What If Anger Is the Way Back to Joy? with June Suepunpuck
We’ve been taught to fear anger.
To swallow it.
To smooth it over.
To label it as ungrateful, unattractive, or dangerous—especially as women.
But what if anger isn’t the problem?
What if it’s the signal?
In this episode of Carrie On!, I sat down with June Suepunpuck, Joy Guide and host of How to Find Joy, for a conversation that cracked something wide open—for both of us.
This wasn’t a polished “here’s what I learned years ago” kind of episode.
This was the messy middle.
Postpartum rage.
High-functioning codependency.
Generational silence.
And the radical idea that anger isn’t a breakdown—it’s information.
The Lie Women Are Sold About Anger
Most women are raised to believe anger is unsafe.
We’re told:
“Be calm.”
“Don’t make waves.”
“You’re too emotional.”
“You should be grateful.”
So we become experts at managing everyone else’s feelings while ignoring our own.
We become the strong one.
The capable one.
The emotional shock absorber.
And on the outside? We look wildly successful.
On the inside? We’re exhausted, resentful, and quietly disappearing.
June names this for what it is: high-functioning codependency—a pattern that gets praised, rewarded, and reinforced… right up until it burns us out.
When Motherhood Cracks the Mask
For June, everything came to a head after becoming a mother at 40.
What showed up wasn’t softness or serenity—it was rage.
Not because she was failing.
But because old survival patterns resurfaced:
Over-functioning
Hypervigilance
Emotional self-abandonment
Carrying everyone else while losing herself
Her anger wasn’t random.
It was protective.
It was saying: Something here isn’t sustainable.
And once she stopped fearing it, everything changed.
Anger vs. Rage (This Part Matters)
One of the most powerful distinctions in this conversation is the difference between anger and rage.
Rage is overwhelming, explosive, and disorienting.
Anger, when acknowledged and supported, is clarifying.
Anger asks:
What boundary has been crossed?
Where am I betraying myself?
What injustice am I tolerating?
What needs protection right now?
When we skip anger, we skip the truth.
And when we listen to it—really listen—it becomes a compass.
Joy Isn’t Positivity. It’s Honesty.
This episode dismantles the myth that joy is something you “get to” once you’ve fixed yourself.
Joy isn’t:
A mindset hack
A gratitude list
A destination you arrive at after suffering
Joy lives on the other side of:
Feeling what you’ve avoided
Naming what hurts
Asking for support
Telling the truth—first to yourself
As June so beautifully says, joy is buried treasure.
And anger is often the shovel.
If You’re Angry Right Now, Read This
June’s advice is simple—and radical:
Don’t do this alone.
Anger needs witnesses.
Support.
Community.
Nervous-system safety.
Whether that looks like therapy, group support, CODA, movement, or honest conversations—you don’t have to prove anything by handling it yourself.
Strength isn’t silence.
Strength is support.
This Episode Is For You If…
You’re successful but secretly empty
You’re tired of being “the strong one”
You feel resentful and don’t know why
You’re navigating motherhood, midlife, or reinvention
You’ve been told to calm down instead of speak up
Anger isn’t a flaw.
It’s not a failure.
It’s not something to fix.
It might just be the thing guiding you back to yourself.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube
And if this resonated, leave a review, share it with a woman who’s holding too much, and remember—
Keep your head above the chaos… and Carrie On. 🔥
