Empathy in Action: Transform Your Perspective

I once saw a specialist who seemed to have given up on me before I even walked through the door. He told me my left cornea was irreparably damaged. His only hope, he said, was that I wouldn’t lose the eye altogether. There was no sense of partnership in that conversation—no curiosity, no reassurance, no effort to help me understand what came next. Just a quiet closing of the door. At my second visit, he couldn’t even find my chart. He wasn’t able to tell me whether anything h

The moments before something life-changing often don’t feel the way you expect them to. One of the most powerful examples comes from a deeply personal moment in my own life—midway through my career, when I was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. Before my surgery, my dad and I weren’t sitting in silence or speaking in hushed, serious tones. We were joking. Laughing, even. We started comparing the upcoming surgery to a football game. We made a deal— No “4th and 22”

My disagreements with medical professionals had to be temporarily put on hold when a more urgent health issue arose. One evening, I went to an urgent care center after taking a spectacular fall. My hip had swollen to impressive proportions and was decorated with bruising dramatic enough to qualify as modern art. At the front desk, the receptionist asked for my name and told me to wait. After a few minutes she led me to an exam room. She didn’t look at me long enough to notice

In my healthcare presentations, I challenge healthcare heroes to treat each patient as a whole person—not a diagnosis, not a room number, not a checklist. But what does that actually look like? For me, it looked like a whale poster. After my brain tumor removal, I was transferred to a second hospital for rehabilitation. I was working with a speech therapist named Michelle. Speech therapy in the early days can feel mechanical—repeating sounds, practicing simple words,

Healthcare educators sometimes hesitate when they hear the words empathy training. Will it feel too emotional? Too abstract? Too “extra”? What I see instead is something very different. Learners don’t become overwhelmed. They become grounded. Programs that intentionally integrate empathy consistently report stronger engagement and fewer communication breakdowns during training. Why? Because empathy helps people stay steady when things are hard—for patients and providers. And

Respiratory therapists will always be one of my favorite medical professionals. (Second favorite, if I’m being honest—right after the nurse who gave me morphine.) Humor aside, my respect for RTs is deeply personal. When I was recovering from brain surgery, I spent nine months in the hospital. During that time, a respiratory therapist performed one of the most invasive and painful procedures I experienced. I can still picture the moment clearly: lying in a hospital bed, alread

Empathy isn’t just about being kind. It’s about helping people rise — without letting them fall.

Motivational speakers love to talk about setting SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. And sure, those matter. But I’ve always believed something a little different: We can’t get everything we want, but if we don’t want it in the first place, we’ll never get any of it.* Think of basketball: a player may only make 30% of the shots they take… but they make 0% of the shots they don’t take . That’s how I approach my own goals: I set them high—s

W hen I first started teaching healthcare students about empathy, I quickly realized that listening is so much more than just hearing words. It’s about truly understanding the person in front of you—their fears, their hopes, their story. That’s why mastering active listening strategies is so critical. These skills don’t just improve conversations; they build trust, deepen connections, and create care that truly matters. If you want to foster genuine empathy and enhance your c

In early September, 2006, about six weeks following a “routine” brain tumor removal, I was transferred from the surgical hospital to a rehabilitation facility. I had regular occupational, physical and speech therapy six days per week. My speech therapist, who exemplified the expression of empathy in healthcare, used methods to stimulate my swallowing reflex. She swabbed the back of my throat and my uvula (the thing that hangs down in the back of the throat) with cold, lemon-f

Every time I present on empathy, I walk away with new insights. One truth remains constant: empathy is more than “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” It’s not just a feeling—it’s an action. And that action can be simple, powerful, and transformative. Rethinking Empathy We often hear that empathy means imagining how someone else feels. But let’s be honest—that’s not always realistic. Can we truly know what it’s like to live with chronic pain, fear, or sadness if we ha

A Unique Opportunity to Share My Story I just returned from Phoenix, where I attended a walkathon in support of brain tumor research. I didn’t go as a walker; I went as a bookseller. The event’s sponsors had read my book and graciously invited me to sell books during the event. My table was located near the silent auction (where I bid on—and lost—a chocolate basket). I expected this event to bring together 4,000 members of my target audience all in one place. To prepare, I in

I added a volunteer position to my life this week. I am the new News Administrator for the Stroke Network. The Stroke Network comprises a network of websites geared toward supporting stroke survivors, and loved ones of stroke survivors. The creator of the Stroke Network contacted me through Facebook and asked if I would be willing to take on this position. They needed someone with an academic background. Mostly what I do as News Administrator is choose articles to be shared

<p>Mirror, mirror on the wall: who&#8217;s the fairest one of all? Not me! And probably not you! Ok, maybe YOU! I started a new research project this week to further explore exercises that are beneficial to brain-injured people. In this study, participants put their weaker hand into a box that has a mirror on the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good people do bad things? Why does Radio Shack ask for your phone number when you buy batteries? These are some of life&#8217;s unanswerable questions. My daughter says that there are four types of people in the world: people who are nice, people who are smart, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Someone recently asked me if I teach all these classes because I have to or because I want to. Isn&#8217;t that a question that plagues everyone as they get ready to go to work each morning? This semester I&#8217;m adding an online section of Marine Biology to my schedule, and soon, I&#8217;m planning to add [&hellip;]</p>

<p>My friend Paul, who hadn&#8217;t seen me in a while, approached me at the gym and told me he didn&#8217;t say &#8220;hi&#8221; at first because he didn&#8217;t recognize me! He said that I not only looked different, but I was moving differently as well. He made a point of telling me that it wasn&#8217;t a [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I am writing this on July 26, 2010. I can&#8217;t help but think about this day, four years ago. I woke up feeling hopeful that my pain would soon be over. I had been feeling sick for months, and I had every reason to believe that my surgery would be successful. My dad and step-mom, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The boat capsized and we were all tossed into the ocean. Able-bodied people were, of course, able to don life-preservers, but I was unable to put one on myself. So, there I was-unable to swim, unable to tread water-nearly going under the cold, green water when a huge mass of muscle came from below and [&hellip;]</p>