Empathy &

The desire and necessity for connection is at the heart of the empathic relationship, but not all relationships are the same. In this episode we discuss the forms and characteristics of empathic relationships. Find me at Michael Evans: The Mindful Empath on FB!

We continue to discuss Growth vs Fixed mindset and specifically drill down into the temptation of certainty. On our way we will talk about validation, synchronicities, and how we can balance these things as an empath. Find me at Michael Evans: The Mindful Empath on FB!

For a long long time the conventional wisdom in the scientific community was that, at some point in maturity, human adults were unable to generate new neurons and/or neural pathways. This is not the case! Part 5 of the Mindful Empath series. We will continue on our journey of discovery on the intersection between mindfulness and the empathic imperative. This week we will be digging into the Growth Mindset and how it can help redefine how we learn from our emotions and experiences. Find me at Michael Evans: The Mindful Empath on FB!

What does it mean to have "beginner's mind" and how does that inform a discipline of mindfulness? We will discuss this concept and how we can find it in some sources you might not expect! Find me at Michael Evans: The Mindful Empath on FB!

Emotions are instinctual and fundamental. Feelings are the stories we tell ourselves about those emotions. they aren't always completely true. In this session we will start our discussion on Mindfulness and begin laying down the foundation for its benefit to the empath. Find me at Michael Evans: The Mindful Empath on FB!

Week 1 of 8 - Empathy Matters! In the first installment we will do a quick primer on all things empath/empathy. We will discuss the neurobiological origin of this phenomenon and how it informs our social and spiritual life. Find me at Michael Evans: The Mindful Empath on FB!

I hope you'll forgive the Neil Diamond reference. I am a TRUE fan! This week, after a long hiatus, I reintroduce myself and give some insight on some opportunities that will be coming up to get involved. Over the years I've had to reinterpret what it means to be "called". This is me, in short order, redefining my call and removing the religious trappings that come with it! Please join the conversation. You can get in touch with me at empathyand@gmail.com or the following sites: Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook Empathy & on Instagram

This week I am so honored to share a conversation that I had with Dr. Aaron Brown. Dr. Brown is a Psychiatrist and Pastor of a small progressive Christian Church outside of Dallas, Tx. He has a passion for creating safe and accepting space for people on the margins...and that passion is infectious! He recently preached a sermon entitled "Renewing the Mind, Your Racist Ass Amygdala". Let's just say that caught my attention!! I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Dr. Brown regarding Implicit Bias and how we can counteract its racism. Enjoy! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook Empathy & on Instagram

Inspired by a FB post regarding how Meditation CAN work in a healthy, non spiritual bypassing way...I decided to give it my spin. Here's an Empathy & Bonus Meditation about, well....meditation and healing. I hope you enjoy it! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook Empathy & on Instagram

Hey y'all... I took a break from the manuscript process again today to tell you about my Mom. She was a BEAUTIFUL soul who emulated empathy and service to others to me and everyone in her vicinity. Maybe my story, her story, will resonate with you in some way. Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook Empathy & on Instagram

Are you taking care of yourself? No, really...are you proactively taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health in a way that if tragedy or tribulation were to strike you'd be prepared? In this episode I discuss what I feel is one of the better ways to understand the preventative nature of good self care. https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-self-care-is-and-what-it-isnt-2/ Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook Empathy & on Instagram

In this episode we are going to talk a bit more about the call to adventure…and how curiosity is its bedrock. We will do so with the help of some friends. Well…. heroes of my own, to be more specific. Edison, Emerson, Angelou, Kerouac, O’Keeffe, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Dr. Daniela Schiller Article https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/snakes-in-the-mri-machine/ Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

This is in response to a question on the FB page from my friend Ursula. We talk about what it means to be grounded and present, how we can tune our empathy to discern our own emotions versus the emotions of others, and perhaps how we can open our eyes to the connectedness of humanity...rather than seeing our relationships as transactional. Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Distance does NOT have to mean isolation. I take a few minutes to talk about how to approach this current challenge with love and empathy. Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

I'm baaaaaack....with a lovely Malbec and some updates! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Sometimes you need to raise your hand, excuse yourself, and take a break. That's what I'm doing here. See you in March! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Join me for an unscripted and unedited 15 minutes on the hard work of raising the collective energy around us...  Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Hey y'all... It's been a week...join me for an unscripted and unedited 15 minutes... There's whiskey involved. Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Welcome to the New Year!! I initially had intended for this episode to be a review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker...but as I was reading and researching I felt that a discussion surrounding The Hero's Journey was more appropriate. In this episode I discuss the hallmark stages of the Journey by using three well known stories. This is an introduction to a 3 part series on using The Hero's Journey as a device for self exploration. Enjoy! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

This is the final episode of 2019! Today we finish up our 4 week series on Advent. In this conclusion we wrap everything together with emergence. In emergence we find a framework of evolution and change that helps us understand what this time of the year is all about. And, as always, we discuss how empathy can be a powerful catalyst for this emergence.  "The power of empathy is not just evident in a changed and more noble interior life…it is in the revolution of love and care that will inevitably emerge from it." Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

This is our 3rd of a 4 week discussion on Advent and change. We talk about Spiritual Bypassing and how it affects our ability to function in a healthy manner and experience true joy.  Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

This is our 2nd of a 4 week discussion on Advent and change. We talk winter solstice, spiral dynamics, and understanding faith as a verb. Enjoy!  Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

In what direction do we change? Does that seem like an odd question? Have you ever considered that we really just circle back to the same challenges in order to learn old lessons in new ways? I think you're right...and I also think that our intrinsic power of empathy can be the catalyst we need to enact change in our lives. This week we talk about this season of Advent...through the lens of Spiral Dynamics. Enjoy! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

What better time to talk about gratitude then Thanksgiving week!  In this episode we talk about some of the benefits of living a life of gratitude and how to cultivate it in your own life. Please join the conversation by visiting us! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

HeartCraft is an exploration of empathy through the arts. In every episode we will use music, poetry, prose, or audio drama to uncover deeper truths about empathy and connection. In this first episode I share a cover of the Brandi Carlile song, If There Was No You. when I see myself I’m seeing you too as long as I remember and I'm feeling like I knew that my jokes aren't funny the truth isn't true if there was no you if you were my boat in the deep blue sea I probably sink you down I know I should have thanked you for carrying me but for you I will happily drown All along your way the darkest night the longest day I know what to say to make you laugh and nothing you could do could make me turn my back on you when you're looking for a fight I'm your man when you need a friend you got my hand And what I really mean what I'm trying hard to say is that I'm counting on you and you got me too my secrets aren't safe I'm singing out of tune if there was no you if there was no you All along your way darkest night the longest day I know what to say to make you laugh and nothing you could do could make me turn my back on you when you're looking for a fight I'm your man when you need a friend you got my hand when you need a friend you got my hand you got my hand https://www.unmask.us/songwriters-c-e/brandi-carlile/ If you would like to contribute to the next episode of HeartCraft send me an email at empathyand@gmail.com I look forward to collaborating and sharing my mic with you! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Friendship is the proving ground of love. It is in these relationships where we spend an inordinate amount of time practicing our empathic skills and honest vulnerability. Join me for a quick episode of Empathy Alphabet to discuss!! In this episode of Empathy Alphabet we discuss the power of loving friends! Empathy & Website Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Empathy is not just a way to relate to people, but a form and avenue to knowledge. It is IMPOSSIBLE to fully commit yourself to a life of empathy and not be changed by what you learn. In this episode we discuss this with the help of work of Harper Lee and the words of Socrates.  Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

This is a new type of Empathy & episode...every once in a while I plan on sharing poems, songs, excerpts from books and authors that have been instrumental in my knowledge of empathy and spirit. I hope you enjoy this brief riff on an author whom I adore. I have grown to love the work of John O'Donohue. He was an author, poet, priest, and keeper of Celtic Spirituality. His book Anam Cara has been fundamental to my understanding of how empathy interacts with the divine. In this episode I contemplate this beautiful prayer from his book To Bless The Space Between Us, "May I live this day compassionate of heart, clear in word, gracious in awareness, courageous in thought, generous in love." Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

Empathy & offers up a new type of episode for your morning commute! Grab your coffee or tea and get on your way with the help from a meditation and mantra on the theme of Moving Forward. The fear and anxiety that we all face in the changing landscape of the road ahead can seem scary, but if we move forward in confidence, and towards wholeness and empathy, we will find the journey is worth it. I hope you enjoy this short meditation and mantra to start your day. Peace! Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

In this episode I sit down with Fran Pratt, Worship and Liturgy Pastor at Peace of Christ Church in Round Rock, Texas. She's been creating liturgy and writing litanies for the last 3 years and recently published a book!! Call and Response: Litanies for Congregational Prayer is a wonderful resource for both corporate settings and personal meditation. You can support her work, and gain an invaluable resource, by going to her Patreon. Empathy & on Patreon Empathy & on Facebook

What does it mean to encourage someone? How might our empathic superpower help us to do so? Join me for a quick episode of Empathy Alphabet to find out! Empathy & Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon

In this episode I discuss how living a life of intention, rather than expectation, will help us come to a place where we might suffer less and empathize more and how we can cultivate healthy attachments with ourselves and others…along the way we will discuss how our egos are connected to expectations and how that might hinder our ability to connect with those around us. Empathy & Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon

Detachment, or non-attachment, is a way of looking at life that allows us to minimize our suffering. In this episode I talk about the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism and how learning about non-attachment has helped me in my endeavor to live more empathically. Empathy & Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon

Rev. Preston Cox is a musician, ordained minister, life coach, marketer of a petting zoo, and a new author! His book, A Big Little Something, is a lovely meditation on lovingkindness. It is a children's book, and as such is an invaluable resource to teach our young ones love, kindness, and empathy. In this episode we discuss Preston's journey to becoming a Children's Author and how the concept of empathy has influenced him along the way. You can find his book on Amazon. Please consider buying a copy or two (you can always donate to your local Library)! Check out his website by clicking on the link in his name to see what else he is up to! Empathy & Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon

It's been a while since we checked in on Empathy Alphabet!! Today we finally get around to C. C is for Connection. We talk about how we can consider ourselves, our family, our neighbors, and even people we've never met all around the world with a Lovingkindness meditation. You might even get a sneak peek at what's coming up in the next episode of Empathy &! Empathy & Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon

We are back! I am rejuvenated, restored, and ready to go! I was recently asked to lead a Facebook Live Workshop on the theme of Empathy & The Empath...I share the audio here. I apologize for the subpar recording, but I think you'll really dig it. Some of it is refresher, but I add new twists. I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget the Patreon page! If you are interested in supporting this podcast you can do so for as little as $3 a month....easy, right?  Empathy & Website Empathy & Podcast Community on Facebook @empathyandpod on IG and Twitter

We are taking a break y'all! And by we I mean me and the family are going to chill for the next few weeks so I thought I'd take the month of July to refresh and re-energize. But there's NEWS!!! First, this podcast has broken the 1,000 download mark.....THANK YOU! I am so glad that this little podcast has made an impression, and I plan to continue soldiering on with the message of EMPATHY and LOVE! Second, I recently started a Patreon page and I discuss the different levels of investment in this episode. Thanks for listening and have a GREAT July! Empathy & Website Empathy & Podcast Community on Facebook @empathyandpod on IG and Twitter

We've all had experiences of resonance with friends, partners, and spouses where we can finish each other's sandwiches....I mean, sentences. In close relationships we can get to a level where we are able to predict and know what the other is thinking and feeling. That's part of empathy, right? Well...sure. But we've all had the misfortune of being misunderstood and unheard. Sometimes we can take the mind reading too far. In this episode we uncover what's happening there, and how we might be able to figure out how to go about it in a better way! www.empathyand.com @empathyandpod on Twitter and Instagram

This is my conversation with Rev. Aurelia Davila Pratt. We talked about the contagious nature of empathy, the personal craft of preaching, and the divine nature in us all. You can find out more information about Aurelia and her congregation at www.peacewilco.com. We reference a sermon that she was writing at the time... you can find the audio of that sermon, “The Heart isn’t Deceitful”, at their website or here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-of-christ-sermons/id1445454837 NOTE: I am learning as I go along!! You might need to turn the volume up for the conversation after the introduction! 

 This week we consider the science of listening and how we can harness the immense power of our brains to assist in engaging each other in empathy. How is it that we are so easily distracted during conversations, and what are some mindful techniques to slow ourselves down.  Come join in the conversation at empathyand.com

 I believe that we are all built with an instinctual ability to understand each other…across cultures, races, and genders….through the power of empathy. In this episode I continue to describe how this understanding fits into my identity as and empath. It's a combination of science and the esoteric. Come join in on the conversation at empathyand.com

This episode was recorded the week before Easter 2019. In it we discuss a few of the Biblical references to the Jesus story and how empathy is plays out in the life of the Jewish Rabbi from Nazareth.

I have been called sensitive my entire life. Over time I've come to understand that my sensitivities give me a different perspective on, and a heightened understanding of others emotions. I've had some really strange encounters, and the only way I can explain it is to call it what it is. I'm an empath. This is the first installment of many where I discuss what that means to me. Join in the conversation at www.empathyand.com

What happens when our brains get flooded with stress hormones too much? Can we condition ourselves to primarily see danger? Is it possible to rewire our instinct, through mindfulness and meditation, to make our emotional response serve us properly...rather than drive us to anxiety? Today we discuss this as we learn of the story of Lou Williams, journeyman NBA player and McDonald's fan.

 This week I am contemplating the stories we tell ourselves and others…..and why we just might want to remove the word WHY out of our vocabulary. We also discuss the 4 myths of vulnerability popularized by Dr. Brené Brown in her book Daring Greatly.

Relax, find a place to sit quietly for 10 minutes, and join Michael in a guided meditation along the beach.

There is so much more to cover, so you get another round of Empathy & Emotions! We talk through the Buddhist concepts of impermanence and detachment as well as introduce meditation as a valuable tool in the work of empathy. 

In this episode we discuss bravery by listening to the story of Malala  Yousafzai. How can we utilize our superpower of empathy to enhance our own bravery and magnify the bravery of those around us?

This is a big one! We discuss the difference between emotions and feelings and how they correspond to the parts of the brain that inform empathy.  I also give a perspective on how to minimize taking on others emotions as a possible side effect to empathy.

We kick off our tour around the alphabet by discussing what it looks like when we are afraid, and how we can use our empathy with others when we see they need help.

In this episode we define empathy and get in to what it means to be "hardwired" for it. We'll unravel the mystery of the empathic brain and discuss mirror neurons.

Empathy is a superpower, and you have it! Join host Michael Scott Evans as he dives in to the worlds of neuroscience, biology, sociology, and spirituality to uncover the depths of our ability to connect to each other!