken up calm and ended the day furious at a stranger, apologized without knowing why, or made a decision you later realized wasn't really yours, this episode is for you. You'll learn why love and fear drive almost every choice you make, the psychological manipulation tactics that work on people with low emotional awareness, why the "bubble" we built after COVID blinds us instead of protecting us, and a simple four-question tool, The Steering Wheel Check, to help you control your emotions instead of letting them control you.This episode opens two new series on personal growth and personal development:THE EMOTIONAL EDGE (11 episodes): building emotional intelligence, one practical skill at a time.UNSHAKEN (12 episodes): building emotional resilience and mental strength for the world we live in now.FREE WORKSHEET: Take the Steering Wheel Score self-awareness quiz and practice the Steering Wheel Check this week: https://www.hoperegained.com/blogCHAPTERS0:00 Who Is Really Driving Your Life?2:33 The Anatomy of an Emotional Hijack5:13 The Myth of Self-Awareness6:51 The Two Core Drivers of Every Decision13:17 The Steering Wheel Check Tool19:42 The One Question That Changes EverythingIN THIS EPISODEHow to recognize emotional manipulation and common manipulation tacticsWhy self-awareness is rarer than we think (Tasha Eurich's self-awareness research)Love vs fear, and why "hate" is often hurt and fear underneathHow to master your emotions with four honest questionsWhy emotional intelligence and emotional resilience work best togetherLISTEN EVERYWHEREYouTube: subscribe and tap the bell so every Sunday episode lands in your feedSpotify and Apple Podcasts: search "Hope Regained Podcast"Website, blog and free worksheets: https://www.hoperegained.com/blogNEXT WEEK: The Emotional Edge, Episode 1: "You Don't Have an Anger Problem. You Have a Vocabulary Problem."IF YOU NEED SUPPORTIf someone in your life is controlling you in a way that feels unsafe, please reach out:Canada: Family Violence Info Line 310-1818, or text HOME to 686868United States: 1-800-799-7233United Kingdom: 0808 2000 247Australia: 1800RESPECT, 1800 737 732If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number.This podcast is for education and emotional support and isn't a substitute for professional mental health, medical or legal advice.#EmotionalIntelligence #EmotionalResilience #HopeRegainedPodcast #EmotionalManipulation #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #PersonalDevelopment #ControlYourEmotions #ManipulationTactics #MentalStrength #SelfImprovement #HealingJourney #TheEmotionalEdge #Unshaken

On October 11, 2024, Brussels entrepreneur and restaurateur Vincent Van den Broeck was struck by a car while riding an e-scooter — hit at 55 km/h in a 30 km/h zone. He suffered multiple fractures and severe brain trauma, spent weeks in a coma, and was told he had almost no chance of surviving.In this episode of Hope Regained, Vincent sits down with host Christianne Boudreau to talk about what actually happened in that hospital room, the three months of rehabilitation that followed, and the mindset that got him walking out of rehab months ahead of schedule. He opens up about the people who carried him through it, the nightly ritual of three questions he still asks himself today, and why he calls his new book ‘our’ story instead of his own.Vincent is the author of Everything Feels Impossible Until It's Done: How the Life You Build Becomes the Life That Saves You — releasing today, October 11, 2026, exactly two years after the accident.This is Part 7 of our seven-part “Rebuilding Your Life” series.📖 More from Vincent: Instagram @vincentinthekitchenWebsite https://untilitsdone.eu/Linkedin: @vincentvandenbroeckBook: Everything Feels Impossible Until It's Done - Available for purchase on AmazonThe Until It's Done Club:  https://www.skool.com/until-its-done-9289/about🌿 More from Hope Regained: hoperegained.com/blogTimestamps:0:00 The Moment Everything Changed1:08 The Accident That Defined a Journey2:59 The Core of Authenticity6:03 Building a Life You Love8:22 Non-Negotiable Happiness14:02 The Last Moments Before the Impact18:31 Waking Up to a New Reality28:54 Defying the Odds in Rehabilitation#HopeRegained #rebuildingyourlife  #resiliencemindset