About the Podcast
The Ballet of Empathy
A Leadership Is Love Podcast
Stories about the power of human connection, the heartbreak of human connection, and the power of forgiveness.
In The Ballet of Empathy: A Leadership is Love Podcast, Dr. Mark Rittenberg, Distinguished Teaching Fellow at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, explores what it means to lead through communication, presence, and relationship. Known for his Active Communicating methodology and decades of work with leaders and organizations around the world, Mark brings listeners into the real moments where leadership is tested: conflict, apology, forgiveness, culture change, and the decisions we make to stay in dialogue when it would be easier to withdraw.
Each episode is built around stories from Dr. Rittenberg’s corporate life, academia, and global leadership work, paired with inspiring lessons on how to “show up and choose to be present,” practice the power of dialogue, and lead with empathy, honesty, and humanity. You will also hear the other side of leadership: the heartbreak of human connection, ghosting, and silence.
The Ballet of Empathy is an invitation to commit an act of love through leadership: communicate, repair, and keep the conversation alive— and continue the dance of human connection.
In The Ballet of Empathy: A Leadership is Love Podcast, Dr. Mark Rittenberg, Distinguished Teaching Fellow at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, explores what it means to lead through communication, presence, and relationship. Known for his Active Communicating methodology and decades of work with leaders and organizations around the world, Mark brings listeners into the real moments where leadership is tested: conflict, apology, forgiveness, culture change, and the decisions we make to stay in dialogue when it would be easier to withdraw.
Each episode is built around stories from Dr. Rittenberg’s corporate life, academia, and global leadership work, paired with inspiring lessons on how to “show up and choose to be present,” practice the power of dialogue, and lead with empathy, honesty, and humanity. You will also hear the other side of leadership: the heartbreak of human connection, ghosting, and silence.
The Ballet of Empathy is an invitation to commit an act of love through leadership: communicate, repair, and keep the conversation alive— and continue the dance of human connection.
About your host
Dr. Mark Rittenberg
Dr. Mark Rittenberg is an internationally recognized leadership expert, executive coach, and educator who has spent more than thirty years helping organizations build cultures of excellence through powerful communication and authentic leadership. A Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, he leads the Leadership Communications program for the Evening Weekend MBA and Executive MBA programs and works with executives from major global organizations including AT&T, Lockheed Martin, GAP Inc., Levi Strauss, and Sandia National Laboratories. His work focuses on developing leaders who can communicate with clarity, inspire vision, and create meaningful cultural change within their organizations.
Dr. Rittenberg is the creator of the Active Communicating® methodology and the Five Powers of Authentic Leadership®, frameworks that blend principles from acting, communication, and cross-cultural education to help leaders communicate with authenticity and influence. His international work includes serving as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in South Africa, where he helped support corporate and political leadership during the country’s transition to a multicultural democracy. In addition to his work at Berkeley, he teaches executive education at leading institutions including Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of San Francisco.
Dr. Rittenberg is the creator of the Active Communicating® methodology and the Five Powers of Authentic Leadership®, frameworks that blend principles from acting, communication, and cross-cultural education to help leaders communicate with authenticity and influence. His international work includes serving as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in South Africa, where he helped support corporate and political leadership during the country’s transition to a multicultural democracy. In addition to his work at Berkeley, he teaches executive education at leading institutions including Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of San Francisco.