On this episode, Janice is joined with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller from @TheEmpathicLeader . She is an International bestselling author, Tedx speaker and leadership coach. They discuss leadership and business success through the lens of emotional intelligence, and empathy, in the age of AI. Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller shares her journey from professional musician to empathy advocate, showing why these skills are essential for creating stronger workplace cultures.
This episode will change the way you think about leadership, technology, and the power of human connection.
Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller joins Media Rebel Unplugged to tell the story of her move from a decades-long music career to becoming an empathy and EQ advocate. She explains how empathy functions as a measurable leadership skill that strengthens culture, improves productivity, and boosts retention, and she wrestles honestly with the promises and perils of AI in the workplace.
This episode will change the way you think about leadership and the role empathy plays in organizations.
Today, Dr. Robinson-Winemiller shares:
- How a personal trauma in academia reshaped her career and clarified her mission
- Practical habits leaders can adopt to build emotional intelligence across teams
- Evidence and examples showing empathy’s impact on innovation, profit, and retention
- The real risks AI introduces to human connection, and how leaders can design around them
- Why empathy education in schools matters for the next generation of leaders
You’ll learn:
- The career pivot that led Melissa to empathy work
- Concrete steps for measuring and improving workplace empathy
- How to recognize and change unempathic leadership behaviors
- Ways to use AI responsibly without sacrificing human trust
- Simple actions leaders can use today to align words with behaviors
Takeaways:
- Empathy is a hard, learnable skill — not a soft add-on
- Trust grows when leaders consistently match actions to words
- AI can enhance efficiency, but empathy preserves the human edge
- Employee engagement data is essential to understanding culture
- Life experience can be a source of deeper leadership empathy
If you lead people, manage teams, or design systems that include AI, this conversation will give you practical language and tools to make empathy a strategic advantage.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Dr. Melissa Robinson-Weinmiller
00:46 From Musician to Empathy Advocate
02:43 The Importance of Empathy in Leadership
08:24 Empathy: A Hard Skill for Business Success
12:12 The Role of AI in Emotional Intelligence
16:04 Navigating AI's Impact on Human Connection
20:29 Understanding Empathy Through Personal Stories
23:27 Addressing Employee Concerns and Engagement
28:20 Teaching Empathy in Education
Grab Dr. Melissa's book https://www.amazon.com/Empathic-Leader-Transforms-Leadership-Productivity-ebook/dp/B0F44JLV5R?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&geniuslink=true
Learn more about Dr. Melissa
🌐 Website: https://bit.ly/3JYTk4W
📸 Instagram: @empathyqueen.eq
📘 Facebook: @melissa.robinson.629395
🎥 YouTube: @TheEmpathicLeader
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-a-robinson-winemiller-author-speaker-trainer/
Listen to Media Rebel Unplugged. New episodes every Tuesday. https://mediarebelunplugged.podbean.com/
🌐 Website: media-rebel.net
📸 Instagram: @mediarebeldigital
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🎥 YouTube: @mediarebelunplugged
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💼 Connect with Janice on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/janicembecker
I’m here to give a voice to fellow Rebels. I’ll see you in the next episode.
