THE PAST SIX MONTHS

I started Empathy Unbound with the intention of getting the message of empathy out to as many people as possible. I think that's a worthy enough aim and something that could do so much good for the times we live in.

I hadn't expected the main medium of communication to the empathy unbound podcast. I had no idea how to operate a podcast and searched out recording, editing, hosting software with the expectation it would be fairly straightforward and wouldn't take up too much time. Those of you that have far more experience than I do are, I am sure, quietly laughing to yourselves at my naivety! It's not that doing a podcast is difficult, it's mainly because there are areas of the process where I am more or less capable. Learning it as I go has been a great experience though, at least most of the time. The times when the recording has inexplicably split into 8 different layers and none of them sync may have tried my patience but I have always managed to get an episode out there from every guest.

I think that's been the most amazing thing, how many wonderful people have been willing to give me their time to talk about empathy and the role it plays in their life. I've had the pleasure to speak with people from 14 different countries, spanning 5 continents (still keen to engage more with South America if you'd like to join me for a conversation) and many different cultures and backgrounds. People with incredible careers across so many sectors have been happy to answer any questions I've put to them and no one has asked me to re-edit after the event. There is so much knowledge out there about empathy, and it comes in ways I might not originally expected but that was the whole point of doing this. I have never wanted to the person in the room that knows the most, I've always looked to learn, to challenge, and to understand. I'm not at a stage where people are contacting me to appear on the podcast and that's a lovely feeling. The sense that the words I share and the format I'm using are resonating with people enough that that want to talk and to share their thoughts.

The next ten or so guests I have recorded with, or will record with very soon, add even more breadth to the conversation. I'd like to think that the past six months have seen me gain not only guests but friends. The relationships seem to push past the podcast recording itself to discussions long after the event and the continued sharing of knowledge and insight and just general updates.

The podcast does take up more time than I expected but it's good time, it's time I'm spending learning not only about empathy but about how to phrase questions, how to communicate in different ways, and how to create an interesting podcast episode and series. To be honest, I haven't spent much time focused on the business side of things but I'm ok with that. The content I'm creating and gathering is informing the materials I have generated and I believe making the empathy unbound services more valuable and relevant. The next month or so will see a more dedicated approach to communicating how we embed empathy successfully across many different environments and I'm really looking forward to that.

I'm in the midst of creating the empathy unbound lab and more about that will be announced in the upcoming newsletter that is almost signed off for release. I hope you get to listen to the podcast and enjoy it. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions, comments, thoughts on guests, or thoughts more generally. Your insights would be so valuable!