You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hugh. Like many of us, singer, actress, and mindset coach, Rhonda Ross has experienced the most amazing highs and horrible lows in her life.

Over time, she's learned that regardless of what we're experiencing, we must first calm the storm inside our minds. To do that, we have to understand

it. In this conversation with scholar and TED fellow Daniel Alexander Jones, Rhonda shares her

theory of emotional sovereignty, the idea that your feelings

aren't shaped just by your circumstances, but by the thoughts running in a loop in your head.

I felt victimized and I felt stuck and I felt like, you know, the world was against me.

Yeah.

And after weeks and months of really being in my darkest place,

I recognized that I couldn't stay there.

I had to figure out a way out of that,

even if I couldn't change my circumstances.

Rhonda, who comes out of the jazz and theater traditions,

introduces a unique music-rooted practice

for taking control of your narrative and finding traditions, introduces a unique music-rooted practice for taking

control of your narrative and finding an unexpected sense of freedom. That's coming up right after a short break.

And now our conversation of the day.

My friend.

Yes, yes, yes.

Good to see you.

Let's do it.

All right, let's do it.

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