What is Empathy, Really? Exploring the Human Empathy System

In this episode, Ann and Ursula explore the rich and fascinating world of neurodiversity with the lovely and lively Elaine Taylor Klaus. Looking at both the struggles and challenges but also proving hope, Elaine is an author and coach and expert on all things "neuro-spicy." A Wesleyan University graduate (Connecticut) and CORO Fellow (New York), her passion for community, coaching and parenting is an inspiration - You won't want to miss this informative session!  For more about Elaine, see https://impactparents.com/about-impactparents-our-story/about-impactparents-elaine/  

Trauma is all around us, and more and more coaches are aware of the impact on their clients. At BEabove Leadership, we focus on the damaging impact of relational trauma, whether from families of origin, intimate partners, or workplace leaders/colleagues. In this episode, Ann and Ursula dig into the who, what and when of working with this sort of trauma in coaching. We'll look at questions including what is appropriate and what isn't? How do we stay in the coaching lane when trauma comes into the conversation? How do you recognize that trauma has played or is playing a part in what's going on with your client? When do you refer to therapy and when do you carry on? We'll even look at what the International Coach Federation has to say.   

Bring any and all questions about neuroscience, human effectiveness, and coaching and Ann and Ursula will attempt to answer and give advice as best they can! If you can’t attend live, please send your questions to [email protected]. Recording will be available in our archives after the show.

Could it be that true effectiveness is more than simple efficiency or even meeting our goals? At BEabove Leadership, we think a lot about personal, group and organizationaleffectiveness, but what does this really mean? In this eopisode Ann and Ursula explore the neuroscience behind why "effectiveness" is critical to human well-being, and offer some time tested and research-based ways to achieve it. 

Empathy is deeply important to human beings and healthy relationships, but what is it, really? Join BEabove Leadership co-founders for a fascinating look at the many ways our brains and bodies connect with each other. From mirror neurons that help us feel what is happening in another person's experience to the benefits and challenges of cognitive empathy, this show will explore the rich complexity of our interrelated empathetic connections. 

We are thrilled to have neuroscience expert Joseph Fridman for a lively discussion of how the "three layer" model of the brain is wrong, and why this matters. We'll look at why this myth continues to prevail in conversations about emotional intelligence and coaching, and how it limits human growth and awareness. We'll also discuss more accurate ways of discussing brain complexity as it relates to our emotional life.  Joseph is a researcher and science communicator at the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory at Northeastern University and Massachusetts General Hospital, which is co-directed by Lisa Feldman Barrett and Karen Quigley, and focuses on studying emotions. (For more on Joseph and his fascinating background, see here: https://www.josephfridman.com/about)   

Riverside, California is lucky to have teacher, coach and neuroscience (and consciouness) fan Shay Sun. For the past few years, he has been teaching coaching skills and neuroscience concepts and tools to peer leaders, as well as using them in his own teaching. Join us for a fun, rich, dynamic interview with this amazing teacher and human. Shay will share with us some of his ideas for what young people need, and how we can support them based on the brain and consciousness. 

Laughter is indeed often the best medicine. In this episode, humor expert Jim-Bob Williams joins Ann and Ursula for an exploration of how humor can help us get through, well, anything, including a global pandemic. We'll look at the science behind why humor helps with stress and uncertainty, and probably tell a few jokes as well! About Jim-Bob Williams Talented.  Handsome. Accomplished.  Jim-Bob Williams knows a lot of people like that.   Jim-Bob practiced the principles of therapeutic humor during his career as an engineer and manager for two major chemical companies.  Humor and levity helped in many stressful situations, such as mergers, compliance audits, and systems upsets at work, and the loss of his youngest son to overdose in 2019. It wasn’t until he retired that Jim-Bob realized there was scientific method to his madness. He joined the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor AATH to become certified certifiable!  He serves as AATH Secretary and on the Illuminutty, AATH’s Research Council, and as one of the class clowns of Humor Academy (Level II). Owner of Jimusho LLC ( motto: Making the Workplace Better Through Humor), he and wife Christine live in St. Albans, WV. 

Our brains are shaped by our culture, experience, and even what we have inherited. In this session, Ann and Ursula are joined by generational expert Lindsay Boccardo for a fascinating look at how different generations tend to respond to crisis -- and what their brains may have to do with it. 

Coaches tend to score high in what is called "felt empathy," that is, processing other people's emotions and challenges through our own brains and bodies. This is an amazing skill in terms of deep understanding, insight, and compassion -- all critical aspects of our profession. But it can also lead to the coaching version of compassion fatigue, where a client's issues feel energetically draining and even overwhelming, and/or are difficult to let go of between sessions. In this session, Ann and Ursula will look at helpful strategies for coaches to maintain their empathy and connection without burning thrmselves out.