Shows
Empathetic PresenceBuilding a Care Society with Angelina DrakeIn this moment when healthcare access feels increasingly precarious, Angelina Drake reminds us that care work is political work, and that our voices matter. A former home care worker who spent a decade working on care justice issues through long-term care policy and advocacy for nursing home and home care workers, Angelina now serves as Chief Development Officer at Protect Our Care, a healthcare policy organization working to lower healthcare costs, increase coverage, and improve health equity in the U.S.We talk about why care work is systematically undervalued, how the current political moment threatens healthcare...
2025-10-1734 min
Empathetic PresenceHealing Through Ancestral Wisdom with Ssanyu BirigwaWelcome back to Empathetic Presence. Today I'm sitting down with my dear friend Ssanyu Birigwa, a Columbia-trained narrative medicine clinician and 80th generation indigenous bone healer whose practice bridges ancestral wisdom with embodied presence.In this conversation, Ssanyu shares how deep listening creates reciprocity between ourselves and others, why taking off our masks is both necessary and sometimes unsafe, and how connecting with ancestral knowledge can help us slow down in this fast world.We explore the intersection of narrative medicine and indigenous healing practices, discuss why qualitative research matters as much as quantitative data...
2025-10-0645 min
Empathetic PresenceThe Power of Words with Christina FergusonIn this episode of Empathetic Presence, I sit down with Christina Ferguson, founder and chief storyteller at Parable, to explore how words are "the primary vehicle in which we are human."Christina helps mission-driven organizations and leaders tap into their true identity—not by branding something external onto them, but by letting what's already inside come out. We dive deep into why so many of us struggle with our voices, whether written or spoken, and how we've lost the art of self-reflection in our hyper-connected world.What we explore:Why identity work mu...
2025-09-1038 min
Empathetic PresenceFinding Hope Through Gratitude with Abigail SommaIn times of rising authoritarianism and social upheaval, how do we find hope without falling into toxic positivity? This week, I sit down with my dear friend Abigail Somma, founder of Gratitude Buddies and mindfulness teacher, to explore gratitude as a tool for resistance and refocusing.Abbie taught me about loving-kindness meditation nearly a decade ago, and her approach to gratitude as a practice—not just a feeling—completely shifted how I understand presence and self-compassion.In this conversation, we explore:Why gratitude becomes accessible in moments of crisis (and why it's harder during prol...
2025-08-0636 min
Empathetic PresenceWhy Visionaries Matter with Sehreen Noor AliSehreen Noor Ali came on the podcast, and she shifted how I think about the word "visionary" forever. Turns out, way more of us are visionaries than we might believe.Sehreen runs Te Cura Labs where she helps leaders think about strategic visibility. But what I love about her is how she sees the world with both curiosity and empathy. Every time I sit down with her, I leave completely shifted.In this conversation, Sehreen talks about influence as "the marriage of inner clarity and external resonance"—which finally makes this loaded word feel tangible in...
2025-07-1743 min
Empathetic PresenceBending Tools Towards Justice with Deepti SharmaI sat down with entrepreneur, strategist, and community builder Deepti Sharma to explore what entrepreneurs can learn from organizers. From building FoodtoEat—a mission-driven platform that helped immigrant and underrepresented food vendors grow—to running for New York City Council and teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs, Deepti shares her journey of bending tools towards justice and creating opportunities for those who are systematically overlooked.As a daughter of immigrants and a New Yorker through and through, Deepti brings a unique perspective on collective action, community organizing, and how we can rebuild with care at the center duri...
2025-07-0644 min
Empathetic PresenceEmpathetic Practice with S. Leigh ThompsonIn this timely conversation, I sit down with S. Leigh Thompson—a published and award-winning organizer, strategist, professional coach, and organizational development consultant who has spent over 20 years helping organizations and leaders "Do Good Work—BETTER." Leigh brings a unique perspective to transformation work, having guided everyone from Fortune 500 companies to grassroots organizations through strategic change that builds stronger, more cohesive cultures.We explore how empathy becomes a strategic tool for creating lasting change, why creativity is essential for transformation, and how empathetic practice can break us out of binary thinking to build truly inclusive cultures.Le...
2025-06-2438 min
Empathetic PresenceMoving Our World Forward with Chana Ginelle EwingIn this episode of Empathetic Presence, I sit down with Chana Ginelle Ewing, a storyteller, cultural entrepreneur, and Founder & Chief Creator at littlebigworld. We dive deep into how queer imagination and care-centered politics can inform strategic marketing to move our world forward.This conversation is personally meaningful during Pride month, as queer lives continue to be under attack. Chana shares how we can understand our identities as sources of power rather than limitations, and why bringing our whole selves to our work creates more authentic and effective leadership.Links & ResourcesConnect with Chana at...
2025-06-0540 min
Empathetic PresenceReclaiming Empathy as a Revolutionary Act with Nicole BaumanWith so much dividing us right now, what if conflict could actually deepen our connections rather than tear us apart? I sit down with conflict facilitator and transformative justice practitioner Nicole Bauman to explore how empathy is not a weakness but a revolutionary tool for liberation.Nicole shares their journey from conflict avoidance to seeing conflict as an opportunity for growth, revealing how self-empathy becomes the foundation for navigating even the most challenging conversations. Together, we explore why empathy has been "stolen from us" by systems of domination, how we can reclaim our capacity to feel as...
2025-05-2135 min
Empathetic PresencePresence Not Perfection: Getting Out of Your Head and Into The Present MomentIn this episode of Empathetic Presence, I explore something that's helped my anxiety - how to find the present moment and return to it when we inevitably get lost in thought again.It's particularly challenging to be present right now. With the constant news cycle and daily overwhelm many of us experience, it's natural to slip into hyper-vigilance. Focusing on presence rather than perfection has been transformative for my confidence and reducing anxiety.I share my personal journey from being trapped in an endless cycle of anxiety to finding liberation through presence. For years, I...
2025-05-0614 min
Empathetic PresenceRedefining Leadership With Christina Blacken: Harnessing Narrative for Collective ChangeIn this episode of Empathetic Presence, I sit down with Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo, to explore what leadership really means and how more of us can see ourselves as leaders. Christina talks about how storytelling and narrative shape our behaviors and leadership styles - something she's passionate about in her work. We dive into how true leadership isn't just about being in charge, but about influencing people toward goals that benefit everyone.Christina shares some powerful insights about navigating leadership challenges, bringing ethical and cultural wisdom into our decision-making, and how each of us...
2025-04-3028 min
Empathetic PresenceReject Executive Presence: Empathy is Your StrengthIn this episode, I explore what's truly holding us back from speaking with confidence and introduce a powerful alternative to "executive presence" that can transform how we show up in our most important moments.What You'll Learn:The shocking data: 88-90% of professionals struggle speaking in high-pressure situationsWhy physical and psychological distractions during communication aren't personal failingsHow "executive presence" actually makes us less present and less confidentThe three components of Empathetic Presence: embodied confidence, harnessed empathy, and owned expertiseI've spent a decade collecting data from corporate workshops across nearly every industry, and...
2025-04-2412 min
Empathetic PresenceIntroducing Empathetic Presence: Liberating Our VoicesIn this inaugural episode, I introduce the mission behind Empathetic Presence: creating a world where all voices are heard, especially those that have been systematically silenced.What You'll Learn:Why "executive presence" needs to be rejected in favor of authentic, empathetic leadershipHow overthinking and people-pleasing disconnect us from our natural communication abilitiesWhy empathy combined with expertise makes you an unstoppable leaderI believe we don't need to "find our voices" - they're already ours. What we need are cultures where we feel safe enough to use them. When you're comfortable, your confidence...
2025-04-0304 min
The Anxious AchieverManaging Leadership AnxietyLeadership comes in many forms, and good leadership can be found at all kinds of organizations, from startups to faith communities. In this episode, Morra searches to learn more about how leaders perform and manage their own anxieties, as well as the anxieties of others. We also explore how leaders can most effectively communicate during anxious times. She speaks with Steve Cuss, an author and pastor, as well as Present Voices founder Lee Bonvissuto. Learn more about Steve: https://www.stevecusswords.com/aboutLearn more about Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/l...
2025-02-2646 min
So Money with Farnoosh Torabi1343: Overhauling Finances, Career and Childcare in the Pandemic (One Couple's Story)Today we go behind the scenes of one household that shifted their careers, income streams and childcare in the pandemic ... and the changes have been for the better. Lee Bonvissuto is our guest. She is an entrepreneur and Founder of Present Voices, where she helps people access and articulate their best ideas in their most important moments through communication coaching, consulting, and community. In our conversation, Lee speaks candidly about the decisions that she and her partner made in the pandemic to reorient the economics within their marriage, to have her husband step away from his career and become the...
2022-04-1331 min