Practicing Empathy in Your Professional Life

In my previous post, I talked about empathy: why it’s so important during these difficult times, how it helps others, and what the three types of empathy are. Here I would like to discuss the distribution of empathy; how to lead with empathy; how to act with empathy. Understanding the Distribution of Empathy Empathy is a primordial human trait - as is altruism. Unfortunately for many of us the inherent psychological and biological necessity to share and share alike is not being met. Previously, we as a people, relied on each other to build, nourish, and grow as a community. [...]

Leslie Saul

Why Empathy is So Important During a Crisis

Let's talk about empathy and why maintaining your ability to empathize is so important - especially now. We as a nation, as a people, and as individuals have been in a continuous state of crisis. The world is on fire and we are getting burned. The salve is our empathy. We wear our masks to protects others, we protest on behalf of the well-being of the downtrodden and oppressed, and we fight for change, reform, and progress on behalf of those who cannot. Now, more-than-ever is the time lead by example and lead with empathy. Empathy on a global scale [...]

Leslie Saul

Professional Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Raise your hand if you’re overwhelmed and not practicing personal or professional self-care. Workplace pressures were raised to a new level during the pandemic, and the cracks are showing. We’re being asked to work remotely or work in environments that feel risky to our health. Our childcare has disappeared and the gym is closed. Restaurants and movie theaters are shuttered. Museums and libraries are locked down. Friends and coworkers are locked down too – there are no happy hours or evening get-togethers, no play dates, or girls' nights. When our self-care outlets are closed off the message becomes: ignore the [...]

Leslie Saul

Personal Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

In the last few weeks, how many times have you had to remind yourself to take a slow, deep breath? How often have you steadied yourself against a piece of furniture, or taken a walk just to feel the sun on your face? These tiny moments are expressions of our deep need for self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The last few months have shaken us. We are scared. We are distraught. We don’t know what happens next, and the possibilities make us feel fragile. We are also survivors. This year has confronted us with a lot of hard truths, and [...]

Leslie Saul

A Primer for Having Tough Conversations in a Divisive World

Black Lives Matter. Trans Lives Matter. Politics. COVID-19. The headlines are inescapable and often deeply disturbing. We have become non-stop witnesses to police brutality and civil unrest. We are marching in the streets and we are hiding inside our homes. The world has never been more stress-inducing, and the weight brings all of us down at times. There are tough conversations taking place, but they mostly consist of shouting—the fights we find online mirror the ones we are having with family and friends. It can feel impossible to take a step back, draw in a deep breath, and create a [...]

Leslie Saul

Life After the Pandemic – What Comes Next?

COVID-19 is an all-encompassing global phenomenon, forcing us indoors and behind masks. It seems to have touched everything. It has drastically affected our economies and employment rates. It has disrupted schools, colleges, and universities. It has shuttered thousands of businesses and damaged the global food supply. As of June 2020, coronavirus has killed nearly 400,000 people with over 6.5 million confirmed cases. The road to recovery after the pandemic will be a long and complicated one. There is good news. In some countries, disease rates are finally dropping. And, here in the U.S., some states are bravely reopening in stages. [...]

Leslie Saul

The Art of Self Expression: How to Master It

It’s not easy to express ourselves. It’s especially tough when we worry that speaking our truth is going to result in something bad. Discipline at work. A rift with our spouse. A break with our family. A misunderstanding with a colleague. Societal condemnation is ready to pounce for revealing TOO much, for feeling too strongly, for being too loud. I work with many people struggling with the art of self expression. And I hear some version of this often: “I don’t feel good. But I also don’t know how to change the way I’m feeling.” Change is possible! Let’s talk [...]

Leslie Saul

Coffee Talk: 5 Tips to Rock a Personal Chat

I love to talk. Nothing fuels me more than a good sit-down with a friend or a client. Just call me Linda Richman, with a deep and abiding love for a quality personal chat. We gain so much from these conversations with the people we care about. It’s a sweet reminder that connection is something that grounds us and brings us together. Connecting In Personal Chat In deep conversation, we tend to A) process experience by talking through it, and B) do the same for the other person. I probably don’t have to tell you this, but there is a [...]

Leslie Saul

How to Spin Rage into Useful Connection

You know the scenario. You’re in the middle of a conversation with a friend when, for one reason or another, things start to go south. You feel misunderstood or manipulated, maybe unheard or minimized. Tension builds in your gut and in a split second, it happens: you disconnect. This is where things get really dicey because the human brain is a great storyteller even when it doesn’t have all the facts. Left to its own devices, your mind starts weaving a web of frustrated and insecure thoughts. Active listening has pretty much gone out the window by now, the other [...]

Leslie Saul

Managing Rage: The Emotional Go-Bag

In the Midwest, y’all have a plan in place for tornadoes. You likely have a basement, some non-perishable goods, and an evacuation procedure for large buildings. In California, families discuss where to go if a wildfire sparks nearby. Your communities have designated shelters. There are retirement funds and the paying off of student loans. We plan for the future! It can all make us feel quite secure. But in the meantime, even with planning, life happens. We get fired from a solid job. A marriage ends. Car accidents and deaths occur with less frequency, but these moments and experiences rock [...]

Leslie Saul

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