What if your empathy was only the beginning, not the solution?

In this episode of the CORE Impact Podcast, you are invited into a deep and honest conversation with Michael Jenkins, author of Toxic Humans, about how your leadership, your actions, and your awareness shape the culture around you.

Together, we explore why empathy alone often stops short, especially when it stays within familiar circles, and how compassion asks something more of you. Compassion invites action. It challenges you to move beyond understanding feelings into creating meaningful change for others.

Michael shares powerful insights into how toxic behavior often grows from a lack of self-awareness, and how your leadership can either reinforce fear or create psychological safety. You will discover why inclusion is not a trend, but a responsibility, and how your ability to listen, act, and include directly impacts trust, engagement, and performance.

This episode speaks directly to you if you are leading people, shaping culture, or simply asking yourself how you can show up more consciously at work and in life. It is a conversation about responsibility, humanity, and the future of work, starting with your choices.

Listen if you want to move from good intentions to meaningful impact.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro 🎙️

01:00 The Journey to Understanding Toxicity 🧭

03:41 Defining Toxic Behavior ⚠️

06:58 Self-Awareness and Toxicity 🪞

09:49 The Spectrum of Empathy 🌈

12:43 Recognizing and Reducing Toxicity 🔍

15:38 Navigating Toxic Work Environments 🧠

18:51 Identifying Toxic Cultures in Organizations 🏢

21:29 The Role of Leadership in Toxicity 👥

24:18 Creating Safe Spaces in the Workplace 🛡️

27:15 Empathy vs Compassion in Leadership ❤️

27:36 Active Listening as a Leadership Skill 👂

40:51 The Power of Compassion in Leadership ✨

44:42 Understanding Psychological Safety 🤝

51:58 Embracing Inclusion and Diversity 🌍

54:39 The Future of Work and Collaboration 🔮

01:06:18 Navigating Imposter Syndrome and Leadership 🌱

01:13:03 Curiosity as a Superpower 🔑

01:13:54 Outro 💛

📲 Connect with us on LinkedIn:

Michael Jenkins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-jenkins-88342213/

Omar Al Mamlouk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-al-mamlouk

🌍 Follow the CORE Impact Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms, where each week I speak with change-makers about mental well-being, conscious communication, inclusive leadership, and the future of work.

Because transformation doesn’t start at the surface. It starts at the CORE.