EI & Executive Functioning Workshop — Dr. Ariel McKinney

What it is

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the capacity to perceive, understand, use, and regulate emotions — in yourself and in the people around you. First formalized by Mayer and Salovey (1990) and expanded through decades of empirical research, EI is recognized as a reliable predictor of professional performance, interpersonal effectiveness, and psychological well-being across organizational contexts (Levitats, Ivcevic & Brackett, Sage Journals, 2025; O'Boyle et al., Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2011; Brackett, Rivers & Salovey, Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2011).

In this workshop, we define what emotional intelligence is, explore how it operates in daily life, and build practical strategies for facilitating it within relationships while maintaining healthy, sustainable boundaries.

Why it matters now

Research published in Frontiers in Psychology (2022) found that EI is positively associated with organizational commitment, team effectiveness, and reduced intent to leave — outcomes that persist even when controlling for personality and cognitive ability. A 2025 study in Sage Journals confirmed that EI ability predicts performance, interpersonal effectiveness, and well-being across a broad range of organizational contexts.

The skills below reflect what current research identifies as markers of developed versus underdeveloped emotional intelligence in adults.

Solid EI skills look like
Naming emotions with specificity rather than defaulting to "fine," "stressed," or "overwhelmed"
Pausing between an emotional trigger and your response — even briefly
Staying regulated in difficult conversations without shutting down or escalating
Recognizing when your emotional state is distorting your interpretation of a situation
Reading the emotional climate of a room and adjusting accordingly
Setting limits from a grounded place rather than from resentment or avoidance
Receiving feedback without it triggering shame or defensiveness
Skills that need work look like
Emotional reactions that feel disproportionate or hard to explain afterward
Difficulty identifying what you're feeling until it boils over
Saying things you regret or shutting down completely under stress
Frequently misreading others' intentions as critical or dismissive
Tension in relationships that keeps repeating despite your best efforts
Agreeing to things out of discomfort and resenting it later
Taking feedback personally even when it's constructive

A 2022 meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Psychology found that EI was positively correlated with organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and job performance across sectors. Self-regulation and empathy — two trainable competencies — were the strongest individual predictors of performance outcomes (MDPI, 2025). Research also shows that targeted EI training leads to engagement gains of approximately 20% and turnover reductions of about 30% in organizational settings.

Sources: Frontiers in Psychology (2022); MDPI Management Sciences (2025); PMC — The Emotional Recession (2025); Sage Journals — Levitats, Ivcevic & Brackett (2025)

What it is

Executive functions (EFs) are the higher-order cognitive processes that allow us to plan, prioritize, initiate, stay focused, shift between tasks, and regulate our behavior in pursuit of goals. The three core EFs — inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility — coordinate how we interact with demands, distractions, and our own internal states.

This workshop is for adults who struggle with meeting deadlines, remembering obligations, losing stamina on tedious tasks, and feeling chronically behind despite their genuine effort and intelligence. We build practical, evidence-based systems that work with your brain's actual operating style.

Why it matters now

Deficits in executive functioning are associated with significant adverse occupational outcomes — including difficulty with organizational skills, task completion, and workplace performance — even in adults without a clinical diagnosis. Research using the Executive Skills Questionnaire-Revised (PMC, 2021) identified five key EF domains disrupted in working adults: task initiation, time management, materials organization, emotional regulation, and behavior regulation.

The gap between what someone intends to do and what they actually complete is often not a motivation problem — it is an executive functioning problem. That distinction changes what solutions actually work.

Based on the EF research literature, here is what developed versus underdeveloped executive functioning tends to look like in daily adult life.

Solid EF skills look like
Starting tasks without needing ideal conditions or a perfect moment
Accurately estimating how long things will take before you start them
Switching from one task to another without losing significant momentum
Holding information in mind while doing something else — without losing it
Maintaining systems for tracking materials, deadlines, and commitments
Managing emotional responses when plans change or things go wrong
Pausing before responding impulsively under pressure
Skills that need work look like
Knowing exactly what needs to happen but being unable to start
Consistently underestimating how long tasks take, then falling behind
Losing everything — keys, items, tasks, trains of thought — regularly
Getting derailed by interruptions and struggling to reorient
Hyperfocusing on interesting tasks while obligations pile up elsewhere
Disproportionate emotional responses when unexpected changes occur
Saying things impulsively in the moment and regretting them later

Diamond's foundational framework in the Annual Review of Psychology identifies inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility as the three core executive functions. A 2021 study published in PMC validated the Executive Skills Questionnaire-Revised (ESQ-R) in working adults, finding that executive dysfunction significantly predicted reduced well-being and work engagement — independent of general intelligence. Research consistently shows that EF deficits negatively impact organizational skills, occupational functioning, and the ability to complete goal-directed behavior even in otherwise high-performing adults.

Sources: Diamond, A. — Annual Review of Psychology (foundational); PMC — ESQ-R Validation Study (2021); Frontiers in Psychology — Attentive-Executive Functioning in Adult ADHD (2022)

Participants leave with tools they can apply immediately — not concepts to figure out on their own. The workshop is structured around practical application from the start.

01
A personal EI and EF profile
Clarity on your individual strengths and the specific areas where your skills need development — so you leave with a targeted plan, not generic advice.
02
Emotional vocabulary and granularity
The ability to name what you're feeling with precision — a skill research consistently links to better regulation, clearer communication, and faster emotional recovery.
03
Practical boundary frameworks
Evidence-based strategies for establishing and maintaining limits in relationships — grounded in emotional awareness rather than rules.
04
Task initiation and time tools
Concrete strategies for starting, sustaining, and completing tasks — tailored to how executive functioning actually works, not how productivity culture assumes it should.
05
Regulation strategies for the real world
Practical tools for managing emotional and behavioral responses in high-pressure moments — at work, in relationships, and under unexpected change.
06
A systems framework you can sustain
Organizational and cognitive strategies designed to reduce the mental load of managing obligations — so the system does the remembering, not you.
01
Evidence-based content
Every framework and tool is grounded in peer-reviewed research — not productivity culture or generic wellness advice. You will know where the content comes from and why it works.
02
Application from the start
The workshop is built for immediate use. You practice the skills during the session — not just learn about them — so you leave with tools that are already familiar.
03
Licensed Psychologist · Licensed School Psychologist
Led by a licensed psychologist and licensed school psychologist with doctoral training in neuropsychology and over a decade of clinical experience across schools, organizations, and private practice.
04
Tailored to your group
Format, focus, length, and delivery are customized based on your group's context and goals. What works for a leadership team looks different from what works in a school staff session.
Individuals
For anyone ready to understand their emotional patterns and build practical systems for managing what's on their plate — without a clinical diagnosis required.
Corporate teams
A 2025 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that disengagement and burnout costs employers an average of $3,999/year for a nonmanagerial hourly employee, $4,257 for a nonmanagerial salaried employee, $10,824 for a manager, and $20,683 for an executive. EI training is linked to 20% engagement gains and 30% lower turnover — outcomes that justify the investment.
Organizations
Bring evidence-based emotional intelligence training to your staff. Ideal for onboarding, leadership development, wellness initiatives, or team culture work.
Schools
For educators, school administrators, and staff navigating the emotional demands of the classroom and the systemic pressures that shape both student and staff outcomes.
Groups & nonprofits
Community organizations, professional associations, and any collective ready to build shared language around emotional intelligence and functioning. Pricing is tailored to context.

Pricing is tailored to format, group size, and duration. Reach out to start the conversation.

Ready to bring this
to your team or community?

Reach out with details about your group, organization, or interest and I'll be in touch within 1–2 business days.

Inquire About a Workshop