Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Payal Beri, Phd. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Payal , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
The purpose is something that nudges at us, and our life experiences continue to strengthen that purpose until we’re staring it in our face. As a 3rd culture kid, I grew up moving around to over 18 places, Egypt, Dubai, Iraq, Australia, and the U.S. (New York, Florida, California) among many other places. This experience provided me with an opportunity to learn different cultures, and values and engage with people from all over the world, at a very young age. It gave me a sense of pride and gratitude for learning how as humans we share so much in common- family, our basic emotional responses of love, kindness, fear, and sadness. And I firmly believe that living and experiencing life in different places has given me an appreciation of us as a human community. I think it’s no surprise this led me to my career path as a Psychologist. I began my career working in places that were so different than where I grew up, learning directly from the realities of those living experiences versus basing my biases on theory, media and other sources that are bystanders. And so I believe my experience in life was the natural training and source of defining my purpose to help people, leaders, and communities realize we have more in common as humans than otherwise led to believe by those who benefit from our divide.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My work is at the intersection of empathy, social impact, and immersive storytelling. My whole purpose is devoted to empowering a world where empathy and accountability triumph the walls of division. We do this by highlighting that when we address the underlying driving motivation behind our intention- is it fear or empathy, this can significantly transform the impact of your purpose.
By spending years studying empathy, I have the incredible opportunity to share transformative stories of everyday humans and communities that have learned to better manage their primal emotional responses and activate advanced emotional responses. How it has literally changed and transformed their communities, elevated their mental health, increased their health, and changed the way their own purpose is thriving.
What’s amazing is that beyond sharing these stories and the impact of empathy as a Global Empathy Speaker at conferences, in front of organizations, and at community events, I get to share the stories of these incredible humans on my podcast, Reframing Perspectives with Dr. Beri (launching January 2025!).
And what’s even more incredible is when people get to participate in the experience by attending our changemaker dinners that I host nationwide. These dinners bring together individuals passionate about the collective human experience. Individuals who care about the community we exist in and hold a deep desire to make an impact. Our dinner experiences engage each person to connect with the human in each other. What’s transformative at these dinners is that we don’t allow sharing what you do for work or anything career-related. We want people to learn about the humans behind the work and learn about how much they have in common with each other as humans before any bias could kick in. At these dinners, we share our experiences to provide diverse perspectives that open our understanding of our world. And it’s amazing how many connections and relationships are formed through these dinners!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My own personal growth, keeping my north star clear, and Daily Gratitude. The only way I can talk about the purpose of empathy and the power of accountability is by practicing what I preach. Whatever it is that you’re teaching, you’re movement is surrounded by, or what you want to see more of- it’s so critical to look in the mirror and ask yourself, how much of this am I practicing? What’s coming up when I don’t practice it? What resistance am I being met with? All of this matters. So whatever it is that you believe in, ask yourself if you’re also taking ownership of the role you play in this.
Keep your North Star very Clear. I remember hearing in an interview Oprah saying that out of the thousands of people she has interviewed who have been insanely successful, one thing in common they have is keeping their north star very clear. They all knew what they wanted for their life, career, and overall purpose. And they kept that center in their lives. From this any opportunity that came to them, if it was out of alignment from their north star, it would be a clear no. It doesn’t matter how big the opportunity is, but if it was directly out of alignment with their north star, there is no questioning it. It’s a clear no. Following this advice, has helped me get crystal clear on the mission of RK Empathy and every partnership and opportunity that we have is in alignment with the movement we feel so strongly about and has resonated with our community.
Have Daily Gratitude. It’s very easy for those who feel very passionate about a mission or as an entrepreneur to have a rollercoaster of emotions. This is normal. Activating daily gratitude has played a pivotal role in keeping my mind strong and mentally healthy. Every day on the left side of my journal I write everything I am looking forward to in the day or things that I am looking forward too, in the present tense. For example, I will say “I am so thankful and excited that I had an opportunity to connect with 10 changemakers through the dinner experience. It is such a transformational experience and fulfills my cup every day!” And every single evening, on the right side of the page I write down everything that has happened in the day that I am so proud of and feel fulfilled by. Since our brains don’t know the difference between figment of imagination and reality, by activating this practice, it builds neurowaves in our brain that help prepare us for emotional resilience in high-stress situations and think clearly.
How would you describe your ideal client?
As a Global Empathy Speaker, it is my honor to connect and engage with organizations that recognize the power of empathy in motivating their employees, their audience, and the larger community and make a transformational impact. I work closely and partner with leaders of B-corp organizations, socially conscious leaders, philanthropic foundations, professional associations, and mission-driven companies to help their leaders and companies at large increase the impact they drive through their mission and continue to have a thriving community that believes in their mission. It’s an incredible experience to partner with leaders who recognize inspiring and intrinsically motivating with positive emotional responses has on a thriving business, productivity, and their overall culture.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.payalberi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/payalberi
- Linkedin: www.linkedin/in/payalberi
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