Whole-Hearted: Becoming Emotionally Fluent

For so many of us, emotions are the part of ourselves we’ve been taught to fear, suppress, or ignore. But what if I told you that your emotions aren’t the enemy—they’re the entry point?

In this week's episode, we continue our Wholly Living series by diving into the heart of who we are—our emotions. We explore what it means to live wholeheartedly: to feel fully, to speak the language of emotion, and to reconnect with the most human part of ourselves.

When Things Change

I used to think I had a pretty good grasp on emotions. I mean—I built an entire identity around helping people feel seen and heard. As a hairdresser, I spent years reading between the lines, making space for other people’s stories. But one day, something shifted in me. 

What I once loved didn’t feel the same. I felt flat, tired, and disconnected—and no amount of pushing through could cover it anymore.

That was when I realized: my emotional landscape had changed, and I didn’t speak the language anymore.

Emotional fluency isn’t about controlling your feelings—it’s about understanding them. And more than that? It’s about knowing that emotions are a divine language. They are not too much. You are not too much. You were made to feel.

Emotions as a Language

Most of us never learned how to speak the language of emotion. We were told to toughen up, to smile through the pain, or to keep things “appropriate.” We have been taught that any show of emotions was either being “over-emotional” or hysterical” or was evidence that you were less of a man.

We internalized the idea that emotions are a liability—and many of us started shutting down entirely.

But emotions are not distractions.
They’re directions.
They are the soul’s way of speaking to us, giving us data about what matters.

So many people walk through life emotionally fragmented—either numb, reactive, or overwhelmed. 

Wholeness requires us to feel again. And more importantly, to feel safe and courageous.

Whole-Hearted 

Living whole-hearted means becoming fluent in your emotional truth. It means learning to pause and ask yourself what you’re really feeling—and then honoring that answer without shame.

When we live whole-hearted, we move from reaction to response.
We stop apologizing for our feelings.
We start making decisions from clarity instead of confusion.
And we begin to understand ourselves—and others—with a depth that changes everything.

Reflection + Reveal 

Each week in this series, we will have a Reflection + Reveal Challenge to practice wholeness.

I invite you, if you will, to join me this week to practice wholeness in our emotional self.

Reflection Practice:

Ask Yourself: Where have I become just a remnant of my emotional self?

Reflect on this, then answer the following questions.

• What emotions am I most comfortable feeling?
  
  
• Which emotions do I avoid?
  
  
• What messages did I receive growing up about expressing emotion?
  
  
• What would emotional fluency look like in my relationships this week?
  
  

Reveal Practice:

Take inventory. 

Write down as many emotions as you can identify.

Then choose one emotion you’ve been avoiding.

Sit with it. Name it.

Ask: What are you trying to teach me?

Listen. Respond with grace. 

Your heart is speaking—and it’s time to listen.

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Key Takeaways

• Emotions are a divine language, not a liability.
  
  
• Emotional fluency means being able to name, understand, and respond to your feelings with compassion.
  
  
• Living whole-hearted brings you back to your emotional truth and strengthens connection—with yourself, with others, and with God.
  
  
• You don’t have to fear your emotions. You were created to feel.
  
  

Final Thoughts

When you begin to reconnect with your emotions, you reclaim a vital part of your authenticity. You connect to your divine language.

 Living whole-hearted is not about feeling good all the time—it’s about allowing yourself to feel at all. It’s about being brave enough to sit with what rises, even when it’s messy, confusing, or hard to name. 

So, this week—listen. To your heart. To your body. To that inner whisper asking to be heard. Because the truth is, your emotions have been waiting for you. They don’t want to take you down—they want to show you the way home.

You don’t have to live in fragments anymore.
You can live whole.