Available March 10, 2026

Emotion Rules: The Science and Practice of Emotional Wisdom

Unlock the hidden power of emotional wisdom and become the leader people want to follow.

From Joshua Freedman, author of the bestselling At the Heart of Leadership and creator of the SEI EQ assessment used by over a million people, Emotion Rules offers a fresh and grounded path for those seeking deeper self-awareness, for leaders integrating emotional intelligence in the workplace, and for emotional intelligence coaches creating even greater impact.

What if your emotions weren’t obstacles—but essential guidance for living and leading with greater meaning?

You’ve read the books. You’ve led the teams. You’ve read about emotional intelligence. But now you’re ready for something more. Emotion Rules takes you past surface-level strategies and into the core of emotional wisdom: a framework for integrating heart + logic in every area of your life and leadership.

In this robust and poetic guide, Freedman introduces 12 powerful Emotion Rules — principles that decode the deeper architecture of feelings so you can understand what they really mean and how to use them as allies in moving from success to significance. The book is loaded with actionable practices you can use every day to strengthen your presence and navigate emotions.

You’ll learn how to:
✔️ Read your emotions more accurately and listen to what they’re really telling you
✔️ Identify patterns that block your growth—and shift them
✔️ Strengthen your leadership presence, even in conflict, pressure, and change
✔️ Elevate your impact and influence
✔️ Coach yourself and others to the next level of performance
✔️ Lead with greater empathy, clarity, and authenticity
✔️ Transform emotional insight into powerful action, especially when it matters most

Designed for experienced professionals in leadership, coaching, and human development, this book takes emotional intelligence for leaders to the next level. It’s an emotional operating system for those who seek to live and lead with greater meaning.

If you’re ready to stop managing emotions and start partnering with them…
If you’re seeking the next evolution of your leadership rooted in trust…
If you long to lead from presence, not pressure…

Emotion Rules will help you transform emotion from a struggle into a source of power, purpose, and profound wisdom. It will guide you to a better leader, coach, and changemaker.