Emotional Agility
Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life
Susan David
In Emotional Agility, Susan David offers a refreshing and practical framework for managing emotions and thriving through life's challenges. David, a psychologist, suggests that rather than simply aiming for positivity, embracing our full range of emotions and understanding them can be transformative. Drawing from her research and personal experiences, David introduces “emotional agility” as the skill of navigating emotions mindfully, which empowers us to respond thoughtfully rather than reacting impulsively to life’s inevitable stresses.
The book presents a four-step approach to emotional agility: “showing up” to acknowledge emotions without judgment, “stepping out” to gain perspective, “walking your why” by making decisions aligned with core values, and “moving on” through intentional action. These steps are essential for developing resilience and making choices rooted in clarity rather than habit or bias. David’s insights include recognising “hooks,” which are common mental traps—like brooding or ruminating—that often derail us and prevent progress. She addresses these hooks in depth, providing strategies for recognising and defusing them effectively.
David’s practical approach aligns with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and resonates with themes from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), making her advice highly applicable across educational and leadership contexts. She also challenges the societal tendency to prioritise relentless positivity, encouraging readers to accept both positive and negative emotions as meaningful data that inform growth and alignment with values. Leaders, teachers, and professionals will find the book a valuable tool for enhancing self-awareness, fostering resilience, and creating environments that honour authentic emotional expression.
With compassion and pragmatism, Emotional Agility encourages readers to embrace their full emotional spectrum and to foster personal and professional growth in alignment with their true values and purpose. This book is an insightful, engaging read that has the potential to inspire meaningful change in anyone’s life.
