Please join UCLA Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors for an inspiring and thought-provoking discussion about the power of emotions, the science behind emotional intelligence, and how learning to work with our feelings, rather than against them, can help us lead more connected, successful, and fulfilling lives.

We are honored to welcome Dr. Marc Brackett, Yale professor, Founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, who will talk about his new bestselling book, Dealing with Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want with Dr. Nastassia Hajal, Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and Director of Research and Evaluation for the Division of Population Behavioral Health.

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In Dealing with Feeling, Dr. Brackett reveals how the way we understand and manage our emotions shapes every dimension of our lives, from our careers and relationships to our health, resilience, and sense of purpose.

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When life becomes overwhelming, how do we respond? Do we react impulsively, shut down under pressure, or fall into patterns that work against us? Or do we find a way to move through challenges with clarity, resilience, and intention?

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Drawing from groundbreaking research, personal stories, and decades of work in emotional intelligence, Dr. Brackett explores why emotion regulation is not an innate talent, but a lifelong skill set that anyone can strengthen. He shares practical, science-backed strategies to help us navigate difficult emotions, build stronger relationships, pursue meaningful goals, and improve overall well-being.

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At the heart of his message is a transformative idea: there are no “bad” emotions, only emotions we have not yet learned to understand or channel productively.

Dr. Brackett shows us that success in every aspect of life, career, friendship, love, and family, is determined mainly by one thing: how we deal with emotions.

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Bios:
Marc Brackett, PhD, is an award-winning researcher, bestselling author, and Founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, where he also serves as a professor at Yale University. For more than 25 years, his work has focused on the impact of emotional intelligence on learning, decision-making, relationships, mental health, and workplace performance.

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Dr. Brackett is the author of the bestselling Permission to Feel, translated into 25 languages, and his newest book, Dealing with Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want. He has published more than 175 scholarly articles and is the creator of RULER, an evidence-based emotional intelligence and social-emotional learning approach used in more than 5,000 schools worldwide, positively impacting millions of students, educators, and families.

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A sought-after speaker and media expert, Dr. Brackett has delivered keynote addresses at more than 700 conferences, including the White House, the Aspen Institute, and major Fortune 500 companies. His work has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Good Morning America, and Today. He also advises leading organizations such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft on emotional intelligence and workplace well-being.

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Dr. Brackett serves on the boards of Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the Mental Health Coalition, and the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council. He is also co-founder of Oji Life Lab and co-creator of How We Feel, an award-winning app designed to build emotional skills and support well-being. In 2024, he launched the webcast Dealing with Feelings, featuring conversations with leading scientists, artists, and cultural figures about emotional health, resilience, and human connection.

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Nastassia Hajal, PhD is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and the Director of Research and Evaluation of the Division of Population Behavioral Health. She is a licensed clinical psychologist whose primary interests are in caregiver-child relationships, children’s emotional development, and the prevention and treatment of traumatic stress.

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Dr. Hajal is interested in translational research that bridges basic science on emotion, family relationships, and psychological symptoms with clinical research on the promotion of child and family resilience. Her studies have used multi-method approaches to understanding parent/caregiver emotions (including brain-based measures, self-report, and observation), parenting behavior, and child well-being.

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