In episode 15 of The Best Friends Podcast, emotional intelligence is framed not as getting rid of difficult feelings, but as learning to manage them while continuing to work toward a goal. Published by Best Friends Animal Society on May 29, 2020, the episode connects that idea to an emotionally charged local campaign for change and to animal-welfare work in Winnebago County, Illinois.
What episode 15 is about
“Emotional Intelligence – Our Super Power!” focuses on what people do with emotions in professional life, especially when they are trying to make change. The episode’s practical question is not how to avoid emotion, but how to manage it so that it does not prevent continued work toward a goal. Its example is a local campaign for change involving animal welfare.
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The episode presents this as a useful distinction: emotions are part of the situation, not something a person must eliminate before acting. It does not claim that emotional intelligence guarantees a successful campaign or better outcomes.
Who appears in the episode
Marc Brackett
The episode introduces Marc Brackett as founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and discusses his work on emotions and emotional intelligence. Its guest biography says he developed RULER, describes its use in nearly 2,000 pre-K through high schools in the United States and other countries, and credits him with 125 scholarly articles. Those figures are claims in the episode page, published May 29, 2020; the page gives no data years or measurement date for them, so they should not be read as current counts. The page also says he co-founded Oji Life Lab.
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Brackett’s question, as quoted on the episode page, is: “I want everyone to become an emotion scientist”. He elaborates: “We need to be curious explorers of our own and others’ emotions so they can help us achieve our goals and improve our lives.” The episode resource list includes his book Permission to Feel as optional further reading; its inclusion does not make the book a prerequisite for understanding the conversation.
Stephanie Hicks
The episode identifies Stephanie Hicks as executive director of C.A.R.E. for P.E.T.S. in Winnebago County, Illinois. The organization’s name is given as County Animal Rescue Endowment Providing Enrichment Through Support. The episode describes Hicks working with stakeholders to help people and pets in the county.
The guest biography also says that since Hicks began her role, cats killed had fallen 40 percent and dogs killed 50 percent. The episode page does not specify the comparison period, baseline, or underlying dataset, so these are attributed episode-page figures rather than independently established or current county statistics.
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How the emotional-intelligence idea applies to the campaign
A campaign for change can involve frustration, urgency, disagreement, or discouragement. The episode invites listeners to pause and ask, “What did you do with that emotion?” and “How do you manage them so you can continue working toward your goals?” These questions keep attention on the response to a feeling, rather than treating the feeling itself as a failure.
- Notice the emotion: Identify what is happening instead of dismissing it or reacting automatically.
- Stay curious: Consider what the emotion may be signaling about your needs, priorities, or the situation. Brackett’s “emotion scientist” language encourages exploration rather than judgment.
- Reconnect with the goal: Decide how to respond in a way that lets you keep working toward the change you want.
This is the episode’s practical framing, not a complete clinical method or a promise that any particular response will resolve conflict. Its value is the reminder that managing emotion and pursuing change can happen together.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Episode resources
The Best Friends Animal Society episode page lists Permission to Feel, Winnebago County Animal Services, and information about becoming a Best Friends Network Partner. These resources point toward the conversation’s two strands: understanding emotions and supporting animal-welfare work. The episode page is available at Best Friends Podcast Ep. 15: Emotional Intelligence – Our Super Power!.
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