Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1277: The Empathy Edge... How to Lead Through Change Without Resistance w/ Rebecca Dhrimaj & Adine Stone
In this powerful episode, we're joined by Rebecca Dhrimaj and Adine Stone, the dynamic duo behind The Empathy Collective. They share their incredible journey from being laid off from their corporate roles (where Adine was Rebecca's manager!) to co-founding a change management consultancy built on empathy. They reveal why traditional "change management" often fails and how to instead build a resilient "change culture" where your team feels seen, heard, and engaged. For any entrepreneur leading a team through growth, pivots, or uncertainty, this episode is a masterclass in turning resistance into resilience and leading with compassion and confidence.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- 🚀 How to transform a personal crisis (like a layoff) into the foundation for a thriving, mission-driven business.
- 🗣️ The critical shift from viewing change as a top-down project to embedding it as a collaborative part of your company culture.
- 🔍 A proven three-phase process (Diagnostic, Workshop, Peer Coaching) to build genuine change readiness in your team before you ever hit "launch."
- 🧠 Why involving your team in conversations before a change happens is the single best way to eliminate resistance and create buy-in.
- 📖 How to use storytelling as a powerful, fun tool to help your team understand and embrace the change process without feeling like it's being done to them.
- 🤝 The art of the "change conversation"—why leaders should listen more than they talk to make employees feel valued and understood.
📝 About Rebecca Dhrimaj & Adine Stone
Rebecca Dhrimaj and Adine Stone are the partners behind The Empathy Collective, a forward-thinking change management consulting firm. Their partnership has a unique origin story: Adine was Rebecca's manager for seven years in the corporate world before their entire team was laid off. This shared, sudden change became the catalyst for their business, fueling their passion for helping organizations navigate the human side of transformation. Together, they combine decades of experience to help leaders build resilient, change-ready teams one empathetic conversation at a time.
🎯 Rebecca’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"If you have a resistant employee or a reluctant child... rather than digging your heels in or trying to be defensive, I encourage you to be curious. Put your curiosity hat on and your empathy hat on. Try to put yourself in their shoes."
🎯 Adine’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Don't wait. Don't wait for that phone call from HR to tell you you haven't got a job tomorrow. If you've got an idea, if you've got a dream... go out and do it."
📢 Memorable Quotes
- “Change management should be just a natural part of your leadership style. It shouldn't be this separate project that you have to then launch or execute.” – Rebecca Dhrimaj
- “People are exhausted... one of the things... is really helping people to be resilient, to understand how they can manage these different waves of change.” – Adine Stone
🔗 Links & Resources