Jemma Spake

speaker

1,071 appearances 2 recordings 1 series first heard Feb 2026 last heard 23 Apr

Jemma Spake’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Apr 2026 with 1.

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Like the white bear, the white elephant effect.

When I tell you not to think about a white elephant, the first thing you're going to think about is a white elephant.

When you tell yourself, I shouldn't be anxious, I shouldn't be anxious, you're just going to be more anxious.

So instead, take the feeling, acknowledge it, feel it more deeply, but instead say, this is excitement.

I'm excited about the possibility.

I'm excited about the future.

This anxiety is activating.

It always will.

And it always does like activate and uses the same neural and biological patterns as any type of arousal, including positive arousal and excitement.

So it is up for interpretation.

You are able to take this anxious feeling and if possible, and if you do it right and

switch it into a feeling that indicates opportunity and a feeling that indicates that the best or that good things are coming

things that you cannot anticipate.

Does that kind of make sense?

Essentially, it's just a form of cognitive reappraisal, just to use the psychology term for it.

This is, I think, particularly powerful for anxiety about our personal futures.

Am I going to make friends?

Am I going to find a job?

Am I going to survive the next chapter?

I just think that viewing ambiguity as an opportunity to

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