AI Is Here, But Have You Met EI?

Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence. And honestly? Same.

But on the latest episode of my Positively Altered podcast, guest Rich Brackham made me want to flip the whole conversation—from AI to EI.

🧠 Emotional intelligence. The ability to understand and manage your own emotions while actually showing up for the people around you. Sounds simple. It’s not.

Here’s what Rich said that stopped me:

🛑 Most of us get promoted because we can do the thing. We hit the numbers, and we execute.

So, someone hands us a new title and says, “Great, now go lead people.” But nobody asks the harder question—how are you talking to people? How are you showing up?

🎧 Listen to Episode 56 wherever you get your podcasts.

And the most terrifying answer to those questions? You have to ask for feedback to find out.

I know. I felt that too.

Rich calls feedback the most underused tool in EI and one of the most avoided.

👂Because what if you hear something you don’t want to hear?

What if someone tells you your glow stick ruined their dress and that they didn’t appreciate your Marvin Gaye intro? (You’ll have to listen to get that one.)

Here’s why this connects so deeply to everything I teach: The words we use about ourselves—in our heads and out loud—shape who we become. 🔥

When we ask, “How am I showing up?” and actually listen to the answer, we’re doing the brave work of rewriting a story we might not even know we’ve been telling. That’s not weakness. That’s the most powerful kind of self-authorship there is.

֎ AI can crunch data. It cannot internalize feedback for you. 🧠

Rich and I also dig into:

• negativity bias.
• why music unlocks emotional connection.
• the specific reason one woman gave him a one-star review after a keynote for 1,500 people.

Be positively altered.