A couple of weeks ago during Eid, I found myself reflecting on the past year and a half. Looking back through my journal, I came across notes from when I joined CPC Global Cohort 6 — where I learned from coaches Sarah, Matt, Cristiana, and Aws.
Before I joined the programme, I felt stuck. The best way I can describe it: like a Super Mario game where I had infinite lives but kept restarting the same level, never quite making it through.
The North Point Meta-Model
One of the foundational concepts from my training was the North Point Meta-Model — a framework I now think of as a definitive guide for practising empathy.
What I discovered was that empathy is not the same as pity or sympathy. Self-awareness, I came to understand, is what actually strengthens empathy. You cannot truly connect with another person's experience if you haven't done the work to understand your own.
A few ideas from my training that stayed with me:
- Empathy starts with curiosity. When you start getting curious — about yourself, about others — you start building connection.
- Providing accountability looks different from fixing someone's problem for them.
- Recognising your influence on others is how you start to build mutual awareness.
- Asking for permission before offering feedback changes the dynamic entirely.
The simplest version of all of this: when you start asking, you start understanding. That applies to the questions you ask yourself just as much as the ones you ask others.
I'm still learning. But I'm no longer stuck on the same level.