The Language of Emotions - A Spotlight on Karla McLaren

My weekly Purposeful Empathy newsletter is dedicated to amplifying the voices of people from around the globe who believe the world needs more empathy - and are doing something about it. This month, I'm highlighting four empathy authors who delve into empathy's transformative potential—from experiencing profound healing to enhancing innovation in the workplace to increasing our self-awareness and emotional literacy.

Driven by her own challenging experiences as a hyper-empathic child, Karla McLaren has dedicated her career to understanding the complexities of emotions and their impact on our well-being.?

As a result of her years of research, teaching, and consulting, she believes emotions are roadmaps: "They come to help us deal with a problem; they are not the problem."?

In addition to being the author of several books about empathy and emotions, Karla is also the creator of Emotional Dynamics at Work, a program “designed specifically for organizations wanting to enhance – intelligently and sustainably – the current level of EQ and healthy empathy in individuals, in work teams, across departments and divisions, and with current and prospective clients.”

In a recent podcast conversation , Karla emphasized the importance of expanding our emotional vocabulary for better emotional regulation, noting that naming emotions more precisely can help us manage them more effectively. "When you can put a name to what you’re feeling, you’re no longer at the mercy of that emotion,” she argues.

To that end, she has developed a comprehensive emotional vocabulary list available for free on her website. She believes it’s a valuable tool for anyone, including people who feel overwhelmed or are numb to their emotions.?

She’s also a proponent of "conscious complaining," a practice that encourages people to vocalize their frustrations with intention. “When emotions fester and stagnate, your body reacts to that lack of flow with fatigue and distress, and you often dissociate or run toward distractions or addictions just to take a vacation from it all.” You can read more about it in an article she wrote here .

For anyone looking to enhance their emotional intelligence and empathy, her research offers both inspiration and practical steps toward emotional well-being. Be sure to check out her The Language of Emotions (Revised and Updated): What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You .

PS: Karla encourages parents to teach their children emotional literacy skills as a foundation for mental health. With that in mind, here’s a shout-out to the Feelings Deck for Kids , created by Julie Kavanagh and Seth Shugar. Much like Karla's adult-focused strategies for expanding emotional vocabulary, this deck

Watch my Purposeful Empathy interview with Karla McLaren on YouTube here or listen to it as a podcast on your favourite platform (Spotify or Apple Podcasts ). was designed to help children name and understand their big emotions, too.

Want to learn more about empathy? Order my debut book, Purposeful Empathy: Tapping Our Hidden Superpower for Personal, Organizational, and Social Change .