This episode I sit down with journalist, author, and BBC veteran Emily Kasriel to explore something that feels both radical and deeply human: the art of deep listening. At a time when the world is louder, angrier, and more divided than ever, Emily’s message is a lifeline for anyone who’s ever felt dismissed, overwhelmed, or unsure how to bridge the growing gap with someone they care about. As someone who has walked through trauma, loss, and healing myself, I know how hard it is to feel truly heard and how much harder it is to listen when our emotions are high and our beliefs feel under threat. But Emily gently reminds us that we do not have to agree with someone to understand them. We just have to stay curious.
Her new book, Deep Listening: Transform Your Relationships with Family, Friends, and Foes, is more than a guide. It is a call to action for empathy, presence, and connection. Drawing from her decades of research and experience training over a thousand people across more than one hundred countries, Emily shares seven transformative steps to deep listening. These are not just communication techniques. They are practices rooted in radical self-awareness. We talk about how our unhealed trauma often gets projected onto others, how silence can be a sacred space instead of something to fear, and how reflecting back someone’s truth even when we disagree can create profound shifts in understanding. I was struck by how people in her studies became less extreme in their views simply by being heard. That kind of change starts from within.
This conversation touches every corner of life, from political arguments and friend breakups to mother-daughter relationships and everyday moments with strangers. Emily’s compassionate wisdom shows us that deep listening is not about fixing anyone. It is about making room for what is real. If you have ever felt too angry to speak, too hurt to hear, or too disconnected to try, this episode is for you. It reminded me that empathy is not weakness. It is one of the bravest and boldest gifts we can offer each other. Healing, whether personal or collective, begins the moment we choose to truly hear one another.
Find out more about Emily Kasriel here: https://www.emilykasriel.com/
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