OnTopic with Empathia

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

How do you take care of an aging parent? What about your own future? As we age our bodies tend to break down, unless we start to take the steps necessary to keep us going. In Part Two of their conversation on aging and elder care, Kelly and Carrie Crawley reveal a few key methods to ensuring you can take care of your loved ones in an affordable, accommodating manner regardless of their situation, and how you can start to implement some healthy habits that will help you down the line too. 

Resource Links: 

• AARP Learning - https://learn.aarp.org/
• ADRC-Aging and Disability Resource Center - https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/aging-and-disability-resource-centers
• Medicare Care Compare - https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
• WHAT IS DEMENTIA? - http://alzheimers.org.uk/Facts_about_dementia/What_is_dementia/
• TYPES OF DEMENTIA - https://www.helpforalzheimersfamilies.com/alzheimers-dementia-education/
• THE ALZHEIMER’S FOUNDATION OF AMERICA - http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutUs/missionstatement.html
• NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING -https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/memory-and-thinking-whats-normal-and-whats-not

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

Caring for aging loved ones is one of the most meaningful, and often one of the most challenging roles any of us will take on. It raises questions about health, independence, finances, and how to balance caregiving with the rest of life. And while every family's journey looks different, the need for support and good information is universal. Just take it from Carrie Crawley, an elder care and aging life specialist who's dedicated her work to helping families prepare for and manage the realities of aging. In Part One of their conversation, Carrie and Kelly dig into the real challenges of planning for, paying for, and implementing elder care in the lives of not only our loved ones - but in our own lives as well.  

Resource Links: 

• AARP Learning - https://learn.aarp.org/
• ADRC-Aging and Disability Resource Center - https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/aging-and-disability-resource-centers
• Medicare Care Compare - https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
• WHAT IS DEMENTIA? - http://alzheimers.org.uk/Facts_about_dementia/What_is_dementia/
• TYPES OF DEMENTIA - https://www.helpforalzheimersfamilies.com/alzheimers-dementia-education/
• THE ALZHEIMER’S FOUNDATION OF AMERICA - http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutUs/missionstatement.html
• NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING -https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/memory-and-thinking-whats-normal-and-whats-not

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

Are you a born leader? Alan Mikolaj isn't sure anybody is. In fact, he's got the research to prove that NOBODY is born to be a leader, because leadership isn't a genetic trait - it's a learned skill that anybody can manage, if taught under the right conditions. Alan returns to the podcast to talk about what leadership researchers James Kouzes and Barry Posner discovered in their findings to help develop the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360 curriculum, and how you can leverage your own self-understanding to help better realize your own self-worth. 

Find out more about Alan Mikolaj at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/

Get Your Copy of Alan's Free List of Values Worksheet at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/uploads/1/3/7/8/13789733/alans_values_worksheet.pdf

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

Being a leader is harder than it looks. It's a demanding and isolating job, with immense pressure and a constant need to adapt. Just take it from Alan Mikolaj - he's a leadership and organizational development consultant, executive coach and the author of “Stress Management for the Emergency Care Provider” and “The Change: Insights into Self-Empowerment," who works with people in high impact roles, helping build awareness, lead with authenticity, and stay aligned with their sense of purpose. Alan joins Kelly on the podcast to talk about just that - purpose, and how identifying and closing in on the interests that drive you can create a more meaningful outlook for any one of us, leader or otherwise. 

Find out more about Alan Mikolaj at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/

Get Your Copy of Alan's Free List of Values Worksheet at https://www.alanmikolaj.com/uploads/1/3/7/8/13789733/alans_values_worksheet.pdf

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

Walk the talk! It's a simple phrase, but what does it really mean? And more importantly, does it apply to you or the leadership at your organization? This idea of aligning your actions with your words is one that executive Coach Ken Jenkins was introduced to early in his career, and it's a principle he's lived by ever since. Today, we continue our conversation with Ken, diving deeper into what it truly means to be a leader. We explore why it's so critical to build trust, drive performance, and create a culture where people want to follow not because they have to, but because they believe in the direction. If you're leading a team, navigating change, or simply striving to be a more authentic and effective leader, this episode is for you.

Find out more about Ken Jenkins at https://kenjenkinsllc.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

Think back on your career. Have you ever worked under a leader who struggled to communicate clearly? Maybe you found it difficult to follow their direction because the direction itself wasn't clear. Or perhaps you are the leader facing a major organizational change, feeling uncertain about how to guide your team through it. If any of this sounds familiar, it might be time to consider working with an executive coach. Today we're talking with Ken Jenkins, an in-demand executive and leadership coach, who shares insights on how coaching can help leaders and cover their strengths and weaknesses, why coaching isn't an stand-in for therapy, and a few key ways all of us - executives or otherwise - can help to mitigate toxic stress in our busy lives. It's not always easy, but for those feeling stuck or looking to boost their effectiveness, coaching can be a game changer. 

Find out more about Ken Jenkins at https://kenjenkinsllc.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