Liza Soberano on Anxiety, Boundaries, and Staying Grounded Under Pressure
Release Date: 01/28/2026
When “Be Patient” Protects the System, with Dr. Christina Cipriano
Dealing with Feeling
“Be patient” gets treated like a virtue in every system. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is the line that keeps unfairness in place, because it asks the people carrying the cost to stay quiet so everyone else can stay comfortable. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Christina “Chris” Cipriano on Dealing With Feeling to talk about what patience looks like when it is wisdom, and what it looks like when it becomes compliance. They also talk about how to interrupt harm without turning it into humiliation. In this conversation: When “be patient” supports growth, and when it protects...
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“Just Breathe” Isn’t a Plan: SOUL COLE on Stress, Masculinity, and Stillness
Dealing with Feeling
We call it “being productive,” but for a lot of us it’s a nervous system stuck in go mode. Always on. Always bracing. Then someone says “just breathe” and it sounds like a joke. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with former NFL wide receiver and mindfulness facilitator Brandon “SOUL COLE” Coleman to talk about what happens when performance mode becomes your identity and stillness starts to feel unsafe. In this conversation: The identity crash after injury and why it can trigger anxiety, depression, and shutdown Why five minutes a day can actually change your patterns if you stick with...
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Doomscrolling, Group Chats, and Burnout: Dr. Elisha Goldstein on Breaking the Stress Cycle
Dealing with Feeling
We call it “normal life.” But for most of us, it’s a low-grade chronic stress loop. News alerts. Group chats. Doomscrolling. Constant urgency. In this episode of Dealing With Feeling, Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Elisha Goldstein to explore how tiny emotional shifts can interrupt stress patterns, strengthen relationships, and change the trajectory of our health over time. This is a conversation about emotional longevity — and what it means to stop living in permanent survival mode. In this conversation: Why anxiety is not your identity, but a...
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Gaslighting in Relationships and How to Stop Second-Guessing Yourself with Dr. Robin Stern
Dealing with Feeling
Gaslighting is not just an argument. It is a slow erosion of identity. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with his longtime friend and colleague Dr. Robin Stern to unpack The Gaslight Effect, how anxiety fuels both the gaslighter and the gaslightee, and what it takes to rebuild self-trust. They explore how people don’t lose their reality overnight. They lose it in inches, one second-guess at a time. In this conversation: What gaslighting really is and why it is so disorienting The three stages of The Gaslight Effect: disbelief, defense, depression That first “maybe it wasn’t that bad”...
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What Most Parents Say That Shuts Teens Down with Jamie Lockwood & Liz Fletcher
Dealing with Feeling
Teens have language for anxiety. Most adults never got language for their own feelings. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Jamie Lockwood and Liz Fletcher to talk about what it means to raise and teach teens in this mental health moment. Together, they explore why more “mental health talk” hasn’t solved the crisis, what teens actually need from adults, and how to support big feelings without shutting down, fixing, or turning everything into a performance. In this conversation: Why teen mental health is declining even with more “mental health talk” The adolescent brain “under...
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The Happiness Trap, and Why 'More' Never Feels like Enough with Dr. Laurie Santos
Dealing with Feeling
We turned happiness into a checklist. Then wondered why it never feels like enough. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Laurie Santos to unpack the “happiness trap” and the quiet ways we chase the wrong things. They talk about miswanting, why we get obsessed with the future, and how a life that looks good on paper can still feel empty on the inside. You’ll hear what the research actually says helps, and the small shifts that make happiness feel more real and more sustainable. In this conversation: Why our brains are so bad at predicting what will make us happy The “hyper-focus on the...
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The Anxiety Loop Explained, and How to Interrupt It with Dr. Judson Brewer
Dealing with Feeling
The worst part of anxiety is not the feeling. It’s the loop. The “what if” that keeps feeding itself until it feels like truth. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Judson Brewer to unpack how worry becomes a habit, why reassurance and mental debate often backfire, and how curiosity can disrupt the cycle without forcing you to “think positive.” In this conversation: How anxiety becomes a loop: trigger → worry → short relief → more worry Why worrying feels like control even when it isn’t Curiosity as the interrupt that changes the pattern Anxiety vs stress vs overwhelm and...
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The 5 Parenting Principles That Actually Hold Up Under Stress with Dr. Aliza Pressman
Dealing with Feeling
Most of us aren’t trying to raise perfect kids. We’re trying to raise kids who can handle life without falling apart. The problem is… adults are drowning too. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Aliza Pressman on Dealing With Feeling to break down what emotionally healthy parenting actually looks like in real time—especially when your child is melting down, you’re depleted, and every instinct is telling you to control the moment. In this conversation: The difference between boundaries and harshness Why “all feelings are welcome” doesn’t mean all behaviors are The five...
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Stop Being a 'Crisis Meditator" with Stephanie Boxerbaum
Dealing with Feeling
If you only regulate once you’re already at a 10, you’re not practicing resilience. You’re doing damage control. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Stephanie Boxerbaum on Dealing With Feeling to unpack why high-achievers resist mindfulness, what “enoughness” actually means when you still care about excellence, and how to build small, real practices that prevent the spiral instead of cleaning it up after. In this conversation: “Don’t be a crisis meditator” and what prevention actually looks like Why constant problem-solving keeps you tense Enoughness without lowering standards A...
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Liza Soberano on Anxiety, Boundaries, and Staying Grounded Under Pressure
Dealing with Feeling
When anxiety hits, the impulse is to hide it, power through it, or act fast so it goes away. But what if the stronger move is the pause? Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Liza Soberano to talk about what it’s like to navigate fear under public pressure, how she uses boundaries and goals to stay grounded, and what it means to choose a response instead of reacting to the moment. In this conversation: Anxiety under the spotlight and why you shouldn’t act at the peak Goal-setting as a compass when fear spikes Boundaries and emotional allies (not yes-men) How to slow down the urge to “fix...
info_outlineWhen anxiety hits, the impulse is to hide it, power through it, or act fast so it goes away. But what if the stronger move is the pause?
Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Liza Soberano to talk about what it’s like to navigate fear under public pressure, how she uses boundaries and goals to stay grounded, and what it means to choose a response instead of reacting to the moment.
In this conversation:
- Anxiety under the spotlight and why you shouldn’t act at the peak
- Goal-setting as a compass when fear spikes
- Boundaries and emotional allies (not yes-men)
- How to slow down the urge to “fix it” fast
- Staying steady while still speaking up
About the guest:
Liza Soberano is a Filipino-American actress and advocate.
Guest link:
Liza Soberano: https://instagram.com/lizasoberano
Connect with Marc Brackett:
Website: https://marcbrackett.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marc.brackett
X: https://x.com/drmarcbrackett
Meta: https://facebook.com/drmarcbrackett
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drmarcbrackett
Dr. Marc Brackett's Books
Explore Marc Brackett’s work at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, where he serves as founding director, and learn more about RULER—an evidence-based, systemic approach to SEL developed at Yale that supports leaders, educators, students, and families in building emotional intelligence and creating healthier school climates.
A special thank you to the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence for supporting this webcast. I also want to thank Oji Life Lab for their generous support. Visit https://ojilifelab.com and use promo code DEALINGWITHFEELINGS to save 25%.