The Definitive Guide to Business

Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer explains why you can't separate emotion from business

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Emotions can be good for business, if you use them this way: Tracy Anderson
VIDEO1:1101:11
Emotions can be good for business, if you use them this way: Tracy Anderson

Fitness entrepreneur Tracy Anderson, who trains celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, knows that personal relationships are key in business.

And that's exactly why you shouldn't avoid emotion at work, she said.

"You cannot separate your emotional self from your intellectual self, from your physical self," Anderson said. "It's how you balance each of them."

While having uncontrollable emotions at work is not healthy or productive, she believes being authentic is.

"You need to be able to hear people and understand people," Anderson said.

If someone is expressing anger, sadness, hesitation or any other emotion, it is often best to address it, she said. She recommends asking questions like, "Why is that emotion coming up? How can it help the business? Or how could it hurt the business?"

You need to be able to hear people and understand people.
Tracy Anderson
fitness entrepreneur
Tracy Anderson arrives at the Open Roads World Premiere Of 'Mother's Day' at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on April 13, 2016 in Hollywood, California.
Gregg DeGuire | WireImage | Getty Images

For this entrepreneur, recognizing emotion leads to better partnerships.

"If I stop making the meaningful connections that I built this [business] off of, to me that's not authentic," she said.

Video by Brandon Ancil.