“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid

We believe empathy is one of the most important ingredients enabling effectiveness and so we connected with some amazing folks to ask them about the conditions that allowed them to develop into such empathic leaders.

Shawnie Farrell

A year ago, I was fired (as a 1099) out of the blue while 20 weeks pregnant, and to make things worse, my boss at the time even tried to take my clients. That experience was incredibly difficult, but it changed me in ways I didn’t expect—it made me more empathetic. I know what it feels like to be vulnerable, to have your stability shaken and your trust broken. It taught me that everyone is fighting battles we can’t always see, and that compassion matters so much more than judgment. Read More>>  

Brianna Barrett

Suffering from a chronic illness brings new light to your outlook on life. I’ve faced seasons of isolation and loneliness which have birthed a ministry to encourage and support my fellow chronic illness warriors. The world can seem lonely as it is and adding chronic health problems exacerbates the situation. The seasons of hard health issues have allowed me the opportunity to bring hope to others battling similar situations. Read More>>

Yeong-Tae Gomez

When I was suffering, I was fortunate to have others reach out with their empathy, breaking through the illusion of isolation that suffering had created. They showed me what kindness, love, and peace looked like. They showed me what connection looked like. It was the empathy of others that allowed me to overcome my trials. Mental illness and shamanic spirit sickness–an ordeal that afflicts those chosen to become shamans–were such immense challenges. Read More>>

Nora Ramirez

My level of empathy has been greatly influenced by two main things: hardship, and connection. I do not see it being as developed as it is today without both of those things. Hardship showed me what it feels like to be vulnerable or emotionally broken, and connection has taught me how significantly powerful it is to feel seen and to have someone show up with care.  Read More>>

Cory Tamura

The more I go through in life, the more my empathetic nature increases, exponentially.
Conditions of grave physical injury, betrayal, divorce, death etc.. Life really! Often people have a choice of becoming embittered or using life’s pain as a catalyst to personal growth. The kindest people I know and admire the most, are often times the people who have been through the worst. Read More>>

Susan Zurenda

I grew up in a small Southern town that fostered an atmosphere of a caring community. When you know or at least recognize many of the people where you live, those conditions help set up empathy. It might be easy to overlook a stranger’s needs but not so much with people you recognize. Then, the more you help people you know, the more it builds a tendency to care about all others. Read More>>

Andrea Henning

The conditions that helped me to develop my empathy stem from both pain and purpose.

Losing my 17 year old sister to the hands of another while I was a young adult was a profound loss with an incredible surge of grief that encompassed my entire world for quite awhile. It didn’t just make me feel pain for myself, it opened me up to see and feel the pain of others too- such as the pain my parents and other family members experienced in their grief and trauma.  Read More>>

Jennifer Williams-Blackwell

Honestly, my empathy wasn’t something I learned in a classroom—it was born from survival.

I was a single mother trying to rebuild my life after experiencing unthinkable trauma. I had been raped. Not long after, my apartment—my sanctuary, my child’s safe space—burned down. Just like that, I had nothing. No home, no security, and nowhere to go. I was navigating trauma while trying to stay strong for my child, carrying wounds the world couldn’t see. Read More>>

Rachel Garoutte

Growing up, my childhood was far from easy. My father passed away when I was seven, and my mother battled addiction for much of my life. Watching her struggle with depression—and seeing how others treated her because of it—taught me empathy at an early age. I learned to put myself in other people’s shoes, trying to understand their pain so I could connect with them on a deeper level. Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate that my experiences didn’t harden me. Instead, they shaped me into someone who leads with compassion. Read More>>