Anayna
Training and L&D Operations | Communications Professional | Mental Health & Social Impact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ananya-sharma-96aa4b200/
My passions lie in social impact, training, and organisational administration. I’m a natural problem solver who enjoys digging a little deeper to find thoughtful, aligned solutions.
I’m particularly drawn to designing programs and strategies that streamline systems and help organisations work more effectively. Bringing structure to complex processes and creating clear, supportive systems for teams is something I genuinely enjoy and bring into my work every day.
With experience in training coordination, communications, and administrative operations, especially within mental health and community-focused organisations, I thrive in roles where organisation, collaboration, and problem solving can help meaningful work happen more smoothly.
I’m especially motivated by opportunities to support teams and initiatives that aim to create positive change in communities.
I’m currently based in Berlin and interested in opportunities with mission-driven organisations where good systems help good people do great work.
chtgpt recap
Here is a step-by-step summary of the meeting/video page “2026-05-28 - Anayna” from the Empathy Movement Curriculum site.
Ananya Sharma introduced her background in:
training coordination
communications
organizational systems
mental health and social impact work
She emphasized enjoying:
building systems
organizing teams
improving processes
supporting mission-driven organizations. (Google Sites)
Edwin Rutsch explained the larger vision of the curriculum project:
building a broad empathy movement
making mutual empathy a cultural value
creating training for many sectors such as:
schools
healthcare
democracy/dialogue
businesses
community groups. (Google Sites)
Ananya asked whether the curriculum would only focus on Empathy Circles or include related topics such as:
trauma
nervous system regulation
deeper emotional work.
Edwin clarified that the project is intended to be much broader than just Empathy Circles. (Google Sites)
Edwin described several curriculum areas already underway or planned:
Empathy Circles
facilitation training
conflict mediation
community cafes/dialogue
empathy in schools
a large “Definition of Empathy” module that could become a major foundational course. (Google Sites)
A major theme of the conversation was openness and accessibility.
Edwin explained:
curriculum materials would be openly shared
likely under Creative Commons licensing
facilitators/trainers could still charge for workshops and services.
The goal is movement building rather than locking content behind paywalls. (Google Sites)
Ananya raised questions about:
intellectual property
niche audiences
tailoring programs for different sectors.
Edwin responded that:
core material can stay open
modules can be adapted for different audiences like teachers, healthcare workers, or businesses. (Google Sites)
Ananya proposed a collaborative curriculum-development process:
curriculum specialists
subject matter experts
regular meetings
modular development teams.
Edwin suggested a hybrid structure:
separate teams working on individual modules
while maintaining overall coherence and shared standards. (Google Sites)
Both agreed the project is still in the “team formation” stage.
Edwin is actively recruiting:
curriculum developers
facilitators
subject matter experts. (Google Sites)
Ananya agreed to:
contribute around 2–3 hours per week
help as a curriculum specialist
support:
curriculum structure
organization
module development
design consistency. (Google Sites)
Ananya suggested creating a style/design handbook for the curriculum.
This would include:
fonts
colors
layout standards
visual consistency across materials. (Google Sites)
Edwin planned to introduce Ananya to another curriculum specialist, Carol Knox.
The idea was for them to:
coordinate
discuss collaboration
define working roles. (Google Sites)
The meeting concluded with several action items:
Ananya would:
contact Carol Knox
review shared curriculum resources
consider involving colleagues from the Berlin Empathy Institute. (Google Sites)
Edwin would:
connect Ananya and Carol
continue recruiting curriculum contributors
follow up via LinkedIn. (Google Sites)
Joint plans:
begin work on the “Definition of Empathy” module
develop curriculum style guidelines
hold a follow-up meeting on June 9. (Google Sites)
The conversation centered on:
building an open-source empathy movement curriculum
collaborative curriculum design
scaling empathy education across society
balancing openness with sustainable facilitator training
creating structure and coherence for a growing international project.
gemini recap
Based on the meeting records from May 28, 2026, here is a step-by-step summary of the video conversation between Edwin and Ananya regarding the Empathy Movement Curriculum:
Background: Ananya introduces her background in training, communication, mental health, and social impact (currently based in Berlin).
Commitment: She expresses a strong interest in contributing to the project as a curriculum specialist, noting she can commit about 2 to 3 hours per week for independent work outside of scheduled meetings.
Role Alignment: Edwin welcomes her and explains that while the project attracts many participants, they specifically need individuals with practical curriculum development skills to help structure and scale the material beyond what he can manage alone.
Broader Vision: Ananya asks whether the scope is strictly limited to Empathy Circles or if it will expand to areas like trauma and nervous system regulation.
Movement Building: Edwin explains that the curriculum is a broad movement-building initiative designed to embed mutual empathy as a core value across society (schools, healthcare, democracy, business, etc.).
Module Progression: He details the existing components (Empathy Circle practices, facilitation training, conflict resolution) and mentions plans for a new, comprehensive "Definition of Empathy" module that could span up to 10 hours.
Cross-Organization Synergies: Ananya shares her work with the Berlin-based Empathy Institute, which aspires to establish a UN body for empathy and build profitable corporate training programs.
Open Source Framework: Edwin and Ananya discuss licensing. They agree on a model where the core curriculum materials remain publicly accessible under a Creative Commons license to foster widespread movement-building. However, individual facilitators and trainers retain the right to charge fees for running the live sessions and corporate workshops.
Niche Customization: Ananya addresses how to target specific niches. Edwin responds that while the foundational principles are universal, the curriculum modules will eventually need to be tailored for distinct audiences like corporate businesses, healthcare professionals, or teachers.
Development Methodology: To prevent the project from stalling, Ananya suggests a collaborative workflow between curriculum specialists and subject matter experts. Edwin proposes a hybrid team structure: smaller, autonomous teams working concurrently on specific modules (e.g., empathy in conflict mediation) while keeping overall consistency.
Starting Point: They agree to launch their focus on the "Definition of Empathy" module.
Style Handbook: Ananya suggests creating a design/style handbook (establishing standardized fonts, colors, and visual guidelines) to ensure all forthcoming curriculum materials have a cohesive, professional aesthetic.
Flexible Timeline: Edwin stresses that the timeline is flexible, allowing the team to properly form and organize without immediate pressure.
Team Synergy: Edwin agrees to introduce Ananya to Carol Knox (another curriculum specialist). Ananya and Carol will meet to align on roles and begin drafting the style handbook.
Resource Review: Ananya will review the existing shared curriculum assets, definition presentations, and conflict mediation videos.
Follow-up: Edwin will provide updates via LinkedIn regarding onboarding other team members, and Edwin and Ananya scheduled a follow-up meeting for June 9th to track progress after her synchronization with Carol.
Meeting summary
Edwin and Ananya discussed Ananya's involvement in the Empathy Center's curriculum development project. Ananya expressed interest in contributing 2-3 hours per week as a curriculum specialist, focusing on topics like deep listening and cultural backgrounds. Edwin explained that the project aims to create an accessible curriculum for building a movement around mutual empathy, with modules ranging from empathy circles to conflict resolution, targeting various audiences including educators, healthcare workers, and businesses. They discussed the structure of the curriculum development team, with individual teams working on specific modules while maintaining overall coherence. Ananya agreed to work on the definition of empathy module and suggested creating a style handbook for design consistency. They also discussed the upcoming Empathy Summit and various training opportunities. The conversation ended with plans for Ananya to meet with another potential team member, Carol Knox, and for a follow-up meeting between Ananya and Edwin in the following week.
Edwin and Ananya discussed Ananya's potential involvement in curriculum development for empathy circles. Ananya expressed interest but noted she could only commit 2-3 hours per week for independent work outside of meetings. Edwin explained that while they welcome additional participants, they are specifically looking for people with curriculum development skills to help structure and expand the program beyond what he can handle as an area expert.
Ananya asked Edwin about the scope of the empathy curriculum, questioning whether it would focus solely on empathy circles or expand to include topics like nervous system regulation and trauma. Edwin explained that the curriculum is designed as a broader movement-building initiative rather than a single-focused program, aiming to make mutual empathy a core cultural value across various sectors including democracy, healthcare, and schools. Edwin outlined the current components including empathy circle practices, presentations, facilitation training, and plans for a new definition module that could be up to 10 hours long.
Edwin discussed a comprehensive empathy curriculum project that includes modules on empathy circles, conflict resolution, community cafes, and empathy in schools, with Lou having already conducted conflict mediation work. Ananya shared that she is working with the Empathy Institute in Berlin, which aims to create a UN body of empathy and develop profitable dialogue and empathy training programs for corporations. Both discussed making their curriculums publicly available and accessible, with trainers able to charge for facilitating sessions, rather than keeping the content behind paywalls to support broader movement building.
Edwin explained the structure of the empathy curriculum, noting that while the curriculum materials would be publicly available under a Creative Commons license, training facilitators would be able to charge for their services. Ananya raised questions about intellectual property rights and how to target specific niches, to which Edwin responded that the curriculum would need to be tailored to specific audiences like teachers, healthcare workers, or businesses depending on the intended use. The discussion concluded with Ananya asking about next steps for team collaboration, and Edwin indicating he was seeking curriculum experts to guide the development process.
Ananya and Edwin discussed the methodology for developing a curriculum, with Ananya proposing a team approach involving curriculum specialists and subject matter experts meeting regularly to create training modules. Edwin suggested a hybrid approach where individual teams could work on specific modules like empathy and conflict mediation while maintaining overall structural coherence. They agreed that the project is still in the team-forming phase, and Ananya decided to wait a week before proceeding further to allow more people to express interest and potentially connect with the newly introduced curriculum specialist.
Ananya and Edwin discussed plans for developing empathy training curriculum modules, with a focus on starting with the definition of empathy module. They agreed that Ananya would meet with potential collaborator Carol to discuss her involvement, and then Ananya and Edwin would work together on creating a style handbook and design guidelines for the curriculum materials. The timeline was established as flexible, with no specific pressure to complete modules within a certain timeframe, and they scheduled a follow-up meeting for June 9th to discuss progress after Ananya's meeting with Carol.