Episode 4: Empathy and Perspective

In this episode of Mostly Regulated, host Dylan Sulzer, founder of Not Just A Teacher Education, explores empathy and perspective and why seeing comes before caring.

Rather than treating empathy as a moral trait or something people should simply have, Dylan unpacks what empathy actually is, how it develops and why it has natural limits. You’ll hear why lived experience plays such a powerful role in our ability to empathise, why young people often struggle to access empathy in the way adults expect and how perspective-taking becomes the foundation that empathy can build on over time.

Drawing on lived experience from classrooms, parenting, leadership and everyday relationships, this episode looks at how misunderstandings often arise not from a lack of care, but from different internal rulebooks shaped by development, stress and context.

The episode also features a reflective discussion with Shaye from the Not Just A Teacher Education community, highlighting how two people can view the same questions in completely different ways and what that teaches us about relationships, leadership and emotional intelligence.

Blending real stories, accessible neuroscience and grounded reflection, this episode invites you to slow down, widen your perspective and reconsider what empathy actually requires.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Why don’t they get it?” or “Why does this feel so hard to connect around?”, this episode offers a calmer, more human way forward.