Our Vision: To unleash the human potential through the pleasure of growing and discovery. Build resilient teams through strong working relationships. Nurture thriving cultures through durable emotional bonds. We want people at work to feel happy, engaged, and connected. I am proud to be the Founder of EmC Leaders, an organizational psychologist, and a Corporate Emotional Connection expert.
Our Mission: To provide high-quality EmC programs and sessions to educate leaders, managers, teams, boards, human resource professionals, organizational development trainers, and consultants on the power of emotional connection. We seek to be change-makers, illuminating the essential role of emotions, and creating connected and flourishing communities.
Our Values:
We value the human potential to elevate the human experience.
We value research and practice as partners in informing our thoughts and actions.
We value and respect the emotional state of every person.
We value the independence of each person we work with and
their individual journey.
We value what we teach and do what we say.
Our Motto: Our diversity is our strength. Our work is local, but our impact is global. Our collaboration empowers us, and together, we are making the world a better place.
Rooted in five decades of scientific research, proven by hundreds of case studies, and facilitated by pioneers in the field of workplace connection, you can expect our work together to:
We are committed to continuously evaluating our methodology, content, and delivery through substantive research informed by best practices in psychology.
Our team of scientists and professionals have engaged in several beta studies and have received an IRB approval from Pepperdine for a larger study. Beta test results suggest significant positive results in emotionality and self-awareness.
Thank you so much for your presentation today. Your message was inspiring for our wonderful facilitators. You gave them tools to use not only at work but in life as well! I appreciate what you do and your passion for connections and relationships!!
Thank you for creating and sharing the EMC process, Lola. Your generosity is a gift and is making a significant impact!
The impact of the EmC sessions has been extraordinary! It has helped my team and me grow and have a much stronger relationship. Thank you.
EmC Leaders transformed our culture by the way we interact with each other. The EmC process allowed us to grow our capacity to be vulnerable in all aspects and not worry about what we have to say and how to say it.
The EmC Leaders program transformed our leadership team and brought honesty and transparency into every conversation. We were able to build trust and become the high-performing team that we all wanted to be.
I now have the skills and confidence to reconnect when a conflict arises, build trust to lead change, and coach others to do the same. This is a life-changing experience that will impact all areas of my life.
CLIENT: Center Club Orange County
INDUSTRY: HOSPITALITY
CLIENT: Miroculus
INDUSTRY: BIOTECH
CLIENT: California Bank & Trust
INDUSTRY: FINANCE AND BANKING
Dr. Lola Gershfeld is the Founder of EmC Leaders, an organizational psychologist, and a Corporate Emotional Connection expert. She is a developer of the Emotional Connection process or EmC and the author of Emotional Connection, The EmC Strategy, and her new book, The Culture of Connection.
Dr. Gershfeld leads several EmC research projects with a group of scientists and business professionals who focus on demonstrating the effectiveness of the EmC methodology, content, and delivery through substantive research informed by best practices in psychology. Her articles on emotional connection and leadership appear in Forbes, The Corporate Board, Industry Week, Corporate Board Member, The CEO Magazine, Chief Executive Magazine, NACD Directorship, California CEO Magazine, Training Industry, and others. She is a co-author of Emotional Connection, The EmC Strategy: How Leaders Can Unlock the Human Potential, Build Resilient Teams, and Nurture Thriving Culture.
Prior to EmC Leaders, Dr. Gershfeld spent over two decades working as a CFO, HR, and researching the way for people to resolve workplace conflicts peacefully and re-engage teams together. The EmC process that she developed is making a significant contribution to the field of leadership, team resilience, and organization effectiveness. The EmC Courses have been incorporated into the curriculum for HR Management, Leadership, and Organizational Development courses at California State University, Fullerton, California State University, Long Beach, and Pepperdine University. The EmC training has been adapted and developed into education programs and certification courses that are accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), and Society of Human Resources and Management (SHRM) for recertification hours.
Dr. Gershfeld serves on the Advisory Board at the UC Santa Barbara Women’s Leadership Program. She is very passionate about her work and shaping organizational cultures where people can thrive. She spends much of her time sharing her knowledge through training programs, writing and speaking. When she is not working, she spends her time reflecting in hot yoga classes, exploring with her adorable five grandkids in Hawaii, and deepening her relationships with her life partner, family, and colleagues.
Jenna has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and over 10 years of experience in marketing, specializing in content strategy and copywriting. Her passion is to create exceptional storytelling and to develop brand messaging that creatively reflects a company’s mission, products, and services.
Olga Kalashnyk our social media and communication expert. She curates social media content that highlights the latest news, webinars, trainings and events of our company. With the degree in psychology she fully understands the nature of our work, and has more than 5 years of experience working with social media.
We love working with Olga because she has exceptional communication skills and ability to create great content that effectively reflects the essence of our company`s work.
Jack Gershfeld is a multifaceted professional with a wealth of experience spanning psychology, business, and organizational development. As the Chief Training Officer at EmC Leaders, Jack brings a unique blend of expertise as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and CEO of a manufacturing company, offering over 30 years of business acumen to his role.
In addition to his leadership at EmC Leaders, Jack serves as a clinical supervisor at Couples TLC Counseling, Inc, a local non-profit Community Mental Health Clinic Center. Through his work, he has touched the lives of hundreds of individuals, couples, families, teams, and organizations, fostering strong and supportive relationships and facilitating transformative growth.
Jack’s contributions extend beyond clinical practice and business leadership. He played a pivotal role in the development of key tools within the Emotional Connection “EmC” process—an innovative and empirically supported approach to team engagement and conflict resolution. His dedication to advancing the field of emotional intelligence and relationship building has made a profound impact on individuals and organizations alike.
Despite his diverse professional responsibilities, Jack remains actively engaged in live EmC workshops and training projects, sharing his expertise and passion for emotional connection with others. His commitment to empowering individuals and teams to cultivate deeper connections and navigate conflicts with grace and empathy is evident in all facets of his work.
Victor Gombos, Ph.D., has over 15 years of research and data analysis experience that spans areas of psychology, social services, and healthcare domains. Before working at Los Angeles County government and in the private sector, he taught statistics, research methods, computer applications, psychology, and critical thinking at California State University, Fullerton, and other local community colleges. In the last 7 years, he managed an analytics team at an occupational healthcare company, where he learned to nurture positive connections and dynamics intrinsically aligned with the concepts and practices of EmC Leaders. As a consultant, he has assisted in research, statistics, and various communications materials concerning employee engagement, team dynamics, and workplace conflict.
Dan also was the Founder and President of Acacia, responsible for launching many new and innovative medical devices that were successfully divested to Becton Dickinson, Smith Medical, Medela, and Oratec Interventions, and others.
Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and an MBA degree in Marketing from National University. He earned his Ph.D. in I-O psychology at Grand Canyon University.
Polina is a founder of AskPolina.com, which focuses on educating and promoting healthy habits and strong relationships. Polina has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has produced hundreds of training resources for improving health, wellness, and gaining new skills in creating a better life. She is a mom of five kids and has been using the Emotional Connection language to create stronger connections. Polina is passionate about helping leaders and organizations to use emotions to drive performance.
She utilizes a blend of neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology to teach skills that lead to greater fulfillment, vitality, and wellbeing.
Alicia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science from Berkley University. She comes with a multicultural perspective and over 28 years of executive management experience across industries. As an immigrant to the USA from Mexico and the first in her family to graduate from college, Alicia is effective at supporting others to thrive in adversity. She began her professional career as a financial analyst at The Chevron Corporation, then a senior strategic planner at The Walt Disney Company. She has held the top executive position at a private nonprofit school, built high-performing teams, and developed and implemented detailed strategic plans.
As a convener of the United Nations General Assembly Science Summit (September 2022), Ramin is forming several sessions addressing issues of global health equity, building trust in science, the role of the liberal arts in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Open Neuroscience initiatives, private/public scientific and health partnerships, and decolonization of global health education.
Ramin advises and mentors leaders committed to unlocking the power of human-centered organizations and capable of nurturing emotion-centered connections, courage-based leadership, and systems thinking to solve intractable problems and thrive in the service of humanity. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and has completed graduate studies in Public Administration/Health & Science Policy from California State University, Hayward. Ramin is also a graduate of executive education at Stanford University business school.
As a co-author of Emotional Connection, The EmC Strategy: How Leaders Can Unlock the Human Potential, Build Resilient Teams and Nurture Thriving Culture, Ramin thinks holistically and believes in exploration, experimentation, and diversity of thought to effect change. He is committed to the power of human-centered organizations to bring the heart into 21st-century leadership and enable organizational and individual wellbeing while achieving outstanding financial results.
With a successful career as a Food Industry leader and an International Coach Federation certified coach, Lois uses the EmC Strategy to empower individuals, teams, and organizations to stop struggling and accomplish what they want in a competitive and fast-paced environment.
Krisha is trained and certified in Google, Microsoft, and various other applications as an educational leader. Holding a bachelor’s in Science and English and an MS in Technology Integration, she is well versed in integrating technology to reach all learners and begin erasing the digital divide. Krisha loves the Emotional Connection and uses the strategy in her daily interactions in the workplace and at home.
Veerle Pieters is an amazing graphic & web designer. She loves creating logo & brand identities, illustrations, book cover design & complete book and magazine layouts, and of course also web sites & application user interface designs. We love working with Veerle on our brochures, books, and designs!
She is a member of the Global Partnership for Poverty and Entrepreneurship through the Academy of Management. She is designing online courses in teamwork and conflict mediation for the master of the leadership program at Southern Nazarene University. She teaches human resource management at Cal State, Long Beach.
As an entrepreneur, she is the founder of Inspired Life Consulting and a producer at Inspired Life Film Productions. As an intrapreneur, she is known for creating Project LEAD, the student affairs assistantship program, several endowed scholarships, and Lifelong Learning Lecture Series at Pepperdine University.
Her research is in Global Leadership and Change, focusing on the intersection of inclusive leadership and workplace spirituality. She has also been on a qualitative research team for over ten years that concentrates on work-family integration and has collected over 600 interviews from women leaders worldwide.
She is a certified trainer in mastering emotional connection with EmC Leaders and is currently working with the EmC research team to assess the EmC model for creating emotional connections in the workplace.
In addition to these and earlier leadership roles, she is the CEO of Wickra Consulting, where she guides organizations to design global competency initiatives and she is an adjunct professor at both Brandman University and National University.
She has traveled extensively internationally to interview global leaders so as to contribute to academic literature about foreign leadership styles. She has presented numerous papers at conferences and seminars in the United States, Canada, Central America, and Europe.
Additionally, she has conducted multiple leadership series workshops with executives and leaders from all disciplines and has been the organizer and moderator for leadership panels at Pepperdine University, including “Leading in the Digital Age,” “Leaders of Tomorrow,” “The Future of Leadership,” and “Women in Entrepreneurship.” Moreover, Amanda is a board member of the International Center for Global Leadership and is involved with organizing the annual global conference in Belize. She is an active member of the International Leadership Association in multiple roles and has chaired discussion and research panels. Most recently, she has moderated a keynote speaker event at the ILA 5th Women and Leadership Conference.
Amanda is a Leader for the Pepperdine University Alumni Association, Orange County Chapter, and she was recognized as an Inaugural 40 under 40 Honoree at Pepperdine University.
He has assisted on research projects with notable institutions such as RAND, NSF, the New Delhi Institute of Management, and Pepperdine University. His experience in the design and execution of studies across disciplines and settings has helped him grow as a leader, researcher, and scholar.
