We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Misha Safran. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Misha below.

Alright, Misha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

I am extremely grateful to have been and still be the recipient of much kindness in my life which makes this question hard to answer because it means I have to pick one! Love and togetherness are what makes the world a better place. I recognize that kindness comes in many different shapes and sizes; people offering a smile when I am down, a neighbor bringing us lemons from their tree, another person driving my kids to school when I was ill, and even me just using loving words with myself, and more…

So here is my story: I started teaching in 1990; French and Spanish. In 2011, I had been teaching High School Spanish for eight years. That year people at our school decided to spearhead a plan to become a charter school. As we got through all the steps and were in the final stages of securing the charter, I was told that in order for me to continue teaching Spanish there I would have to get another degree (my degree was in French) or pass a three part test given by the state to prove my expertise. I was quite upset because I had worked very hard with everyone to support this transition to become a charter and this news was very confusing. I was also a single mom at the time and had already done school, work, and parenting before and knew just how exhausted I would be. So, I had to choose the shortest and least expensive route. In previous years, I had already successfully passed parts one and two of this extremely difficult and useless exam. But I needed to try to pass part two again! So, I booked a month in an intensive immersion program in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and to reduce the cost, I requested to stay with a family. I made arrangements for family and friends to take care of my three boys and off I went. It was incredibly intense – thinking, breathing, and eating the Spanish language and culture 24/7 – which I had done in college for a year in France but I was only 20 years old then. It was both fabulous and exhausting…and, I missed my boys but I knew this was what I needed to do to be able to keep my job.

While in Mexico, I met some truly wonderful people and my Spanish just got better and better. When I returned home, I took the exam part two and passed! It was a great feeling and I was told that come the beginning of the charter – which would be the following year – there would be no reason why I wouldn’t be able to stay in my position. Two months into the school year, I was told that the charter actually could NOT honor the exam and I would have to get the credential after all. I was truly stumped and could feel myself slipping into anger and frustration. I allowed myself time in the feelings and then thanked them for showing up. I reflected on my trip to Mexico and how proud I was of myself, and rather than talk myself into what a waste of time it was, I remember sitting there reminding myself that I have always been resourceful and that things have always worked out even if they take time.

That afternoon, I received a greeting card from a woman I had met while in Mexico. We had shared many stories of trials, tribulations, and triumphs! I was excited to hear from her and as I joyfully opened her sweet card a check for $10,000 fell into my hands. There in my entry way, I stood in shock, tears streaming down my cheeks. Trembling, I sat down and just stared at the unrequested but timely gift. It was truly needed and I will never forget her kindness. I didn’t have her phone number but was compelled to call her so I looked her up. I called and thanked her then I asked her why chose to offer this to me. This amazing human said that every year she meets different people and every year she chooses one of them for whom she hoped she could offer some ease. And she said, “Please do something nice for yourself with at least some of it.” I was and continue to be grateful for the spaciousness she offered me that year. It was another reinforcement that all would be okay but also to lead with kindness.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was a classroom teacher and private educator for over 30 years, teaching French, Spanish, English as a second language, and life skills. I loved teaching and found it to revitalize me as I watched students learn, grow, and develop a sense of confidence as they witnessed themselves progress. Starting very young, I also offered a lot of my time volunteering for a variety of causes which helped me gain compassion for those less fortunate than me; aging and disabled seniors, the homeless and hungry, youth exiting juvenile hall, immigrants, and more. Additionally, as a grateful mom and stepmom, I felt the awe everyday as I raised my children and bonus children. It was a gift when I learned to see life from their eyes. I learned many valuable lessons through trial and error. Finally, as someone who has had to advocate for herself within the medical systems, academic systems, and with law enforcement, I have built a strong resilience and deep belief that hurt people hurt people but that this can change with empathy and compassion.

All of these experiences and more are the catalysts which have been supporting me in creating my business, CEEQ, Center for Empathy and Emotional Intelligence, LLC. It has been an incredible journey. I now know better than to set eyes on a destination. While as a society, people always want more, I strongly believe in being right here, right now…in the journey. It is by being present that we begin to live, interact, and experience life and each other which, to me, is more important than any destination. I have been leading trainings, retreats, and speaking in public for many years. It was time to make it official.

My mission, which is empowered by compassion and driven by empathy, is to ignite graceful transformation, joyful inclusivity, and unprecedented cohesion in high-stress workplaces by creating positive communication practices and sustainable healthy relationships. I serve these high-stress workplaces such as law enforcement, academic and medical institutions, and legal offices by supporting their mission to be leaders of culture change. My consultations, training development programs, and coaching are directed towards co-creating an inclusive and effective workplace, strengthening staff potential, and developing healthy, positive sustainable relationships in the workplace so they can have a healthier and successful impact on those they serve beyond the workplace.

Many of these organizations, nonprofit and for-profit, typically struggle with miscommunication, lack of trust, and overwhelm. I am proud that by centering empathy and emotional intelligence, our work together creates unprecedented staff cohesion, an increase in staff morale and belonging, and more joy in the workplace.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have had to pivot many times but this story takes the cake. In 2013, I had a car accident. The pain I was experiencing should have been over within a few months. Unfortunately, it took a year and a half to identify that the pain wouldn’t be going away and my doctor took me out of classroom teaching. It was one of the saddest days of my life.

I loved working with students. However, the current director of personnel in my district was such a caring and compassionate human. She took time to listen to me, read through my doctor’s paperwork, and work with me to find a solution so I wouldn’t have to leave teaching. So, in the Spring of 2016, after five months off, I started teaching again but in a new role supporting students 1:1 in alternative education. The principal was terrific. She truly worked to understand my physical challenges and did what she could to be sure I had the accommodations necessary for me to be successful in my work environment – which of course positively impacted my students.

Unfortunately, our principal left in 2018 and in addition to a new principal arriving, we gained a new director of personnel. Neither were sympathetic to my needs and sadly ended up arguing with my doctors requests and even discriminated against me and my disability.

While I had been an advocate for others as well as a union president in graduate school, I did not have the strength to fight this battle for myself. It was time to pivot. My partner and family encouraged me to build my own business following my heart to support culture change in the workplace.

However, I started first as an academic life coach, working with students because it was difficult for me to walk away from what was familiar. In October of 2022, while I had been conducting training and coaching at the organization level, I launched my business and am absolutely thrilled to now have a significant role in reducing the number of people feeling dismissed, belittled, negated, and depleted in the workplace.

As I continue to flow with this pivot, I feel it is as strong a calling as it was to become a mom and a teacher. I am grateful to have the courage, resilience, and passion to be of service, making positive cultural change, one organization at a time.

The best part was that having walked away from the school district and the stress associated with it, I have not had to use a cane or a walker since October of 2020. While I still experience physical pain, I am filled with even more joy because I feel empowered. This pivot was a gift in my life – which allows me to even be thankful to those who I felt, back then, had done me wrong. Their actions were actually the channel to my liberation.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The ideas of generosity over competition and building relationships have been the most effective and enjoyable strategies for growing my clientele.

I believe that there are plenty of clients in the world for all of us. We all have our own special sauce which will in one way, shape, or form support us in attracting our ideal clients.

I also believe that we are not for everyone and everyone is not for us. So, rather than turning someone completely away, why not offer them a referral to someone in my network who I trust could serve their needs if I cannot. This way there is no animosity, no tension, and we are all supporting each other in fulfilling our missions as well as clients feeling seen and heard. It just makes sense to me.

I find it very important to spend time building relationships, founded on transparency and compassionate communication, with my network as well as with my clients. It makes the experiences meaningful rather than transactional. If I am teaching individuals and teams within organizations to create healthy positive sustainable relationships then I need to be modeling this. This allows trust to be cultivated which in turn, nurtures growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ceeq.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mishasafran/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CEEQempathy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/misha-safran/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mishasafran
• Other: Schedule a complimentary consultation: https://calendar.app.google/vK1XoVwo1LaxYyuN8
• Linktree URL:  https://linktr.ee/mishasafran_ceeq
• My book: https://a.co/d/54lg7ty
• Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/martinez-ca/safranconsulting-virtual-coaching