The Kindness Podcast

Bill Baker and Michael O’Malley are on a mission. They want to change the way organizations are managed. In their new book, Organizations for People, they dive into what makes a company a great place to work and the principles every organization can adapt and follow in its own unique way. Nicole talks with Bill about how to make employee engagement more than just a fancy phrase. You can find their book on Amazon.

A bike ride with her young daughter changed the trajectory of Michele Gehrmann’s life. One colorful rock caught their eyes and inspired them to delight other people with a paint brush and a little bit of technology. A short time later, this IT pro had founded Go Rock!

You can join the Go Rock community with or without any artistic giftedness at gorock.com

Tony Bennett is the only living three-time winner of the Henry Iba Award for national coach of the year. A Wisconsin native, Tony took over as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Virginia in 2009 and set the goal of building "a program that lasts." Originally inheriting a 10-win team, his Virginia Cavaliers have since had four 30-win seasons and won the NCAA Tournament Championship in 2019. Follow Bennett’s Cavaliers this season at https://virginiasports.com.

You might say Children’s Author, Antoinette Clark thinks kindness is the bees knees. In her new book, Kindness Matters, the stars of the show are four bees that are focused on being kind to each other and the environment. Antoinette joins me along with bee keeper, Dr. Dan Holt, to talk about what we can learn from these small but mighty creatures. Learn more about the Kindness Matters series at http://www.royal7publishing.com.

There are really exciting things happening in the world of kindness research. UCLA recently established the Bedari Kindness Institute, where experts will work on promoting a more humane world and exploring how and why being nice to others reduces depression and the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

In this episode of The Kindness Podcast, Nicole talks to Darnell Hunt, who is the Dean of Social Sciences at UCLA and Dan Fessler, the inaugural director, about what might motivate us to be kind. Download the UCLA Mindful app to take advantage of the work being done at the institute.

Rebecca Williams, PhD and Julie Kraft, MA have been writing together for more than ten years about how to use mindfulness skills and self compassion to enhance recovery from addictions. Their most recent book is called The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction. Learn more about their work at mindfulnessworkbook.com.

Known as America’s Leading Midlife Dating & Relationship Coach, Jonathon Aslay is a defender and protector of women’s hearts around the world. He helps women transform from attracting Mr. Wrong into finding their Mr. Right. But Jonathon’s advice isn’t just for the single. His book What the Heck is Self Love Anyway makes the case that kindness to ourselves is imperative to our health and well-being. Learn more at http://www.jonathonaslay.com/love/

In 2012, Missy Heilman had a vision to create a positive, inclusive (non-competitive) program where girls could be themselves. Out of this dream, BIO Girls was born. The program builds the self-esteem of adolescent girls through empowerment of self and service to others. In just eight years, Missy's leadership has helped BIO Girls grow from a single program impacting 32 girls to more than 50 locations serving thousands of girls each year. For more information head to https://www.biogirls.org.

There is a beautiful concept in Judaism called Tikkun Olam. It represents the idea that acts of kindness can be used to repair our world. Avrum Rosensweig is the living embodiment of that idea. He is the founder of Toronto’s thriving Jewish Humanitarian Organization, Ve’ahavta and host of the Hatradio! Podcast. Learn more about the group’s work at veahavta.org and listen to Avrum’s podcast at hatradio.CA.

Konrad Kucharski is on a mission to make compassion cool again. After selling off his tech start-up company and moving from Chicago to NYC, Konrad rediscovered his passion for kindness. Through his Instagram account and his penchant for starting chain reactions in coffee shops, Konrad is proving kindness is contagious. Check him out at https://www.instagram.com/kindkonrad/, https://www.instagram.com/iwillmcca/, and at https://www.linkedin.com/in/konrad-kucharski-18140065/.