Rob Volpe
Submitted photo
Editor’s note: The Daily Reporter features our “Neighbors” often, whether it be someone with an interesting hobby or profession, or a nonprofit group making a difference in our community. Here, Greenfield native Rob Volpe shares about writing his first book “Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time.” Volpe, G-CHS Class of 1987, is the CEO of a strategy and training firm Ignite 360. He currently resides in San Francisco with his husband of 13 years, Charles LaBrecque, and their three cats. If you know a person or a group that you’d like to see featured in Neighbors, email [email protected].
Daily Reporter: How were you inspired to write “Tell Me More About That”?
Rob Volpe: Nearly one-third of American adults admit to being unable to easily see the point of view of others. It plays out in both our personal and professional lives and we could see it in the work we do at Ignite 360. The book itself got its start as I was sharing some stories about empathy and my work going into stranger’s homes to a university marketing class. The students were hooked and a voice inside me said, “these are the stories you need to tell.”
DR: What do you hope people gain from reading this book?
RV: I hope people find the book to be engaging and entertaining. Readers are telling me that they alternately can’t put it down and don’t want it to end. The lessons about how to get to empathy are embedded in the tales of my own misadventures trying to be empathetic, so they sit in the back of your head, waiting for when you need them.
DR: What’s next for you professionally?
RV: Lots of speaking engagements about empathy and doing readings from the book to different groups, including organizations that are including it as a reading group activity. At Ignite 360 we continue helping our clients better understand their consumers and are doing some fun empathy training programs with a wide range of clients.
DR: How have you developed empathy?
RV: Practice and courage. Maya Angelou once said that we all have the ability to have empathy, but we need to have the courage to display it. I challenge people to have the courage to be empathetic. One conversation at a time.
“Tell Me About That is available wherever books are sold. The hard-cover, e-book and an audiobook that Volpe narrated is available this month on all platforms that carry audiobooks. It’s also available through the Hancock County Public Library. Follow Volpe on social media through Instagram and TikTok @empathy_activist or learn more at www.5stepstoempathy.com.
