Build Empathy. Boost Performance. Handle your work (and your people) with care.
Liesel Mertes
Speaker. Trainer. Workplace Empathy Expert.
Watch Liesel’s Speaker Reel
Liesel Mertes is an acclaimed workplace empathy expert. After the death of her daughter, Mercy Joan, Liesel emerged with a deep understanding of what people need to feel supported at work after a disruptive life event.
As the Founder of Handle w/ Care Consulting, Liesel works with companies and event organizers who want to enable empathy in the workplace, elevate performance and create meaningful connections across audiences and teams.
Trusted by
Empathy isn’t a squishy personality trait.
It’s an essential workplace skill-set that boosts your people and your bottom line.
In a world that is disconnected, drowning in data, and constantly demanding that we do more with less, people are burning out behind a brave face.
Overwhelmed/under-skilled managers drive silent quitting, turnover, and resentment
Leaders aren’t sure what to say during disruptive life events (e.g. death of a loved one or a devastating diagnosis), they just hope for the best, retreat into silence, or toss out a tired cliche
Strained teams miss deals, mishandle conflict, and lose trust and sales (because you can’t close if you can’t connect)
Change is inevitable, but disconnection doesn’t have to be. Cultures of care are a strategic advantage.
did you know?
Empathy leads to a more
satisfied workforce.
The thing is, human skills don’t always come naturally. The good news is that they can be learned! Liesel’s innovative, skills-based approach to workplace empathy has helped thousands of people to show up with care, accountability, and support when it matters most.
90% of US workers reported in a recent Ernst and Young survey that empathetic leadership leads to higher job satisfaction.
This work is personal – my WHY for empathy.
Watch How Tragedy Became Inspiration
Services
-
Speaking
Keynotes that inspire, energize, and help you show up with care when it matters most.
-
Trainings
Trainings that build skills, shift mindsets, and strengthen teams.
-
Online Course
A self-paced online course featuring 30 quick lessons, ready-to-use templates, and practical checklists.
Rave Reviews
-
![Five star reviews for Liesel Mertes]()
“The team was managing significant change, having to lead it and make hard compromises and collaboration with each other for months. With Liesel’s help, the people on the team saw how others felt stretched and overwhelmed and tired, just like they did. It brought us together on a more human level than we had been in a long time.”
Betsy McCaw, Executive VP, The Heritage Group
-
![Five star reviews for Liesel Mertes]()
“Liesel Mertes brought a transformative lens to our workplace culture at Milliken. Her insights on empathy and human-centered leadership not only resonated deeply with our HR team but also sparked meaningful changes in how we support and engage our associates. Her work has been a catalyst for stronger team cohesion and a more resilient organization.”
Ricaye Harris, VP of Human Resources, Milliken
-
![Five star reviews for Liesel Mertes]()
“Liesel's presentation was a hit! Her down-to-earth yet professional style captivated our staff, and her simple, practical strategies gave us a toolkit we could immediately put into practice. The campus was buzzing about her for weeks.”
Jonathan Jones, Learning and Leadership Development Consultant, The University of Notre Dame
-
![Five star reviews for Liesel Mertes]()
“Liesel’s trainings were a game-changer for our leaders—her approach to empathy was practical, engaging, and immediately impactful. Our leaders left with actionable takeaways, and even the skeptics walked away inspired and ready to lead with greater understanding.”
Patricia Prince, Senior Supervisor of Total Rewards, Ascent Resources
-
![Five star reviews for Liesel Mertes]()
“I absolutely love this program and think that it is both innovative and relevant to our current workforce. This is a game changer!”
Liz Brothers, Purple Ink
-
![Five star reviews for Liesel Mertes]()
“Liesel helped us take some walls down and say what needed to be said without judgment. It felt like therapy mixed with teambuilding.”
Christy Wilson, VP of Talent, The Heritage Group
keynote topics
Interested in booking Liesel to speak?
-
Are you doing what it takes to help your people survive, stabilize, and thrive at work? 85% of workers report a decline in their overall wellness over the last year.
What if you could feel empowered to competently care for yourself, your coworkers, and your clients?
In this interactive, reflective session, workplace empathy expert Liesel Mertes empowers leaders, managers and teams to be workplace first responders, offering empathy, connection and compassion when it matters most.
-
How do we build cultures of care when we feel personally exhausted and overwhelmed? The unrelenting stress of uncertainty, transition, and disruptive life events is leading to change fatigue and exhaustion at work. This partners with compassion fatigue, the emotional residue of exposure to the grief or trauma of others, and inhibits our ability to connect.
What if you could feel equipped to meaningfully combat change/compassion fatigue in the face of unrelenting demands?
-
What if waiting for easy isn’t the answer? What if the real opportunity is in learning to handle hard better?
Drawing from her own story of loss, as well as client experiences and case studies, Liesel Mindrebo Mertes brings a story-rich, interactive approach that helps participants not just endure difficulty, but emerge stronger, more capable, and more connected on the other side.
-
After the death of her daughter, Mercy Joan, Liesel was personally and professionally adrift. The pieces of her story felt disjointed — grief, growth, her MBA, NGO work — until she realized that story itself was the bridge. In launching Handle w/ Care Consulting, Liesel didn’t just start a company. She helped create a new business category, one that helps organizations thrive through empathy and human-centric skills.
In this session, Liesel will teach participants how to do the same: Craft a compelling personal brand story that resonates in interviews, reviews, and boardrooms.
-
There is a high cost to low trust at work. Studies show that low-trust teams struggle with miscommunication, silos and disengagement.
In contrast, employees on high-trust teams report 74% less stress, 76% more engagement, and 50% higher productivity.
How can you increase trust on your team, make repairs when trust gets broken, and create strategic buy-in to sustain trust at work?
Take the Quiz
Which Empathy Avatar Are You?
Every leader has one. Each comes with superpowers (and pitfalls). Meet yours today. Estimated time ~ 5 minutes.
Free Guide:
How to Help During Hard Times
Life is hard and complex, but caring for your people doesn’t have to be. This free guide offers a clear, easy-to-implement checklist for how to care for your team during disruptive life events.
From the first day, week, and month after disruption, this guide helps you show up with consistent meaningful words and actions while maintaining business priorities. Enter your info below and we’ll send you your free guide and put empathy to work.