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when in doubt try empathy for My Gratitude Project

Empathy vs Sympathy: Why One Heals and the Other Distances | My Gratitude Project Day 4

November 4, 2025
Gratitude Project

Empathy vs sympathy: they sound alike but they are quite different. We feel sympathy for someone and, in contrast, we feel empathy with someone, that’s the difference between empathy vs sympathy. Feeling sympathy for someone implies a certain distance. It’s more like feeling pity for someone. They are feeling something that you are not. They are struggling, and you are not.   When you empathize with someone, you feel what they are feeling. So rather than distancing, it is bonding.…

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Empathy is Non-Judgmental and Transcendent: My Gratitude Project Day 3

November 3, 2025
Gratitude Project

Empathy is non-judgmental. As soon as you start judging someone—labeling them good or bad, right or wrong, should or shouldn’t, and the like—you have ceased empathizing. The point of empathy is simply to understand someone, no more, no less. Empathy cannot be about you or your opinions or how you would do it. Like you, everyone has their reasons for doing what they do, reasons that have built up over time. Decades of habits and experience that have led us…

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Empathy validation compassion for My Gratitude Project

Empathy is Not Agreement — But It Can Transform Everything: My Gratitude Project Day 2

November 2, 2025
Gratitude Project

Empathy is not agreement, but understanding others deeply is transformative in ways that lead to gratitude. You can empathize with someone even when you disagree with their beliefs or their actions. Truman Capote’s book, In Cold Blood, is perhaps one of the most powerful illustrations of empathy without agreement. Capote set out to write about a terrible crime, the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas. He spent 4 years researching the book. In the beginning, he describes in excruciating…

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my gratitude project 2025 on the magic of empathy

My Gratitude Project 2025: Grateful for the Magic of Empathy

November 1, 2025
Gratitude Project

Every year in November, I dedicate myself to thirty days of gratitude, this year, with a focus on empathy. My gratitude project has become an anchor and compass in my life. This year, my focus is on the quiet power of empathy: the ability to truly see and understand another person. Empathy turns gratitude outward—it transforms appreciation for what we have into appreciation for who others are. Each day this month, I’ll share a reflection on what empathy looks and…

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Executive Coaching vs Leadership Coaching: Both Focus on Improving Workplace Outcomes

October 31, 2025
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Executive coaching vs leadership coaching — both aim to improve workplace performance and help you grow as a leader. But what’s the difference between them, and how do you know which one you need? If you’ve started exploring the world of coaching, you’ve probably noticed how many kinds there are—executive coaching vs leadership coaching vs other types of business coaching. The terminology can be confusing, and it’s not always clear which type of coach is right for your goals. This…

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Open notebook with a poised pen symbolizing reflection and setting leadership coaching goals.

How to Identify Your Leadership Coaching Goals (and the Right Coach to Help You Reach Them)

October 31, 2025
Find a coach

Defining your leadership coaching goals is how you turn a vague wish from “be a better leader” to a specific, measurable plan for growth. When you know how you want to develop, you can find the right coach—and make every session count. Every effective coaching relationship begins with one simple and powerful question: “What do you want to work on?” Key Takeaways for How To Identify Your Leadership Coaching Goals If you only have a minute Remember this Clear goals…

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Lisa D. Foster, Ph.D. ACC  is an independent coach. As an Associate Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation, Lisa honors and abides by the ICF Code of Ethics.  All coaching sessions and consultations are confidential.

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