When I was nine, I talked myself out of a Cincinnati Reds game because I was sure my parents would say no. I never asked. They would have said yes, and the research on why we all do this explains more than one missed ballgame.

In 1994, I put five words on bus benches across Los Angeles. Thirty years later, the psychology behind why that worked also explains why your feed can't do the same thing.

He kept his intelligence and his memories of facts. He lost every personal moment of his own life, past and future alike. Here's what K.C.'s story reveals about hope, memory, and empathy.

A man with an IQ in the 97th percentile lost the ability to feel and couldn't make a single decision. Here's what Elliot's story says about emotion, AI, and what it means to be human.

A night spent helping my grandma "land the plane" at 104, Maria Ross's twenty-good-summers math, and the research that explains both: death anxiety makes us defensive and tribal, while death reflection — contemplating mortality on purpose — turns us toward the people who matter. This edition of Reading Between the Lines walks through the difference, why it's a choice, and four questions worth sitting with this week.

95% of people believe they're self-aware. In Tasha Eurich's research, only 10 to 15% actually are. This edition of Reading Between the Lines covers the one-word fix, why introspection alone becomes an echo chamber, and the launch of What Does It Mean to Be Human?, my new podcast series with Maria Ross.

A conversation with a man in Greenwich who wanted to talk to his son but didn't know how, a 2008 impromptu Tai Chi lesson from a woman named Emelia, and the breathing technique that makes hard conversations possible.

From a viral yawn in space to chosen community in Chicago -- Rob Volpe explores what separates humans from everything else, and invites you to share your answer.

NASA's Artemis II launched four astronauts to the moon for the first time in 53 years. That same night, a war was killing schoolchildren. This Easter Sunday edition of Reading Between the Lines connects the moon launch, the Iran war, the Epstein files, and AI — through the lens of hubris, empathy, and the choice in front of all of us. Who do we want to be?

The pandemic didn't end cleanly, and our healing won't either. Some of us lost people. Others lost a version of themselves, or the quiet confidence that next month would resemble this month. You can't grieve what you can't name. This issue tries to name it.

International Women's Day, a war, news addiction, and a question about micromanagers that has been living rent free in Rob's head for two months. A big issue for a heavy week.

When the cookie tastes like iodized salt and all eyes are on you for a reaction, that is exactly when empathy gets tested. A chapter from the book that will make you rethink every potluck you have ever attended.

Four years of the book, a gold medal lesson in finding your joy, a memoir about inherited mental illness, an incredible fudgy brownie and the Peloton moment that nearly sent Rob flying. A lighter edition with a lot to chew on.

Your brain cannot tell the difference between witnessing suffering and experiencing it. That is why the news is costing you so much. Here is how to stay informed without burning out your empathy.

When the news is this heavy, pretending it stops at the office door is not leadership. Here is how to show up for your team when the world feels like too much.

Empathy is a superpower. But when it only flows toward people just like you, it stops connecting and starts dividing. Rob Volpe breaks down toxic empathy on Good Things Utah.

Who made the empathy naughty list in 2025? Who made the nice one? Rob Volpe breaks it all down in his first-ever year-end review, and yes, he appears on both.

It looked perfect, smelled perfect, and tasted unmistakably of iodized salt. What happened next turned out to be a lesson in empathy that had nothing to do with baking.

Holiday conversations can shift in an instant. One unexpected comment and suddenly the whole table goes quiet — you can even hear people chewing. In this edition of Reading Between the Lines, I share how a simple Curious Breath, a few empathy moves, and the Holiday Lifeology card game can bring connection back to the table and help you navigate those tricky moments with grace.
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