Speakers > Karen Faith
Karen Faith
Ethnographer and Empathy Expert
Karen Faith helps teams build deeper connections, navigate difficult conversations, and enhance collaboration through advanced empathy and perspective-taking skills.
Defining Moments
TEDx talk “How to talk to the worst parts of yourself” with nearly 2.4 million views, that was featured on MSNBC Morning Joe
Guest speaker on creativity and customer insight at Google, Indeed, Amazon, Intuit
Recipient of the Dwight Conquergood award for ethnographic research at Performance Studies International in London
Fee range:
$10,000 - $20,000
Travels from:
New York City
Website:
Perfect for:
Company culture initiatives, team-building, leadership retreats, and any groups who do not respond well to serious and/or squishy presentations on ‘soft’ topics.
Tone & Approach:
Experiential and interactive, smart without feeling academic, infused with irreverent humor while delivering strategic insights based on real data.
Meet Karen
Karen Faith is the CEO of Others Unlimited, an empathy training company focused on curiosity, perspective-taking, and self-awareness. A sought-after speaker and expert ethnographer — someone who studies people & cultures — Karen brings transformative insights to global brands including Google, Amazon, Indeed, and Intuit, and prestigious universities around the world.
Karen's journey through trauma recovery and personal healing has deeply informed her approach. Her signature blend of warmth, humor, and fearless vulnerability helps audiences comfortably confront complex topics, transforming team dynamics and individual mindsets. Karen’s engagements have included Penn State, Juilliard, Chapman University, and international stages from Singapore to Bangalore.
Karen delivered a TEDx talk with over 2.4 million views that recently appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe, and regularly contributes to discussions on creativity, communication, and mental health. Her experiential approach ensures every audience leaves with actionable skills for stronger connections and clearer conversations.
Karen has worked with
Signature Presentation
Caring When You Don’t: How to Understand Views You Find Outrageous
Alternative Title:
Empathy for A**holes
Description:
We are in this together... whether we like it or not. Emphasis on ‘not.’ We may not agree on how we got here, or where we're going — but if we don't learn to listen to one another, we're in trouble. This presentation teaches perspective-taking for people who have a hard time relating to the effed up viewpoints of others.
Developed by an ethnographer (people researcher) with a knack for non-judgment, this workshop teaches advanced skills of observation and self-awareness to seekers and cynics alike. Learn how to genuinely hear, understand, and at least partially respect just about any bonkers, bananas, or bullsh*t point of view you could possibly imagine. And get yours heard and understood, too. It's useful, fun, and even kinda spiritual.
By the end of this session, attendees will:
Define the differences between affective empathy (compassion) and cognitive empathy (perspective-taking).
Identify a person's baseline traits ("Climate") and temporary behaviors ("Weather").
Apply curiosity and non-judgment techniques to effectively navigate difficult conversations.
Additional Presentations from Karen Faith
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Tough conversations demand next-level skills like tuning in to triggers, de-escalating conflict, and translating insight into action. Drawing on the tools of ethnographic observation, this session empowers participants to navigate charged content effectively, by utilizing curiosity, play, and emotional distance. Together, we’ll unpack the unique priorities and pitfalls for giving and receiving 3 distinct types of feedback: creative, professional, and personal, while exploring tactics to maintain boundaries with respect, clarity, and generosity. Participants will come away with tools for structuring difficult communications, as well as the skill to receive imperfectly delivered critique, confrontation, and commentary without harm.
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Belonging is not about fitting in, but welcoming others as they are. In this session, we’ll explore the practice of Unconditional Welcome as it applies to company culture and creative collaboration. First, we will examine individual biases with curiosity and non-judgment, to better understand the quirks and qualms we’ve learned, inherited, and developed in our lived experiences. We’ll then learn to form deeper bonds that extend beyond typical constructs, reducing the damage of silos and cliques.
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With great responsibility comes great power. (We just learned it backwards.) Taking responsibility does not mean taking all the blame. It is not victim-shaming our own brains or making ourselves the center of causality. Taking responsibility means owning our actions, words, and interpretations of our experience. Learning to do this sets us up for limitless growth and big breakthroughs. But it must be done skillfully, and in balance. This session outlines where and how we can be more potent in our roles and relationships by taking more responsibility.
Testimonials
Watch & Learn:
DesignUp Bangalore (human centered design)
All About Psychology (written interview)
Into Healing (video podcast appearance)