What if gratitude isn't about staying positive?
We've been sold a version of gratitude that looks a lot like suppression with better branding — smile through it, focus on the positive, don't dwell. In this episode, I sit down with Laura Bratton, founder of Ubi Global and author of Harnessing Courage, to talk about what gratitude actually is when you strip away the toxic positivity.
This conversation will change how you think about the "just be grateful" advice you've probably given yourself a hundred times. We get into why honesty — not optimism — is what actually builds resilience, how gratitude and hard emotions can coexist instead of canceling each other out, and what it looks like to navigate a season that doesn't match what you planned for your life.
If you've ever felt like you were "failing" at gratitude because you were also struggling, this episode is going to feel like permission.
In this episode:
— The real difference between gratitude and toxic positivity
— Why honesty is the foundation of resilience, not the opposite of it
— How to hold gratitude and difficult emotions at the same time
— Practical ways to build a gratitude practice that's honest, not performative
— Navigating life when it doesn't look like what you expected
This one's for anyone in a season of change, uncertainty, or midlife recalibration — which, let's be honest, is most of us right now.
Connect with Laura:
Website: https://www.laurabratton.com/
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