“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus for creating change.” – Max Carver

We think Max Carver got it right and that if we truly care about community building and making positive changes in the world, we have to invest in learning about how to become even more empathic as empathy is at the heart of true understanding. We asked some deeply empathic leaders to share their perspectives below.

 Jason Harris

Fortunately, for me, I was born into a family that valued service as an intrinsic human behavior so empathy was something that was modeled for me through the work and behaviors of my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles. This part is through the church, but it was a general behavior, and the value of it is that empathy, as an energy is something that creates movement in your life in a positive manner. Read More>> 

Densil Porteous

Empathy didn’t just arrive in my life—it was built, experience by experience, by circumstance, loss, and love. I developed it in the quiet tension of a single-parent home, where I watched my mother hold the weight of our world with dignity and grit. I learned to listen carefully—sometimes because there wasn’t much said, and sometimes because there was too much to hold without understanding. Read More>> 

Rich Taylor

My name is Rich Taylor. I’m a seasoned graphic and web designer, a master photographer, and more recently, a certified life coach. People often tell me, “Graphic design and photography—those naturally go together. But how does life coaching fit in?”
The answer is simple: my purpose has always been to bring joy to others. Whether it’s creating a compelling logo, capturing a meaningful photograph, or helping someone rediscover their self-worth, I live for those “wow” or lightbulb moments. If I can make someone’s day better—no matter the method—then I’m living my purpose. Read More>> 

Lidong Wang

I believe my sense of empathy was shaped by a combination of personal experience and emotional exposure from an early age. First, growing up in a collective environment taught me that in order to be accepted and thrive within a group, I had to understand others’ perspectives and regulate my own behavior. This constant need for social attunement helped me develop what psychologists might call cognitive empathy—the ability to see a situation from someone else’s point of view. Read More>> 

Amy Vine

My parents adopted two children with special needs when I was young. My biological sisters and that I were blessed to help with the caregiving in our home. I’m the oldest of five and felt an immediate connection with my brother and sister with special needs that has lasted a lifetime. Being connected to them, knowing their friends and walking through life with them has helped me have an understanding of their needs, desires, and personalities. Read More>>