OnTopic with Empathia

When disaster strikes, the investigation is only part of the story. What happens to the families left behind? Who answers their questions, helps them navigate the unimaginable, and makes sure they aren't forgotten in the aftermath?

On this episode of OnTopic with Empathia, Jenn Stansberry Miller sits down with Sharon Bryson, former NTSB Managing Director and disaster assistance leader, and Kathryn Turman, who established and led the FBI's Victim Services Division, to explore how families and survivors helped reshape disaster response in America.

Drawing on their experiences with tragedies including Pan Am Flight 103, the Oklahoma City bombing, and September 11, they share how listening to families, coordinating agencies, and building relationships transformed the way organizations support victims and survivors.


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

OnTopic with Empathia - Episode 82: The Aviation Disaster Family Assistance  Act- Exploring 30 years of Impact P1


When disaster strikes, the investigation is only part of the story. What happens to the families left behind? Who answers their questions, helps them navigate the unimaginable, and makes sure they aren't forgotten in the aftermath?


On this episode of OnTopic with Empathia, Jenn Stansberry Miller sits down with Sharon Bryson, former NTSB Managing Director and disaster assistance leader, and Kathryn Turman, who established and led the FBI's Victim Services Division, to explore how families and survivors helped reshape disaster response in America.

Drawing on their experiences with tragedies including Pan Am Flight 103, the Oklahoma City bombing, and September 11, they share how listening to families, coordinating agencies, and building relationships transformed the way organizations support victims and survivors.
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

How do you support employees who are struggling with mental health while still holding them accountable for their work? And what if one of the most valuable resources available to your team is one they're barely using?

On this episode of OnTopic with Empathia, host Kelly Parbs continues her conversation with Arriann Tauer to discuss how organizations can build mentally healthy workplaces where compassion, accountability, and performance work together rather than against one another.

From navigating difficult conversations with employees to understanding the often-overlooked benefits of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), this conversation offers practical advice for managers, HR professionals, and employees who want to create healthier, more supportive workplaces.


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 does it really mean to support mental health in the workplace, without sacrificing performance, accountability, or workplace expectations?

In this episode of OnTopic with Empathia, Kelly Parbs sits down with Arriann Tauer, a licensed professional counselor and Program Manager for Team Member Mental Health at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, to explore the increasingly important role mental health plays in today’s workplace.

The conversation tackles one of the biggest challenges facing managers today: How do you support an employee who is struggling without becoming their counselor or lowering the standards they’re expected to meet?

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

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