She started in the Obama administration and was appointed as an entrepreneur in residence for them. She eventually became the Director of innovation.gov, and created a movement of change called the Better Government Movement in the federal government. Combined with her being an empath and highly sensitive person (HSP), she has written a book that blends empathy and innovation to take change to the next level. Sympathy is the feeling that makes you feel like you're lesser than the person for whom sympathy is felt. Empathy brings connection. Empathy builds this belief that I'm here with you rather than for you. Empathy is essentially this feeling that you are feeling a feeling with somebody as if you're feeling it yourself. They find that people who are empaths have this thing they call a mirror neuron system. So, they have these neurons that, as humans, we want to connect with other people. People who are empaths have a more enhanced mirror neuron system. They want to connect, and they actually can't stop connecting. They're very present with them. Being a highly sensitive person is like having a world of technicolor. It's like when you walk out when you're in The Wizard of Oz, you go from being black and white, and everything is bright around you. That has been Amy’s experience in a lot of ways. She feels things differently, and she feel things very deeply, sometimes. But that is something that she’s had to learn to harness and understand herself a lot more as she’s done this work and her own internal work, too. Enjoy this episode of Writing to Get Business and see • How can you turn your life’s difficulties into a vision for social change? • What does innovation really mean? • How can empathy initiate change? • How can reaching out on your social network help you find people to interview for a book? • How can writing a book become a journey of self-discovery? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices