Skip to Content

PODCAST: Understanding Empathy with Jill Guenther

“Empathy fuels connection. Sympathy drives disconnection.”

Dr. Brené Brown

Backed by decades of experience producing exceptional clinical outcomes, Kintinu Telerehab connects recovery to everyday life. In this podcast, we explore hot topics in rehabilitation, the keys to personal growth and recovery, and how to apply it all to the real-world.

Characterized by active listening, acknowledgement of shared experiences and judgment free interaction, empathy leads to inclusivity. Sympathy, on the other hand, involves sadness or pity towards the circumstance(s) of others. Though not all bad, this leads to disconnection and feelings of exclusion.

In this episode of Kintinu’d Conversations, Brad Dexter, Ana Hancock, and Tim Benak welcome back Jill Guenther to the podcast to continue the conversation about Relationship Building with a special emphasis on Empathy. Jill has been with Kintinu’s parent company, QLI, for a total of 25 years. Within that time, Jill has held several crucial roles that have shaped QLI’s culture and clinical program and has spent much of her career studying and learning about what goes into the skill of “relationship building.” Currently, Jill serves as the Director of Skill Building and is one of the first people to welcome a new team member to the company.

Listeners will hear Jill’s perspective on the difference between sympathy and empathy. One tool, the Empathy Inventory, places emphasis on personal awareness and how this leads to a deeper understanding of one’s own level of empathy. We hope the topics of this discussion are top of mind as you hone your own relationship building skills personally and professionally.

Enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout, or on your favorite podcast platform.