On The Kindness Chronicles podcast, John Schwietz surprises Winona State student Addison Nash—called while she’s on a boat—after her friend Sienna nominates her for a Minnesota Masonic Charities Selfless Scholarship, awarding $5,000 shared between Addison and Sienna; they discuss Addison’s empathy, the death of her brother Tommy from sudden cardiac arrest, and the family’s Be Like Tommy nonprofit that provides acts of kindness and “joyful experiences,” including sending campers to YMCA Camp Manitou. The episode then features Mario Esteb celebrating his Syracuse graduation and plans to pursue documentary development work, followed by his mother Rose describing a faith experience at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where repeated photos and video showed a moving light-like “apparition” pointing toward crosses; staff and nuns called it a miracle and noted the “Miracle of Roses” connection to her name. The hosts close with John recounting a claustrophobic MRI experience, mentioning newfound fear of heights, and offering condolences for Kevin Gorg after his father’s death and upcoming service.

KCP Crew Reacts to Eric Church’s “Six Strings of Life” UNC 2026 Commencement The KC Crew discuss graduation season and family updates, including a daughter graduating from the University of Minnesota, then do a “reaction video” to Eric Church’s 2026 University of North Carolina commencement speech. Church frames life like a six-string guitar, urging graduates to keep key “strings” in tune: faith, family, spouse/partner, ambition and resilience, community and belonging, and staying true to yourself amid social pressure, stressing that “the world does not need another cover song.” The hosts reflect on how the message applies beyond graduates, share tangents about music and community ties like reunions, and emphasize being honest about setbacks and failures as part of real life.

The KC Crew learned that The Kindness Chronicles was ranked #2 on Feedspot’s “30 Best Kindness Podcasts for 2026,” THANK YOU, listeners! They quickly review the Masonic Children’s Hospital gala that raised about $2.5 million, as an example of kindness through philanthropy. The episode then focuses on an extended discussion of The Blues Brothers, including Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s origin story from Second City, the film’s role in reviving and spotlighting blues musicians and Chicago culture, standout scenes and cast members (Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Carrie Fisher, John Candy, Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg), and themes of redemption, loyalty, friendship, and joyful comedy through music. Check it out. 

In the 200th episode of The Kindness Chronicles, the hosts welcome back storyteller and former advertising executive Neal Ford to discuss how his ad career shaped his focus on emotionally resonant communication and how a viral TikTok story launched his social media storytelling. Neal recounts a 1969 experience when strangers helped his family after a car breakdown near Bakersfield, restoring his father’s faith in people and later reframing it with the moon landing. The conversation explores skepticism about performative “kindness videos,” the value of anonymous giving, and examples of quietly impactful generosity. They discuss social media’s role in spreading either cynicism or connection, how technology and algorithms can be weaponized, and a positive AI example from IKEA retraining staff. The hosts highlight Minnesota Masonic Charities’ Selfless Scholar program and Neal’s StoryFire.net course, including an AI coaching component and his talk, “The ROI of Kindness.”

After a couple of “LONG Stories,” we explore the oxytocin-inducing storytelling of the late great Rob Reiner

Our scheduled guest was unable to join us, SO…More Wild talk (that’s all KG knows…and movies), and Steve leads us in another one of his Kindness Comebacks game. 

A playoff preview for the Minnesota Wild with KG followed by game show host, Steve Brown, and his Kindness comebacks.

The KCP Crew welcomes Anytime Fitness co-founder Chuck Runyon, who reflects on growing up on the East Side of St. Paul and his journey in building Anytime Fitness, which comprises nearly 6,000 global locations.  Chuck discusses the challenges and innovations during COVID closures, and outlines the company’s emphasis on training, nutrition, recovery, senior fitness programs, storytelling-driven culture, servant leadership practices, and the company's “Bleed Purple” tradition.

St. Paul native and Sirius XM personality, The Catholic Guy, Lino Rulli joins us. This guy is a lot of fun. Check it out.

KCP crew visit with kindness and character icon, Joe is the founder and president of Youth Frontiers, an organization that has been providing unique character development programs in schools for decades.