The Healing Power of Empathy - A Spotlight on Alejandra Guevara Peres

My weekly Purposeful Empathy newsletter is dedicated to amplifying the voices of people from around the globe who believe the world needs more empathy - and are doing something about it. This month, I'm highlighting four empathy authors who delve into empathy's transformative potential—from experiencing profound healing, to enhancing innovation in the workplace, to increasing our self-awareness and emotional literacy.

Alejandra Guevara Peres was born in Bolivia to a family with material wealth, but emotional scarcity. Her father was volatile and she faced relentless criticism at home, so she moved to America with deep-seated scars.

At the age of 47, she began experiencing debilitating panic attacks and intense brain fog. Things escalated quickly and she found herself in a full-blown mental health crisis. Thankfully, while searching for an explanation, she met with a doctor who listened to her with compassion and responded with 6 simple words: "You are going to be okay."

After being diagnosed with PTSD, she was hospitalized, and once again, met a healthcare professional - a nurse named Nancy - who said in a quiet moment, "You are going to be okay." Alejandra believes her road to recovery began thanks to hearing those validating and empathic words.

Her healing journey also included several key lessons, including the importance of self-empathy. In other words, becoming fully aware of our emotions and treating ourselves with non-judgment and kindness regardless of what or how we are feeling.

Today, Alejandra is a pilates instructor and the author of The Little Book of Empathy, a pocket-sized guide that celebrates the transformative power of empathy in our everyday life.

In a recent conversation on my podcast, we discussed what inspired her to move in the direction of body work. She explained that embodied practices like yoga and pilates help restore balance to our nervous system, which is necessary to heal from trauma. (For more about this, I highly recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.)

Alejandra also encourages Latin American women, in particular, to set boundaries and prioritize self-care. In a powerful message delivered in her native Spanish, she reminds women that they are never alone in their struggles. She also emphasizes that self-empathy is not selfish, but rather, essential for caring for others, especially in cultures where women are often taught to put others before themselves.

Alejandra’s journey back to wellbeing is an important example of how empathy and self-empathy contributes to healing and transformation.

Want to learn more about empathy? Order my debut book, Purposeful Empathy: Tapping Our Hidden Superpower for Personal, Organizational, and Social Change.

Watch my Purposeful Empathy interview with Alejandra Guevara Peres on YouTube here or listen to it as a podcast on your favourite platform (Spotify or Apple Podcasts).