At the heart of so many relationship questions we've received—and relationships in general—is a common thread: EMPATHY. This "healing force", as our esteemed guest calls it, has the power to not only heal our relationships with others, but with ourselves. So why do so few of us understand its powers? Today we're honored to be joined by THE foremost expert on empathy, Dr. Judith Orloff, dubbed “the godmother of the empath movement.” Dr. Orloff is a board-certified psychiatrist and the New York Times best-selling author of several books, including 2017's landmark "The Empath’s Survival Guide" and her latest, "The Genius of Empathy: Practical Skills to Heal Your Sensitive Self, Your Relationships, and the World". Today she helps dispel the misconceptions around empathy, demonstrates how to draw healthy boundaries, and explains the transformative, healing power of SELF-empathy. She explains why it's OK that your partner isn't the same empathy "type" as you, whether or not you can have too much empathy, and how to approach someone whose beliefs you fundamentally disagree with. Today's conversation is the warm hug you needed and will hopefully inspire healing in your more complicated relationships, especially the one you have with yourself. Thank you to our sponsor! - Go to https://www.rocketmoney.com/SHANDY to save money and cancel unwanted subscriptions with just a few taps! More Dr. Judith Orloff: - The book, "The Genius Of Empathy": https://bit.ly/3U6uCRk - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judith.orloff.md - Website: https://drjudithorloff.com Time Stamps: 0:00 - Welcome To Dr. Judith Orloff! 3:41 - What Is Empathy & Empathy Vs Compassion 5:10 - What Are Her Thoughts On The Term “Empath” Becoming Mainstream? 6:52 - The Biggest Misconceptions About Empathy 10:32 - Drawing Boundaries 18:08 - Is Empathy Something We’re Born With? Nature Vs Nurture 19:20 - Can One Really Become *More* Empathic? 22:27 - The Empathy Types 25:02 - Mismatched Empathy In Relationships 28:36 - Tips For Self Empathy 33:13 - How Can I Make Empathy Work In A Way That Isn’t Ultimately To My Disadvantage? 35:53 - Is Self Awareness A Prerequisite to Self Empathy? 36:43 - Tips For Avoiding Empathy-Deficient Types 38:59 - When It Feels Like Someone Doesn’t Deserve Empathy 41:07 - Empathy Vs Enablement 45:18 - Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Empathy? 47:01- Sharleen’s Takeaways 48:00 - Tips For Empathizing With Someone Whose Beliefs You Fundamentally Disagree With 50:55 - Shandy Debrief If you have a relationship question, write us at: dearshandy@gmail.com Subscribe - https://bit.ly/SubscribeDearShandy Listen on iTunes - https://bit.ly/DearShandyiTunes More Dear Shandy Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dearshandy Facebook - https://fb.me/dearshandy More Sharleen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sharleenjoynt Blog - http://www.alltheprettypandas.com More Andy Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/machinelevine Produced by Gabrielle Galon - https://www.instagram.com/gabsamillion