The Feelings We Meet
Where It Begins
Healing doesn’t begin in adulthood.
It begins much earlier—long before we have the words for it.
Before we understand what we’re feeling,
we are already learning what to do with it.
We learn what is okay to show.
What needs to be hidden.
What gets comfort.
What gets silence.
And over time, those early lessons become patterns—
patterns many of us spend years trying to understand, unlearn, and gently change.
Why This Work Begins Earlier
Healing Outloud was never meant to stay only in adulthood.
Because the truth is—
many of the struggles we carry didn’t start here.
They began in moments when something felt too big…
and we didn’t know why.
When we felt anger, fear, or even joy,
but didn’t have the language to name it—
or the tools to move through it.
So we adapted.
We held things in.
We pushed things away.
We reacted before we understood.
Not because anything was wrong with us—
but because no one had shown us another way yet.
A Different Starting Place
What if we could begin differently?
What if children could learn:
That feelings are not something to fear
That emotions move through us—they don’t define us
That it’s okay to feel something big and still be safe
That there are ways to pause, breathe, and respond
Not perfectly.
Not all at once.
But slowly, gently, over time.
Meet Willow and Elijah
Willow and Elijah are two children learning how to understand the world inside them.
They are curious, open, and still figuring things out—
just like all of us once were.
Through their experiences, they don’t avoid feelings or rush past them.
They learn how to notice them, sit with them,
and move through them—one moment at a time.
The First Three Stories
The series begins with three familiar feelings:
When We Meet the Bear — Anger
A story about what anger feels like, and how to pause and breathe instead of reacting.
When We Meet the Rabbit — Fear
A gentle look at fear, how it shows up in the body, and how we can stay with it without running away.
When We Meet the Monkey — Joy
A reminder that joy grows when it’s shared, and that it’s something we’re allowed to feel fully.
Each story offers a simple way to recognize and move through these emotions—without trying to fix them.
More to Come
These are just the beginning.
More feelings.
More stories.
More moments to learn—together.
Because this work isn’t about covering everything at once.
It’s about returning, again and again,
with a little more understanding each time.
For the Children—and the Adults
These books are written for children.
But they are just as much for the adults reading them.
Because often, we are learning alongside them.
Sometimes for the first time.
Continue the Journey
If you’d like to explore The Feelings We Meet,
you can find the books in the Offerings.
They are created to be read, revisited,
and experienced—together or on your own.