Teresa Au chats with author, speaker, and entrepreneur Michael Ventura about what empathy really is and how it can help your design work and your business. Michael describes applied empathy–the idea that empathy isn’t just putting yourself in someone else’s shoes–it’s about better understanding what it’s like to be someone else in their own shoes. They also discuss how car designers rely on somatic empathy, strategies for time-strapped solopreneurs, and an easy way to shake up your video meetings.What you’ll hear in this episode:How Michael’s brand and strategy used empathy to improve their workSomatic empathy as a way to understand your clients’ physical experiencesThe importance of reflecting on the impact of your workA quick trick for learning about the people you meetWhy working more hours is not working betterA tool for comparing competing prioritiesHow empathy and self-knowledge can help you find your purposeRemix a template created by Michael Ventura in Adobe Express: https://adobe.ly/ITM-Michael Michael Ventura founded the strategy and design consultancy Sub Rosa, where he advised clients such as ACLU, Goldman Sachs, Google, Microsoft, Nike, The United Nations and the Obama-Biden Administration. His book, Applied Empathy (Simon & Schuster 2018) explores the intersectionality of business and personal development through the practice of empathy for the self, and for others. Michael has served as a board member and advisor to organizations including Behance, The Burning Man Project, The Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, and the United Nations' affiliated Tribal Link Foundation. He is a visiting lecturer at Princeton University and the United States Military Academy at West Point. An ardent steward of personal and professional development, Michael is frequently engaged as an advisor to individuals, leaders, teams, and corporate boards at moments of transformation and change. Teresa Au (@tautastic) is an executive for community engagement at Adobe, where she focuses on empowering creatives and students via workshops, panels, and podcasts. On creating In the Making, Teresa says “I knew I wanted to amplify the incredible personal stories of the talented and unique humans I’ve been meeting online and at our Create Now events across the world.”In the Making is made possible by Adobe Express, the all-in-one content creation app included in your Creative Cloud membership.Learn more about this podcast, and find transcripts and links, at adobe.ly/inthemaking. Want to leave us a voicemail? Go to https://www.speakpipe.com/inthemakingDesign flyers, TikToks, resumes, and Reels with the new, all-in-one Adobe Express. Create video, marketing, and social content. Edit photos and PDFs. Make it all in one app, including generative AI tools from Adobe Firefly and easy, one-click tasks like removing backgrounds.Adobe Creative Cloud provides apps, web services, and resources for all your creative projects — photography, graphic design, video editing, UX design, drawing and painting, social media, and more. Learn more about the apps in Creative Cloud