Making Wholeness Possible

What does it look like to stay grounded at work when emotions are high, conversations are hard, and people are looking to you to lead? In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible, Danae and Ken are joined by Kelly Andamasaris, co-owner and administrator of Absorbent Minds Montessori School, for a practical and honest conversation about self-regulation in the workplace. Kelly shares what she has l...

Self-regulation is not about pretending you are fine, stuffing your emotions, or never feeling angry, anxious, afraid, or overwhelmed. It is about learning to notice what is happening inside of you, pause before you react, and choose how you want to show up. In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , Danae and Ken continue the conversation on self-regulation by unpacking the five dimensions of...

In last week’s episode, we talked about what anxiety is and how it shows up in our reactions. This week, we’re taking the next step: what do we do when anxiety is actually happening? Ken and Danae talk about how we begin moving from noticing anxiety in the rearview mirror to recognizing it in real time. They unpack the practice of stopping, calming ourselves, thinking clearly, naming the threat, a...

Anxiety does not always look like worry. Sometimes it looks like anger. Sometimes it looks like keeping the peace. Sometimes it looks like venting, controlling, fixing, shutting down, or taking responsibility for things that are not actually ours to carry. In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible, Danae and Ken begin a new conversation around self-regulation and anxiety. They talk about the di...

In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , Danae and Ken wrap up their conversation on self-awareness by exploring four simple practices that help us grow: becoming more observant, staying curious, making time for intentional reflection, and inviting a coach into the journey. Danae and Ken are joined by Angela Ashley, who shares honestly about her own journey toward emotional maturity, what it...

Strong emotions are part of being human, but many of us were never taught how to handle them in healthy ways. In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , Danae and Ken continue the conversation on self-awareness by exploring what we learned in our first formation about managing strong emotions. They talk about how early messages, family patterns, and modeled behaviors can shape the way we respo...

In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , Danae and Ken begin a new conversation around self-awareness by going back to our childhood – our first formation: the early shaping we experienced through family, relationships, culture, authority figures, and the things we learned we had to do to feel safe, loved, accepted, or in control. Ken and Danae talk honestly about how early lessons can becom...

Work can bring out some of the hardest parts of us. A tense conversation. Receiving feedback. A coworker who frustrates you. A moment when expectations are unclear and anxiety starts to rise. Before long, you may find yourself defending, withdrawing, over-apologizing, blaming, shutting down, or carrying responsibility that was never yours to carry. In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , Da...

Have you ever stepped in to fix something that wasn’t really yours to fix? Or waited for someone else to make a decision that was actually yours to make? In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , Danae and Ken continue the conversation on personal responsibility by exploring overfunctioning, underfunctioning, and the anxiety underneath both. They talk about the “dance” that can happen in rela...

Show Notes Three Ways to Get Into Action This Week 1. Ask: What did I learn about personal responsibility in my first formation? Blame can feel safe. It can feel justified. It can even feel powerful. But what if blame is also one of the ways we give away responsibility for our own lives? In this episode, Danae and Ken talk about one of the most common ways we avoid taking responsibility for our ow...

What does it actually look like to do the work ? In this episode, Chad Crawford joins us and turns the tables—interviewing us about our own journeys toward emotional maturity and wholeness. We share the moments that shaped us, the internal patterns we had to confront, and how this work continues to impact our relationships, leadership, and everyday lives. This is a more personal conversation—and a...

We all want to care for people well. But many of us were never taught what that actually looks like. So we end up in patterns like: trying to fix people taking responsibility for their emotions avoiding hard conversations or becoming overwhelmed by others’ pain In this episode, we close out our series on emotional maturity by exploring healthy empathy – what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matter...

What does it look like to stay grounded in who you are while staying connected to people who see the world differently than you do? In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , Danae Labocki and Ken Shuman explore the concept of self-differentiation, which Ken describes as the biggest of the big rocks in emotional maturity. Self-differentiation is the ability to manage your reactivity, define yo...

In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible, Danae Labocki and Ken Shuman explore the concept of self-definition and why it is essential for emotional maturity. Many people live reactively – shaped by the expectations, opinions, and emotions of those around them. Self-definition invites something different: the ability to thoughtfully decide who you want to be and how you want to show up in the w...

Why do we snap, shut down, over-explain, or get defensive? In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , we explore how anxiety — not anger — is often driving our reactions. We talk about threats (real and imagined), emotional contagion, and the four common ways we cope when we feel anxious. If you’ve ever behaved in a way you later regretted, this episode will help you understand why — and what...

Do you react first and regret later? In this episode of Making Wholeness Possible , we talk about self-regulation — the practice of deciding who you want to be before the moment hits. Ken shares why self-regulation starts before the hard conversation, how to stop making meaning about what others think, and how to write guiding principles that help you show up with courage, clarity, and respect. If...

Self-awareness is more than knowing your strengths or personality type. It’s noticing your triggers. It’s understanding your patterns. It’s identifying the threats beneath your reactions. In this episode, Chad Crawford joins us to share his journey from surface-level awareness to deeper awareness — especially in the areas of anger, anxiety, leadership, and agency. We discuss: • The two levels of s...

In Episode 2 of Making Wholeness Possible , Danae and Ken talk about personal responsibility —what it really is, what it isn’t, and why both over-responsibility and under-responsibility keep us from living fully. Through real-life stories and practical tools, they explore how taking appropriate responsibility helps us reclaim agency, reduce burnout, and grow in emotional maturity. This episode off...

This is Making Wholeness Possible with Danae Labocki and Ken Shuman. In this first episode, we lay the foundation of what emotional maturity actually is, why it matters in real life, and share one simple practice you can try this week to grow—without pressure, perfection, or beating yourself up in the process.