“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.
Shranjay Arora
I think my empathy really started forming when I moved away from home. Growing up in India, I saw life through a certain lens, shaped by culture, family, and expectations. But when I came to Los Angeles, that lens was challenged every day. I was surrounded by people who didn’t look like me, didn’t speak like me, and didn’t always understand where I came from. Read More>>
Rockkeeya Brooks
My empathy developed early in life. Growing up, things weren’t always easy for me. There were moments when I struggled to find my footing and didn’t always have everything together. Those experiences gave me a deep understanding of what it feels like to face challenges quietly and to push forward even when things don’t look perfect from the outside. Read More>>
Donna Todd
My business and entire professional educational career have been based on the empathy that I developed through my childhood experiences in public education, my Christian faith, service to other around me, and from the personal struggle to obtain my teaching degree, my master’s of education, and my present mission of supporting teachers working so very hard in classrooms today. Read More>>
Hitasha M.
Empathy, for me, is where design truly begins. As a service designer, I often hear conversations about impact, metrics, and business outcomes now, but all of that must ultimately be grounded in human value. That sense of direction, that north star, is what gives our work meaning. The conditions that allowed me to develop empathy came from both the people around me and my craft. Read More>>
Sabrina Suarez
My empathy was born in a small, multi-family starter home in Southbridge, Massachusetts, where I lived as a young girl with my much-too-young parents and little sister. It bloomed in a household where everyone was still learning how to be—parents learning how to parent, children learning how to navigate the unpredictable tides of love and frustration. Read More>>
Brett Hagler
I grew up in a middle class family in Florida, but my perspective shifted dramatically when I witnessed extreme poverty firsthand. At 21, I found myself in Haiti after the earthquake, standing in what remained of someone’s home – dirt floors, tarps for walls, a family of eight in a space smaller than most American bedrooms. Read More>>
Tara Accardo
This really started from an early age for me. My parents were incredible examples of this growing up, and instilled this in me in as many situations as they could. But ultimately, while that was profoundly impactful, my deepest journey with empathy came after losing them. Both of my parents died from cancer within six months of each other. Read More>>
Naxomi
Just by meeting different people. And getting to know them and their stories Read More>>
Robyn Mussler
My little sister Susie, who had Down syndrome, was one of the most remarkable teachers in my life. From the moment she was born, she faced challenges that most people couldn’t imagine but she met every obstacle with a smile, unwavering curiosity, and a courage that inspired everyone around her. Read More>>
Kara Infante
My dad always told me, “you never know what someone else is going through, and unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, be kind.” That stuck with me. He had this incredible ability to talk to anyone, really connect with them, and I like to think I got a little of that from him. Read More>>
