Shows / The Empathy Edge
The Empathy Edge
Failed product launches. Furious customers. Dysfunctional teams. Many of the problems we face in the business world (and frankly, society) stem from the same root cause: Lack of empathy. Speaker, author, strategist, and empathy advocate Maria Ross shares keen insights and inspiring interviews that prove empathy and compassion are the new paths to market-winning performance. Leveraging both inspiring stories and hard data, Ross connects empathetic leadership, cultures and brands to innovation…
Episodes
- The Empathy Edge
Dr. Rebecca Eldredge: Helping Leaders Manage Burnout, Overwhelm, and Compassion Fatigue
Leaders are crunched right now. Many are valiantly trying to adopt empathetic and Compassionate Leadership models to adapt to what employees on the market…
- The Empathy Edge
October Hot Take: Why We Need Empathy NOW
You may not know this, but you possess a superpower. One that helps you connect and engage with almost anyone and become a stronger leader, create a thriving…
- The Empathy Edge
Carol Vallone Mitchell, Ph.D: The Unspoken Crisis of Male Leadership
If you've been with me a minute, you know that leadership paradigms are changing. Yet it's causing an unspoken crisis for male leaders in particular. Being…
- The Empathy Edge
Shasta Nelson: Why Successful Leaders Encourage Work Friendships
1- Old School leadership thinking claims that work is work and personal is personal and never the two shall meet. However, how many of your friends resulted…
- The Empathy Edge
Dave Zaboski: Creativity & Collaboration Lessons from Disney and Beyond
There is a lot of talk about how creativity and collaboration "should" be done these days. Some say processes are stifling. Others say you have to all be in…
- The Empathy Edge
Marly Q Casanova: The Currency of Kindness & How to Avoid Burnout
People often confuse empathy and kindness so I spend many a keynote or leadership training session debunking the myths of empathy. My guest today, Marly Q…
- The Empathy Edge
Dr. Peter Sear: What Elite Sport Teaches Us About Empathic Leadership
Athletes & legendary coaches from sport are often cited by leaders to motivate, inspire, & pull together as a team. But how many leaders actually practice &…
- The Empathy Edge
Teri Schmidt: Empathy-Infused Team Building for Lasting Impact
When I say "team-building" or corporate training, do you say….ugh! Maybe you imagine sitting in a windowless conference room, or enduring an interminable video…
- The Empathy Edge
Brigette Iarrusso: Disrupting Toxic Business Models in the Online Space
We are not tied to harmful business and workplace practices. In fact, history shows us that we, as humans, work to improve things over time - look at laws…
- The Empathy Edge
Janice Munemitsu: The Kindness of Color
What do collaboration and empathy look like when lives and liberty are on the line, not just workplace culture? Today, you're going to hear what happens when…
- The Empathy Edge
Sam Fleischacker: Adam Smith on Empathy and the Free Market
Captains of industry and political pundits who believe the free market economy will save us all love to cite 18th-century social thinker Adam Smith and his…
- The Empathy Edge
August Hot Take: Why Connecting Through Story Works So Well
We are too often sleepwalking through our lives. Rushing from here to there, where people we come in close contact with become mere extras in the screenplay of…
- The Empathy Edge
Joanna L. Cea: Beloved Economies
A beloved economy. Doesn't that just sound like an economic ecosystem you want to be part of? Well, it can be. There are organizations out there who have…
- The Empathy Edge
Lindsay LaShell: A Marketing Activist Blends Purpose & Profit
Want to save the world - & build a healthy profitable business? You can. My guest today, Lindsay LaShell, and I talked about everything purpose & profit! What…
- The Empathy Edge
Deconstructing Ted Lasso's Lessons on Leadership, Empathy, and Connection with Elisa Camahort Page
In this special episode, I deconstruct Ted Lasso's cultural impact and golden lessons on leadership and empathy with one of my favorite people, Elisa Camahort…
- The Empathy Edge
Claude Silver: Leading with Heart at Vayner Media
Leading with your heart might be a scary phrase to some old-school leaders out there. But my guest today knows a thing or two about leading a fast-paced…
- The Empathy Edge
Leo Caldwell: Why Anti-Trans Laws and Homophobia are Anti-Business
In 2021, Gallup found that unprecedented numbers of young people identify as LGBTQ+. Why should you as a leader or hiring manager care? Basically, Gen Z is the…
- The Empathy Edge
Colin Hunter: Disruptive Leadership and Being More Wrong
Everyone talks about disruption. Disrupting the status quo, the industry, the way we do things with their cool new product or service. But how about we disrupt…
- The Empathy Edge
Minette Norman: Psychological Safety
To unleash the potential of all employees in your organization, you need to create an environment where they feel safe enough to offer new ideas, speak up…
- The Empathy Edge
Anna Liotta: Understanding Generational Codes
So much of our inability to connect in the workplace comes down to creating an Us vs. Them mentality when it comes to different generations. Research shows…
- The Empathy Edge
Dannie Lynn Fountain: Ending Checkbox Diversity
Is your organization guilty of checkbox diversity? You know, "Let's hire one person from a marginalized group and call it a day on our DEIB efforts?" Today's…
- The Empathy Edge
Rae Shanahan: The Empathy Gap: 2023 State of Workplace Empathy Report
It's 2023 - we had a major global pandemic, geopolitical upheaval, and market ups and downs. So how are we doing when it comes to making the workplace more…
- The Empathy Edge
Andrea Feigl: The Business Case for Private/Public Health Investment Partnerships
OK, real talk. I have taken a bit of heat over the years for trying to make a business case for empathy. When some folks saw my TEDx talk about how to trick…
- The Empathy Edge
Dr. John Demartini: Why Motivation Doesn't Work
As leaders, we are tasked with "motivating" others. And empathy plays a role in that - in understanding what motivates others and hopefully, tying that to the…
- The Empathy Edge
May Hot Take: Words Matter AND Words Can Divide
Words matter. As a brand storyteller, I have emphasized this in my work with clients. They can be used to provoke or unite us. To inspire or anger us. They can…
- The Empathy Edge
Stephanie Sarazin: What Is Ambiguous Grief and How To Show Up
Divorce. Losing a family member to addiction. The end of a friendship. Empty nesting. Even the loss many of us felt during the Pandemic. These are all examples…
- The Empathy Edge
Catherine Bell: How to be An Awakened Company and Leader
Your organization is not just some static, monolithic thing. It's actually a forest - living, breathing, adapting, full of evolving biodiversity. Often leaders…
- The Empathy Edge
Dr. Michele Borba: Our Future Depends on Teaching Kids Empathy
Are children more or less empathetic than they used to be? We adults, parents or not, should care about the answer since younger generations are our future…
- The Empathy Edge
Cynthia Owyoung: Diversity and Inclusion Deliver Real Results. But Have We Made Progress?
The data show that diverse leadership teams and inclusive cultures deliver better performance and engagement. So why are so many diversity, equity, inclusion…
- The Empathy Edge
April Hot Take: How to Engage Your Dream Customers With Empathy
Porsche and Honda both make cars. They do NOT have the same brand story. They are not selling to the same people. Customers buy from them for very different…
- The Empathy Edge
Renée Freeman: Coaching Leaders to Embrace Inclusion
You're an executive who believes strongly in creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Now what? Many executives fear taking action in this space…
- The Empathy Edge
Daina Middleton: How to Do Layoffs with Humanity, Inclusion, and Compassion
Leaders are being asked to be more emotionally aware and embrace emotions at work. But how to do that in ways that are appropriate and comfortable for…
- The Empathy Edge
March Hot Take: Leaders, Do You Understand the Assignment?
Leaders today need to understand the assignment. And it's no longer about telling people what to do like a ruler from on high, filling out paperwork, or even…
- The Empathy Edge
Tiffany Dufu: Elevating Women Through Support, Connection, and Accountability
How can we elevate women by connecting and engaging with each other and holding ourselves accountable to our intentions? How can companies who want to attract…
- The Empathy Edge
Dr. Gina Baleria: Empathy in Journalism and Today's Media Landscape
Modern media and the state of journalism today is, well…interesting. With fake news, misinformation, and clickbait - combined with more news outlets folding or…
- The Empathy Edge
Emilia D’Ánzica: What Customer Success Managers Need to Succeed
If you're not in tech, you may not be familiar with Customer Success (CS) within your organization and how essential it is to the company's long-term success…
- The Empathy Edge
Rhonda George-Denniston: Why Betting on Your People Leads to Market Domination
Does your organization actually bet on its people? Like, truly invest in and grow your people - even if you know they may not stay more than a few years? Well…
- The Empathy Edge
February Hot Take: Why Can't We Do Business With Love?
Think about your organization's values for a second. I bet you have values such as integrity, honesty, innovation, or others that are similar. Maybe you have…
- The Empathy Edge
Ed Kirwan: Empathy Week: Using the Power of Film to Build Empathy
If we help young people develop empathy throughout their educational journey, they can boost understanding, reduce bias, and nurture a culture of belonging and…
- The Empathy Edge
Gianna Driver: The Link Between Diversity, Inclusivity, and Performance
When we talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, some leaders still roll their eyes or assume they have bigger fish to fry. But, happily, the…
- The Empathy Edge
Denise Roberson: Mistakes Leaders and Boards Make When Thinking About Purpose
If you ask everyone on your team if they know why your company exists, what would they say? And no, "to make money" just won't cut it these days. You might not…
- The Empathy Edge
Sophie Wade: The Future of Work is Already Here - Here's How to Adapt
The "future of work" is not in the future - It's already here, so let's start calling it the new era of business and work. Especially coming out of the…
- The Empathy Edge
Saira Rao: Why White Women Need to Talk About Our Racism
Talking about racism is hard. But ignoring it doesn't make it go away. Empathy requires us to be humble and curious and to sometimes have hard, honest…
- The Empathy Edge
Anita Nowak: How to Engage in Purposeful Empathy Whenever You Need It
You don't have to wait for empathy to strike. You can intentionally choose to engage in what my guest today calls Purposeful Empathy to change the dynamic of…
- The Empathy Edge
Berwick Mahdi Davenport: The Solution to Ending Racism and Building Stronger Teams
Racism was designed to keep us apart, It was designed to create conflict and a scarcity mindset. When we're socialized to hide our authentic selves and not…
- The Empathy Edge
Brandon Miller: Leaders: Do You and Your Team Really Know Your Strengths?
Great leaders are self-aware about their own strengths and encourage their teams to be as well. They harmonize everyone's strengths, including their own, so…
- The Empathy Edge
December Hot Take: Who Do You Want to Be Next Year?
It's already time to make space in your exceedingly full schedule to plan your goals for next year. So why does this happen to us, every year? I propose it's…
- The Empathy Edge
John Buford & Sean Georges: On Mission Leadership
We all know that when it comes to leadership and accomplishing a mission, the US Military is hard to beat. But we think we understand what that means - it's…
- The Empathy Edge
Hot Take: Empathy for the Real Story of Thanksgiving
As we slide into Thanksgiving here in the United States, I'm facing mixed emotions about this holiday as I get older and wiser. Now, don't get me wrong, I have…
- The Empathy Edge
Esther Weinberg: How to Grow, Scale, and Thrive Through Change You Never Asked For!
We've been through some serious business and culture shifts the last few years. But this is the way things always are. If it's not COVID, it will surely be…
- The Empathy Edge
Andrea Nakayama: How The Empathy Trap Impacts Healthcare - and Leadership
If you've ever experienced the healthcare system due to a medical emergency or a chronic illness, then you know the system is often set up to deliver cookie…
- The Empathy Edge
Cori Lovejoy: A Trans Woman's Journey Transforming Self and Organizational Culture
What is it like to go through life as a man, build a successful career, get married and have kids - and then come out as a woman in your late 40's? What is it…
- The Empathy Edge
Mónica Guzmán: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Divided Political Times
How often do you challenge your assumptions about others and get curious - especially about those in your workplace or your family who have different views…
- The Empathy Edge
David Weissman: From MAGA to Jewish Liberal Progressive
Can we ever bridge our political divides here in the US? Every day, things seem to get worse. We argue over guns, abortion, civil rights, and whether removing…
- The Empathy Edge
Hot Take: Why Change is Hard - and How to Transform Despite the Pain
Today, Maria is not messing around! Learn why change is hard, even when it's a good thing, and what you can do to break free of past habits. When infusing more…
- The Empathy Edge
Melina Palmer: What Your Employees Need But Can't Tell You
Change is hard, even when it's a change that makes our lives easier. Today, I speak with Melina Palmer, CEO of The Brainy Business, expert in behavioral…
- The Empathy Edge
Emily Vernon: Are You Gathering the Right Customer Insights?
We, as marketers, all understand how important it is to get to know our customers. But what discipline are we bringing to that process? Do we understand the…
- The Empathy Edge
Lisen Stromberg: What Modern Leaders and Cultures Need to Succeed in the 21st Century
Leadership has changed in the last few years, and it can be disorienting for leaders who've subscribed to and succeeded with the old narratives about good…
- The Empathy Edge
Parissa Behnia: How Badass Leaders Convert Raw Power into Real Influence
What is a badass leader? According to my guest today, they're badasses who go 80MPH in a 45MPH zone but don’t always check to see if their team is strapped in…
- The Empathy Edge
Daniel Jahn: Racial Solidarity and the Psychology of Racism
Oh the price we've paid - as both black and white people - because of racism. If we truly want to achieve racial solidarity, we have to start by talking about…