The Bliss Business Podcast

Katharine Manning

Katharine Manning Profile Photo

Author | Public Speaker | President of Blackbird

Katharine is the President of Blackbird, which provides training and consultation on empathy at work. She is the author of The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job, and teaches at American University and in the Master’s in Trauma-Informed Leadership Program at Dominican University. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Newsweek, CNBC, Business Insider, Thrive Global, and CEOWorld. She has worked on issues of trauma and victimization for more than 25 years, including 15 years at the Justice Department, where she was a Senior Attorney Advisor consulting on victim issues in cases like the Boston Marathon bombing and the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

Aug. 28, 2025

The Role of Empathy in Leadership with Katharine Manning

Only 36% of employees in the U.S. say they feel engaged at work, and lack of empathy from leadership is often cited as a leading cause of disengagement (Gallup). Yet research shows that leaders who practice empathy foster str...