The Empathy Edge

Self-awareness is the first pillar of effective empathetic leadership in The Empathy Dilemma. If you don't know what's going on for you, you will never be able to make room for empathetic leadership.

I highly recommend working with a leadership or executive coach to guide you in this self-discovery process. But the world of coaching is like the Wild West, with so many people promising the moon, engaging in unethical tactics, and giving the industry a bad name.

Today, my guest, Bridgette Boudreau, talks about effective coaching relationships and how to embrace empathy to get the results you want. 

We had a meandering and meaningful conversation about false confidence, tips to find and work effectively with a coach, red flags to avoid, and how to recognize certain behavior patterns that are stopping you from getting the results you want. We also talk about the coaching industry and how ethical, genuine coaches can lean into marketing and selling with integrity so the right clients can find them.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Try doing some changes internally and seeing what changes about the situation - everybody at work that we're disagreeing with is not the enemy. 
• Don’t write off coaching forever if you have had a negative coaching experience.
• Vibes are important - if you are feeling in the flow, an openness, and like you're energetically on the same page, that's what you want in a coach.
• Take what you want and leave the rest. Be curious, try new things, and see what works for you.

"Never give up your discernment. If something doesn't feel right, bring it up in the session. And if that doesn't feel safe, then that's not the right coaching relationship for you." —  Bridgette Boudreau

Episode References: 

• Three OG Coaches Podcast

About Bridgette Boudreau, Master Certified Coach

Bridgette Boudreau is a Master-Certified Coach and Business Consultant with a passion for helping people at midlife+ figure out what's next, small-scale entrepreneurship, and mentoring other coaches. Bridgette's coaching philosophy is rooted in compassion and finding one's intrinsic motivation versus pushing or hustling. She acts as a strategic thought partner, providing a safe and supportive environment for her clients to grow. With over 16 years of coaching experience, she has developed the Mosaic Framework to help people create a fulfilling next act on their terms.

Bridgette’s coaching style is like the love child of Bob Ross and Mary Poppins: She's going to love and encourage the hell out of you to do it your way, and you're going to get it done.

Bridgette lives in Seattle with her partner Stephanie and their dog-son, Mr. Beverly Wiggins.

Connect with Bridgette:

Bridgette Boudreau Coaching: bridgetteboudreau.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bboudreau

Facebook: facebook.com/bridgette.boudreau

Instagram: instagram.com/bridgetteboudreau

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Welcome to Courage to Advance, hosted by Kim Bohr and brought to you by SparkEffect, in partnership with The Empathy Edge.

Tune in to our subseries every 3rd Thursday, right here on The Empathy Edge! Or check us out at www.CourageToAdvancePodcast.com.

In today's always-on business culture, how can leaders cut through digital noise to regain mental clarity? Kim Bohr sits down with Timothy Swords, a mindfulness-focused executive coach who blends Harvard MBA-level acumen with over 2,000 hours of mindfulness practice. Timothy reveals how simple grounding techniques transformed executives from being the "scary person in the room" to creating harmonious relationships.

This conversation explores why self-awareness might be more valuable than an MBA, how stress contagion undermines organizational performance, and why working beyond 50 hours delivers diminishing returns. Timothy shares practical "mindfulness hacks," including a grounding technique for meetings, plus how 10 minutes of practice increases self-awareness by 35%.

Whether you're struggling with digital overwhelm, managing stressed teams, or seeking authentic leadership approaches, discover how mindfulness becomes a competitive advantage. Learn why emotions last 30 seconds unless we feed them with thoughts.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Mindfulness is "lucid awareness from paying attention on purpose in the present moment"
• A leader's emotional state directly impacts team performance through stress contagion
• Working beyond 50 hours shows diminishing returns; 70-hour weeks produce no more than 55-hour weeks
• Simple grounding technique: Feel your feet on the floor during meetings to interrupt anxiety cycles
• Just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice increases self-awareness by 35% in 6-8 weeks
• Authentic leadership starts with clarity on personal values aligned with organizational values
• Two types of self-compassion: tender (being kind) and fierce (setting healthy boundaries)

"An emotion on its own lasts like 30 seconds. But if you're feeding it with thoughts, it goes on and on—it gets worse and worse. If you want to do anger management, you've got to stop that cycle, because you're actually creating your own anger." — Timothy Swords

About Timothy Swords: Timothy Swords blends corporate acumen with mindfulness training to guide senior leaders in integrating mindfulness into decision-making and leadership effectiveness. His experience includes CFO and strategic transformation roles at Fidelity Investments, MUFG Union Bank, and PwC. Timothy holds an MBA from Harvard University and is a certified mindfulness instructor with over 2,000 hours of practice, including training with renowned teachers Jack Kornfield, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Sharon Salzberg.

Connect with Timothy: 

Website: MindfulLeadership-Coaching.com   

Email: [email protected]  

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timothyswords

Free Resources: mindfulleadership-coaching.com/free-videos 

Connect with Kim Bohr & SparkEffect:

SparkEffect: sparkeffect.com

Courage to Advance recording and resources:

sparkeffect.com/courage-to-advance-podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffect

LinkedIn for Kim: linkedin.com/in/kimbohr

Connect with Maria:

Learn more about Maria's work and books: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Unhappiness at work causes poor performance, disengagement, mistakes, absenteeism, mental health issues, and ultimately poor customer experience and anemic sales.

But defining happiness at work seems so squishy. Is the leader's job to make people happy? Garrett Delph looks at happiness the way I look at empathy - as an intentional business strategy that can be operationalized and scaled.

Today, we talk about the causes of unhappiness in a business culture, why increasing happiness and decreasing stress are good for the bottom line, how clarity plays a huge role in engaging your people, and what it looks like from a process and operations point of view. He shares why culture is operational and that people need a structure that enables them to understand expectations, communicate easily and safely, and collaborate -  or they will just leave.  We had a great conversation about how empathy is linked to happiness and why it needs to be modeled and discussed from the top. Lastly, Garrett leaves you with two paths to take if you suspect your business could be more effective, so you can take the next right steps to improve results.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Clarity is a form of empathy at work - when we are clear, we help people avoid anxiety, stress, and confusion, which leads to greater happiness.
• You have to balance the load with your managers - if you don’t know what they are doing or who they are managing, you cannot understand where the workflow bottlenecks are.
• We are all needed for the business to function. And people need direction and instruction to ensure we’re all on the same page.

"As leaders, often we hire great people and we buy the lie ‘hire great people and set them free’ not realizing you can't do that, or you fail the people." —  Garrett Delph

The Empathy Edge Episode References: 

• Dr. Tracy Brower: The Secret to Happiness at Work
• Brent Lowe and Susan Basterfield: How Innovative Organizations Lead and Scale - No Managers Required
• Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer

About Garrett Delph, Founder & CEO, Clarity Ops

Garrett Delph stands at the forefront of business transformational solutions for the new generation of leaders. He is the Founder and Chief Clarity Officer of Clarity Ops, LLC. A serial entrepreneur, he has established a track record of founding three successful international businesses that have collectively generated over $50 million in revenue. Garrett's new-generation business solutions are created for leaders who need faster, easier, and more profitable step-by-step ways for scaling businesses.

Connect with Garrett:

Clarity Ops: clarityops.co

X: x.com/garrettdelph

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garrettdelph

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

As I love to say, empathy isn’t just a soft skill—it’s a powerful tool for strategic and creative excellence.

Joining me today is Vanya du Toit, the Associate Director for Wiedemann Lampe, a brand and business consultancy, who leads with empathy to drive brand transformation, team growth, and meaningful client partnerships.

In this episode, Vanya shares how listening—truly listening is the foundation of successful brand strategy and how embedding empathy into both client work and internal culture unlocks innovation, better output, and stronger relationships. We discuss cultureful brands, regenerative economics, and a host of other important new concepts. We also dive into how their own agency is empathically designing their new studio space to support diverse working styles, rejecting the one-size-fits-all open office in favor of an environment where everyone can thrive.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• A brand is more than just the logo. A brand is how a customer interacts with every aspect of your company, which begins with listening and understanding.
• Listening is a key component of human respect. Listening builds trust and respect, which makes for a better relationship and better work. 
• Honesty and directness are also empathy. You can have boundaries and give constructive feedback and still be empathetic. Lying is not empathetic.

"Without that internal change, you cannot manifest external change. You can't get a team of unwilling employees to live and breathe your values and your vision and your mission." —  Vanya du Toit

Episode References: 

• The Empathy Edge: Rebecca Friese: How to Build a “Good” Culture

About Vanya du Toit, Associate Director, Wiedemann Lampe:

Vanya is the Associate Director for Wiedemann Lampe, a brand and business consultancy, and she has over 15 years’ experience leading client relationships and project management teams in brand strategy, brand development, and brand delivery projects. Their firm creates brands that shape, unite, and inspire the world – harnessing the unifying force of brand to bring people together and inspire change from the inside out, and clients include the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, New York State Parks, Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, and more. She’s responsible for all commercial and operational aspects of the business, new business strategy and conversion, and the integration of new clients into project teams, ensuring that the right focus and resources are allocated for every client.

Connect with Vanya:

Wiedemann Lampe: https://wiedemannlampe.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanya-du-toit-1068b992/

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Where do empathy and compassion impact corporate profits, employee experience, and customer satisfaction? In healthcare, and yes, in your industry, no matter what it is, it starts at the local level, as my guest today shares.  

Today, Geoffrey Smith and I talk about his journey as an employee experience professional in healthcare, but how he didn't really understand his work or purpose until he saw it through the patient's eyes during his wife's cancer battle, and how the power of human connection relates to patient and customer outcomes. Geoffrey shares why annual employee pulse surveys are not the most actionable, and instead create more continual feedback loops to identify high-performing leaders and teams at the local level so you can replicate their actions and achieve company-wide engagement. He offers practical examples of how busy leaders can check in with employees and achieve measurable results.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Innovation happens in big and small ways. You can change someone’s life with low-tech solutions that only require being present in the moment.
• Employee engagement is a local phenomenon. It's not an organizational metric, it's a team metric - where the work happens.
• Checking in with your employees weekly doubles the engagement of checking in monthly. Measuring team by team in real time will allow you to know where your teams are shining and where they are struggling.

"Keep your eyes open and stay authentically present, because you never know when those small moments are going to change everything." —  Geoffrey Smith

About Geoffrey Smith, Chief Mo-ment Officer

Geoffrey leverages a diverse 25+ year career in Human Capital Management, specializing in employee engagement, leadership development, and culture change initiatives in the workplace.  His journey has ranged from working for the corporate industry leader to building his entrepreneurial start-up from the ground up. Currently, he supports innovative employee/patient/caregiver/human experience leaders, nurse and clinician entrepreneurs, and hospital administration, consulting them on modernized people and talent activation strategies to make a true impact on those who both provide and receive care.

Geoffrey also hosts the Mo-ments of Experience podcast on the People Forward Network.  Inspired by his faithful 14-year-old beagle Mo, whose unwavering spirit and love lifted his family during challenging times, the Mo-ments of Experience podcast highlights the meaningful Mo-ments that shape us, move, and inspire us to pursue our purpose.

Connect with Geoffrey:

Mo-ments of Experience, LLC: mo-mentsofexperience.com 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/geoffreypsmith 

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

We have talked a lot on this show about the benefits of a diverse and inclusive culture and how it leads to outstanding business results. But did you also know how DEI helps your company manage risk and future-proof against churn, productivity loss, and potentially falling behind in the market?

Today, you will hear one of the best definitions of DEI and how it enhances your organization. And the definition will leave you hungry for dessert!

Vivian Acquah shares a very clear - and delicious - definition of DEI, how the strategies and mindsets ensure your organization manages risk effectively,  the financial costs you pay when you actively shy away from DEI, and an amazing look at how she uses virtual reality to help leaders truly understand what many in their organizations experience daily.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• While the term DEI has been vilified recently, DEI is just like the best carrot cake - every aspect of the ingredients, the cooking temperature, and all of the elements make it great.
• Company loyalty is no longer guaranteed just because you pay your employees. 
• Partnering with, not overpowering, your employees gives you better, stronger, and longer-term results. 
• What motivates you may not be what motivates your employees. We all have different motivators. 

"What I see happening now with the companies that are walking away, they are making a lot of short-term decisions that are going to impact them in the long run." —  Vivian Acquah

Episode References: 

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
• Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go by Julie Winkel Giulioni and Beverly Kaye
• TEDx: I've Lived as a Man and as a Woman: Here's What I Learned - Paula Stone Williams

About Vivian Acquah, Certified DEI Trainer

Vivian Acquah CDE® is a respected DEI executive known for creating inclusive workplace environments. Her strategic approach blends analysis and practical tools to address systemic barriers to equity and equality. Passionate about DEI education, she uses innovative methods like virtual reality for immersive and transformational learning. With engaging training, she drives cultural transformation and boosts employee engagement.

Her name, which translates to 'water,' symbolizes her role as an extinguisher of DEI-related fires. Vivian provides tangible strategies for embracing inclusive changes, benefiting high-profile clients such as Heineken, LinkedIn, Google, Indeed, Deloitte, TIBCO, Cargill, Swift, Acrolinx, KLM, and Zalando.

Connect with Vivian: 

Amplify DEI: amplifydei.com 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vivianacquah 

Instagram: instagram.com/vivalavivenl 

Threads: threads.net/@vivalavivenl 

Enjoy this deal!

Amplify DEI Cards Conversation starters for your team or other group to start down the DEI journey:  https://cards.amplifydei.com/amplify-dei-cards-bundle/ 

Get 10% off when you use code EMPATHY at checkout

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Given the country's political divide, we often hear that conversations are the key to empathy and connection. Which is true. But that also doesn't scale very well. One way to combat this is to correct dangerous political misperceptions and help us find more overlap. In fact, a Hidden Tribes study shows that 85% of Americans are more similar than we think.

Today, James Coan explains the Perception Gap and how it forces us to see each other as threats rather than with compassion. This applies to the workplace as much as politics. He talks about why conversations are great, but indirect interceptions also help close this gap and bring us together. This includes More Like US's work in education, journalism, and the arts to portray each other in a more accurate light. James also shares some advice for creatives and creators on how they can help. The work is intriguing and frankly, makes a lot of sense - and it can be used by corporate leaders as well. This conversation could not be more important right now, so please learn more about their work and take a listen.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Books, movies, and other media that feature characters who are “not like us” are not there to convert your children; they are there to expose people to different experiences and lives for better understanding. 
• We're never going to be able to tap into the conversations and the empathy of listening to one another until we realize that we're closer than we think we are.
• People who feel threatened, especially to their safety and security, are more open to authoritarian tendencies. By focusing on the desire for atypical leadership, people are able to work better together rather than fight. 

"Every day Americans tend to be more similar ideologically than fellow Americans tend to realize. An average Democrat or Republican will agree on more and are less extreme than people realize." —  James Coan

Episode References: 

• Mónica Guzmán: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Divided Political Times
• Edwin Rutsch: How Empathy Circles Can Change the World
• Similarity Hub
• Trusting News
• Hidden Tribes Study
• Bridge Entertainment Labs
• Builders
• Braver Angels
• Stanford Strengthening Democracy Challenge

About James Coan, Co-Founder and Executive Director, More Like US

James Coan is Co-Founder and Executive Director of More Like US, which corrects dangerous political misperceptions of each other at scale. He previously served as DC Alliance Co-chair and Mid-Atlantic Regional Lead for Braver Angels, one of the largest organizations dedicated to reducing political divides, and previously co-led social media and Ambassador outreach nationally. He has been involved closely in the field since shortly after the 2016 election, with a main interest in achieving goals at scale. He brings 10+ years of strategy consulting experience and has worked at a think tank after receiving a degree in public policy from Princeton.

Connect with James Coan 

More Like US: https://www.morelikeus.org/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-coan-6465b15/ 

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Welcome to Courage to Advance, hosted by Kim Bohr and brought to you by SparkEffect, in partnership with The Empathy Edge. 

Tune in to our subseries every 3rd Thursday, right here on The Empathy Edge! Or check us out at www.CourageToAdvancePodcast.com. 

In today's uncertain job market, what separates endless applications from landing your ideal role? Kim Bohr sits down with Tim Sprangers, CEO of Orin Rice, a Seattle-based sales recruiting firm, to uncover the levers you can control in the process. With over a decade of experience connecting top talent with leading companies, Tim offers practical guidance for navigating what he calls the current "uncertain market," where both employers and candidates hesitate to make moves. 

This insightful conversation explores how leaders can approach their job search like a sales cycle, effectively pivot between industries or functions, and simplify their value proposition to stand out. Tim shares what recruiters look for in resumes, why networking before you need it pays dividends, and how to determine if a recruiting partner truly adds value. 

Whether you're hiring talent or seeking new opportunities yourself, discover strategies for gaining a talent advantage even in challenging market conditions. Learn to position yourself effectively, leverage your network strategically, and approach career transitions with confidence. 

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• We're in an "uncertain market" where both employers and candidates hesitate to make moves 
• Track your job search like a sales cycle to identify exactly where you're falling short 
• When pivoting careers, focus on either transferable skills or industry knowledge 
• Make your resume content-rich with measurable achievements rather than fancy formatting 
• Network proactively before you need it, and help others without expectation 
• Your questions during interviews often matter more than your answers 
• "If a seven-year-old can't understand what you do, it's overcomplicated." 

"You can control the input. Sometimes you can't control the output... you've got to control the things that you can, which is your effort and your energy and the time that you're putting into it." —  Tim Sprangers

About Tim Sprangers: Tim Sprangers is the CEO of Orin Rice, a Seattle-based sales recruiting firm connecting top professionals with leading Pacific Northwest companies. With over a decade in recruitment, Tim's quality-over-quantity approach ensures employers and candidates find the right fit through understanding each party's needs. Orin Rice donates a portion of profits to nonprofits, including FARE and Treehouse.

Connect with Tim Sprangers:  

Website: https://www.orinrice.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsprangers/ 

Orin Rice Google Reviews

Connect with Kim Bohr and SparkEffect

SparkEffect: sparkeffect.com

Courage to Advance recording and resources:

sparkeffect.com/courage-to-advance-podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffect

LinkedIn for Kim Bohr: linkedin.com/in/kimbohr

Connect with Maria:

Learn more about Maria's work and books: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Building leadership muscles and practicing leadership is not always pretty. It’s got to get messy if you want to master it. Nothing brought this home to me more than a recent CrossFit workout where I really started to understand the power of muscle memory and why constant skills development is required to keep yourself sharp.

Leadership is like this - we are never done learning, never done changing, and that means we cannot quit as we authentically embrace new models of leadership, work with those in our communities, and aren’t afraid to look messy. 

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be authentic. 
• Find your community - find those who will be honest with you, hold you accountable, help you sharpen your skills, and help you hone your human-centered leadership skills. 
• Embracing new models might feel uncomfortable and take time to embrace while getting the results you want, but that doesn’t mean you stop. Just keep going. 

"It's the people that keep learning, growing, striving, and sharpening that edge that are the ones that become the legacy leaders." —  Maria Ross

Episode References: 

• I have a FREE upcoming 2-day virtual leadership event with me! Let's have a chat first to see if this aligns with your goals and where you are right now. Visit www.TheEmpathyEdge.com/event to sign up for a time.
• Maria's Latest Forbes Article: Gen Z and the Empathy Expectation https://www.forbes.com/sites/mariaross/2025/04/30/gen-z-and-the-empathy-expectation-what-workplace-leaders-need-to-know/
• Coach Scott of Stoneway Fitness: https://www.instagram.com/scottmrodriguez/
• Listener Feedback! Please fill out the short survey here at https://bit.ly/edge-feedback

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Most high achievers never look back and see how far they've come. They tend to focus on perfection and not wanting to let anyone down. Because of their outward focus on others - colleagues, customers, or employees - They often don't know how to be empathetic and tender with themselves.

Empathy starts with self-awareness and self-care so leaders who want to achieve their goals would be wise to practice tenderness and empathy for themselves first. This kind of self-reflection and tenderness for self will help them be an effective and inspiring leader for others.

Today, author and leadership coach Lauree Ostrofsky joins us to talk about self-empathy and owning your leadership style. Lauree shares how challenging and yet worthwhile self-empathy can be. We discuss the downside of empathy and how to balance focusing on others with caring for yourself. She talks about how to develop our sense of self so we don’t fear reinvention, we can take better risks, and avoid unnecessary worry or anxiousness that doesn't serve us. 

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Dig into your fears and discomforts. It may just be an opportunity that is outside your comfort zone and making you feel vulnerable. Fear is an opportunity. 
• Make a list of compliments you receive as you receive them - we need the physical evidence of what we have accomplished and where we have been to see how we’ve gained the confidence we have now.
• Sometimes you have to give yourself space before you can give space to the other person to hear and empathize with what they’re saying and needing. 
• Own who you are without apology. You can invite people in and invite them to also own who they are.

"There's a way to value people and value yourself at the same time, and it really takes understanding of yourself." —  Lauree Ostrofsky

About Lauree Ostrofsky, Founder, Simply Leap

Lauree Ostrofsky, PCC, CPC helps women leap: clarify what they want and feel more confident putting themselves out there. For more than two decades, she has been an author, coach, and hugger with a client roster that includes executives at IBM, Microsoft, Harvard, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the Girl Scouts of the USA. 

Her books are, Simply Leap, a happy how-to about facing the fear of reinvention and enjoying the crap out of your life, and I'm Scared & Doing It Anyway, a memoir about her reinvention after a devastating brain tumor diagnosis at 28. 

Connect with Lauree Ostrofsky:

Simply Leap, LLC: http://simplyleap.com 

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/laureeostrofsky/ 

Facebook: http://facebook.com/SimplyLeap 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/lauree_ostrofsky/ 

Threads: http://threads.net/@lauree_ostrofsky 

Connect with Maria:

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