Feelings Matter

About Feelings Matter

#FeelingsMatter - Our mission is to demystify everything about emotions. Helping us all get more comfortable talking about them. Join Tina Schweiger, Heather Hampton, and Michelle Stinson Ross as they unpack a new angle on emotions, draw on the science of the human brain, and delve into the psychology of human nature.

Publisher

Michelle Stinson Ross

Category

education · health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Mar 2021

Latest episode

28 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

72 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Jan 2026

   Pleased #FeelingsMatter

   In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling pleased - that crossover feeling that includes both happiness and contentment. The conversation examines how pleased differs from other positive emotions, why it often quietly exists in the background of our lives, and how this self-satisfied feeling connects to pride and outcomes we've influenced. The hosts discuss the importance of recognizing and banking these quiet positive moments to draw on during difficult times. Episode Highlights: Michelle describes pleased as a "blended emotion" combining happiness and contentment that often exists as a "low key, quiet emotional experience" we might not give enough attention to, though recognizing these moments helps build resilience for challenging times Tina associates pleased with "self-satisfaction," particularly when she's accomplished something she didn't think she could do or created something that turned out well, describing it as being "just gonna be self-satisfied for a little bit" Heather observes that pleased seems to require personal influence over the outcome - feeling pleased when someone loves a gift you gave them rather than simply being delighted by receiving a gift yourself, noting "pleased has a reflection of I influenced a good outcome" The hosts brainstorm creating a "resilience piggy bank" feature where users could save stories of positive emotions like pleased to pull out during tough moments, providing strength during trying times Michelle connects pleased as "the antidote for shame," noting that the self-satisfaction of being pleased would make it difficult for shame's critical voice to take hold, suggesting that banking pleased moments could serve as powerful counter-narratives when experiencing shame Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw (https://pixabay.com/users/redproductions-970568/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21527) from Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21527) This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission. This episode is sponsored by FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/ (https://www.feel-wise.com/) Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

2. 

   21 Jan 2026

   Shame #FeelingsMatter

   In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton tackle one of the most powerful and challenging emotions: shame - that feeling of being self-conscious because you feel bad about yourself as a person, not just about something you did. The conversation explores how shame differs from guilt, the role of culture and religion in shaping shame responses, and why this "slippery eel" of an emotion can be so difficult to recognize and address. The hosts share deeply personal experiences with shame and offer strategies for building resilience against its spiral. Episode Highlights: Heather explains the crucial distinction between guilt ("I did something bad") and shame ("I'm a bad person because I did something bad"), noting she rarely experiences shame due to growing up in an atheist household without religious or cultural shaming mechanisms Tina vulnerably shares how shame manifests as post-social anxiety, where she lies in bed ruminating and "looking for places where I should feel like a bad person," tracing this pattern to growing up in an authoritative household where shame was used for coercion and control, particularly around her female body during puberty Michelle credits her encouraging upbringing in a religious household (but with supportive parents) for giving her resilience against shame, noting how behavioral mistakes were framed as learning opportunities rather than identity-defining failures The hosts explore practical strategies for combating shame, including identifying adjacent emotions that are "safer to see" (like frustration instead of shame), reintroducing safety and curiosity to counteract shame's inward contraction, and practicing self-compassion Michelle emphasizes building resilience to shame by creating habits of self-encouragement during good moments, telling yourself "you are smoking hot today" to have reserves when the inner critic attacks, and giving friends explicit permission to call out shame patterns and offer counter-narratives of truth and support Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw (https://pixabay.com/users/redproductions-970568/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21527) from Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21527) This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission. This episode is sponsored by FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/ (https://www.feel-wise.com/) Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

3. 

   14 Jan 2026

   Supported #FeelingsMatter

   In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling supported - that state of feeling understood and upheld by others, knowing you're not alone in facing challenges. The conversation examines how support intersects with safety, trust, and belonging, why savoring positive emotions like feeling supported is crucial for building resilience, and how lack of support contributes to societal loneliness. The hosts share how their connection provides mutual support and discuss why this emotion belongs in the love category. Episode Highlights: Tina describes feeling supported as experiencing belonging, safety, and trust simultaneously, noting physical manifestations like warmth in her heart, relaxed tension, better sleep, and increased gratitude and trust in others Michelle shares how meeting with her co-hosts twice weekly provides an "infusion of energy" that she carries forward, describing how she's keenly aware when they miss time together and misses the support when it's not there Heather reveals that feeling supported makes her "more daring, more bold" and willing to take risks, emphasizing the special magic of external validation even for self-confident people The hosts connect the emotion of support to practical realities like government shutdowns that prevent people from "supporting their family," noting how losing the ability to provide support is heartbreaking and creates cascading effects on those who feel less supported Tina explains her decision to place "supported" in the love category rather than neutral affect, arguing that feeling supported "blends right into the place of love" as an act and feeling of love, not something neutral or merely pleasant Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw (https://pixabay.com/users/redproductions-970568/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21527) from Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=21527) This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission. This episode is sponsored by FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/ (https://www.feel-wise.com/) Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

850

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

43

Social presence

0

YouTube

66

Engagement

0

Contact Feelings Matter

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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