176: Handling Triggers, Reactions, and Emotions in Ourselves and Others with Lara Currie

We’re all feeling a lot of emotions and seeing reactions and triggers in ourselves and others.

Whether we’re having one-on-one conversations with family and friends, interacting on social media, watching the news, or even speaking to audiences, how can we better understand how to recognize triggers in ourselves and others and handle them better?

My guest is Lara Currie, who specializes in helping her clients, primarily women in high-stress fields, handle difficult conversations and difficult people.

In this episode, Lara and I talk about:

• The 4 triggers people can have
• The secret gifts of emotions
• Mask emotions and what they’re masking
• The importance of self-awareness
• Strategies for handling a difficult person in your audience when you’re speaking (whether in-person or on a webinar)

About My Guest: Lara Currie is passionate about uncovering dysfunctional communication patterns, combating manipulative tactics, while empowering women business owners in high-stress fields to communicate confidently. She is a podcaster, speaker & trainer, and the author of Difficult Happens; How Triggers, Boundaries, & Emotions Impact YOU every day. With 29 plus years of experience in high-conflict positions, she has a unique and intuitive understanding of why people act - and react - the way they do.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/176

Lara’s website: https://difficulthappens.com/

Lara’s video series on “The Secret Gift in Every Emotion”: https://difficulthappens.com/secret-gift-in-every-emotion/

Lara’s podcast “Difficult Happens”: https://difficulthappens.com/podcast-page/

Book “The Art of Gathering” by Priya Parker: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gathering-How-Meet-Matters-ebook/dp/B07637KVXL/

Sign up for our free webinars at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/webinar/

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Lara Currie (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/lara-currie/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 54: Building a Culture of Trust with Your Team and Audience with Laura Gallaher, Ph.D.
• Episode 125: Handling Hard Conversations at Live Events with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers of Pantsuit Politics
• Episode 164: Mindful Leadership in Uncertain Times with Puja Madan
• Episode 167: Creating a Sense of Belonging with Your Audience with Traci Baxley, Ed.D.
• Episode 175: The Work of Anti-Racism as White Women with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.

A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.

As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable