Today’s workplace is evolving faster than ever. With rising burnout, disengagement, and distrust, employees are searching for something deeper—a work environment where they feel valued, connected, and motivated. Leaders who cultivate empathic leadership are uniquely positioned to meet these challenges head-on.

From high attrition rates to the complexities of hybrid and remote work, organizations are struggling to maintain strong connections among teams. When employees feel isolated, they naturally start looking for a way forward—sometimes by seeking new opportunities elsewhere. But the solution isn’t just about better perks or policies. It’s about leadership that prioritizes genuine human connection.

Companies like EY (Ernst & Young) recognize this shift. In a recent episode of The Happy At Work Podcast, EY Vice Chair of Talent Management, Ginnie Carlier, shared how the company is embracing empathic leadership as a core strategy. By fostering an environment where employees feel seen and supported, EY empowers both individuals and teams to take ownership of their well-being while ensuring leaders have the tools to guide with empathy and clarity.

When leaders develop the ability to listen deeply, communicate openly, and lead with presence, they create a workplace culture that isn’t just productive—it’s resilient, engaged, and thriving. Empathic leadership isn’t just a trend; it’s the foundation of sustainable success in the modern workplace.

For companies to truly integrate empathic leadership, it cannot be treated as an “add-on” training or reduced to a communication technique. Empathy is not something leaders learn—it’s something they remember.

As human beings, empathy is our natural state, but over time, unhelpful conditioned thinking has overwritten this innate ability. Reconnecting with empathy requires self-awareness—the ability to observe and understand one’s own thoughts, emotions, words, and actions in real time. It also requires body awareness, as physical stress is often a sign that we are operating from old, reactive patterns rather than a place of clarity.

Mindfulness is the key. By intentionally paying attention—without judgment—leaders can build the self-awareness muscle needed to recognize when they are operating from stress and conditioned habits rather than presence and clarity.

When a leader understands how their body responds under pressure, they can catch themselves in the moment—whether handling a difficult conversation with an employee or responding to an angry customer. Instead of reacting from habit, they respond with calm, clarity, and confidence—qualities that inspire trust and create a more resilient, engaged workplace.

Empathic leadership isn’t about following a script—it’s about leading with awareness, authenticity, and presence.

When we were born, we came into the world with a natural state of presence—fully aware, curious, confident, and open-hearted. We had an unconditioned mind, free from fear, doubt, and limitation. This was our original self, the foundation from which we naturally learned, connected, and experienced life.

But over time, that changed.

Around the age of four, we began developing what most people today call the “logical” or “thinking” mind—what psychology and neuroscience might refer to as the conditioned or ego mind. This mind doesn’t generate new awareness; instead, it pulls from past experiences, shaping our beliefs, reactions, and perceptions based on what we’ve been exposed to. By the time we reach 25, this conditioned mind becomes our default way of operating. It’s what we rely on to navigate life—but at a cost.

In Western culture, we’ve become so dependent on this conditioned mind that we’ve lost touch with our original self. We overanalyze, overthink, and react instead of experiencing life directly. As a result, stress, anxiety, depression, and emotional reactivity have skyrocketed, not just in individuals, but across entire societies.

But here’s the good news: You are not your conditioned mind. You can reconnect with the clarity, peace, and presence of your original self—and when you do, you’ll discover a way of living that’s free from struggle, reactive emotions, and suffering.

True leadership isn’t about mastering a set of scripted behaviors—it’s about embodying authenticity. The foundation of empathic leadership is self-awareness: the willingness to recognize and release conditioned thoughts, emotions, words, and actions that no longer serve us or those around us.

When leaders do this inner work, they naturally reconnect with their original self—a state of clarity, presence, and ALOHA. From this foundation, leadership becomes less about managing and more about inspiring. People feel seen, heard, and valued—not because of carefully chosen words, but because of the leader’s genuine presence.

This kind of leadership isn’t optional in today’s world—it’s essential. Across industries, organizations thrive when leaders cultivate trust, transparency, and collaboration. Empathic interactions—rooted in active listening and speaking truth—build that trust. Teams become more engaged, workplace dynamics improve, and communication barriers dissolve.

Empathic leadership isn’t about avoiding difficult conversations—it’s about transforming them. When leaders operate from their original self, they bring confidence and clarity to any situation, knowing they can find fresh, effective solutions. Rather than sidestepping challenges, they navigate them with ease, fostering a culture where employees feel safe, motivated, and empowered.

At its core, this is simply the result of mindfulness and awareness—leading not from habit, but from presence.

The Leading with Empathy program is built on a foundation of time-tested secular wisdom and modern science. It integrates insights from Buddhist mindfulness-awareness practices, Tibetan psychology and philosophy, the Shambhala teachings, Hawaiian culture and ALOHA, indigenous wisdom traditions, non-dualism, and quantum mechanics.

At the heart of these teachings is a simple yet profound truth: there is an innate source of wisdom, courage, and goodness within each of us—what Hawaiʻi calls ALOHA. The ancient Shambhala teachings refer to this as the way of the warrior—not in terms of conflict, but as a path of fearlessness, presence, and deep inner strength.

Through the practice of true meditation—which can be done anywhere, at any time—we learn to reconnect with this natural state. When leaders cultivate this presence within themselves, they are able to bring more clarity, harmony, and resilience into their lives, their teams, and their organizations.

Employees that experience empathy from their leaders are known to experience less burnout, more motivation, and increased work-life balance. A Catalyst survey of nearly 900 employees also found that empathy is an important driver of innovation, engagement, and inclusion. Here are some of the survey’s most impactful findings:

Higher Employee Engagement. 76% of employees with highly empathic leaders report they are often or always engaged, compared to only 32% of employees with less empathic leaders.

Increased Innovation. 61% of employees with highly empathic leaders report they are more innovative at work compared to only 13% with less empathic leaders.

Higher Retention. Data shows that practicing empathy increases women’s sense that their individual life circumstances are valued and respected has downstream consequences for attrition, significantly increasing women’s intentions to stay at their job

Increased Inclusivity. 50% of people with highly empathic leaders report often or always experiencing inclusion at work, compared to only 17% of those with less empathic leadership.

Better work-life balance. 86% of employees who feel that their leaders are more empathetic report being much more able to balance work obligations with family and personal obligations, compared to 60% with less empathic leaders.

These findings show how critical empathetic leadership is in building a healthier, engaged, and motivated workforce. Genuine empathy allows leaders to connect with their people on a deeper level to understand their values and motivators. This enables leaders to create the right work environment needed for their happiness, productivity, and performance.

• Senior- to mid-level professionals who are committed to implementing creative strategies and practices to position their organizations at the forefront of innovation

• Engaged leaders who are committed to developing their management skills and approaches to optimize team performance

• Enterprising professionals who wish to collaborate with other self-motivated individuals and value an exchange of diverse perspectives, to drive change

• Emerging leaders who want to up-level their career trajectory and master the foundations of impactful leadership

Per person program fee: $525
21 weekly pre-recorded on-demand classes.
Each pre-recorded class lasts approximately 60-minutes.
Following each class, find recommended study materials and practice guidelines.
Ask questions of or share realizations with the teacher weekly during live online group gatherings.
Connect directly with the broader community of trainees for further discussions, review, & socializing.
Repeat the classes that you complete as many times as you wish at no additional cost.
Attend a week-long meditation retreat with other trainees at an additional cost.
Access the teacher for one-to-one guidance, help, and insight when needed.
Continue your training with further material at no additional cost.