When You've Got Through This Transition, How Do You Want to Feel?
— and the story behind the tool
- by Jeremy, R&E Founder
Whether you're starting a new role, leaving a job, welcoming a child, navigating a restructure, or facing something you didn't expect — transitions are emotional.
You're not who you were. But you're not yet who you're becoming.
That in-between space is uncomfortable. And most of us try to rush through it, suppressing or ignoring the emotions, and instead focus on the rational side of change: logistics, plans, process.
All the while, our emotional response dictates how we actually navigate the shift.
Where this tool came from
My wife Becky and I struggled for four years with infertility. We eventually had our first baby, Izzy, on our third & last round of IVF.
We went from the despair of thinking we would never have children — to having three babies under 2.5 years old.
I designed the ECD Transitions Handbook to help Becky and myself navigate these life-changing transitions we went through over that period.
It's incredible to now see people around the world adopt this tool — and make it their own for all sorts of transitions they're facing.
Janice Chong used it at home with her family. Kassie Gada guided her daughter and her partner through it last weekend as they moved to Los Angeles. She said it was "simple but powerful."
That's what I love about this work. The tools are just the starting point. What people do with them — that's where the magic is. And so often it's not in ways that I first designed them for!
Six questions to work through during any transition
I've just designed a new Transitions Conversation Guide — a mini version of our ECD Transitions Handbook. It's a simple tool to help you get intentional about how you want to feel, acknowledge what's hard, and identify the support you need to move through it well.
Here are the six questions:
- Describe the transition you're currently navigating...
- How do you want to feel when you've got through this transition? Select 3 black cards (desired feelings) & share why you chose each card.
- What emotions are you feeling right now that you don't want to feel (but might from time to time)? Select 3 white cards (undesired feelings) & describe what's causing these feelings to surface.
- What might help you feel more of the desired feelings and navigate the undesired feelings during this transition?
- Describe the support you need to make this transition smoother. Who & what might help?
- Imagine it's 6 months from now and you're on the other side of this transition. What lessons do you think you will have learned about yourself?
Take 15 minutes. Work through them in order. See what comes up.
Download the free Transitions Conversation Guide →
From our community
This is what navigating transitions with intention looks like.
Using the Transitions Handbook
Katherine used the Transitions Handbook with a coaching client stepping into an Acting CEO role — her first time in the position. Katherine said: "Using the Transitions Handbook and the ECD was a stroke of genius. She loved it and it enabled amazing conversations."
Making it their own
Angella created two custom versions of the Transitions Handbook for global professionals navigating moves — one for career transitions, one for life transitions surrounding a move. She said: "My goal in creating these resources is to help people navigate these big moves on a deeper level and have conversations that rarely get had."
From the people who've taken this journey
"Fantastic course - completely changed my mindset about change. Not only has it helped me professionally, I'm also keen to try these new strategies at home with my family." — Janice Chong
"I've already begun weaving The Emotional Culture Deck into real-life transitions—just last weekend, while helping my daughter and her partner move to Los Angeles, I guided them through a few card-based exercises to support their emotional clarity and resilience during the change. It was simple but powerful." — Kassie Gada
Go deeper: The Emotional Change Strategy Course
This is the kind of conversation we teach in the Emotional Change Strategy Course.
The course equips you with the tools and confidence to lead yourself, your people, and your teams through change — emotionally, not just strategically.
What's included:
- Weekly live calls
- Practical tools you can use immediately
- A global community learning alongside you
Why we give tools away for free
Because the tool is just the map. The course is the guide.
A map without a guide? You might get lost. A guide without a map? Still useful. A map with a guide? That's when the magic happens.
We try to lead with generosity — and trust that the people who are ready to go deeper will join us.
