We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amy Baker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amy below.
: Hi Amy, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?
Over the past 17 years, my family and I have been raising a daughter with Down Syndrome. Grace was our first daughter, and although there was a feeling of the unknown, we took on all of the opportunities to develop a community and join in on opportunities to gain more exposure to her world. We were able to, through compassion, joy, and curiosity, learn the best ways to advocate for Grace through education, medical, social and many other avenues that were best suited for her. While we are not experts, it has been an absolute joy to embark on this adventure, through the hills and the valleys. This has allowed me to develop empathy, and although it wasn’t a condition I was prepared for, it is what God had planned for me and my family.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Through my Wonderfully Made podcast, I am on a mission to bring joy to people’s lives, through serving others, self-care, adventure and challenges. Life goes quick, and I want to enjoy every moment!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. always relying on God 2. the ability to be open to others and ask questions/be prepared for next steps. Being teachable
3. people skills, showing up for my community, providing for others/generosity
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I believe it is best to be well rounded by investing effort on improving areas that I am not as strong in. Although it is a good skill to know your strength, I believe it is so important to know where to access training or tutelage on how to grow in new skills. There is no time like the present to take on new challenges and overcome fear.
Contact Info:
- Website: amybaker.net
- Instagram: @wonderfullymadepodcast
- Facebook: the wonderfully made podcast
- Other: Podcast on Apple Music, Spotify The Wonderfully Made Podcast
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