The Empathy Edge Ed Kirwan: The Most Effective Way to Build Empathy
What if empathy wasn’t something we talked about, but something we actually trained, practiced, and scaled?
My guest today, Ed Kirwan, is doing exactly that. Ed is the CEO and Founder of Empathy Studios, a creative education organization using the power of film to develop empathy as a real, learnable skill. He’s also the founder of Empathy Week, now the world’s largest empathy festival for schools, reaching more than 1.8 million students across 56 countries since 2020.
In this conversation, we explore why film is such a powerful catalyst for empathy, what Ed has learned from years of working with students around the world, why empathy is becoming a critical skill in the age of AI, and how developing empathy can boost well-being and help create a better world.
This is a hopeful, practical, and deeply human conversation about what empathy looks like when we stop treating it like a soft skill and start treating it like a core capability.
To access the episode transcript, go to www.TheEmpathyEdge.com, search by episode title.
Listen in for…
- The emotional power of film to supercharge feeling and connection.
- Why empathy and related skills are necessary to reap the benefits of AI.
- How humans are adapting, seeking things that are real and authentic, and why making something look worse may actually be better.
"That's the power of film. It can really supercharge emotions; it can supercharge feeling; it can supercharge connection." — Ed Kirwan
Episode References:
About Ed Kirwan, CEO and Founder, Empathy Studios
Previously a science teacher in London, Ed founded Empathy Studios, an education and creative organisation using the power of film to develop the skill of empathy in all. A director, filmmaker, and educator for 10+ years, Ed also started Empathy Week, the world’s largest empathy festival for schools, which has reached 1.8 million students across 56 countries since 2020. Their framework for empathy development is backed by the University of Cambridge, and Ed’s team now works across teams and leaders in the business world to help develop and embed the skill of empathy - foundational to high-performing and thriving teams.
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Connect with Ed Kirwan:
Empathy Studios: empathystudios.com
Empathy Week: empathyweek.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ed-kirwan
Instagram: instagram.com/edkirwan
YouTube: youtube.com/@Empathy-Studios
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