The Journey of Realizing Empathy

In our final episode for the season, we host William (Bill) Weber, Co-Founder of Community at Work. Bill shares stories from the time when he struggled to empathize with his twin brother. Guest Bio: Bill Weber is an accomplished senior executive retired from a 34 year career at DuPont and a recognized Change Agent - who has repeatedly led teams into a new direction. He has broad experience including portfolio general management, marketing, strategic planning, cross-border business development, and new technology adoptions in a wide variety of industrial applications in chemicals, polymers and fabricated products. Since retirement, he has applied his practical experience combined with his strengths in personal/organizational dynamics in roles including board membership, executive/peer-to-peer/organizational coaching and/or business transition consulting. He targets situations that target strategic, societal and sustainable improvements, especially where innovative Collective Impact models can be deployed across diverse stakeholder groups (e.g. private, not-for-profit, public, philanthropic). He is growing into his new role as a Network Entreprenuer - especially when it can help connect underserved demographics into Living Wage careers.  Bill calls Richmond, Virginia home and serves on Board/Advisory roles for the Sacred Heart Center, Communities In Schools of Richmond, the Collaboratory of Virginia, Goodwill of Central Viriginia and the VCU Innovation Gateway.  He is married and is the proud father of two, stepfather of one, and grandfather of two.  He enjoys tennis, the outdoors and a diverse mix of small group communities. Bill can be reached at: weberrva@gmail.com Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Jenn Grace, Founder and CEO at Publish Your Purpose Press. Jenn shares stories from the time when she struggled to empathize with her daughter and sister. Guest Bio: Jenn T. Grace is a nationally recognized business strategist, speaker, and author. Guided by the mantra, “Change happens in business,” Jenn believes social change happens first in the workplace before spilling over into mainstream society. She has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. Jenn passionately believes the more raw and real we can be—the deeper the connections we can experience. This drives her fierce commitment to bring voice to the invisible stories that free people from their isolation. She is committed to giving underrepresented voices power and a stage to share their stories, speak their truth, and impact their communities. She is the Founder of Publish Your Purpose Press, a publishing company that includes the PYP Academy, with programs that teach aspiring authors how to publish their books. In addition to publishing 60+ books that share the stories of others, Jenn has written six, including her memoir, House on Fire (September 2020). A marathon runner, animal lover, and novice birder. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Jenn can be reached at: https://www.publishyourpurposepress.com or jenntgrace on social media channels Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Joshua Haynes, Founder and Managing Partner at Masawa Fund. Joshua shares stories from the time when he struggled to empathize with his mother. He also shares his own journey through mental illness. Guest Bio: Joshua Haynes is Founder + Managing Partner at Masawa, the mental wellness impact fund. After a long journey learning to approach his own issues of depression, anxiety, and addiction stemming from a rough childhood and being raised on welfare by a single mother, Joshua founded Masawa to help address mental illness, a silent epidemic that is the leading cause of disability worldwide and will cost $16T by 2030. Joshua believes that after society is more mentally well by focusing on the internal first, it can overcome the seemingly intractable problems like climate change, poverty, and injustice. Over the past 20 years, Joshua has focused on the intersection of innovation, technology, and social impact. He has worked for both the US and Swedish governments, managing a portfolio of $190 million in innovative social impact grant funding in emerging and frontier market countries targeting poverty alleviation, civil society, human rights, and technology. Joshua holds degrees from Boston University and The Fletcher School, Tufts University. He has worked in 37 countries, speaks 7 languages well (pretends in many more), and lives in Berlin with his husband and two children. Joshua can be reached at: https://masawa.fund @masawafund, @joshuahaynes (instagram + twitter) Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Ahmed Khattak, Founder and CEO of US Mobile. Ahmed shares stories from the time when he struggled to empathize with his father and his son. He also shares a story from a time when he struggled to empathize with his employees under lockdown working from home. Guest Bio: Ahmed is the CEO and founder of US Mobile which is a prepaid carrier with the best cell phone plans and unlocked phones. The average monthly phone bill is $15. No contract or credit check needed. In 2004, Pakistani born Ahmed Khattak arrived in America, his intentions – to play squash for Yale University and take an advantage of the full academic scholarship which the university offered. Arriving at a new territory, Khattak’s prime concern was to buy a cell phone through which he could keep in touch with his family in Pakistan. He was however disappointed that no one would sell him a cell phone, reason -  Khattak had no Social Security number nor established credit to get a cell phone service contract. Fast forward a few years, in 2007, the Yale student stayed briefly in London United Kingdom for an internship. While in Europe, Khattak observed that Europeans had the alternative to use cell phones free of contracts. He compared this to what applied in American – “I thought, why can’t America be like this?”. That right there was his eruka moment! Ahmed can be reached at: https://usmobile.com Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Brinn Flagg, Founder and CEO of Awen. Brinn shares stories from the time when she struggled to empathize with her youngest sister who was using drugs. Brinn is launching the pilot program for Awen on May 1, be sure to email info@joinawen.com for more info or check out joinawen.com Guest Bio: Brinn is an entrepreneur, community creator, artist, and advocate in the substance use space. You might know her as the CEO of AWEN, podcast host of I Just Wanna Help, and Head of Community at an innovation consulting firm. She's the sister of a sister in long term recovery and her mission is to make it easier for families and loved ones of substance users to find the help they need. Brinn can be reached at: brinn@joinawen.com @joinawen joinawen.com Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Soojin Jun, Pharmacist and Patient Advocate. Soojin shares stories from the time when she struggled to empathize with a healthcare worker who was tending to her ailing father. Guest Bio: Soojin is an empathy believer and a patient advocate. She is passionate about patient safety and strongly believes in empathy as the solution for messy healthcare that puts patients in danger without being accountable. Soojin can be reached at: jun.soojin@gmail.com http://linkedin.com/in/soojin-jun Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Tarek Kouddous, the Founder of Radical Empathy. Tarek shares stories from the time when he struggled to empathize with his colleagues while trying to bring about organizational change. Guest Bio: Tarek grew up in Cairo, Egypt and moved to Washington, DC in 2013 to attend George Washington University, studying political science and film. Upon graduating, he worked at a consulting firm as a federal emergency management consultant. After facing a behaviorally challenging year when his inflated self-importance stifled his self-awareness, Tarek departed from that role in November 2019 to self-explore and find himself. Tarek realized the necessity of emotional intelligence and safe places to optimize individual and group performance. During that challenging year, Tarek coped with the nightlife in search of purpose, neglecting boundaries of others. Tarek blamed the world for the pain of his world. Tarek is now compelled to activate the daylife and align people’s footprint and community identity. In April 2020, Tarek formed Radical Empathy as a placemaking startup that vitalizes people’s hyper-local sense of community belonging in both neighborhood and workhood. As Managing Director, Tarek is a space activator and place shaper who curates artwork, fabricates co-creative events, and facilitates organizational cohesion. Tarek prioritizes conviction, grit, and grace over competence, skill, and past performance. Tarek believes in therapy, both of a therapist and of pen to paper. Living through the 2011 Egyptian Revolution where he manned his civilian checkpoint from 8PM - 8AM daily, Tarek witnessed an uprising succeed and a revolution fail. Tarek is in favor of evolution to evoke change, rather than revolution to revolt against it. No matter the medium, Tarek is obsessed with storytelling and compelled to transform space into place. Tarek can be reached at: tarek@radicalempathynow.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarek-a-kouddous-319704137/ https://www.instagram.com/radicalempathynow/ Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Shannon Kenny, the Founder and CEO of Prontopia. Shanon shares stories from the time when she struggled to empathize with her mother, Carolyn Kenny, a world-renowned music therapist. Guest Bio: Social entrepreneur Shannon Kenny began her career as a historian after receiving a Master’s Degree in History from UCSB and has worked as a freelance writer, editor, and educator in the fields of history, social sciences, travel, and social change for over 20 years. Shannon is Founder and CEO of Prontopia, a technology startup that provides easy access to in-person help on-demand in 6 cities in Europe and the US. Shannon frequently had the need for a service like Prontopia as a mom traveling alone with 2 young children and also saw the need among her friends, her aging parents, and clients in city centers around the world. The Prontopia business model focuses on building community, and empowering people to utilize technology rather than the other way around. Prontopia is putting the people back in the equation because human services are tragically hard to come by in the digital age. Shannon advocates for greater industry recognition that we cannot dismiss the complexities and interdependencies of people, and the earth, as too difficult for technology solutions. Shannon can be reached at: shannon@prontopia.com Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Kelsey Crowe, the Founder of Empathy Bootcamp. Kelsey shares stories from the time when she struggled to empathize with the black community when Twitter blew up with the "white privilege" hashtag. Guest Bio: Kelsey Crowe is the lead author of the book There Is No Good Card for This: What to do and say when life is scary, awful  and unfair to the people you love. She founded and runs Empathy Bootcamp, a training company that creates and applies empathy frameworks for improving relationships at home and at work. She received her PhD in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, and lives in San Francisco. She hopes for a day when no one suffers alone simply for lack of confidence in how to connect with others.  Kelsey can be reached at: www.empathybootcamp.com  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseycrowe/​ kelsey@empathybootcamp.com  Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559​ In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Rob Volpe, the Founder and CEO of Ignite 360. Rob shares stories from the time when he struggled to empathize with his classmates who bullied him. Guest Bio: Rob Volpe founded Ignite 360 to deliver actionable strategy, grounded in meaningful consumer insights, presented through story and creative ways that drive results. As CEO, he leads a team of insights, strategy, and creative professionals serving the world’s leading brands across a range of industries. Rob is recognized as a thought leader in the role of empathy in marketing and the workplace. As part of that work, he developed The 5 Steps to Empathy. He frequently talks on the topic, is cited in media, and writes about building and applying empathy. His first book, Everyday Americans, which looks at his journey to understanding empathy through conversations with people across the United States, is scheduled to publish in January 2022. Rob can be reached at: www.ignite-360.com rob@ignite-360.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmvolpe/ Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In this episode, we host Harrison Okoye, the Founder and CEO of Facibus. Harrison shares stories from the time when he was a student in search of a job, when he struggled to empathize with employers who wouldn't hire him. Guest Bio: Harrison is the Founder and CEO of Facibus; a community-driven meta brand focused on providing products and services that make it easier for everyone to look after their well-being. In 2019, the idea of Facibus struck him after struggling to look after his physical, social, and mental well-being while working 7 days a week in New Jersey. In essence, his "quality of life" was nothing to write home about. Hence, since then, through Facibus, he has been working to connect people to what it means to be "well" via developing software, blogs/articles, nutraceuticals, brand partnerships and many more! Harrison is also a trained lawyer from Duke University, where he got his Master of Laws (LL.M) and the University of Kent in the UK, where got his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B).  Harrison can be reached at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrisonokoye/ https://facibus.co Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

In our inaugural episode, we host Pierre Powell, the President of PAMCO Investments Corp and Leadership Consultant. Pierre shares two stories from the time when he was in the Air Force, when he struggled to empathize with two of his co-workers. Guest Bio: Colonel John “Pierre” Powell, retired Air Force, is the President of a multi-specialty asset management corporation with concentration in wealth management. With a passion and history of leadership, Pierre started extensively coaching, consulting, and training around leadership and high performance in 2015.  His personal work has grown from his thesis regarding “crisis” leadership while a National Security Fellow at the JFK School of Management, Harvard. Pierre has been able to test and experiment with the crisis model while leading 4,500 troops in 28 locations in Afghanistan and, more recently, as the deputy director of Higher Education in Colorado. Regarding formal education, Pierre has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, two additional Masters Degrees in leadership and management, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Aerospace Engineering. Pierre is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and Fighter Pilot. While in the Air Force, he retired as the Vice-Commander of Air Forces in Afghanistan and the Logistics Commander of an F-15 fighter wing. He has been an executive advisor and aide to the Secretary of the Air Force; responsible for the Secretary’s reports to the President and Congress. Pierre has had other staff duties, including balancing a $180 billion budget submission to Congress and directing a $9B Foreign Military Sales program to Royal Saudi Air Force. He has led multiple aircraft accident boards and acted as on-scene commander for various crises. Pierre has 2,200 hours of F-15, AT-38, and RF-4C flight time and seven combat tours in the Middle East and Asia, having received the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, multiple Air Medals, and the Bronze Star. Pierre can be reached at: https://pierrepowell.com/ Music License: Where The Light Goes: License #67783979559 In Peace And Harmony: License #67783979559

First episode of "The Journey of Realizing Empathy" will be broadcast on 1pm ET Jan 13th (Wed).