Christine Miles Teaches Us the True Cost of Not Listening

By Robert White, Editor-In-Chief

In a world obsessed with constant communication, few stop to consider what might be missing from the conversation. Christine Miles, author of the award-winning book What Is It Costing You Not to Listen?, has built her life—and her career—around that very question. For Miles, listening isn’t just a skill. It’s a superpower. And most of us, she argues, have no idea how to use it.

“I always say I’ve been selling air,” Miles laughs, referencing the fact that while communication is everywhere, true listening is rare. “It’s essential, but we take it for granted.”

With a background in psychology and a powerful origin story rooted in personal experience, Miles brings uncommon empathy and clarity to her mission. Raised in Hershey, Pennsylvania, she grew up in what appeared to be an idyllic 1970s household. But beneath the surface was a different reality—her mother struggled with severe depression and anxiety following the loss of her own mother during childbirth.

“As a kid, my role became understanding my mom’s pain,” Miles explains. “And while that was a heavy burden, it also gave me this incredible ability—to hear what wasn’t being said.”

That early gift blossomed into a lifelong pursuit. Today, Miles is the founder of The Listening Path, a transformative communication training company that works with Fortune 500 companies, educators, and now even elementary school students to improve listening comprehension and emotional intelligence.

According to research, employees absorb less than 25% of what customers and colleagues say—a deficit that costs businesses dearly in productivity, sales, and morale. Miles’ mission is to change that through practical, scalable education.

Her book, What Is It Costing You Not to Listen?, is part memoir, part communication manual, and part rallying cry. It breaks down the myths of what listening really is—dispelling the notion that eye contact and nodding are enough—and offers a step-by-step path to becoming a better listener at work, at home, and within yourself.

“Most people think they’re great listeners,” she notes. “Harvard Business Review says 96% of people believe that, but statistically, that can’t be true. It’s because we’ve never been properly taught.”

That’s where The Listening Path comes in. Christine and her team provide in-depth training programs for professionals, but more recently, they’ve developed a fully animated curriculum for classrooms. Her goal? To teach listening skills at the age of five, not 35.

“We’re now in 20 classrooms across the U.S., Canada, and even Ireland,” she shares. “And the feedback from teachers has been incredible—minimal prep time, and students who are not just hearing, but truly understanding each other.”

The initiative is growing fast, with a high school program on the way, a children’s book launching this summer, and plans to expand into more educational settings globally.

For Miles, it all comes back to one core idea: understanding. “Listening isn’t just about being quiet—it’s about uncovering the story beneath the words, whether that’s from a client, a child, or yourself. And when you do that, relationships, performance, and even purpose come into sharper focus.”

Christine Miles is the author of What Is It Costing You Not to Listen? and founder of The Listening Path. Learn more at christinemileslistens.com and thelisteningpath.com.

Listen to the full interview with Christine Miles on the Savoir Faire Audio Experience.