OnTopic with Empathia

OnTopic with Empathia

Welcome to OnTopic by Empathia, a podcast dedicated to overcoming challenges in times of uncertainty. We’ll be talking to industry experts from a wide variety of fields to explore the issues of the day and steps individuals and organizations can take to become more resilient. Whether it is delivering a high-value employee assistance program or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, Empathia brings competence, compassion and commitment to those who need it most. Find out more about Empathia at www.empathia.com.

Episodes

Episode 77: Learning To Live Again After Trauma with John Alan Sebald, Part Two

June 17, 2026 • 32 mins
What happens when a life-altering medical crisis forces you to completely reinvent who you are? In part two of our conversation with author John Sebald, we dive deep into the emotional aftermath of trauma and the surprising burden of survival guilt. John shares how he shifted his mindset from being a victim to embracing a new identity as a guide for others as we explore the profound, brain-wiring science of daily gratitude, the ill...
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Episode 76: Learning To Live Again After Trauma with John Alan Sebald, Part One

June 3, 2026 • 39 mins
Life can change in an instant. For John Alan Sebald, that instant came on Valentine’s Day in 2021 when he tragically choked and suffered a non-shockable form of cardiac arrest right on his kitchen floor. Minutes away from being gone for good, a series of extraordinary miracles and fast-acting first responders brought him back to life. But as John quickly learned, walking out of the hospital was only the beginning of a much lo...
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Episode 75: Mind Over Matter: What is Mental Health? with Robert Biggs, Part Two

April 29, 2026 • 25 mins
Wellness is often treated as a destination we "arrive" at, but in reality, it is a practice built through small, consistent actions. In this episode, host Kelly Parbs continues her conversation with Robert Biggs to explore how sustainable wellness is achieved by bridging the gap between physical health and emotional resilience. Tune in to hear Robert's share his personal 'renaissance' story when he added just one hour of rest to hi...
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Episode 74: Mind Over Matter: What is Mental Health? with Robert Biggs, Part One

April 15, 2026 • 34 mins
In a world where the word "wellness" is thrown around as a marketing tagline for everything from apps to spiritual retreats, it’s easy for the true meaning of health to get lost in the noise. Join host Kelly Parbs, a licensed clinical social worker, as she sits down with Robert Biggs, wellness expert and account manager at Wellworks, to strip away the jargon and uncover what it actually takes to build a sustainable, resilient...
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Episode 73: The Hail Mary Pregnancy: Faith, Cancer, and a Surrogacy Miracle with Jess & Paige, Part Two

March 25, 2026 • 35 mins
In this follow-up to our heartwarming sit-down with Jess and Paige, we dive deeper into the logistical and emotional hurdles that define the surrogacy journey. While their story resulted in the birth of sweet baby Dawson, the path was paved with high-stakes medical prep, ethical dilemmas, and a literal blizzard. From spicy confrontations with hospital triage teams to a three-hour dash through a snowstorm, find out how the duo manag...
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Episode 72: The Hail Mary Pregnancy: Faith, Cancer, and a Surrogacy Miracle with Jess & Paige, Part One

March 11, 2026 • 36 mins
Life rarely follows the script we’ve written for ourselves. In this moving episode of OnTopic with Empathia, host Kelly Parbs sits down with Jess and Paige, two women whose lives became inextricably linked through an extraordinary surrogacy journey born out of resilience and faith. Following Jess' stage four triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis, the odds of giving her daughter a sibling were astronomically small - until sh...
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Episode 71: Second Chances in Prison Reform with Dr. Buck Blodgett, Part Two

December 10, 2025 • 28 mins
Forgiveness isn't just a choice - it's a daily exercise. That's how Dr. Buck Blodgett sees it anyway - the founder of the LOVE>hate project, Dr. Buck and his team have been working in prisons all over the country to offer inmates a new lease on life. In Part Two of their conversation, Buck reveals a few key stories from real inmates inside the program, and how just two simple steps in practicing true forgiveness can rewire the w...
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Episode 70: Second Chances in Prison Reform with Dr. Buck Blodgett, Part One

November 26, 2025 • 39 mins
Everybody deserves a second chance... right? It's easy to say mistakes happen when it comes to the little things, but some times events transpire that can often feel unforgivable. Just take it from Dr. Buck Blodgett - keen listeners may recall his last appearance on OnTopic when he and Kelly talked about the tragic events that led to him starting The LOVE>hate Project, an organization dedicated ending interpersonal violence and ...
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Episode 69: How Should We Care? Navigating Elder Care with Carrie Crawley, Part Two

October 8, 2025 • 39 mins
How do you take care of an aging parent? What about your own future? As we age our bodies tend to break down, unless we start to take the steps necessary to keep us going. In Part Two of their conversation on aging and elder care, Kelly and Carrie Crawley reveal a few key methods to ensuring you can take care of your loved ones in an affordable, accommodating manner regardless of their situation, and how you can start to implement ...
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Episode 68: How Should We Care? Navigating Elder Care with Carrie Crawley, Part One

September 24, 2025 • 40 mins
Caring for aging loved ones is one of the most meaningful, and often one of the most challenging roles any of us will take on. It raises questions about health, independence, finances, and how to balance caregiving with the rest of life. And while every family's journey looks different, the need for support and good information is universal. Just take it from Carrie Crawley, an elder care and aging life specialist who's dedicated h...
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Episode 67: What's the Point? Finding Your Purpose with Alan Mikolaj, Part Two

September 10, 2025 • 35 mins
Are you a born leader? Alan Mikolaj isn't sure anybody is. In fact, he's got the research to prove that NOBODY is born to be a leader, because leadership isn't a genetic trait - it's a learned skill that anybody can manage, if taught under the right conditions. Alan returns to the podcast to talk about what leadership researchers James Kouzes and Barry Posner discovered in their findings to help develop the Leadership Practices Inv...
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Episode 66: What's the Point? Finding Your Purpose with Alan Mikolaj, Part One

August 27, 2025 • 30 mins
Being a leader is harder than it looks. It's a demanding and isolating job, with immense pressure and a constant need to adapt. Just take it from Alan Mikolaj - he's a leadership and organizational development consultant, executive coach and the author of “Stress Management for the Emergency Care Provider” and “The Change: Insights into Self-Empowerment," who works with people in high impact roles, helping build a...
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Episode 65: Stuck at the Top? Coaching Executives with Ken Jenkins, Part Two

August 13, 2025 • 28 mins
Walk the talk! It's a simple phrase, but what does it really mean? And more importantly, does it apply to you or the leadership at your organization? This idea of aligning your actions with your words is one that executive Coach Ken Jenkins was introduced to early in his career, and it's a principle he's lived by ever since. Today, we continue our conversation with Ken, diving deeper into what it truly means to be a leader. We expl...
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Episode 64: Stuck at the Top? Coaching Executives with Ken Jenkins, Part One

July 30, 2025 • 24 mins
Think back on your career. Have you ever worked under a leader who struggled to communicate clearly? Maybe you found it difficult to follow their direction because the direction itself wasn't clear. Or perhaps you are the leader facing a major organizational change, feeling uncertain about how to guide your team through it. If any of this sounds familiar, it might be time to consider working with an executive coach. Today we're tal...
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Episode 63: How Your Phone (and Social Media) Are Tricking You with Heather Dreske, Part Two

July 16, 2025 • 36 mins
Social Media companies have all but perfected the art of the infinite scroll. On average, every time you pick up your phone you'll end up spending upwards of 20 minutes, mindlessly sacrificing your time - and your sense of accomplishment - with just a single tap. Natural Empathic doctor Heather Dreske returns to the podcast to reveal a few key ways you can ground your senses, plant your feet, and stop the doomscrolling without losi...
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Episode 62: How Your Phone (and Social Media) Are Tricking You with Heather Dreske, Part One

July 2, 2025 • 40 mins
A recent Harvard study found that 73% of Americans experience loneliness. What's got everybody down? Heather Dreske might just have the answer - she's a natural, empathic doctor with expertise in family medicine, psychology, and holistic wellness. Heather and Kelly dig into the number one source of loneliness, anxiety, and depression in America - technology, and more importantly, our phones and the social media that drives them - t...
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Episode 61: Understanding The Language of Loss with Natalie Sanchez, Part Two

June 11, 2025 • 30 mins
Grief isn't something you just 'get over', and it's not something you can expect people to move past. It's an emotion that deserves understanding - one that lies under nearly every aspect of our world today. For some it can be more affecting than others. Just take it from Natalie Sanchez - picking up where they left off last week, Natalie and Kelly dig into the support systems Natalie's built into her life since losing her father i...
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Episode 60: Understanding The Language of Loss with Natalie Sanchez, Part One

May 28, 2025 • 28 mins
Grief is an intense and complex emotional response to loss, but its impact extends far beyond mental and emotional distress. Just take it from Natalie Sanchez - the author of 'The Language Of Loss' and 'Becoming Human', Natalie developed a deep relationship with grief after losing her father in 2018. Kelly and Natalie dig into that relationship - and how Natalie managed to find joy in her journey - in Part One of their two-part con...
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Episode 59: Laughter: The Best Medicine? with Kody Green, Part Two

May 14, 2025 • 28 mins
Laughter isn't just a reaction - it's a resource; one that can go a long way, especially when life feels heavy. And the best part is, we can choose it. Just ask Kody Green - known online as the Schizophrenic Hippie, Kody's amassed over a million followers on TikTok and Instagram by sharing his story and advocating for just a little more lightheartedness when times are tough. Kody and Kelly pick up where their conversation left off ...
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Episode 58: Laughter: The Best Medicine? with Kody Green, Part One

April 30, 2025 • 30 mins
It's a phrase we've all heard before - "Laughter is the best medicine" - but how does one go about finding the humor when tragedy strikes? Kody Green might have the answer - having been diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia at 21, Kody's built a platform on apps like TikTok and YouTube by sharing his experiences through a comedy lens. He's also the author of "Minds Over Meetings: A Personal Perspective on Wellness in the Wo...
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