Emotional intelligence (EQ)—the ability to understand ourselves, connect with others, and manage our emotions under pressure—is the foundation of effective, compassionate care. In healthcare’s high-stakes, high-stress environments, EQ directly influences communication, teamwork, and patient outcomes. It helps leaders navigate conflict with grace, teams build trust across disciplines, and caregivers remain grounded and empathetic amid relentless change. Yet despite its proven impact, EQ is still not woven deeply enough into the fabric of healthcare. Breathe: Honoring Voices of Healthcare is on a mission to change that.

Led by veteran healthcare executive and coach Jeannine Acantilado Wolinsky, Breathe brings emotional intelligence to life through reflective coaching, storytelling, and film. Using the WE-I Profile, Jeannine helps individuals and teams assess how they engage emotionally in real-world situations, then develop practical strategies to strengthen awareness, empathy, and resilience. Her work transforms daily stress into insight—and reconnects healthcare professionals with the meaning and humanity at the heart of their work.

The insights gained through EQ practice find their most powerful expression in story. Through storytelling workshops, coaching, and live events, caregivers—from executives to physicians to nurses—are invited to share the stories they carry inside them: the moments that shaped them, challenged them, and restored their purpose. In sharing these stories, they build bridges of understanding and compassion across the healthcare continuum, transforming isolation into connection and burnout into belonging.

The next evolution of these stories lives on film. Through a growing library of short films, Breathe captures the courage, tenderness, and complexity of those who give and receive care.

Watch the short video below to learn how Jeannine discovered the transformative link between emotional intelligence and storytelling in film.