Deeply Well with Devi Brown

Dr. Marc Brackett joins us today to talk about what emotional intelligence actually is—and why it’s not just “being a deep feeler” or a good talker. He breaks it down with his RULER framework (recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, regulating) and pushes for more precise language than “good,” because nuance changes everything.
One of the biggest takeaways: emotional skills don’t grow without “permission to feel,” and most people didn’t have an “emotional ally” growing up—someone “non-judgmental” who offers presence instead of fixing. He also shares practical regulation tools: “never worry alone,” watch your self-talk, and set identity-based intentions (like being “cherished” and “alive” as a parent). He reminds parents, including Devi, that it’s “effortful, but it is not difficult,” and sleep is often the hidden barrier.
Connect with Marc
Website: https://marcbrackett.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marc.brackett/
Read: Dealing With Feeling

Connect with Devi:
Website: https://devibrownwellbeing.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@devibrown
Living In Wisdom Book: https://www.devibrown.com/book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devibrown/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeplywellpod/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/devibrown?s=21&t=…
Merch: https://devibrown.myshopify.com/
Threads - https://www.threads.com/@devibrown
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we sit with our very first guest of Season Five - therapist and bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab, who talks about what it means to “take life seriously” through intention, and why success doesn’t have to start perfectly. Her new book, The Balancing Act, is about learning the difference between “tolerable annoyance and abuse and neglect,” so we stop cutting people off for normal friction and end up lonelier. She reminds us, “we are in charge of our phone,” and sometimes the healthiest move is just not answering, without turning it into a relationship-ending talk.
What is a healthy community? Tawwab jokes about how important our interactions are, even with the baristas at our local cafe. Every interaction, especially the reliable day-to-day interactions hold value, and often can be healthier than the relationships we put the weight of expectations on.
 We also elaborate on "how useful it is to know how you show up in the world" and not get pigeonholed into an attachment style. Therapy and our conversations shared within those sessions are to help us identify our patterns and why and how they show up, and create outcomes that don't align with our desires. Tawwab points out these scenarios, how they’ve shown up in her life, and allowed her to acknowledge how she’s grown.
As always, we end the episode with soul-work. Nedra offers the question: “What is your relationship with offering people grace, extending it to yourself as well?

Connect with Nedra
Website https://www.nedratawwab.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nedratawwab

Connect with Devi:
Website: https://devibrownwellbeing.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@devibrown
Living In Wisdom Book: https://www.devibrown.com/book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devibrown/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeplywellpod/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/devibrown?s=21&t=…
Merch: https://devibrown.myshopify.com/
Threads - https://www.threads.com/@devibrown
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some things cannot be resolved. They can only be held. This episode is about paradox as a practice. Not a philosophy, not a concept, but a real and living skill for an era that is pulling us in every direction at once. We move through what it means to stop forcing clarity where life is asking for capacity, and why emotional maturity might be the most important work of this particular moment in human history.
At the heart of this episode is a deeply personal story of receiving the devastating news of the loss of a friend, whose life was taken. Devi shares how this impacted her and what practices she reached for when she was carrying something so fresh and heavy, all while showing up for a room full of women excited to deepen into their lives and purpose.
Substack is live.
The Living Wisdom Retreat at the Omega Institute runs July 5–10.
Connect with Devi:
Website: https://devibrownwellbeing.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@devibrown
Living In Wisdom Book: https://www.devibrown.com/book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devibrown/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeplywellpod/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/devibrown?s=21&t=…
Merch: https://devibrown.myshopify.com/
Airbnb Experience: Find your calm in a meditation with Devi Brown
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You don't just listen to Deeply Well, you return to it. Season 5 begins the way all good things do, with a breath. Devi Brown returns with a new studio, a new chapter, and a deepened commitment to living well from the inside out, not perfectly, but honestly, with all the complexity, the paradox, the beauty, and the wonder. This season is about ways to live your wisdom, an invitation to go further into integration, into joy, into the practices that genuinely sustain you, the ones that work when life is actually happening. Expect guests who have truly earned their wisdom, more of Devi's own reflections and practices, and your voices are coming to the show, too. Find her on Substack with Self-Care Simplified, where an entire experience awaits after every episode: Easter eggs, playlists, soul work, and more. And if you're ready to go even further, join Devi at the Omega Institute for the Living in Wisdom retreat, July 5 through 10, 2026. So glad you're here!
Connect with Devi:
Website: https://devibrownwellbeing.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@devibrown
Living In Wisdom Book: https://www.devibrown.com/book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devibrown/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeplywellpod/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/devibrown?s=21&t=…
Merch: https://devibrown.myshopify.com/
Airbnb Experience: Find your calm in a meditation with Devi Brown
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Devi Brown, a former Chopra Global Executive and Chopra-certified teacher, speaks candidly about the disappointment of seeing Deepak Chopra’s name appear in Epstein-related emails and reflects on the larger patterns of celebrity-driven wellness culture. She discusses accountability, the risks of putting spiritual teachers on pedestals, and why our healing must remain our own responsibility.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.