Dawn Brolin, CPA, CFE and author of "The Elevation of Empathy," shares her raw story of surviving a toxic partnership where she endured cruel comments about her weight and appearance, and how that shaped her perspective on leading with empathy. Through personal examples including her own leadership failures at work and lessons from her time as a softball coach, Dawn reveals how empathy can be cultivated, practiced, and wielded as a strategic advantage. The conversation tackles the unique challenges women face when leading with empathy, the emotional labor often expected of female managers, and why caring for others doesn't make you weak – but does make you dangerous to systems built on indifference.

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• (00:00 ) - Introduction & Welcome
  


• (01:28 ) - Meet Dawn Brolin - The Designated Motivator
  


• (02:28 ) - What Motivated the Book
  


• (04:28 ) - Partnership Pain
  


• (07:28 ) - Learning From Bad Examples
  


• (11:28 ) - Unconditional Love, Conditional Involvement
  


• (14:28 ) - How to Address Lack of Empathy in Others
  


• (16:28 ) - Empathy Can Be Learned
  


• (24:35 ) - Dawn's Leadership Fail - The Softball Story
  


• (28:35 ) - Tools for Building Empathy - Practice Mindfulness
  


• (37:27 ) - Asking for Feedback as a Leader
  


• (41:57 ) - Validation vs. Solutions
  


• (43:57 ) - Women Penalized for Empathy at Work
  


• (45:57 ) - Managing Team Wellbeing - The Extra Load
  


• (54:54 ) - "I Hurt and I Keep Going"
  


• (59:51 ) - Vulnerability as Strength Panel
  


• (01:01:51 ) - Give and Accept Empathy
  


• (01:06:51 ) - Closing Quote

• Dawn Brolin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnbrolin/
• Dawn Brolin “The Elevation of Empathy” book - https://dawnbrolin.com/books/
• Accounting Cornerstone Foundation - https://accountingcornerstone.org/
• Crisis Text Line - https://www.crisistextline.org/
• Randy Crabtree’s Unique CPA podcast - https://tri-merit.com/podcast/presenting-the-she-counts-podcast/
• Bridging the Gap conference - https://www.btgconference.com/
• Brad Smith - https://braddsmith.com/
• John Garrett - What’s Your ‘And?’ - https://whatsyourand.com/
• Mike Payne on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpaynejdcpa/
• Kellie Parks on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellie-parks/
• Catalyst 2022 Study - https://www.catalyst.org/insights/2022/emotional-tax-teams
• Deloitte, “Women @ Work 2023: A Global Outlook” - https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-shared/docs/collections/2023/deloitte-women-at-work-2023-a-global-outlook.pdf
• Katelyn Carey TEDx Talk: “The Problem with Empathy” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=987xaGgb2XQ
• The Audre Lorde Project - https://alp.org/

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