Who’s Got Time to Listen??? You Do!

Sam sits in front of me shaking his head. His shoulders are hunched in frustration. His mouth is a tight line, his eyes are closed. “I just can’t accept this. I’m sorry, but there’s no way. The math just doesn’t work.” Sam is a third year medical student in a large teaching hospital. He is […]

Listening Lessons through Rhythm, Sound & Silence

My husband and I don’t get to our city’s symphony concerts often. To me, classical music, while lovely and quite uplifting when I’m in the mood for it, often feels a bit too formal for my tastes – a bit too stuffy to spend significant sums of money for.  Also, true disclosure – it brings […]

Empathy – Your Time-Saving Superpower!

“Brent” is not happy.  As a newly hired emergency room physician within a nationally recognized healthcare system, he has been “volun-told” to show up to a four day onsite training on “Patient-Provider Communications”, which translates in his assumption as a Colossal Waste of Time. “At least the location is decent.” he thinks as he turns […]

Don’t Rip the HeART out of Education!

Stinky. Sullen. Bad Attitude. A Problem. Yeah we were pretty sure we had Joe pegged. How wrong we were… Years ago I was teaching in a summer Shakespeare program for teenagers.  Every once and awhile, we would get a kid like Joe. He radiated defiance from his tattered running shoes to his sullen stare. Joe […]

Heads Up Doc! Listening with Empathy Can Save Lives…

I am lying on a hospital bed. I’ve just woken up from the anesthesia and I’m concerned that I can’t move my left arm or leg. The nurse told me that the doctor will be in soon to speak with me. She couldn’t give me any information about why my movement is restricted, and I’m […]

The Heart of Changing Minds – Deep Canvassing

First –  A Story In 2019, when Donald Trump was President, a dear friend and colleague of mine, Bill Dufris, created a huge sign and stuck it on his lawn. In large letters, it asked the question “What Would Jesus Do?” It showed two illustrations. In the first, Trump is walking through water with Jesus […]

Toxic Positivity: The True Christmas Grinch

You walk into your workplace on a deceptively “normal” day, if there is such a thing anymore. The floor is sparsely populated now, various people on vacation. All is calm, all the fluorescent lights are bright. Suddenly Liz opens the door to her office, closes it with something resembling a slam, and strides down the […]

Radical Compassion – What the World Needs NOW

I relished the chance to be a Pecha Kucha presenter last month, (bucket list!) and the night’s theme “Radical Compassion” is sticking with me.  Compassion meaning:  understanding, empathy, “the desire to alleviate suffering”.  But what’s with the “Radical”?  It’s supercharged, it’s compassion on steroids.  It’s the moment when we realize other people are not going […]