About

Mission

Empathy World addresses root causes of empathy imbalances and empowers groups and individuals to establish authentic paths to empathy to repair the world.

Vision

  1. Contribute to sustainable peace through Holistic Empathy Development (HED) education.

  2. Unite communities through human empathy, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice (DEIBJ), intergenerational trauma healing, and connection.

  3. Support and guide individuals navigating unique paths to empathy.

  4. Build strong alliances and partnerships with empathy leaders.

  5. Fuel an empathy movement to inspire positive social change.

Origin Story

In 2021, Leah Kumayama created Empathy World and Holistic Empathy Development (HED) through her passion for intercultural empathy, public health, the arts, education, self-healing, global development & social, economic and environmental empowerment, equity and justice.

As a consultant, Leah learned that there are many people yearning to develop empathy but lack tools, education and opportunities to do so in a meaningful way. At the same time, Leah was discovering the need for self empathy as a caregiver for her family. Through personal experiences, she developed her own unique path to empathy while gaining an understanding of the root causes of empathy imbalances and a variety of ways to heal them. Leah is passionate about spreading HED education throughout the world so that others can get the support, protection, guidance and resources they need.

Leah Kumayama, Founder (She/Her)

Leah Kumayama worked as a Strategy & Business Consultant in international and domestic development through education, microenterprise development, microfinance, human resources, operations and project management with non-profits and social enterprises. She has been practicing yoga for over two decades, is a Yoga Alliance Certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology Instructor 200 YTT, and Global Human Resources Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

Leah earned a BA in International Studies, Applied Political Economy, and Japanese from the University of Arizona , and studied for a year at Tokyo International University in Japan. She received an MA in Global Affairs & Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and studied environmental protection and justice at INCAE in Costa Rica.

Prior to creating Empathy World, Leah was a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine leading youth development classes in HIV/AIDS prevention, healthy lifestyles, environmental awareness, yoga and Pilates, dance, English, and cultural studies. Leah developed and directed a Refugee Women’s Empowerment Program in Phoenix, Arizona to educate refugees through women’s health, skill-building and microenterprise development programs to promote self-sufficiency. She also worked as a People Operations Manager for 6 years with a social enterprise serving small-holder farmers in East Africa.

Since childhood, Leah has enjoyed the performing arts, particularly music, dance and theater. While living in Japan, Leah worked as a children’s English teacher and incorporated music and dance as teaching tools.

Leah has been a vivid dreamer since childhood and studied Jewish Dreamworking at Kohenet. Leah invented a Dreamworking Analysis tool to discover dream meanings, develop self-awareness and heal trauma and intergenerational trauma.

The needs of the underserved and her experiences influence her research and how she creates resources and trainings.