Will AI Make the Workplace More or Less Human? Ft. Dr. Towanna Burrous w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy

AI is impacting every part of our lives—and we need to start paying more attention. Listen to this insightful conversation with Dr. Towanna Burrous, author of *Where AI Meets Empathy*, whose work as a leadership coach explores the human side of performance and innovation.  We discuss: - Why empathy is becoming a form of leadership intelligence in the age of AI - Why organizations need to invest in human infrastructure as much as technological infrastructure - How leaders can create cultures of trust, psychological safety, and belonging - Why AI cannot replace human wisdom, discernment, or cultural awareness If you care about the future of work, culture, employee well-being, and how we can harness technology without losing our humanity—you don’t want to miss this conversation. 00:00 Preview 01:00 Episode introduction 03:33 About Dr. Towanna Burrous 05:08 Towanna’s backstory 07:34 Towanna’s book, *Where AI Meets Empathy: Coaching the Human Side of Innovation* 12:37 Why empathy is needed for “leadership intelligence” in the age of AI 16:02 What does it mean for employees to feel seen, heard, and understood? 20:07 Why organizations need to invest in “human infrastructure” 24:34 What happens when companies cut coaching and professional development? 29:36 Towanna’s biggest concerns about AI at scale 32:53 How leaders can build a human-centered workplace in the age of AI 37:36 Why trust and psychological safety are essential for effective leadership 41:03 What is the impact of leadership vulnerability? 44:03 How reflection helps leaders make better decisions 46:39 Flourishing at work requires finding the balance between technology and humanity 51:31 Dr. Towanna Burrous’s Purposeful Empathy story Episode #5 of Empathy in the Age of AI part II, a special 25-part series: https://tinyurl.com/exyw2nua  CONNECT WITH TOWANNA ✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/towannaburrous/  ✩ Website https://coachinginnovation.co  ✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/towannaburrous/  CONNECT WITH ANITA ✩ Email purposefulempathy@gmail.com  ✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com ✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA ✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/ ✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram ✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast ✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.social SHOW NOTES ✩ Where Empathy Meets AI: Coaching the Human Side of Innovation https://www.amazon.com/Where-AI-Meets-Empathy-Innovation-ebook/dp/B0GX34XVR4 Video edited by Jad Misri, Green Horizon Studio