Raising an Empath: Dr. Judith Orloff on Sensitivity, Energy, and Emotional Overload

Some children feel everything : the moods in a room, the pain of others, even the tension that adults think they’re hiding. In this heartfelt conversation, Tania sits down with Dr. Judith Orloff, psychiatrist and author of The Empath’s Survival Guide, to explore what it means to raise and support an empathic or highly sensitive child. Together they unpack how empathy and intuition show up in children, how to tell the difference between emotional sensitivity and anxiety, and why empathic kids often struggle with overwhelm, fatigue, or emotional contagion. Dr. Orloff shares grounding and protection strategies that help children stay open-hearted without absorbing the stress of others. This episode is an invitation for parents and educators to see empathy not as a weakness, but as a profound gift that needs understanding, structure, and care to flour