Triggers get a bad reputation.
We treat them like glitches - moments of overreaction, weakness, or failure.
But what if your trigger isn’t a flaw in your system?
What if your trigger is a doorway to growth?
That surge of emotion …
That tight chest …
That voice in your head saying “They always do this …” or “This is getting on my very last nerve …”
It’s not always about what just happened.
It could be pointing to something older, deeper, still unresolved.
In coaching, the most powerful work doesn’t happen despite the trigger … it happens because of it.
Try asking:
“What part of me feels unsafe right now?”
“What past experience might this moment be echoing?”
“What story am I telling myself or hearing here, and is it really true?”
The trigger isn’t your enemy.
It’s your teacher.
It’s showing you where the wound is, and where healing could begin.
Don’t bypass it.
Sit with it. Learn from it. Let it shape you.
That’s how emotional reactivity becomes emotional wisdom.
Remember, the path to extraordinary is walked with a thousand small steps, and you’re doing great!
Barry Marshall-Graham
Executive coach and leadership advisor
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