What if compassion isn’t just something we feel—but something we can train?

In this conversation, I sit down with social psychologist Associate Professor Paul Condon to explore his new book How Compassion Works (with John Makransky) and their evidence-based approach to Sustainable Compassion Training (SCT).

We dive into a powerful idea: that we already have an innate capacity for love, compassion, and wisdom—but life experiences, attachment patterns, and our tendency to get caught in thoughts can pull us away from it.

Paul shares a clear, practical framework for reconnecting with that capacity through three key modes of practice:

. Receptive mode – learning to take in care and reconnect with a “secure base”

. Deepening mode – shifting from reactive thinking to expansive awareness

. Inclusive mode – widening compassion beyond our usual limits

We also explore how to develop a “holding environment” for difficult emotions, the difference between love and compassion, and how this approach can help prevent burnout, empathic distress, and compassion fatigue.

If you’ve ever struggled to stay compassionate without feeling overwhelmed—or wondered how compassion actually develops—this is a deeply insightful and practical conversation.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

02:31 Innate Compassion Explained

05:59 Why We Lose Touch

13:20 Equanimity and Holding Space

17:56 Love vs Compassion

23:14 Sustainable Compassion Training

28:43 Receptive Mode Field of Care

33:09 When Care Feels Inaccessible

40:28 Deepening Mode Expansive Awareness

49:37 Inclusive Mode Widening the Circle

58:27 Avoiding Burnout and Distress

01:05:21 Motivation and Daily Practice

01:10:48 Closing Thoughts and Thanks

Links:

Dr Paul Condon’s website:

https://paulcondon.org/

How Compassion Works (Makransky & Condon, 2025)

https://www.amazon.com.au/How-Compassion-Works-Step-Step/dp/164547173X/

Sustainable Compassion Training: Integrating Meditation Theory With Psychological Science (Condon & Makransky, 2020) Open Access article from Frontiers in Psychology.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02249/full

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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compassion training, mindfulness meditation, compassion fatigue, self compassion, psychology and wellbeing, burnout prevention