We’ve been divided on purpose. I teach people to see it, feel it, and let empathy rewrite the story. Every week, you’ll receive thought-provoking insights, human-first storytelling, and bold reframes designed to challenge how we are reclaiming our humanity through our daily actions. Whether building movements, reshaping culture, or simply asking better questions, this space is for you. Welcome home.
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Emotional Depth Is the New Luxury
Published 5 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader
Doing work that helps social good movements and makes the world a better place is not a job for a martyr; you serve the world, who serves you?
What you can expect in today's issue:
Why do we feel disconnected, even when surrounded by like-minded people
The difference between connection and intimacy, and why it matters
Why changemakers are often the most emotionally undernourished
What happens when people are given permission to stop performing
A behind-the-scenes look at the new Solo Reframes episode and the launch of the Empathy Storytellers Salon
Have you ever wondered why you can be in a room full of people who do similar, like-minded work and still feel a lack of connection?
It's because we're experiencing a lack of emotional intimacy. We may know many people, and we may feel part of a community in an abstract sense. But where is the depth?
The depth where conversations linger long after they end, bringing a smile to your face days or even weeks later. Where you find yourself thinking, I can’t wait to build more of that connection.
Especially as Changemakers, who crave depth. Because when you're purpose-driven and carry the responsibility to constantly hold space, listen, and advocate for your community, family, and neighbors, where is that space for you to be held? to be heard?
Changemakers love being the one who volunteers when others are drowning. You know, the ones who start the accountability group and rally the community.
I'm sure you're nodding your head as you think about yourself and the community around you.
And now the palpation at this depth is becoming evident as the pendulum swings back from clickbait toward the return of 3rd spaces that allow for slowness and meaning. And we're now seeing the emergence of spaces that aren't simply aesthetically pleasing but also emotionally deep.
We're seeing cocktail lounges turn down the music and bring in professors with depth of knowledge across a variety of topics, from economics to philosophy. We're seeing the reemergence of bookstores where younger generations are spending hours reading and discussing their perspectives.
But the question is, will Changemakers be given permission to receive?
Rarely are Changemakers invited into spaces where emotional depth is cultivated for them to lean into. They’re usually the ones driving the community, not sitting back inside of it. And sometimes, I think we take changemakers for granted.
We’ve all heard the saying: just because someone is resilient, independent, and strong doesn’t mean they don’t need support.
Often, they’ve simply learned not to ask for it. It’s no different for changemakers: nonprofit founders, People in public policy and philanthropy, Doctors, social workers, and educators.
The list goes on.
Yet how often is there a space for them to land?
And even more rarely, how often are they told that indulging in connection, beauty, and care is not selfish or excessive, but necessary?
Someone recently shared that they needed permission to remember that even with deep purpose in helping others, it is more than okay to enjoy nice things and accept nice treats for themselves.
They felt the need to minimize their enjoyment, as if pleasure somehow takes away from purpose.
When I heard that, my immediate response was: absolutely not. It reminded me of my own transition from nonprofit work as a clinical therapist to the private sector. I was shamed and told I had “sold out.”
But what stayed with me was this deeper question:
Why do we make changemakers believe that work must define every waking moment of their lives?
Why don’t we make space for them to rest, to enjoy, to be human beyond the impact they create? And that question became the foundation of what I’ve been building.
Over the past couple of years, I began hosting Changemaker Dinners.
Eight to ten people, deeply intentional conversations, with two rules:
No egos. No titles.
And no talking about what you do for work.
At first, these changemakers struggled. They were so used to hiding behind their work identity that they didn’t know how not to bring it up. But as the evening unfolded, something shifted. By the time dessert arrived, elevator pitches were forgotten. People had allowed themselves to show up as humans, not résumés.
These dinners were successful because they provided a sanctuary where Changemakers could feel valued and cared for without having to perform.
Those experiences inspired the official launch of
The Empathy Storytellers Salon.
An underground social experience for changemakers who know that relationships are where transformation happens. Where people feel intellectually satiated and emotionally supported.
Changemaker Salon Experience January 10 2026
I quietly hosted the launch in Chicago on January 10th with 20 magnificent changemakers. People flew in from Costa Rica, New York, D.C., Memphis, and Los Angeles. Others drove in from Indiana and Wisconsin.
They arrived without fully knowing what they were about to experience. What unfolded was more vulnerable and honest than I could have imagined. Conversations went deep. Divorce. Parenting. Estranged relationships with parents. Stepping into new identities that felt both exciting and uncomfortable.
The environment simply communicated: you don’t have to try here. And that validated something I believe we’ve forgotten. When people are allowed to slow down and be with one another honestly, intimacy doesn’t need to be forced. It emerges.
After the evening, a nonprofit founder shared with me: “As soon as I sat in the car, I cried from the love and gratitude in the room. It was so emotionally overwhelming.”
That reaction was about what their body finally experienced. They felt appreciated and held without expectation.
Another Changemaker shared: “I don’t think I have ever felt so valued or appreciated. It was this odd feeling of, ‘Oh wait… I do matter."
And it's important to note that being needed is not the same as being valued. Many changemakers move through the world feeling essential, yet emotionally undernourished.
And that is something we need to change. That is something I'm on a mission to change through The Empathy Storytellers Salon.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Where in your life are your relationships staying surface-level because depth feels risky or indulgent?
And what might shift if you allowed yourself to indulge in a connection that actually nourishes you?
What's Happening, BTS
Podcast:
This reflection connects directly to the latest Solo Reframes episode, where I explore intimacy, emotional depth, and why changemakers deserve spaces that give back to them.
The launch of the Salon was a huge success. We're partnering with purpose-driven organizations as brand partners to bring these experiences to life, ensuring our vendors and partners are small, globally represented businesses. And we've solidified the types of experiences we're going to offer Changemakers.
These experiences include
Changemaker dinners, in which 20 changemakers across industries are brought together for a curated evening to celebrate them with depth in conversations, and nourishing elevated dinners where the conversation is about everything but work.
Emotionally nourishing experiences such as pottery, identity evolution, home design through the lens of your ancestral identity, or a 4-day retreat to Costa Rica.
Immersive impact experiences where we partner with Philanthropic Foundations to curate social-good dinners and immersions on social issues.
If you consider yourself a Changemaker in your industry, consider joining a community of Changemakers who savor depth in their minds, nourishment, and emotional fulfillment.
Let's partner and design immersive, story-driven experiences for your purpose-driven organization so the customers you're trying to reach don’t just see your impact, they step into it.
It’s how movements are born: when a mission becomes personal.
Partner with us through The Empathy Storyteller's Salon, where we host curated immersions, dinners, and experiences to help changemakers deepen relationships, cultivate community, and elevate their emotional well-being.
We’ve been divided on purpose. I teach people to see it, feel it, and let empathy rewrite the story. Every week, you’ll receive thought-provoking insights, human-first storytelling, and bold reframes designed to challenge how we are reclaiming our humanity through our daily actions. Whether building movements, reshaping culture, or simply asking better questions, this space is for you. Welcome home.
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