Most employers still treat grief like an awkward side note. Ron Gura is building the case that bereavement is one of the biggest overlooked moments in healthcare and benefits - and that the companies who show up well can turn a transaction into a lasting relationship.
Ron, co-founder and CEO of Empathy, joins Norm Volsky to unpack how a deeply personal loss became the foundation for a platform now serving nearly 50 million people across the U.S., U.K., and Canada. What starts as a conversation about grief quickly becomes a blueprint for a new category of care: one that helps families navigate estate settlement, probate, funeral planning, account closures, and the emotional weight of loss without drowning in red tape.
You’ll discover:
-- Why Ron left high-growth worlds like eBay, WeWork, venture, and the Israeli Air Force to build in one of the most emotionally complex sectors possible
-- How Empathy uses AI, care managers, and workflow design to save families hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars
-- What employers and carriers miss when they treat bereavement as a narrow leave policy instead of a long-tail human need
-- Why one in five employees experiences some form of loss each year, and why grief in the workplace is still so misunderstood
-- How leaders can support grieving employees without guessing, avoiding, or saying the wrong thing
-- What Empathy learned from working with major employers and insurers like New York Life, MetLife, Transamerica, and CarMax
Ron also shares the leadership lessons he learned from elite organizations, why humility and unit economics matter in fast-scaling companies, and why the next wave of life-event benefits will go far beyond bereavement into disability, legacy planning, caregiving, and other moments that split life into before and after.
If you care about digital health, employee benefits, future-of-work, or building products around real human pain points, this episode is essential listening.
Ron Gura is the co-founder and CEO of Empathy, a technology company helping families navigate loss and life transitions. Before founding Empathy, he held leadership roles spanning the Israeli Air Force, eBay, WeWork, and venture capital.
Tune in and learn a ton this episode!
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