Hi!

Hope the holiday season is treating you well. I appreciate how many of you reached out with gratitude for the conversation tips for the family gathering in the last edition. It means a lot to hear what’s resonating

As 2024 winds down, I want to take a moment to thank you for being part of this journey with me. Each edition of Reading Between the Lines has been an opportunity to share stories, tips, and reflections designed to spark connection and deepen understanding. In this special year-end wrap-up, we’ll revisit some of the moments that struck a chord this year, dive into some holiday fun and gift ideas, plus take a look ahead to 2025.

Deck the Halls with Curious Breaths

The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and connection—but let’s be honest, it can also bring plenty of tension. Whether it’s family drama, overstepped boundaries, or clashing viewpoints, the warmth of the season can sometimes feel a little…heated.

That’s where one of my favorite tools comes in: the Curious Breath. If you’ve been in one of my workshops or followed along this year, you know how much I love teaching this technique. In fact, many of you have told me it’s the most useful thing you’ve learned in 2024—and honestly, that makes me so happy. It’s simple, powerful, and in the chaos of the holidays, it might just be the tool that helps you find your calm and keep the peace..

A Curious Breath is like a reset button for your emotions. It gives you the space to step back, steady yourself, and choose how you want to respond instead of reacting in the heat of the moment. Here’s how it works:

1. Take a Deep Inhale: Breathe in deeply through your nose. As your lungs expand, imagine creating space not just in your body but in your mind.

2. Hold for a Moment: Pause briefly at the top of the breath. Feel that clarity and calm settling in.

3. Exhale Slowly: Let the breath out through your mouth, releasing tension as you do.

4. Get Curious: With a clearer head, focus on curiosity. What might be behind the other person’s words or actions? What can you learn in this moment?

It’s a small pause that creates big possibilities. And during the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it can make all the difference in keeping things merry and bright.

I was recently on the 13News at 5pm on WTHR-TV in my hometown of Indianapolis. I talked with anchor Dustin Grove about the importance of active, reflective listening and also the curious breath. Check out the end of the segment when the anchors continued the conversation on set after the interview was over. These tips to break down the barriers to empathy are useful in so many settings.

Want More Holiday Tips?

If you’re looking for more ways to keep the peace and create meaningful conversations this season, check out Taking the Tension Out of Turkey Day and Remember, This Time It’s Personal.

Lifeology: The Game That Sparked Connections

One of the most rewarding parts of this year has been hearing how much you’ve enjoyed playing Lifeology. This conversation game has turned holiday gatherings, family dinners, and even team meetings into opportunities for connection, understanding, and yes—laughter.

What is Lifeology? It’s a simple, question-based game designed to spark fun and meaningful conversations. You draw a card, everyone takes turns answering, and suddenly you’re learning things about each other you never expected.

Why does it work so well?

• It keeps things lighthearted but can lead to surprising insights.

• Everyone gets a turn, so it keeps conversations balanced.

• It helps break the ice and shift the focus to what matters most: connection.

I’ve been thrilled by the stories you’ve shared about how Lifeology has brought your families and teams closer together. It’s a reminder that a little curiosity and kindness can go a long way—especially during the holidays.

If you’re looking for a way to bring more connection to your holiday celebrations, give it a try. And don’t forget to breathe…curiously, of course.

How Setting Intentions Instead of Resolutions Saved Me

Perhaps irony is how the universe, or God or your preferred name for a higher power, entertains itself. I tend to find some humor contained within most examples of irony and when I’m in an ironic situation myself, I’m left with laughter as the only way out.

There I was at the start of 2024, doing TV appearances on the importance of setting intentions instead of resolutions for the New Year. Resolutions, I explained, are fixed, like stone. Immovable objects invite challenges like the ones that life likes to throw our way.

Intentions are more fluid like water compared to rock hard resolutions. Flexible and malleable, intentions are able to adapt to the curveballs life and the universe might throw your way.

The day after one of those TV appearances in January, I had a big curveball thrown my way which changed the course of my year. I had to return to the CEO role at Ignite 360, ended up selling the company and navigating the integraiton while also dealing with a car accident, the loss of a close friend and, most recently, my father-in-law.

My intention for the year was to build my Empathy Activist speaking and coaching business so that it became a primary source of income for me. While that specific end result hasn’t happened, as I think about the reflect on the events of the year, I think the wheels are in motion for that to happen, I just had a few other things to do first.

The end of the year is a time when I naturally reflect, reset and recharge so as I started to enter that period for this year, I realized that the narrative we tell ourselves and others is largely of our own construction. I could very easily have continued to move into darker places of self-pity and woe is me stories as this year didn’t play out the way I had intended.

However, sometimes we have to turn our perspective around and look at things from another angle. It’s a lesson with its own chapter in Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time (a great gift for a young adult, mom friend or any person concerned with how people are - and aren’t - talking to each other).

Had I set a fixed resolution instead of a fluid intention, would the year have turned out differently? Would I have been resistant to the changes I needed to make? Perhaps my decisions would have turned out differently.

While the journey this year may have had its ups and downs, I’m really fortunate to have found a home with Dig Insights for Ignite 360 and all the great work we did the past 13 years. Not only is there a genuine passion for innovative research, the team at Dig is big on storytelling and empathy and genuinely good people. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and I’m having fun collaborating with them.

And moving out of owning Ignite 360 does free me up some of my time to further develop Empathy Activist which is exactly what I set out to do one year ago. Intention achieved? Depending on how you look at it, yes.

Looking ahead toward 2025, I’m an even stronger believer in the power of intention. We don’t have as much control over every aspect of our life as we might hope to have. Instead of fight it, I plan to float in the stream, continuing on the journey.

And maybe have a chuckle or two at the universe’s sense of humor.

Happy New Year!

I’m curious - how are you approaching resolutions and intentions this year?

I hope you liked this edition.

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As always, a quick reminder of what you can expect in each edition of Reading Between the Lines…

1. My thinking is here in the newsletter. Links are for diving deeper.

2. I strive to deliver ‘news you can use’.

3. I also share insights into human behavior and topics I’m thinking about.

4. I include amusing or interesting “slice of life” moments.

5. The Q&A feature is based on questions that come up in conversation - please send me your questions!

6. I’d like to hear your thoughts- ‘reply’ to this email or reach out directly to: [email protected]

Reading Between the Lines delivers of-the-moment insights into empathy and human behavior; expect practical tips on using the skill of empathy in everyday life and exclusive updates to keep my community close. All on a biweekly basis.