Interview with Judith Orloff, MD

“The Genius of Empathy” will immediately improve your life by helping you to be kinder to yourself and stop overthinking or taking on other’s stress. This book will also enhance your communication skills, especially with difficult personalities. So many people are craving the kind of healing that Dr. Orloff’s caring book offers. Strongly recommended.”
—Iyanla Vanzant, New York Times best-selling author of “One Day My Soul Just Opened Up”

Empathy is as a superpower for transformative personal healing, deeper relationships, and more potent work in the world.

Growing up as an intuitive empath Dr. Orloff struggled to find a way to cope with her empathy and intuition and then finally learned to embraced her gifts. Her journey led her to devote her life to helping others develop empathy and intuition.

Her new book, The Genius of Empathy, is a guide for anyone who wants to awaken their empathy and for all those who struggle with managing their empathic sensitivities, overthinking, and absorbing the stress of others.

Here are Dr. Orloff’s insights about The Genius of Empathy.

Why did you write The Genius of Empathy?

I wrote The Genius of Empathy to support your healing journey. Reading it and using the exercises in it will show you ways to approach each day and love yourself through anything, even if you feel lost now. It answers practical questions such as, “How

do I have empathy if I’m getting a divorce? If my family treats me unfairly? If I’m overwhelmed or in chronic pain?”

One of the most challenging situations for me is when a loved one is suffering. I share what I’ve learned about coping with this so you can apply it too. The book provides a roadmap for how to use empathy at work to improve your communication with coworkers who may be hard to get along with and model grounded ways to support kindness and innovation in your team.

In these tumultuous times my goal was to convey that there is great hope—and that a key to thriving and surviving is empathy.

Who would benefit from reading this book?

If you’re ready for a change that will accelerate your healing process in all areas of your life, empathy is your everyday superpower that is within your reach—at work, with family and friends, and in all situations. Empathy is a practical daily skill that can be learned, not simply an idealistic goal that “sounds good.” Its genius is attainable for everyone.

Empathy itself is a healing act, whether you’re on the giving or receiving end. It’s a way of saying you matter to me, the earth matters to me, being kind to myself and others matters to me. You are not invisible or forgotten. You are seen. You are heard. You are appreciated.

Whether you’re facing personal challenges, caregiving, or supporting a loved one in distress, showing yourself empathy can aid in healing and smoothing the rough edges in your life. The book isn’t theoretical; it’s about practical skills that can help you heal, enhance your relationships, even with difficult family members or coworkers, and improve challenging situations including empathy burnout.

Why do you think empathy is a superpower?

Empathy possesses the extraordinary ability and power to transform your worldview and how you perceive yourself. It empowers you to shed the victim mentality and instead, to embrace empathy while establishing firm, healthy boundaries. These boundaries safeguard you from those who might exploit your kindness.

This shift involves making conscious decisions, paying attention to your gut feelings, and recognizing what feels right and what doesn’t. It’s about incorporating these insights into your life. It’s about celebrating on the answers and the solutions instead of getting trapped in problems. This book is full of surprises and many ah-ha moments that keep you close to your inner wisdom.