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“Emotional reasoning is the shortcut that convinces us our feelings are facts.”

A clear, practical walkthrough of emotional reasoning—the bias that makes feelings feel like facts—and how to separate signal from story. Learn simple tools to build self-awareness, better decisions, and steadier leadership.

When a strong feeling hits—anxiety, shame, anger—are you reading the room, or just reading your nervous system?

Key Takeaway Insights & Tools

• What emotional reasoning is—and why it feels true. Emotions arrive fast and loud; the brain turns them into beliefs (“I feel like a failure” becomes “I am a failure”). [01:02–01:50]
• The closed loop that traps us. Feeling → story → stronger feeling. Nervous becomes “I’m not ready”; unsettled becomes “they’re mad at me.” [01:50–03:16]
• Why evolution primes the error. Emotions were built for survival speed, not modern nuance—like using a smoke alarm to navigate a conversation. [03:16–04:25]
• The real cost. Moods turn into meaning: capability shrinks, feedback gets distorted, progress stalls because discomfort is misread as danger. [04:25–05:30]
• The contrarian move. Create a pause, name the feeling, separate feelings from facts, and test the story against evidence. [05:30–07:08]

If this helped you separate feelings from facts, share the episode with one person who leads, coaches, or parents—someone who could use a steadier inner compass.

Jason White Birkevold Liem is the host of It’s an Inside Job and author of Seeing Sideways. He helps leaders and coaches turn psychological insight into everyday practice—so they can think clearly, choose wisely, and lead with intent.

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