Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy: Tapping Our Hidden Superpower for Personal, Organizational, and Social Change

PRAISE FOR PURPOSEFUL EMPATHY

Anita Nowak has achieved something rare: she inspires soul-searching and action without sounding preachy. Purposeful Empathy should be on every socially conscious leaders reading list.

John Wood, founder of Room to Read and U-Go, and author of Purpose, Incorporated

Ive been saying for decades that humanity is on a collision course and must become more empathic to save our civilization. In this splendid book, Anita Nowak explains why each of us stands to benefit by flexing our empathy muscles. What are we waiting for?

Paul R. Ehrlich, PhD, Bing Professor of Population Studies, emeritus, and president of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University, and author of Humanity on a Tightrope

Whether youre an artist, educator, activist, or entrepreneur, if you care about the well-being of othersand achieving great results at the same timeyou must read this book.

Maria Ross, brand strategist and author of The Empathy Edge

Reading Purposeful Empathy is like attending a wellness retreat and leadership masterclass at the same time. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby and author of Anything You Want

Purposeful Empathy is a necessary book for our time.

Edwin Rutsch, founding director of the Center for Building a Culture of Empathy

Purposeful Empathy debunks the myth that empathy is a soft skill. Anita Nowak has written a definitive guide to empathic leadership and culture. I recommend this book with a five-star approval.

Paul L. Gunn Jr., founder and CEO of KUOG and author of Success the Right Way

Anita Nowaks work is thoughtfully designed to help guide readers toward true, action-oriented changemaking. If you want to contribute to a better, brighter future, Purposeful Empathy is required reading.

Michael Ventura, advisor and author of Applied Empathy

Anita Nowaks passion and relentless work toward building empathy in our world is inspiring. Her book Purposeful Empathy is a great example.

Elif M. Gokcigdem, PhD, founder of Organization of Networks for Empathy and author of Designing for Empathy

For the latest on empathy research and why every child, adult, family, teacher, business, and community can benefit from improved social-emotional skills, look no further than Anita Nowaks Purposeful Empathy.

Lynne Azarchi, director of Kidsbridge Youth Center and author of The Empathy Advantage

Purposeful Empathy is beautifully written. Through compelling stories and thought-provoking exercises, Anita Nowak makes practicing empathy accessible, inviting, and rewarding.

Katharine Manning, president of Blackbird DC and author of The Empathetic Workplace

In Purposeful Empathy, Anita Nowak has done a masterful job bringing the reader on a journey that makes the complex seem easy, the intangible feel real, and delivers a dose of courage to make the world a better place.

Rob Volpe, CEO of Ignite 360 and author of Tell Me More About That

Anita Nowak offers a blueprint for business leaders hoping to create a thriving workplace culture, a how-to for parents hoping to be positive role models for their children, and a call to arms for anyone seeking to make the world a better place.

Minter Dial, speaker, podcaster, and author of Heartificial Empathy

Purposeful Empathy validates our fears about whats going wrong in our lives and in the world, but then shows us how to be part of the solutionwithout burning out.

Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips, author of The Future of Feeling

One of the most important books of our time on the vital role that empathy plays in leading with purpose.

April Adams-Redmond, chief marketing officer, Unilever / Pepsi Joint Venture

Changemaking is tough work that requires grit, collaboration, and, above (and beneath it) all, empathy. Purposeful Empathy is the unambiguous call to action we need to bring about a more just and sustainable world.

Barb Steele, executive director, Ashoka Canada

PURPOSEFUL EMPATHY

PURPOSEFUL EMPATHY

Tapping Our Hidden Superpower for Personal, Organizational, and Social Change

Copyright 2023 Anita Nowak. Printed by Broadleaf Books, an imprint of 1517 Media. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email copyright@1517.media or write to Permissions, Broadleaf Books, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.

Cover design by Jay SmithJuicebox Designs

Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-8505-8

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-8510-2

As an educator, I dedicate this book
to all those who have taught me to be a better human being:
my mom, who taught me about kindness,
my dad, who taught me about courage,
my sisters, who taught me about resilience,
Juls, Deb, Sue, and Care, who taught me about friendship,
Tullio, who taught me about generosity,
Bruno, who taught me about self-awareness,
Jim, who taught me to believe in myself,
all my students, who taught me about co-creation,
Giorgi, who taught me that dreams come true,
and Annika, who taught me that miracles happen.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

by Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus

In May 2016, I held my friend Anitas ten-day-old baby in my arms. Very few experiences surpass the feeling of gazing at an infant, knowing youre holding the future in your hands. It reminded me how I felt cradling my grandson for the first time. From that moment onward, it was impossible to think about tomorrow without imagining him in it.

Collectively, we face enormous social and environmental threats. Challenges that all our grandchildren will inherit. Thats why its our responsibility as citizens and leaders to consider these two crucial questions: How did we get into this mess? And more importantly, how do we get out?

Its clear that our bedrock systems are failing. For example, the market economy, which unleashed unprecedented prosperity across the globe, is now in direct conflict with sustainability and social good, serving the interests of the privileged few at the expense of the disenfranchised many. Thats why we need to redesign economics as a social science.

Thankfully, transformation is already underway, driven by a different set of human values. And innovations like social business give expression to our inherent altruism.

In the same spirit, Purposeful Empathy is a timely and inspiring read that carries an important messageone that aligns with my vision for a better world, animated by mutual care, respect, cooperation, and solidarity.

I urge you to read Anita Nowaks debut book Purposeful Empathy. It will swing you from cynicism to hope, from selfishness to selflessness, and from apathy to action.

PREFACE

Theres nowhere you can be that isnt where youre meant to be.

John Lennon

Ive written this book to satisfy five goals. The teacher in me wants to share what I have learned about empathy over the past fifteen years. The coach in me wants to inspire you to live your best life. The rebel in me wants to shatter systems of oppression and injustice. The spiritual seeker in me wants to align with my calling. And the mother in me wants to protect and nurture our children. Heres the backstory.