Empathy begins Within: Reconciling ‘otherness’ with Dr. Jackie King

In this episode of the Company Road podcast, Chris Hudson and Dr. Jackie King delve into the transformative concept of empathy, emphasizing the importance of self-empathy as a foundational step. Dr. King shares her personal journey, highlighting how her experiences shaped her understanding of otherness and the necessity of self-discovery in leadership. The conversation explores the application of design thinking to personal growth, the complexities of identity, and the role of empathy in enhancing workplace dynamics and social cohesion. Listeners are encouraged to embark on their own journeys of self-exploration to unlock their potential and foster better relationships. In this episode you’ll hear about The importance of self-empathy as a foundation for empathy towards others. Dr. Jackie King's personal journey of self-discovery and overcoming feelings of otherness. The role of design thinking in personal growth and self-awareness. Challenges of maintaining authenticity and aligning personal values in professional settings. Embracing unique identities to enhance leadership and team dynamics. Strategies for intrapreneurs to leverage self-awareness for innovative leadership. The impact of empathy on social cohesion and organizational success. Key links Dr. Jackie King's Website www.drjackieking.com.au The Ultimate Other, Jackie’s book https://www.amazon.com.au/Ultimate-Ot... LinkedIn   / jackiedking   About our guest Jackie offers a rare blend of academic rigour, professional expertise and lived insight to empower individuals, teams and organisations. She uses her professional expertise and academic theory grounded in real‑world empathy practice, which she shares to support individuals and organisations to navigate change with empathy though the ultimate Leadership Framework. Jackie believes that it is only once you have empathy for yourself, that you can be open to having empathy for others. She explores this through a design thinking process that she applied to her personal life, with a gender and cultural lens after her divorce, and has shared in her award winning book, The Ultimate Other. Jackie has a PhD in public policy and EMBA in organisational leadership and strategy. She has had a long executive career dedicated to supporting for - purpose institutions in designing and implementing actionable strategies in leadership, governance, risk, compliance, ESG, CSR and DEI, and operations/service delivery. She is an accredited ADMRAS mediator who resolves board‑room and staff conflicts through values‑based, design‑thinking and mediation. She provides strategic and advisory support through her consultancy JDK Research. About our host Our host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneurship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road. Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change. Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.