The Genius of Empathy: Why It's One of the Skills We Most Need Right Now

Guest: Dr. Jorina Elbers Are you feeling overwhelmed by the constant barrage of distressing news? You’re not alone. In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Jorina Elbers, Director of the Trauma Recovery Project at the HeartMath Institute, sheds light on the hidden impact of secondary trauma — a crucial issue affecting many of us. Secondary trauma occurs when we overload from exposure to traumatic events through graphic news, social media, and other people’s personal stories. Many of us are deeply impacted by trauma inputs every time we open our smartphones. The stress can take a toll, creating brain fog, emotional numbness, sleeplessness, and more — and we may not know we are struggling with secondary trauma.  Like a circuit breaker pushed beyond its limits, Dr. Elbers explains how your mind and body can become overloaded from traumatic news. Join host Deborah Rozman and Dr. Elbers as they unpack how today’s constant influx of stress news is pushing people’s nervous system to the brink, leading to a range of physical and emotional symptoms. In this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize signs of secondary trauma and gain invaluable insights on how to rebalance your nervous system and release cumulative stress. Discover how to read your body’s stress signals and ready yourself with techniques that go beyond surface-level symptom management. This episode is a must-listen for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world, as well as those supporting loved ones through difficult times. Dr. Elbers helps you see how you have more control over your well-being than you may have thought possible. Tune in for an episode that offers hope and direction to help you move from nervous system dysregulation to regulation, empowerment, and healing. As a special bonus, the episode concludes with a guided heart meditation, led by Deborah, that you can use anytime you start to feel overwhelmed and to help you regulate your nervous system. About our guest: Dr. Jorina Elbers is a pediatric neurologist with clinical expertise in treating chronic stress and trauma. She is currently the Director of the Trauma Recovery Project at the HeartMath Institute and is the creator of HeartMath’s newest program, “HeartMath for Parents.” She was previously an assistant professor at Stanford University and has published over 20 peer-reviewed papers, with her most recent publications discussing nervous system dysregulation and how the body adapts to chronic stress or trauma.

Guest: Kute Blackson In this episode, we explore the concept of surrender, and our guest, Kute Blackson, talks about the magic of true surrender to your own highest self. He passionately debunks myths about surrender, that it’s a sign of weakness or passivity. Instead, he reveals it as a powerful act of courage that can lead to extraordinary personal growth and fulfillment. Kute is a celebrated transformational teacher and author of The Magic of Surrender: Finding the Courage to Let Go. He says that true surrender, as articulated by many sages, is not about surrendering to someone else or something outside of you. Rather, it involves releasing the attachments and desires dictated by the mind, personality, or ego. Through his own stories and personal experience, Kute discovered that true surrender is releasing the illusion of control and allowing life to unfold in unexpected and beautiful ways. Kute and host Deborah Rozman discuss how the process of surrender is about trusting our heart’s intuition and the guidance it offers. When we listen to the heart’s intelligent guidance, we are surrendering to something beyond the ego, and magic can unfold along with deeply fulfilling manifestations of what is possible. Kute and Deborah talk about the importance of meeting ourselves with grace, ease, and compassion as we learn how to let go. When we live life motivated or driven by the grip of the ego, we tend to live a limited life.  Kute’s profound wisdom and infectious enthusiasm will linger in your mind long after you finish listening to this episode. Listen in for an engaging and enlightening conversation as Kute shares insights about how we can each experience the magic of surrender. Prepare to be inspired! The episode closes with a heart meditation, led by Deborah Rozman, to help us connect with our heart’s intelligence and ask what insights, nudges, and intuition it might want us to hear for our next step.  About our guest:Kute Blackson is the author of The Magic of Surrender: Finding the Courage to Let Go. He is a beloved inspirational speaker and transformational teacher and speaks at countless events that he organizes around the world, as well as at outside events, including A-Fest, YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), and EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization). He is a member of the Transformational Leadership Council, a select group of one hundred of the world’s foremost authorities in the personal development industry. Winner of the 2019 Unity New Thought Walden Award, Blackson is widely considered a next-generation leader in the field of personal development. His mission is simple: To awaken and inspire people across the planet to access inner freedom, live authentically, and fulfill their true life’s purpose.

Guest: Justine Grosso, Ph.D. In this enlightening episode, we welcome Dr. Justine Grosso, a licensed psychologist and trauma expert who challenges the outdated notion that self-love is selfish or narcissistic. Dr. Grosso, known for her impactful work through her practice and popular Instagram page, @heydrjustine, joins our host, Deborah Rozman, to explore the crucial role of self-love in personal happiness and our capacity to love others.  Dr. Grosso and Deborah delve into the concept of developing a love language as it applies to our relationship with ourselves. They offer insights on breaking free from self-critical, judgmental inner dialogues and the habit of neglecting our own needs.  The conversation highlights how harsh self-treatment can hinder personal growth and lead to overwhelming stress.  They emphasize the importance of recognizing and nurturing the lifelong friendship we have with ourselves, a relationship that deserves love, care, and kindness. The discussion explores how cultivating a heart-based love language with yourself can unlock your personal growth and healing and release stuck energy. Instead of draining self-criticism, our experts advocate for self-soothing through self-compassion.  Dr. Grosso, drawing from her expertise in mind-body wellness and trauma-informed therapy, provides practical advice on initiating a new self-love language.  We invite you to listen in and gain valuable insights on transforming your relationship with yourself and learning how to practice self-compassion. Most of us can benefit from a deeper understanding of how this fundamental shift can positively impact our lives.  To close, Deborah Rozman takes us through a guided heart meditation where together we create a reservoir of heart energy we can draw from to help support our efforts to have more compassion and love for ourselves.  About our guest:  Dr. Justine Grosso is a licensed psychologist (NC and NY) and corporate wellness consultant. She is particularly passionate about helping people create the relationships, careers, and businesses they want through cutting-edge research on the neurobiology of stress, trauma, and relationships. Dr. Grosso received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Baylor University and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Duke Academic Medical Center, specializing in trauma and women’s health. Dr. Justine is the founder of the educational page @heydrjustine on Instagram and online courses for healing the nervous system and relational trauma. Her expertise has been featured in Vogue, National Geographic, and Newsweek, among many other publications. 

Guest: Dr. Mimi Guarneri Imagine a world where your doctor doesn’t just hear your heartbeat but empowers you to hear your own heart’s wisdom to improve your health. Our guest, Dr. Mimi Guarneri, president of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, is a world-renowned cardiologist and leader in integrative medicine.   In her book, The Heart Speaks, she talks about how the heart is a complex organ, possessing intelligence, memory, and decision-making abilities independent from the mind—and that healing the heart can have more to do with healing the mind and soul than we ever knew. In this podcast, she talks about why the world needs a revolution of love.  As a cardiologist, she explains how the toxic toll of stress is closing our hearts and silently eroding lifespans, yet traditional medicine often overlooks an important factor: our overwhelmed nervous systems that burden us with accumulated stress. Dr. Guarneri reveals how activating heart coherence can rebalance and stabilize the nervous system, leading to better health outcomes.  In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Guarneri exposes stress’s subtle yet detrimental impacts and how the heart’s natural healing potential can rewrite our well-being story.  Join Dr. Guarneri and host Deborah Rozman as they explore innovative approaches to “hacking” and regulating your nervous system to help you reverse the downward spiral of stress. Hear what these experts recommend and why they agree that it’s your heart that holds the key to a healthier, balanced life. Dr. Guarneri also shares how you’re giving a gift to yourself if you give yourself the opportunity to transform how your nervous system is responding. The nervous system was designed to save your life and improve your longevity. This is a wake-up call episode for anyone who wants to take control of their health and live a life free from the grip of stress. Dr. Guarneri says this isn’t just about health; it’s about revolutionizing how we love, think, and care for ourselves — and each other.  An episode bonus! Enjoy a guided heart meditation to co-create a reservoir of healing and compassionate heart energy for ourselves and others.  About our guest:  Ranked as the number one female physician in the U.S. embracing integrative medicine, Mimi Guarneri, M.D., FACC, ABOIM, is a renowned cardiologist focusing on integrative medicine for disease prevention and health promotion. Board-certified in Cardiovascular Disease, Internal Medicine, and Integrative Holistic Medicine, she serves on the Founding Board of the American Board of Physician Specialties in Integrative Medicine. Dr. Guarneri is the co-founder and medical director of Guarneri Integrative Health and president of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. An accomplished author, educator, and speaker, she has received numerous awards, including the Bravewell Physician Leadership Award and the Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award.

Guest: Spencer Taylor In this inspiring episode, Spencer Taylor joins host Deborah Rozman to talk about the power of love and compassion in war-torn areas. Spencer isn’t just talking philosophy — he’s bringing the power of heart to the streets in Ukraine, Rafah, Gaza, Syria, and other crisis zones. Spencer’s authenticity comes through as he shares candidly about how being in disaster zones has deeply affected him and why he had to make peace with death in order to fulfill this calling. He also shares why a 10-day trip to Ukraine turned into an eight-month experience.  Spencer talks about the disconnection between what’s shown in the media and what is happening in war-stricken areas. He shares about the warmth and love of people who invite him to tea in makeshift tents as bombs go off nearby and why it’s the children who inspire him the most. You will appreciate Spencer’s valuable insights about what love and compassion achieve and how refugees stay resilient. He observes how love creates an indescribable spark, which he views as a higher frequency that helps transmute the dark energy in these areas, creating a type of alchemy. Spencer inspires us to examine our own lives for how we can bring our love and compassion more to the street. This episode closes with a guided heart meditation led by Deborah on putting our love into action and reducing separation.  About our guest:  Spencer Taylor is the co-founder of Vybe Source, a self-help and self-appreciation company dedicated to helping individuals visualize themselves better every day. With its Instagram page rapidly approaching one million followers, Vybe Source has become a significant force in the self-improvement community. In addition to his entrepreneurial success, Spencer co-hosted popular podcasts, where he shared his insights and experiences with a wide audience. Spencer is also an accomplished documentary filmmaker, focusing on critical issues such as mental health, climate change, and education. His latest project, The Death of Recess, is set for release this summer. This film tackles the problems within global education systems and proposes innovative solutions to create a new paradigm for education. Beyond his media and entrepreneurial ventures, Spencer is deeply committed to humanitarian work. He travels extensively to volunteer with the Global Empowerment Mission, a leading disaster relief organization. Spencer and his team have provided vital aid to crisis zones worldwide, including Northern Gaza, Ukraine, Egypt, Brazil, Taiwan, Turkey, and Japan, bringing hope and essential supplies to those in need.

Guest: Judith Orloff, M.D. The world can feel so uncertain these days. The stress can leave us drained, worried, or even hopeless. But what if there is a healthier way to navigate through this? This episode explores the power of empathy and compassion with Dr. Judith Orloff, a bestselling author and UCLA psychiatrist. Her book, The Genius of Empathy, explains how cultivating these heart qualities isn’t just noble; it’s a smart way to process our challenges. Judith addresses important questions, like how can we begin to feel empathy for someone if we don’t like them. She and our host, Deborah Rozman, Ph.D., talk about the science of why empathy and compassion offer powerful healing effects and are regenerative for you, the people you interact with, as well as the greater world.  They explain why compassion can be misunderstood as a cover-all word for pity, excessive worry, or unmanaged empathy when we get sucked into others’ problems and drain our energy. Many people listening will appreciate Judith and Deborah for addressing the question: how can we learn to have empathy without absorbing someone else’s pain?  They also discuss how empathy and compassion work in tandem to combat polarization and blame. Judith and Deborah agree; it’s empathy and compassion that will finally bridge our societal divides and create real solutions. Hear what they say about this. The episode concludes with a guided meditation led by Deborah to help you connect with your heart and cultivate balanced empathy and compassion. Don’t miss this chance to gain valuable insights and practical wisdom for moving through our world with a more hopeful outlook. About our guest:  Judith Orloff, M.D., is a psychiatrist, empath, and author of the new book The Genius of Empathy (with a foreword by the Dalai Lama), which offers powerful skills to tap into empathy as a daily healing practice in your life and relationships. She also wrote The Empath’s Survival Guide and Emotional Freedom. Dr. Orloff is a New York Times bestselling author and a UCLA clinical faculty member. She synthesizes the pearls of conventional medicine with cutting-edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality. Dr. Orloff specializes in treating highly sensitive people in her private practice. She has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Oprah Magazine, and the New York Times.

Guest: Rollin McCraty, Ph.D. Are we truly interconnected? Can our thoughts and emotions impact the world around us? In this episode, our host, Deborah Rozman, talks with Rollin McCraty, Director of Research for the HeartMath Institute. Rollin and Deborah discuss exciting research exploring the link between heart rhythm coherence, Earth’s magnetic field, and humanity’s collective energy.  Rollin talks about a new citizen science project, inviting people around the world  (including our podcast listeners) to participate in a collective heart-focused meditation experiment radiating love and compassion into Earth’s magnetic field that will be happening in May 2024. You’ll hear about how this groundbreaking citizen science experiment will utilize a global network of sensors to detect subtle shifts in Earth’s magnetic field and how these shifts may contribute to a more peaceful and harmonious planet. Rollin explains how this experiment is part of the HeartMath Institute’s Global Consciousness Project 2.0 and its hypothesis that shifts in Earth’s magnetic field may be linked to human consciousness.   So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the world situation, be sure to listen in and experience the hope that this new research provides. The podcast closes with a guided collective heart meditation to cultivate more heart coherence in yourself and co-create a reservoir of coherent heart energy that we can all tap into when we need an uplift.  This episode is a must-listen for anyone who believes in the power of love and compassion to create positive change in our world. About our guest:  Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., is a globally recognized scientist and a leading researcher on the heart-mind connection and serves as Director of Research at the HeartMath Institute (HMI). Since the Institute’s inception in 1991, McCraty and his talented team have spearheaded groundbreaking research with extensive studies, exceeding dozens in number, exploring how to harness communication between the heart and brain to manage stress, cultivate coherence (a state of optimal physiological balance), and strengthen our connection to ourselves and others.  McCraty’s Google Scholar profile boasts over 250 publications, presentations, and patents spanning 25 years, with over 17,000 citations and a highly respected h-index score of 56. He is a pivotal figure in the Global Coherence Initiative. McCraty and his research team have designed a global network of sensors to monitor Earth’s magnetic field and its potential link to human consciousness. His research explores the possibility that these fields influence our bodies, emotions, and the very fabric of our connections to each other and the planet. His esteemed body of work appears in prestigious peer-reviewed journals and has captured the attention of major media outlets like CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America, and PBS. He actively contributes to various scientific societies, furthering our understanding of the heart’s profound influence on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Guests: Kyle Boyd and Leah Rush Be inspired as Kyle Boyd and Leah Rush share their remarkable story to heart coherence. Motivated by his deep desire to overcome intense anxiety, Kyle stumbled upon a life-changing solution. While exploring YouTube, he discovered Dr. Joe Dispenza talking about something called “heart coherence” to tap into our heart’s power and potential to shift out of anxiety and into a life of gratitude and peace. Deeply wanting that for himself, Kyle looked into how he could commit to practicing heart coherence for 30 days straight to help change his chronic anxiety. Leah joined him for support, thinking, “I can commit to something for 30 days…Let’s see if this works.” What started as their personal quest for more inner peace quickly snowballed into something much greater. Little did they know that their experience would start a momentum, inspiring over 50,000 individuals to join them in 30-day heart coherence challenges to release unwanted habits and open their hearts to joy and fulfillment. Join us as Kyle and Leah recount their transformative experiences and talk about the next 30-Day Heart Coherence Challenge, where we can join with others to build heart momentum in our own lives.  Listen in and learn how you can be part of this groundbreaking initiative and embark on your own journey toward greater coherence, well-being, and connection. Join the movement and transform your life from the inside out! This episode concludes with a guided heart coherence meditation to amplify the heart energy flowing through your system.  About our guests:  Kyle Boyd and Leah Rush are the creators of the growing 30-Day Heart Coherence Challenge on Facebook and YouTube and the Heart Coherence Collaborative on YouTube. Kyle is also a HeartMath® certified trainer. He creates heart-focused fellowships, facilitates men’s circles, and focuses on using the heart for reality, creation, recovery, relation, improvement, and igniting purpose, all the things that the heart can empower. Leah is a certified hypnotherapist and EFT practitioner helping women with trauma, anxiety, habit changes, and learning to self-love and trust their femininity. 

Guests: Owen Ward and Howard Martin In a world where love often seems forgotten, key figures in the HeartMath executive team, Howard Martin and Owen Ward, discuss with host Deborah Rozman the powerful vision of restoring love to the forefront of our collective awareness and co-creating a heart-based world. Hear their shared insights into reconnecting with the heart—a crucial antidote to the challenges humanity faces.  Amid escalating chaos and stressors that we’re all witnessing, Howard and Owen help provide a perspective that acknowledges the rapid planetary transformation unfolding all around us and how it is leading to a collective yearning for love’s intelligence. They also share exciting developments at HeartMath that will help to amplify the power of love and heart coherence. Owen explains how one moment of heart can change someone’s day, many moments of heart can change a life, and many people practicing many moments of heart can change a planet. There are already hundreds of millions of people around the world who recognize it’s a synergy of heart and mind—heart intelligence—that is needed to increase love in their own lives, relationships, communities, and the world.  So, how do we create more heart intelligence to help offset much of the distortion and chaos that we see? Howard and Owen share with us HeartMath’s groundbreaking developments for amplifying love and heart coherence. This episode closes with Deborah guiding us in a heart meditation to increase love in our mental, emotional, and physical systems and to co-create a reservoir of heart energy we can each tap into whenever life gets a bit overwhelming or we need a little extra support to follow our heart’s calling. Join us for a compelling conversation on how a deeper heart connection with oneself and others can go viral and help heal separation, which is needed to bring about sustainable positive change in our world.  About our guests:  Howard Martin is Executive Vice President of HeartMath Inc. He’s been instrumental in assisting Doc Childre in the development and teaching of HeartMath’s programs since its inception. Howard speaks internationally on the HeartMath approach to advancing human awareness based on compelling scientific research linking heart function with health, emotional well-being, and intelligence. Howard is the co-author with Doc Childre of The HeartMath Solution and co-author of the book Heart Intelligence.  Owen Ward serves as Chief Strategy Officer at HeartMath Inc., where his journey of personal transformation through HeartMath practices has ignited a deep-hearted passion to empower people worldwide to harness the intelligence of their hearts. Owen is one of the principal architects behind the innovative HeartMath app and oversees HeartMath’s strategic direction and marketing initiatives. Prior to joining HeartMath, Owen’s career was marked by a series of successful entrepreneurial ventures and investments.

Guest: Oren Jay Sofer Our guest, Oren Jay Sofer, is a former Buddhist monk and author of the newly released book Your Heart Was Made For This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love. Oren talks with us about the crucial importance of awakening the natural and powerful capacities for transformation that reside within each person’s heart, especially during this very tumultuous time in our world.  Oren opens up to Deborah Rozman, our host, about how Buddhist teachings talk about qualities of the heart as resources that empower a different and more enlightened consciousness. Oren shares the heart qualities that were access points to his own transformation and how he practiced them. A seasoned teacher in mindfulness, meditation, and nonviolent communication, Oren conveys insightful wisdom in a warm and engaging manner. He encourages us to practice and fortify our own connection to heart qualities so they become an underlying foundation for how we live and engage with the world. Deborah and Oren explore how each quality of the heart possesses unique attributes that empower us to better handle life’s situations, fostering a deeper connection with our purpose, inner courage, strength, and clarity. In his conversation with Deborah, Oren shares a vision of transformative potential by merging activism and heart. Together, they explore how this union has the power to reshape society, paving the way for collaborative models that honor our shared humanity. The episode closes with a heart-inspired meditation to energize the growing heart momentum unfolding on the planet and see more people connect with their true heart’s purpose and desire to co-create a world that awakens humanity’s collective heart.   About our guest: Oren Jay Sofer teaches meditation and communication internationally. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma. Oren is also the author of several books, including the bestseller Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication and his latest book, Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices to Meet a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love. His teachings have reached people around the world through his online communication courses and guided meditations. A husband and a father, Oren lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he enjoys cooking, spending time in nature, and home woodworking projects.