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Triggered by Gary De Rodriguez book cover with shattered glass design, promoting the article ‘Why Capable People Get Defensive About Feedback,’ available October 6 with pre-order information.

Why Capable People Get Defensive About Feedback (and How to Stop) book corporate leadership relationships triggered work Oct 01, 2026

Quick Answer:

People get defensive about feedback when the comment lands as a verdict on who they are instead of information about what they did. Defensiveness shows up in the second before you speak. You can reduce it by noticing your early body signals, asking what you are making the feedback mea...

Triggered by Gary De Rodriguez book cover beside the title What Does It Mean to Be Triggered?

What Does It Mean to Be Triggered? (And Why It Keeps Happening) book relationships trauma triggered Sep 28, 2026

Quick answer: Being triggered means something in the present sets off a reaction that is bigger than the moment itself, because of the meaning you attach to it. You are not reacting to the event alone. You are reacting to what it seemed to say about you, the other person, or what happens next, often...

Couple mid-argument on a sofa with nervous system activity glowing around their heads — Why 'Just Communicate Better' Advice Doesn't Work

Why "Just Communicate Better" Advice Doesn't Work Sep 22, 2026

Dark abstract image representing a moment of emotional realization.

Why Do I Keep Reacting the Same Way? book relationships trauma triggered Sep 14, 2026

Quick Answer

You keep reacting the same way because the reaction follows an automatic sequence, an event, a meaning you attach to it, a shift in your state, then the reaction itself, that runs faster than conscious thought. It's a pattern recognition problem, not a willpower problem, and the pa

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What Is Relationship Intelligence? Sep 11, 2026

Quick Answer

Relationship Intelligence is the ability to recognize the patterns underneath your reactions, in yourself and in others, before they run the interaction. It treats recurring conflict as a pattern to understand rather than a character flaw to fix through willpower alone.

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