This Life and the Fight Against Negative Emotion with Justin Smith episode 86
About this episode
Eldra Jackson III and Justin Smith discuss negative emotions, honesty, and the importance of community in emotional healing.
In the first episode of 2026, Eldra sits down with Justin Smith for a candid conversation about negative emotion, honesty, and spiritual growth without performance. Justin shares how his childhood—marked by poverty, a status-driven community, and his father's struggle with manic depression—shaped his lifelong interest in helping people face emotional pain more honestly. Together, they explore why so many self-help and spiritual approaches fall short, and why honesty, community, and shared experience may be the most powerful tools we have. Justin also introduces This Life, an experimental app designed to help people confront negative emotion through reflection and connection—without pressure, polish, or pretending.
People in this episode
Host: Eldra Jackson III
Guest: Justin Smith
Topics covered
- negative emotion
- spiritual growth
- honesty
- community
- emotional pain
- self-help
Keywords
- negative emotion
- spiritual growth
- honesty
- emotional pain
- self-help
- community
- This Life app
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: This Life
More episodes of The Inside Circle Podcast with Eldra Jackson III
- Peace Was the Point: Keilen Crenshaw on Anger, Healing, and Learning to Respect the River, episode 92
- Building the Inside Circle Healing Home with Aaron Burris, episode 91
- Breaking the Cycle: Edwin Lee on Self-Worth and Survival, episode 90
- From Lost to Leading: Dariel Pena on Identity, Justice, and Starting Over, episode 89
- From a 40-Year Sentence to a Doctorate with Dr. Samuel Arroyo, episode 88
- What Prison Taught Me About Emotions, Faith, and Freedom with Kentric Devone McKoy - Episode 87
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Inside Circle Podcast with Eldra Jackson III podcast page.