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Growing Kindness™: Stories of kindness, generosity and community that inspire hope
Growing Kindness™: Stories of kindness, generosity and community that inspire hope episodes
- She Never Let Them Be Alone: Shari Froelich on Carrying Grief, Finding Meaning After Loss, and How Carrying Kindness Never Fades
Some stories stay with you long after the conversation ends, and this is one of them. In this episode, I sit down with Shari Froelich to talk about what it really means to be carrying grief while still showing up with compassion and presence. Through her powerful caregiver story, Shari shares how years in nursing, hospice, and personal loss shaped the way she approaches love, loss, and connection. What unfolds is a deeply moving reflection on finding meaning after loss and how, even in the hardest seasons, we can continue carrying kindness in ways that truly change lives.
This conversation is an honest look at what it means to sit with others in their final moments, to walk through carrying grief without rushing the process, and to discover that finding meaning after loss often comes through the way we care for others. Shari’s caregiver story is filled with wisdom, tenderness, and real-life experience that reminds us that carrying kindness is not about perfection, but about presence.
- What it means to be carrying grief while still choosing to love and serve others
- A deeply personal caregiver story shaped by hospice care, family dynamics, and end-of-life experiences
- How finding meaning after loss can come through simple, intentional acts of care
- The quiet power of presence and listening as forms of carrying kindness
- Why carrying kindness through small, everyday actions can leave a lasting impact long after loss
If this conversation resonates with you, I invite you to reflect on how you might be carrying grief in your own life and where you might begin finding meaning after loss through connection and care. Share this episode with someone who may need a reminder that even in loss, carrying kindness can still lead the way forward.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH SHARI FROELICH:
Intagram
43 min - When Love Doesn't End: Olivia Sharp's Story of Neonatal Loss and Finding Healing in Flowers
In this episode, I sit down with Olivia Sharp to share a story that will stay with you long after you listen. Olivia opens her heart about her experience with neonatal loss and what it looks like to carry grief while still choosing to move forward. Through her journey, we explore love after loss, the quiet ways healing can begin, and how something as simple as flowers can become a lifeline. This conversation is a powerful reminder that even in the deepest pain, love after loss continues to grow, and there are meaningful ways we can support one another through it.
- Olivia Sharp shares her personal experience with neonatal loss and how it reshaped her life and perspective
- What love after loss looks like in real life and how grief is carried, not fixed
- Gentle, practical insight into how to help someone through grief when you do not know what to say
- How flowers and small acts of kindness created space for healing after neonatal loss
- A heartfelt reminder that learning how to help someone through grief starts with simply showing up and letting them know they are not alone
If this episode moves you, I encourage you to reach out to someone in your life who may be hurting and remind them they are seen, because learning how to help someone through grief often begins with a single, simple act of love, just as Olivia Sharp so beautifully shows through her journey of love after loss.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH OLIVIA SHARP:
Instagram
35 min - The Gift of Being a Giver Again: Finding Purpose Through Kindness After Loss with Robbie Bennett
What if the greatest gift in your hardest season is becoming a giver again?
In this episode, I sit down with Robbie Bennett to share her powerful story of grief, healing, and finding purpose after loss. After walking through the illness and passing of her husband, Robbie found herself navigating a new life that felt uncertain and heavy. But through simple, intentional moments of being a giver, she began to rediscover joy and meaning. From bringing flowers into hospital rooms to offering them to strangers in everyday places, Robbie’s journey shows how small acts of kindness can transform not only others’ lives, but our own. Her story is a beautiful reminder that finding purpose doesn’t require something big or complicated. Sometimes it begins with choosing being a giver in the smallest ways.
In this episode, we talk about:
- How Robbie Bennett began finding purpose again after loss through being a giver
- The emotional impact of small acts of kindness in hospitals, grocery stores, and everyday life
- Why being a giver can bring healing during seasons of grief and uncertainty
- How Robbie Bennett experienced connection and transformation through small acts of kindness
- The ripple effect that happens when we focus on finding purpose through simple, intentional giving
Robbie Bennett’s story is a powerful reminder that small acts of kindness matter more than we realize. If this conversation encouraged you, share it with a friend and take one small step toward being a giver and finding purpose right where you are.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
Printable Bouquet Tags
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH ROBBIE BENNETT:
Instagram
39 min - Growing Kindness Together: Amy Sonnek’s Story of Family, Flowers & Community
What if growing kindness could start with just a few flowers in your backyard?
In this episode, I sit down with longtime Growing Kindness ambassador Amy Sonnek from Stillwater, Minnesota. Amy shares her beautiful acts of kindness story about how a small backyard garden turned into a meaningful way of giving away flowers in her community. What began during the pandemic as a search for connection quickly grew into something much bigger. Through a neighborhood flower stand, family bouquet gatherings, and everyday moments of generosity, Amy has found simple ways of growing kindness while also teaching kindness to her children and neighbors. Her story is a powerful reminder that giving away flowers can create connection, spark conversation, and inspire others to start growing kindness in their own communities.
In this episode we talk about:
- How Amy discovered the Growing Kindness movement and began growing kindness in a small backyard garden
- The simple joy of giving away flowers and how a neighborhood flower stand sparked connection
- How gardening became a meaningful way of teaching kindness to her children and involving the whole neighborhood
- The legacy of gentle generosity that inspired Amy’s powerful acts of kindness story
- Why small acts like giving away flowers can create ripple effects that spread growing kindness far beyond what we expect
Amy’s experience is a beautiful acts of kindness story that reminds us how simple it can be to begin teaching kindness in our homes and communities. If this episode inspires you, share it with a friend and continue growing kindness right where you are.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
FOLLOW AMY SONNEK:
@amysonnek
31 min - Letting Go to Grow: The Next Chapter of Growing Kindness
Letting go to grow is never easy, but sometimes it’s the very thing that allows something beautiful to become what it was always meant to be.
In this deeply personal episode, I’m sharing about the next chapter of growing kindness and a significant leadership shift that marks a new season for our movement. After seven years of nurturing this mission from the ground up, it’s time to loosen my grip and trust that what we’ve planted together is ready to grow in new ways.
This conversation is both tender and hopeful. I’m reflecting on the early days of growing kindness, how it grew during the pandemic, and why this season of letting go to grow is not an ending but truly the next chapter.
In this episode, I share:
- The story behind the early years of growing kindness and how it expanded during uncertain times
- Why this leadership shift is necessary for long-term strength and sustainability
- What letting go to grow looks like in real time
- How this transition marks the next chapter for our community
- Ways you can help shape the next chapter of growing kindness
If you’ve ever built something you love, held it close, and then felt the nudge that it was time to release control, this episode is for you. Letting go to grow doesn’t mean stepping away from purpose. It means trusting that what we’ve planted together is ready for more hands, more voices, and a broader vision.
This leadership shift is not about shrinking. It’s about strengthening. It’s about ensuring that growing kindness continues to flourish far beyond one person.
Thank you for being part of this story. Thank you for believing in growing kindness. And thank you for stepping with us into the next chapter.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
Link for Board Application
Link for Survey
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
28 min - The story behind the early years of growing kindness and how it expanded during uncertain times
- A Legacy of Kindness: How Shannon Morris Carries Her Daughter’s Love Forward
In today’s episode, I sit down with Shannon Morris to share a powerful story of grief, love, and a legacy of kindness that continues to ripple outward.
After the heartbreaking loss of her daughter Fallon, Shannon Morris chose to carry her daughters love forward through intentional acts of service and spreading kindness in her community. What unfolds is a deeply honest conversation about learning how to carry grief, honoring a child’s life, and discovering how love can still move through us even after profound loss.
This episode is a gentle reminder that while we never “get over” grief, we can learn how to carry it in ways that bring healing, meaning, and connection. Through flowers, community projects, and small daily acts of generosity, Shannon shows us how a daughters love can become a living legacy that continues to touch lives.
In this episode, we talk about:
- What it means to build a legacy of kindness in honor of a loved one
- How Shannon Morris carries her daughters love forward through everyday acts
- Why spreading kindness can be both healing and life-giving in grief
- How flowers, gardening, and simple rituals can support healing after loss
- Learning to carry grief while choosing love, hope, and compassion
If you are walking through grief, loving someone who is, or simply needing a reminder that kindness still matters, I hope this conversation feels like a gentle place to land. May it encourage you to honor love, even in the hardest seasons, and trust that kindness can still bloom.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH SHANNON MORRIS:
Social media: @falonssprinklekindnessinc
Website
39 min - What it means to build a legacy of kindness in honor of a loved one
- The Healing Power of Giving: Dr. Darvish Shares the Scientific Link Between Service and Longevity
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Darvish to explore the healing power of giving and the scientific link between service, kindness, and longevity.
As we talk, we move beyond intuition and stories and into the fascinating science behind why acts of service change us at a cellular level. From hormones like oxytocin to the deep connection between emotional well-being and physical health, this conversation beautifully weaves together kindness psychology, medicine, and the lived experience of choosing generosity as a way of life.
Together, Dr. Darvish and I explore how kindness is not just something we offer others, but something that actively heals and sustains us too.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The healing power of giving and how service supports long-term health
- The scientific link between kindness, oxytocin, and reduced inflammation
- How kindness psychology explains the joy and calm we feel when we serve others
- Why generosity and connection are essential to longevity and wellbeing
- Practical ways to live out kindness as a daily, intentional practice
If you’ve ever felt that kindness changes you just as much as it helps others, this conversation will give you both language and a scientific link to understand why. I hope it encourages you to keep choosing service, connection, and compassion in your everyday life.
Listen in, be encouraged, and let this episode inspire you to share kindness in a way that supports both your well-being and the world around you.
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH DR. DARVISH:
Holistique Website
Holistique Instagram
Holistique Facebook
Personal Website
Personal Instagram
Personal Facebook
51 min - The healing power of giving and how service supports long-term health
- From Classroom to Community Kindness: How to Show Kindness Through a Cut Flower Garden with Sue Carney
What happens when a classroom teacher turns her front yard into a kindness garden and quietly changes an entire town?
In today’s episode, I sit down with Sue Carney, a retired teacher whose cut flower garden has become a powerful source of community kindness. What started as a love for gardening has grown into thousands of freely given bouquets, meaningful connections, and a beautiful example of how to show kindness in everyday life. Sue’s story reminds us that a simple cut flower garden can become a living invitation for community kindness, connection, and hope.
In this episode, we talk about:
- How Sue Carney’s life in the classroom shaped her heart for community kindness
- Turning a front yard cut flower garden into a thriving kindness garden
- Practical ways how to show kindness through flowers, even with limited space
- The ripple effect of a kindness garden in a small-town community
- Why growing a cut flower garden can be one of the simplest ways to cultivate community kindness
Sue Carney’s story is a powerful reminder that learning how to show kindness doesn’t require perfection or scale, just a willing heart, a few blooms, and the courage to start. Whether you dream of planting a kindness garden, growing a cut flower garden, or simply finding new ways how to show kindnesss right where you are, this conversation will leave you deeply inspired.
Listen in and discover how one teacher, one kindness garden, and one community changed together.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Follow Steph Hankerson on Instagram
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH SUE CARNEY:
Instagram
42 min - Building Dreams and Community Through Flowers: Kim Hill's Story
In this episode, I sit down with flower farmer Kim Hill to talk about what it really looks like to combine cut flower gardening with a heart for community kindness. Kim shares her story of building dreams through flowers, navigating life as a for-profit flower farmer, and discovering how to spread kindness in sustainable, practical ways. This conversation is full of honesty, encouragement, and simple ideas that remind us we all have something beautiful to give.
In this episode, we explore:
- How cut flower gardening can support both a livelihood and meaningful acts of community kindness
- Why building dreams does not require perfection, just willingness and abundance
- Practical, real-life ways Kim uses surplus flowers as a tool for how to spread kindness
- How generosity creates ripple effects that strengthen community kindness beyond what we can see
- Why cut flower gardening and giving can coexist without sacrificing sustainability or purpose
Whether you grow a backyard garden or manage a flower farm, this episode will encourage you to rethink abundance, embrace building dreams through what you already have, and discover simple ways of how to spread kindness through flowers and connection.
If this episode encouraged you, I invite you to take one small step today. Grow something. Share something. Or simply notice an opportunity for community kindness right where you are. Together, through cut flower gardening and intentional generosity, we can keep building dreams that bloom far beyond our own gardens.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH KIM HILL:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
38 min - Growing Kind Kids: How Kelsey Tolsma's Family is Planting Seeds of Kindness
In today’s episode, I sit down with Growing Kindness ambassador Kelsey Tolsma and her daughter Brecklin to explore what it looks like to raise children who are truly growing kind. Kelsey shares how flowers became a source of courage, creativity, and connection for her daughters, and how their small acts of giving have grown into beautiful stories of giving that continue spreading kindness throughout their community. Together, we talk about the moments that have shaped their family’s journey, the joy of watching little hands carry big kindness, and why simple, everyday practices matter so much in creating kindness stories for kids that last a lifetime.
We talk about:
- How one family began growing kind through flowers and turning ordinary moments into meaningful stories of giving\
- The surprising ways children naturally begin spreading kindness when they are invited into generosity
- Why hands-on giving creates powerful kindness stories for kids that shape character and confidence
- The holiday tradition that helped plant deep seeds of kindness in Kelsey’s daughters
- How community, creativity, and connection grow when families choose intentional acts of kindness together
This episode is a beautiful reminder that every act of generosity we share plants seeds of kindness that continue spreading kindness far beyond what we can see. If today’s stories of giving encouraged you, I’d love for you to join the Growing Kindness community, become a gardener, or support the movement through a donation. Together, we are growing kind hearts, one small act at a time.
Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners
Donate to help kindness grow
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags
Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
CONNECT WITH KELSEY TOLSMA:
Instagram
20 min
About Growing Kindness™: Stories of kindness, generosity and community that inspire hope
From the publisher's feed
In a world that often feels divided, the Growing Kindness™ Podcast is a place to find hope, connection, and encouragement through stories of generosity, giving, and acts of kindness - often told through the language of flowers.
Hosted by Deanna Kitchen, founder of Growing Kindness™ Movement, each episode highlights inspiring guests whose simple acts - whether planting a seed, gifting a bouquet, or serving their communities - remind us that kindness can take root anywhere.
You’ll hear heartfelt stories, garden wisdom, and uplifting ideas for creating connection and beauty right where you are.
Whether you’re a gardener, a giver, or simply someone who believes in the power of kindness, this podcast will inspire you to live generously and let kindness grow.
👉 Here’s how you can join the movement:
Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners: growingkindnessproject.org
Donate to help kindness grow: thegrowingkindnessproject.givingfuel.com
Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates: growingkindnessproject.org
Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags: growingkindnessproject.org