You, Me, Empathy
by Non Wels
On You, Me, Empathy, we explore the struggles, the triumphs, the brights and the darks we face as humans trying to be human on this wondrous and overwhelming pale blue dot. You, Me, Empathy was created so that we can be witness to our collective humanity through the lens of empathy, vulnerability, and emotional curiosity. We aim to destigmatize mental health, lead fiercely with our hearts, feel our feelings without shame and judgment, and share our courageous stories so that others may feel less alone and more connected as feely humans. You, Me, Empathy is a brave place designed to inspire the beauty in each of us, because each of us, in all of our kaleidoscopic parts, makes up a magical whole that deserves to be seen. Created and hosted by Nōn Wels (he/him), writer, doggo lover, and co-creator of The Feely Cards. The You, Me, Empathy podcast is for informational and/or entertainment purpo
Episodes
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Body, Heart, Screams (with Sinead Farrelly)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Sinead Farrelly, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) champion, World Cup footballer for Ireland, scream enthusiast, and most importantly, a human, to explore the feeling of being cut off from yourself inside the competitive, intense...
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Deep Listening Magic (with Emely Rumble)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with biblio, poetry and hip hop therapist, creator of the Readers Who Run with the Wolves book club, and author of Bibliotherapy In the Bronx, Emely Rumble LCISW, to explore Emely's childhood being raised by her grandmother and the books that...
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To See and Be Seen In Friendship (with Lane Moore)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with podcaster (I Thought It Was Just Me), creator of Tinder Live, musician (Final Girl out now!), and You Will Find Your People author Lane Moore to explore the feeling of not wanting to talk about our mental health because we're tired of...
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Inherent Poetry Of Wilderness (with Alex Wild)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with nature nerd, rock climber, and National Parks Service ranger Alex Wild to explore the ups and downs of Alex's firing and then rehiring by way of ridiculous Elon Musk's ridiculous DOGE cuts, how the empathetic and impassioned response…
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Capacity Of the Big-Hearted (with Dr. Jennifer Mullan)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with best-selling author, scholar-activist, ancestral medium, podcaster (From Root to Bone), and founder of Decolonizing Therapy, Dr. Jennifer Mullan to explore the feeling of being held, what it's like for Dr. Jenn to ask for help as a woman...
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Generational Love and Liberation (with Whitney Alese)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with writer, podcaster, NAACP honoree, and The Woke Mama herself, Whitney Alese, to explore how many things can be true at once, seeing possibility through the eyes of the people we love and look up to, why we're both into real feelings over...
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Learning How to Ask for Help (with Craig Dickson)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with friend, father, and recently graduated social worker Craig Dickson to explore how we're shaped by listening to people's stories, Craig's experience being a dad to two kids who live with autism spectrum disorder and how his kids help him...
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All Issues Are Disability Justice Issues (with Mary Fashik)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with disability justice activist, founder of the Upgrade Accessibility movement, award-winning podcaster (The Politics of Disability), and author of Adventurous Adeline, Mary Fashik, to explore what it feels like for Mary, as someone who is...
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Identity Quakes and Collective Risk (with Michelle MiJung Kim)
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with social justice activist, award-winning author of The Wake Up, and podcaster (I Feel That Way Too) Michelle MiJung Kim to explore how to be human with each other, the beauty of resilient relationships, Michelle's identity quakes, how we…
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Individualist Scum, Collectivist Hope
To kick off season 2 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn introduces this season by getting a lil spicy and exploring today's rampant individualism and why community, and the helpers, are our resistance. How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly…
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We Can't Do It Alone: We're Mirrors for Each Other (with Sophie Ansari)
On episode 9 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with illustrator, video creator and podcaster, Sophie Ansari (Podcrushed) to explore the culture of curiosity in the Bahá'í faith, having a life partner who is open to learning, naughty things we did as teenagers and being a hopeful teenager…
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We Can't Do It Alone: Working Hard and Being Kind (with Daniel Van Kirk)
On episode 8 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with comedian, actor and writer Daniel Van Kirk to explore human adaptability, why helping is an unspoken part of a single-parent home, the importance of celebrating while we're still in it, and why working hard and being kind gets you the…
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We Can't Do It Alone: Our Capacity Is Rekindled By Community (with Ess Crossley)
On episode 7 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Ess Crossley (he/they) to explore our new project The Feely Cards (out October 22*), how helping sometimes looks like people educating us even if it feels uncomfortable, Ess's transformation from their "women phase" to their beautiful...
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We Can't Do It Alone: The Joy and Liberation In Drag (with Eric Dorsa)
On episode 6 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Eric Dorsa to talk about their experience as a queer person in recovery (eating disorder, substance), how we silence or diminish parts of ourselves when things are disordered, what it's like to reclaim space in a world where you've felt...
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We Can't Do It Alone: Bookstores Are the Heart of Community (with Sam Robertson)
On episode 5 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Sam Robertson to explore the ripple effect of helping, why reading is the best way to strengthen your empathy muscles, why stories are the core of humanity, Sam's experience as an owner of an independent bookshop, and why bookstores are the...
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We Can't Do It Alone: The Life-Saving Helper You've Never Met (with Bill Cole)
On episode 4 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Bill Cole to explore coming of age during the AIDS crisis, queer representation in film, the particularly heinous stigma around AIDS, how someone you've never met can be a helper, and the lasting legacy of AIDS activist icon, Stephen…
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We Can't Do It Alone: Feeling Seen As a Little Queer Kid (with Zee Zelinski)
On episode 3 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with 20-something neurodivergent queer disabled writer, Zee Zelinski, to explore why we're mosaics of everything and everyone we've ever interacted with, the particular grief of help and helping as a disabled person, gender identity, feeling…
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We Can't Do It Alone: I Am Yours and You Are Mine (with Frederick Joseph)
On episode 2 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with NY Times bestselling author Frederick Joseph to explore the craft and respite of writing poetry, Black boys and men being whole beings capable of being strong and soft, collective liberation, and how we feel collective care should look…
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We Can't Do It Alone: Letting People In (with Giselle Vriesen)
On episode 1 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Giselle Vriesen to explore being a first-time author, forgetting oneself in pursuit of creating, holding the darkness and the light, and letting people in to allow them to help us. Giselle is the author of Why We Play With Fire, a...
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Introducing: We Can't Do It Alone
A little update from Nōn, and a new podcast called We Can't Do It Alone coming July 12! SUPPORT NŌN: Leave a 5-star review Order The Feely Cards Subscribe to We Can't Do It Alone Say hello
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262: Resilience, Ambition, and Acceptance with Emi Nietfeld
On episode 262 of You, Me, Empathy, Emi Nietfeld and I explore society’s obsession with resilience, what happened when Emi edited mental illness out of her college applications, the attachments we have to achievement and ambition, and Emi’s wonderful memoir, Acceptance. Leave a 5-star review…
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261: Dissociation Made Simple with Dr Jamie Marich
On episode 261 of You, Me, Empathy, Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) and I explore why safety is never guaranteed, being cool with Jesus but not cool with what the church has done to Jesus, “I don’t know” as one the most spiritual phrases in our vocabulary, and an in-depth look at Dissociative…
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260: What It Takes to Bring People Together with traci kato-kiriyama
On episode 260 of You, Me, Empathy, traci kato-kiriyama (they/she) and I explore the empathy rooted in multidisciplinary art spaces, revitalizing and uplifting of Asian-American community and history, facing death every day and the opportunity within death moments, and what it takes to bring…
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259: The Hypervigilance of the Caretaker with Christina Lynn
On episode 259 of You, Me, Empathy, Christina Lynn and I explore the type of self-care that looks like an abandonment of community, how to embrace your heart rather than your head, living open enough to be heartbroken, and the hypervigilance, anxiety, and burden of the caretaker. Read the full…
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258: Life-Changing Friendships with Jake Crawford
On episode 258 of You, Me, Empathy, Jake Crawford and I explore life-changing friendships, growing up as a gay kid in a conservative town, what we do when the people who are supposed to love us don’t accept us, and finding a voice on the stage. Read the full show notes here. SUPPORT NŌN: Leave a...
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257: Living Porously with Jane Lui
On episode 257 of You, Me, Empathy, Jane Lui (Surrija) and I explore the grief of having to go outside your family to find the affection and love you need, Jane’s magical experience being the opera voice for Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once, why we’re bound to lose ourselves and...
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256: The Space Between Things with Brandi Stanley
On episode 256 of You, Me, Empathy, Brandi Stanley and I explore the inclination to share the stuff that lights us up, why our aliveness can’t be at the expense of another person’s aliveness, cutting off parts of ourselves in order to belong (and feel safe), and the mysterious, magical, and...
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255: A Compassionate Revolt with Traci Medeiros-Bagan
On episode 255 of You, Me, Empathy, Traci Medeiros-Bagan (she/they) and I explore developing trust in our resiliency, examining our own proximity to power, how compartmentalization is its own privilege (and necessity), and sparking compassionate revolts in our hearts and in our communities. Read...
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254: Party Freud with Susie Boggess
On episode 254 of You, Me, Empathy, Susie Boggess and I explore the early (and bumpy) days of sharing our mental health stories, knowing how to have conversations where we feel safe, and Party Freud, the card game for people who probably need therapy. Read the full show notes. SUPPORT NŌN: Leave…
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253: Toxic Positivity and the Privilege of Being Disengaged with Lauren Denitzio
On episode 253 of You, Me, Empathy, Lauren Denitzio (they/them) and I gab about shaking the Etch A Sketch of our lives, how Lauren sparks creativity and hope (and snark) in a world that sometimes feels like a hellscape, toxic positivity and the privilege of being disengaged from the stuff that...
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252: Building an Ecosystem of People Who See You (for You) with Calvin Eaton
On episode 252 of You, Me, Empathy, Calvin Eaton (540 W Main, Just Desserts!) and I explore the hardship of living with a disability in an ableist world, how white supremacy culture (individualism, patriarchy, capitalism, etc.) harms everyone, and building an ecosystem (aka community!) of people...
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251: You Could Make This Place Beautiful with Maggie Smith
On episode 251 of You, Me, Empathy, Maggie Smith and I explore making checklists as a way to keep everything in control (and Maggie’s apt childhood nickname, “checky listy”), intellectualizing our feelings vs. feeling our feelings, why looking back at past versions of ourselves requires...
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250: Building Empathy In a Tech-Obsessed World with Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips
On episode 250 of You, Me, Empathy, Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips and I explore encouraging our kids to recognize emotions, protecting our hearts while practicing empathy, our embarrassing LiveJournal days, and Kaitlin’s wonderful book, The Future of Feeling: Building Empathy In a Tech-Obsessed World....
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249: Resilience That Works with Cathleen Clerkin
On episode 249 of You, Me, Empathy, Cathleen Clerkin, PhD and I explore the myth of the heroic leader, the importance of perspective taking, being idealistic and realistic all at once, and Cathleen’s resilience research, my resilience skepticism, and her book, Resilience That Works. Read the the...
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248: Diversity, Equity, and Muslim Inclusion with Rahimeh Ramezany
On episode 248 of You, Me, Empathy, Rahimeh Ramezany (she/her) and I explore why we’re not going to kindness our way out of injustice, the dangers of being stuck in our desire to be right, and how Rahimeh is advocating for Muslim inclusion and equitable access, and incorporating considerations of...
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247: Recognizing Our Humanity In the News with V Spehar
On episode 247 of You, Me, Empathy, V Spehar (they/them) and I explore why asking for help is courageous, the importance of seeing beyond what people are saying, creating boundaries for the information we take in, and recognizing our humanity in the news. Read the full show notes at…
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246: The Vulnerability of Building a Community with Kim Johnson
On episode 246 of You, Me, Empathy, Kim Johnson and I explore the yearning for connection with peers outside of work, the intersection of community and loneliness, how Kim is making community building more accessible with Geneva, and the vulnerability of building community. SUPPORT NŌN: Leave a...
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245: Heartbreak, Love, and Toxic Masculinity with Timothy Goodman
On episode 245 of You, Me, Empathy, Timothy Goodman (artist and author of I Always Think It’s Forever) and I explore heartbreak and the heightened romanticism of new relationships, the vulnerability of opening ourselves up to love, why "service” is Timothy’s word of 2023, and the isolating,...
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244: Grief to Love with Silke Herwald
On episode 244 of You, Me, Empathy, Silke Herwald and I explore the subconscious and grief, how grief intersects with empathy, ways that we can feel more connected to those we’ve lost, and what it means to go from Grief to Love. SUPPORT NŌN: Leave a 5-star review Order The Feely Cards Subscribe…
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243: A Space to Be Witness to the Whole of Each Other
On episode 243, Nōn announces the new Feely Human membership community that’s coming January 11, 2023—a space to be witness the whole of each other! Update: The Feely Human community has come to an end. Thanks for the journey! (April 2025) SUPPORT NŌN: Leave a 5-star review Order The Feely Cards...
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242: Using Our Imagination to Grow Our Empathy with Rory Scovel
On episode 242 of You, Me, Empathy, Rory Scovel (Babylon, Physical, Pen Pals) and I explore how taking care of ourselves helps us better take care of others, confronting the fear of not making the “right” choices, psilocybin as an experience of profound empathy, and using our imaginations to…
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241: Being Vulnerable, Being Grateful, and Being Trans with Jeffrey Jay
On episode 241 of You, Me, Empathy, Jeffrey Jay (he/him) and I explore comedy as a way to process feelings, the little moments of gratitude before we continue our fight for progress, why Jeffrey felt safe enough to talk about being trans (and the privilege and intersectionality wrapped up in…
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240: We All Have Bias with Liz Kleinrock
On episode 240 of You, Me, Empathy, Liz Kleinrock (she/her) and I explore why bias is one of the things we humans all have in common, why unlearning is often harder than learning, and what anti-bias and anti-racist work looks like in the classroom. SUPPORT NŌN: Leave a 5-star review Order The…
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239: Kids Are the Original Feely Humans with Hannah and Kelty
On episode 239 of You, Me, Empathy, Hannah and Kelty (founders of Upbringing.co) and I explore their codependence as twins growing up, how parenting is like improv, shifting our focus from how children are behaving to how they are feeling, and why kids are the original feely humans. SUPPORT NŌN:...
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238: Pro-Abortion and Pro-Baking By Feel with Becca Rea-Tucker
On episode 238 of You, Me, Empathy, Becca Rea-Tucker (@thesweetfeminist) and I explore the journey of being seen for who we are, destigmatizing abortion (sometimes with cakes) to reduce shame and help others feel less alone, and baking as a way to process feelings with the help of Becca’s magical...
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237: Bad Vibes Only with Nora McInerny
On episode 237 of You, Me, Empathy, Nora McInerny and I explore why nothing matters and everything matters all at once, the tension between your personal value and what you create, the loneliness of being an adult, how Nora’s grief has impacted her empathy, and Nora’s hilarious and heartwarming…
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236: What Are We Willing to Risk For Love? with Mansi Choksi
On episode 236 of You, Me, Empathy, Mansi Choksi (author of The Newlyweds) and I explore arranged marriage in India, love as a revolutionary act, the emotional, cultural, and familial consequences of marrying against tradition, and what we are willing to risk for love. SUPPORT NŌN: Leave a 5-star...
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235: Brave Trails with Jessica Weissbuch
On episode 235 of You, Me, Empathy, Jessica Weissbuch and I explore the healing that happens in spaces where we’re seen and heard, the wisdom and beauty in listening to kids, the life-changing moment in childhood when Jessica found a swastika on her driveway, and the truly life-saving magic that…
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234: Decolonizing Therapy with Dr. Jennifer Mullan
On episode 234 of You, Me, Empathy, Dr. Jennifer Mullan and I explore staying open enough to be overwhelmed, why burnout is understandable but not natural, what happens when there isn’t space to have big feelings (especially for BIPOC, queer, non-binary, marginalized humans), and decolonizing...
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233: High Risk Humans with Madison Thorn
On Episode 233 of You, Me, Empathy, Madison Thorn and I explore why fixing all the problems of others doesn’t lead to being seen and loved, the near-death experience of being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 27 years old, and how a sign that said “sacrifice the weak” inspired Madison to create…
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About this show
On You, Me, Empathy, we explore the struggles, the triumphs, the brights and the darks we face as humans trying to be human on this wondrous and overwhelming pale blue dot.
You, Me, Empathy was created so that we can be witness to our collective humanity through the lens of empathy, vulnerability, and emotional curiosity. We aim to destigmatize mental health, lead fiercely with our hearts, feel our feelings without shame and judgment, and share our courageous stories so that others may feel less alone and more connected as feely humans.
You, Me, Empathy is a brave place designed to inspire the beauty in each of us, because each of us, in all of our kaleidoscopic parts, makes up a magical whole that deserves to be seen.
Created and hosted by Nōn Wels (he/him), writer, doggo lover, and co-creator of The Feely Cards.
The You, Me, Empathy podcast is for informational and/or entertainment purpo
Hosted by
Non Wels