OnTopic with Empathia

Having a crisis communication plan sitting in a binder isn't enough. When the pressure hits, organizations need people who know exactly what to do, who has authority to speak, and how to communicate with both compassion and credibility.

In Part 2 of their conversation, Michelle Colosimo, Chris McCloud, and TJ Winick dive into the practical side of crisis communication—including how to support employees and victims, balance legal concerns with the court of public opinion, select and prepare the right spokesperson, and test your plan before it's needed.

The conversation also tackles one of the biggest misconceptions in crisis response: does showing empathy or apologizing automatically create legal liability?

Chris and TJ explain why legal and communications teams need to work together from the very beginning, why organizations can't manufacture trust once a crisis begins, and why practicing under pressure can expose weaknesses that a written plan never will.

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

When a crisis hits, you may have minutes—not days—to respond. What you say, how quickly you say it, and who says it can determine whether your organization earns trust or loses it.

In this episode of On Topic with Empathia, Michelle Colosimo sits down with crisis communication experts Chris McCloud and TJ Winick, two former journalists who have spent decades covering and managing some of the most challenging moments organizations can face. They break down what leaders need to know when the first hour of a crisis arrives—including why speed often matters more than perfection, why employees should hear from their organization before they hear from the media, and why empathy should come before information.

The question isn't whether your organization will face a crisis. It's whether you'll be ready when it happens.

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

What happens when a life-altering medical crisis forces you to completely reinvent who you are? In part two of our conversation with author John Sebald, we dive deep into the emotional aftermath of trauma and the surprising burden of survival guilt. John shares how he shifted his mindset from being a victim to embracing a new identity as a guide for others as we explore the profound, brain-wiring science of daily gratitude, the illusion of control, and how a literal bag of cut-off hospital clothes transformed from a symbol of pain into a source of immense power. If you are currently stuck in a dark place, this episode is a powerful reminder that you are not alone, you are not crazy, and there is always hope.

Find out more about John's story and get your copy of 'Live Again!' at https://a.co/d/08wXKN6J

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Life can change in an instant. For John Alan Sebald, that instant came on Valentine’s Day in 2021 when he tragically choked and suffered a non-shockable form of cardiac arrest right on his kitchen floor. Minutes away from being gone for good, a series of extraordinary miracles and fast-acting first responders brought him back to life. But as John quickly learned, walking out of the hospital was only the beginning of a much longer, hidden battle with PTSD, severe anxiety, and survival mode. In this powerful episode, host Kelly Parbs sits down with John, author of 'Live Again!: The Road Back from Burnout, Brokenness, and the Battles that No One Sees' to unpack his incredible journey of physical and emotional transformation.


Find out more about John's story and get your copy of 'Live Again!' at https://a.co/d/08wXKN6J

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Wellness is often treated as a destination we "arrive" at, but in reality, it is a practice built through small, consistent actions. In this episode, host Kelly Parbs continues her conversation with Robert Biggs to explore how sustainable wellness is achieved by bridging the gap between physical health and emotional resilience. Tune in to hear Robert's share his personal 'renaissance' story when he added just one hour of rest to his sleep schedule, along with his thoughts on the impact of nutrition, the gut-brain connection, emotional regulation, and actionable strategies for setting incremental, reasonable goals in sleep, exercise, and nutrition. Remember, self-care isn't selfish - it's essential.

Find out more about Robert and his work at Wellworks at https://www.wellworksforyou.com. 

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

In a world where the word "wellness" is thrown around as a marketing tagline for everything from apps to spiritual retreats, it’s easy for the true meaning of health to get lost in the noise. Join host Kelly Parbs, a licensed clinical social worker, as she sits down with Robert Biggs, wellness expert and account manager at Wellworks, to strip away the jargon and uncover what it actually takes to build a sustainable, resilient life. Robert shares his "movement is life" philosophy—backed by his background in applied physiology—and explains why mental wellness is the "guiding factor" for every other aspect of our health in this deep dive into the often-overlooked connection between mental perception and physical health. 

Find out more about Robert and his work at Wellworks at https://www.wellworksforyou.com. 

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

In this follow-up to our heartwarming sit-down with Jess and Paige, we dive deeper into the logistical and emotional hurdles that define the surrogacy journey. While their story resulted in the birth of sweet baby Dawson, the path was paved with high-stakes medical prep, ethical dilemmas, and a literal blizzard. From spicy confrontations with hospital triage teams to a three-hour dash through a snowstorm, find out how the duo managed the chaos of a birth that happened exactly on the due date as we continue this candid conversation on resilience, the importance of asking for what you need, and the special people in our lives who can help to make miracles possible.

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Life rarely follows the script we’ve written for ourselves. In this moving episode of OnTopic with Empathia, host Kelly Parbs sits down with Jess and Paige, two women whose lives became inextricably linked through an extraordinary surrogacy journey born out of resilience and faith. Following Jess' stage four triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis, the odds of giving her daughter a sibling were astronomically small - until she met Paige, a local mother of four who had felt a calling towards surrogacy. In Part One of their conversation, discover how Jess and Paige met via social media, exploring their shared feelings before ultimately deciding to take a leap of faith in embracing surrogacy as a path to motherhood. 

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Forgiveness isn't just a choice - it's a daily exercise. That's how Dr. Buck Blodgett sees it anyway - the founder of the LOVE>hate project, Dr. Buck and his team have been working in prisons all over the country to offer inmates a new lease on life. In Part Two of their conversation, Buck reveals a few key stories from real inmates inside the program, and how just two simple steps in practicing true forgiveness can rewire the way we all treat one another. 

Find out more about The LOVE>hate Project at https://www.theloveisgreaterthanhateproject.com.

Resource Links: 

•  Listen to Dr. Blodgett's Previous Episodes of OnTopic with Empathia Eps. 24 + 25 - https://www.empathia.com/ontopic-podcast/
• Dr. Blodgett on DATELINE NBC - https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dateline-nbc/season-23/episode-21-obsession/
• Dr. Blodgett on AMERICAN MONSTER - https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/200050998/s01-e04-sing-for-the-camera
• Dr. Blodgett on CRIME WATCH DAILY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY5rZTdjlCw&list=PLKaW-zbqoo11M_TgaukDTKoPa7ejnsG_r&index=7
• Dr. Blodgett on MURDERED BY MORNING - https://www.oxygen.com/murdered-by-morning/crime-news/jessie-blodgett-murder-buck-blodgett-forgive-love-hate-advocacy
• Dr. Blodgett on OUTLORE with Eleanor Neale - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EX3-ffoXHg&t=31s

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc

Everybody deserves a second chance... right? It's easy to say mistakes happen when it comes to the little things, but some times events transpire that can often feel unforgivable. Just take it from Dr. Buck Blodgett - keen listeners may recall his last appearance on OnTopic when he and Kelly talked about the tragic events that led to him starting The LOVE>hate Project, an organization dedicated ending interpersonal violence and promoting forgiveness all over the country. Now, Dr. Blodgett's expanded his reach to the national prison system, where he and his team have begun to meet with inmates from all walks of life to begin working towards unraveling what often makes them so frustrated with the system today - and how he and his team are changing hearts and minds for the better. 

Find out more about The LOVE>hate Project at https://www.theloveisgreaterthanhateproject.com.

Resource Links: 

•  Listen to Dr. Blodgett's Previous Episodes of OnTopic with Empathia Eps. 24 + 25 - https://www.empathia.com/ontopic-podcast/
• Dr. Blodgett on DATELINE NBC - https://www.metacritic.com/tv/dateline-nbc/season-23/episode-21-obsession/
• Dr. Blodgett on AMERICAN MONSTER - https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/200050998/s01-e04-sing-for-the-camera
• Dr. Blodgett on CRIME WATCH DAILY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY5rZTdjlCw&list=PLKaW-zbqoo11M_TgaukDTKoPa7ejnsG_r&index=7
• Dr. Blodgett on MURDERED BY MORNING - https://www.oxygen.com/murdered-by-morning/crime-news/jessie-blodgett-murder-buck-blodgett-forgive-love-hate-advocacy
• Dr. Blodgett on OUTLORE with Eleanor Neale - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EX3-ffoXHg&t=31s

Whether it's delivering a high-value employee assistance program, student support, or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, OnTopic with Empathia brings competence, compassion, and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more at https://www.empathia.com. 

Find More Resources from Empathia at:

• Website: https://www.empathia.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empathiainc
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpathiaVlog
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empathia-inc