A Caring Conversation To Support HSPs with Dr. Judith Orloff
In this heart-centered conversation, Dr. Judith Orloff returns to the podcast to talk about the gifts of being a highly sensitive person, her new children’s book The Highly Sensitive Rabbit, the role of empathy in healing, and practical tools for emotional regulation, self-love, and hope in a chaotic world. The interview was recorded live on a full moon inside the Sensitive Empowerment Community.
🗣️ Key Topics Discussed
✨ The inspiration behind The Highly Sensitive Rabbit and how it helps children and adults embrace emotional sensitivity
🐇 Why Aurora the rabbit represents every sensitive child (and the inner child in adults)
📚 Behind-the-scenes stories from Dr. Orloff’s book tour and live readings with children
❤️ How sensitivity is a superpower—not a flaw—and why it must be protected, not shamed
🧘 Empathy practices for regulating overwhelm and emotional intensity
🧠 The heart vs. the mind: how they work together and how to lead from the heart
💔 Healing from childhood messages like “you’re too sensitive” or “crybaby”
🛑 The importance of boundaries for highly sensitive people (and why the skunk in the book teaches them!)
🌕 Rituals of connection, including sending heart energy to others in pain
🔬 How to handle skeptics who dismiss intuition, energy work, or emotional sensitivity
🕊️ The Dalai Lama’s connection to Dr. Orloff’s newest book, The Genius of Empathy
🌍 Finding hope and joy even when the world feels overwhelming
📚 Books Mentioned
The Highly Sensitive Rabbit — Children’s book for sensitive kids and adults
The Genius of Empathy — Includes foreword by the Dalai Lama
The Empath’s Survival Guide
365 Days of Self-Empathy
Positive Energy
Empath Empowerment Cards (Oracle deck)
Judith Orloff, M.D., is a psychiatrist, an empath, and a New York Times best-selling author who is a champion of highly sensitive children and adults. She is also on the UCLA Department of Psychiatry Clinical Faculty. Dr. Orloff is the author of The Genius of Empathy, The Empath’s Survival Guide, and her new children’s book The Highly Sensitive Rabbit, which helps sensitive kids embrace their empathic gifts as a strength. She synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting-edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality and passionately believes in the power of integrating this wisdom for total wellness
About Your Hosts
Carol Roesler is co-author of the new children’s book series, The Adventures of Niko, the Highly Sensitive Dog and co-hosts “Intuitive Parenting” events inside the Sensitive Empowerment Community to support caregivers of sensitive little ones. As a volunteer Children's Librarian leading pre-K through 5th-grade reading groups, she often wished for books with characters that reflected the unique traits of bright, sensitive children. An introverted child, Carol’s favorite books were her best friends, inspiring the character Buttercup. Buttercup’s passion for research was inspired by Carol’s daughter, whose literary explorations discovered the unique, joyful dance of the blue-footed booby. This inspired the wonderfully extroverted character Blueberry. Carol is thrilled to collaborate with Julie in creating characters that celebrate being their authentic, unique selves! You can reach her at ambassador@sensitive-empowerment.com. Get the book at juliebjelland.com/childrens-books
Julie Bjelland, LMFT
Julie is a psychotherapist, author, and founder of Sensitive Empowerment. She specializes in high sensitivity and the Sensitive Autistic Neurotype, offering compassionate support through consultations, adult autism assessments, self-paced courses, and a global community. Her work includes a top-ranked podcast reaching listeners in 190 countries and a globally followed blog. Learn more at JulieBjelland.com
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