Introducing Empathetic Presence: Liberating Our Voices

In 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 leadership
• How overthinking and people-pleasing disconnect us from our natural communication abilities
• Why empathy combined with expertise makes you an unstoppable leader

I 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 naturally emerges. When you're anxious about how you're being perceived, your attention splinters and your voice suffers.

Throughout this podcast journey, I'll share practical tools to help you speak up even when afraid, and I'll interview empathetic experts who are creating cultures where everyone can be heard.

Have a topic suggestion or know someone I should interview? Email me at [e-mail]

Remember: Your voice matters. Your empathy is your strength. And together, we can create the leadership our world desperately needs right now.

• Want to experience Empathetic Presence in action? Join my free monthly practice lab and learn tools to express yourself in every setting. Register here.
• Learn about Lee’s work here. 

00:00 Introduction to Empathetic Presence

00:29 The Problem with Toxic Cultures

01:19 Rejecting Executive Presence

01:29 Embracing Empathy and Connection

02:15 The Need for Empathetic Leadership

03:05 Empathy as a Strength

03:16 Conclusion and Call to Action

Episode Transcript

(00:05):
Welcome to Empathetic Presence,a podcast to liberate our voices
from silencing systems, fromanxiety, overthinking, so that
we can build cultures ofconfidence where all of our
voices are heard.
I'm your host, Lee Bonvissuto.
I help empathetic leadersexpress our expertise fully and

(00:28):
freely.
And over the past 10 years, I'vewitnessed too many leaders be
silenced Because toxic culturessilence and stifle all of our
voices.
In this moment we have topreserve our freedom of
expression so that we are led bymore empathetic leaders.
I want to share tools to helpyou speak up even when you're

(00:51):
afraid, and I want to ask thatyou share those tools with
people who struggle speaking upso that we can activate all of
our voices to speak up forourselves and each other.
I know that so many of us feelpowerless in our voices.
We've been critiqued or pickedapart or made to believe that we
have to work harder to be heard.

(01:12):
And this is unfortunately truefor far too many people,
particularly those who areunderrepresented at work.
We don't need executivepresence.
We don't need more disconnected,dominant leadership.
It doesn't work.
What we need is more empathy,connection, and humanness at

(01:35):
work because the one thing thatAI can never replace is our
empathy, our communication, howwe collaborate and connect.
Where executive presence justmakes us overthink.
It makes us splinter ourattention as we worry how we're
being perceived.
Do I seem confident enough?

(01:56):
And so we need to rejectexecutive presence.
We need to reject, overthinking,or changing ourselves to be
someone we are not.
We need to stop working so hardto be seen as an expert worrying
if we have executive presence,which in itself makes it
impossible to be present.
The leadership we need in thismoment is empathetic, present,

(02:20):
and connected, so that we cancreate empathetic cultures that
include all of us, because Ibelieve that we all communicate
with confidence when we'recomfortable, if we communicate
with confidence when we feelsafe, but maybe not in rooms
where we feel like there'ssomething to prove.
Maybe it just turns on whenwe're in rooms with senior

(02:43):
leaders.
If that's the case, then it'snot our voice that needs to be
fixed.
It's situational, systemic anddeeply societal.
And this in a society whereempathy has been weaponized,
where we are overthinking orpeople pleasing or worried about
how we're being perceived.

(03:05):
But I want to convince you thatempathy is your strength, and
when you combine your expertisewith your empathy.
You are unstoppable.
In each episode, I'm going toshare tools to liberate our
voices so that we can expressourselves in big moments, and
I'll interview empatheticexperts who are creating

(03:27):
cultures where we can all beheard.
So let me know what gets in theway of you speaking up.
Or maybe you know, an empatheticexpert who needs to be heard, I
would love to interview them.
Email me [e-mail] and share
this podcast with someone whosevoice we need to hear from.

(03:50):
And remember, you don't have tofind your voice.
It's already yours.
I just want you to remember howpowerful your voice is.