Secret #61: Reimagining Anger with Russell Kolts

We often treat anger like a villain, but what if it’s simply trying to tell us something important?

In this episode of Life’s Dirty Little Secrets, Dr. Russell Kolts, clinical psychologist and compassion-focused therapy pioneer, joins hosts Emma Waddington and Chris McCurry to reimagine our relationship with anger. He shares powerful insights into how anger is often a response to threat, helplessness, or dismissal, not simply aggression.

Together, they explore how to stop demonizing anger, how to guide children through their emotional storms, and why compassion is the key to healing emotional wounds. If you’ve ever struggled with anger or want to better support others who do, this episode offers eye-opening tools and fresh hope.

Topics Discussed in this episode:

• The role of anger in emotional regulation
• Compassion-focused therapy techniques
• Teaching children how to process anger
• Shifting from shame to curiosity in therapy
• Rewriting our emotional conditioning around anger

View extended shownotes here

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