“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 tha

Jorge Rivera

The condition that allowed me to develop empathy was by seeing individuals suffer—family, friends, or strangers. Seeing people suffering for whatever reason, whether physical, verbal abuse, hunger, financial crisis, being judged or misunderstood, heartbreak, or unfair circumstances, can be devastating for all of us. Growing up, I saw a lot of this, and like many of us, I lived it. Deep inside, the pain would arise when I saw anyone suffering; it would be so deep that I would hurt. I compiled a list of things describing how I developed empathy. However, out of all the things I have listed here, I think being misunderstood, wrongly judged, blamed, or accused of something I did not do helped me tremendously develop empathy. Read More>>

Laurie Kirby

I am an extremely focused and driven person. I was born that way! I had to be the best reader, the best athlete, the most accomplished and guess what? I am not proud of that. It comes with a price. Thus, developing empathy has been my best friend, but not without its challenges. I strive every single day to be better, kinder, more compassionate, understanding and helpful. Developing empathy required meditating, therapy, having children and grandchildren, great friends and overcoming mental and physical challenges. Empathy is an exercise in putting aside judgment and that requires constant vigilance. Every single day…. Read More>>

CONNIE COSTA

Quite simply: being bullied as a child. In the sixth grade, I moved from Italy to Los Angeles. I spoke differently; I looked differently. I acted differently. And all the kids made sure to make me well aware that I was different.

It was a culture shock for me, and I did not feel welcome. My school was also in a very wealthy neighborhood, and I was not wealthy. I distinctly remember seeing their fancy cars and majestic homes and being embarrassed that I was not rich. I was so ashamed of my family car that I would have my father drop me off blocks away. Read More>>