In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Dr Ashley Seidel Potvin—educator, researcher, and lead author of the truly important book Creating Compassionate Change in School Communities: Leading Together to Address Everyday Suffering in Schools.

Ashley brings such depth and heart to this conversation, drawing on her work at the Renée Crown Wellness Institute and years of collaboration with educators and researchers. We explored what it really takes to shift school culture—from the deeply personal to the systems-level—and how compassion and dignity can be nurtured in even the most complex school environments.

Together, we touched on:

. How pausing and attuning to our inner experience lays the foundation for compassion

. The everyday forms of suffering educators and students face

. The difference between empathy and compassion (and how to avoid empathic distress)

. Why self-compassion is a powerful preparation for justice-oriented action

. How to lead for compassionate change and see the system more clearly

. The power of building “compassionate personas” and collective action

If you’re a teacher, school leader, parent, or just someone who cares about the next generation, I think you’ll find this conversation meaningful and, I hope, hopeful.

The book—written by Ashley Seidel Potvin, William Penuel, Sona Dimidjian, and Thupten Jinpa—is out now and well worth a read.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Dr. Ashley Seidel Potvin

01:45 – The Importance of Compassion in Education

07:00 – Practical Strategies for Educators

10:00 – Challenges and Suffering in Schools

19:58 – Empathy vs. Compassion

26:24 – The Role of Self-Compassion

30:51 – The Importance of Self-Compassion

31:34 – Challenges and Misconceptions About Self-Compassion

36:00 – Receiving Compassion from Others

38:28 – Systems Level Awareness in Education

43:50 – Leadership and Compassionate Change

49:31 – Developing Compassionate Personas

56:58 – The Journey of Writing the Book

LINK:

Creating Compassionate Change in School Communities: Leading Together to Address Everyday Suffering in Schools by Ashley Seidel Potvin, William R. Penuel, Sona Dimidjian, and Thupten Jinpa. 

https://www.colorado.edu/crowninstitute/compassionate-change-schools-book

If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/ 

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compassionateeducation, selfcompassion, educationalleadership, schoolculture, teacherwellbeing, dignityinschools