Creating Safe Spaces: A Journey of Inner Work with Dennis McIntee
Dennis McIntee is a leadership coach who realized he'd never learned to process his own small losses. His whole practice runs on one habit: name the feeling so you can tame it.
▶ Watch the full episode with Dennis McIntee for deeper context on how to approach these questionsOpen the bag
Over the last few months, what small letdowns, losses, or disappointments did you just 'rub some dirt on it' and walk past without ever really feeling? List the ones still in the bag.
Name it exactly
Pick one from the bag. People grab quick labels like 'I'm pissed' or 'I'm fine,' but is that really it, or is there a more exact feeling underneath? First name that feeling. Then write the one thing you'd ask for if you said it out loud.
The voice in your head
Listen to how you talk to yourself when you mess up. Now imagine someone said those exact words to a person you love. Would you let it slide, or would you want to fight them? Write what your inner voice actually says.
Where it leaks out
A feeling you never say out loud doesn't disappear. It shows up as a sharp tone, a snarky text, or pulling back from a risk. Where has an unsaid feeling been leaking into how you treat people or what you'll attempt?
One person, no advice
Who is one person you could say this to who won't try to fix it, won't take it personally, and won't think less of you, just lets you get it out and feel heard? Write their name and how you'd ask them for that.