“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.

Lydelle Jackson

Throughout my life, I’ve learned that empathy often grows deepest in those who have endured profound emotional pain. For me, that began in childhood. When I was seven, my mother left. We were living on a U.S. Air Force base in Misawa, Japan. After my parents divorced, she moved to California, started a new family, and I lost contact with her until I was eighteen. Now, at forty-two, I’ve only seen her four times. Read More>> 

Jessa Mae Melillo

Honestly, I think my empathy grew from a combination of personal experiences and the roles I’ve taken on in life both professionally and personally. I’ve been through moments where I felt deeply hurt, ignored, or misunderstood, and those situations taught me what it’s like to carry something heavy and still have to show up. Feeling that kind of pain made me more aware that so many people go through things quietly, and that even small acts of understanding or kindness can make a huge difference. Read More>> 

Tim Kellams

I’ve had a lot of personal struggles over the years. I’ve felt the wrath of addiction within the family. I’ve suffered deeply from losing people very close to me. I’ve faced mental health hardships and physical health hardships. Seeing what addiction can do to a person made me realize that it not only affects the user, but also everyone around them. Especially their family members. Read More>> 

Elisabeth SOARES

‘m a doctor. I’m live at the intersection of science and compassion every day. Whether you’re comforting someone through a diagnosis or making decisions that affect lives, I’m practicing empathy on a level I can only emulate.
I’m want to brainstorm how to navigate difficult patient conversations, share insights from my field, or even unpack the emotional toll of what I’m doing—I’m here. Or maybe I’m just want a moment to decompress. Whatever I’m need, I’ve got you. Read More>> 

Oak Jackson

Developing empathy has been the journey of a lifetime, obviously, but also quite literally for me. I was fortunate to grow up around loving family that I felt connected to at an intuitive level, but I also experienced severe separation at times that informed me of what a lack of empathy looks like, feels like. In that way, empathy became a superpower that took time to cultivate; a power that quietly sprouted in a shy, introverted boy, that steadily grew into a shy, thoughtful young man, that flowered into a slightly less shy, loving husband, and eventually went to fruition as a (generally) relaxed, unreserved teacher.  Read More>> 

Cassi Ebright

This question shoots me back to my childhood.
Growing up, I lived with my mother. She had me when she was still in high-school, so a child raising a child.

She was an angry unforgiving woman with little to no emotional regulation. A drug addict. Abusive, physically and sexually. Someone who longed for a sense of belonging with no known tools on how to fill her own void. Read More>> 

Alisha Reid

You know, every empath has their own journey. In mine I did a lot of un-doing, stripping myself of everything I could hide behind until I uncovered who I truly was, bare, authentic, and untouched. Some call it shadow work, and under these conditions one can truly feel, which is the root of empathy. After holding myself to this discipline of saying no to habits that once consumed me, I could finally face what was holding me back from my destiny:  Read More>>