In this episode, you’ll learn:

Have you ever felt the difference between being truly heard... and just being tolerated?

Like someone’s nodding while mentally replying to a Slack message. Versus the rare moment when a person locks eyes with you, puts their phone down, and you can feel them catching not just your words, but the meaning underneath them.

We all think we’re good at listening. But let’s be real—we’re not. Studies show that while 95% of people rate themselves as “above average” listeners, most of us remember only about 25% of what we hear. That number tanks even further when we’re stressed, multitasking, or ready to argue.

And it makes sense. Our brains process words four times faster than people can speak them. So while someone’s talking, we’ve got extra mental bandwidth—and most of us fill it with judgment, solutions, or planning our next line.

In a world that’s loud, reactive, and full of half-listening, deep listening is a radical act. It heals. It reconnects. It reveals things we didn’t know we knew.

So what if the most powerful thing you could offer someone right now isn’t your wisdom or your words… but your presence?

Today our guest is Emily Kasriel. She’s a BBC journalist, executive coach, and workplace mediator. After experiencing the transformative power of being truly heard, she began exploring how deep listening could bridge divides and spark change in even the most charged conversations.

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