The Kindness Podcast

Just a few short years ago, Christy Hughes decided it was time to make some changes. This self-described fearful, shy introvert walked right out of her comfort zone and discovered something wonderful! She’s on a mission to help people unlock their own courage and compassion through her online community called, The Brave Kind. You can find Christy at www.wearethebravekind.com, Instagram: @the_bravekind or on Facebook: Cultivating the Brave Kind (@kindnesschristy).

Jack Eason serves ministries and non profits throughout the United States and around the world sharing principles for fundraising, growth and development, board governance, and other areas of ministry leadership. He enjoys serving as one of the pastors at Cross Roads Baptist Church in the Upstate of South Carolina as well as the of Crossover CUPS Mission, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that has been privileged to serve the local Church and missions-related organizations around the world for 30 years. Jack also travels speaking to students in high school and college and talks about the issue of loneliness, how we can make good friends, and the power of togetherness. Connect with Jack at JackEason.org and find his book, The Loneliness Solution, wherever books are sold.

In a time when businesses are trying to do more with less, one restaurant chain is extending its Southern hospitality. Sonny’s Barbeque appointed its first CKO - Chief Kindness Officer earlier this year. Kennon Adkinson is the guy who gets to Q the Kindness! Learn more at sonnysbbq.com or through the hashtag #Qthekindness.

Brad Aronson knows the transformative power of kindness. When his wife, Mia, was diagnosed with leukemia, Brad began caring for his wife and walking their young son through the journey. But they didn’t walk alone. Brad was so overwhelmed by the abundance of kindness that he began taking note - literally. Then he began to collect the stories of people around the world. That became his Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling book, Human Kind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time. Brad provides more stories and inspiration on his website, bradaronson.com. The author’s royalties go to support charities, including Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Scott Sauls is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville. Before this, he served with Tim Keller at New York City's Redeemer Presbyterian Church as a lead and preaching pastor. Scott has authored five published books: Jesus Outside the Lines, Befriend, From Weakness to Strength, Irresistible Faith, and A Gentle Answer. Scott also blogs weekly on his website scottsauls.com and is active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube at @scottsauls.

Mary Katherine Backstrom is a viral blogger, speaker, and author. She offers humor and spiritual inspiration to anyone in the trenches of this messy, beautiful life. MK is the dynamic personality behind Mom Babble, a growing community of 600,000+ followers. She has been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and awarded The Today Show Iris Award. Join her community at https://www.facebook.com/MomBabble.

As a singer and songwriter, Austin Atteberry has always had a love affair with music. But while spending time as a volunteer at a children’s hospital, he witnessed the power of music to heal. He created The Sing Me a Story Foundation to connect thousands of songwriters with children in need throughout the world. Learn more at SingMeAStory.org.

As an Emmy Award winning journalist, Lu Parker has worked in the television news business as an anchor and reporter for more than two decades. She currently anchors several news shows at KTLA in Los Angeles. She is also an inspirational speaker, author, former Miss USA, animal advocate, and founder of Be Kind & Co., a lifestyle media brand that inspires people to redefine kindness and use it to create change in their lives and the lives of others. Find Lu on her social media pages @LuParker and at https://bekindandco.com.

Laura Formentini’s curious and empathic personality has led her to travel the world and bring aid wherever she goes, be it in the form of raising funds to renovate an entire orphanage in Kenya, a run-down clinic in Malawi, or Co-Found an animal sanctuary in Sicily, Italy. She is also a nonprofit photographer who has worked with countless organizations around the world. Laura says she believes Love in Action heals not only the world, but also holds the key to our own healing. Learn more at www.lauraformentini.com or on her animal sanctuary website, www.RifugioIsolaDelSole.com

“You get what you celebrate.” That’s the powerful lesson former Home Depot CEO Frank Blake learned while engineering a corporate turnaround. While he has spent most of his life in the business world, Frank and former Home Depot VP Brad Shaw decided to take a crazy turn and create an organization to celebrate people who are doing something right.

With their podcast “Crazy Good Turns,” Blake and Shaw are bringing that idea to the world at large. If we celebrate those who do good deeds, will we see more of them? If you hear a story about an inspiring person doing something amazing for somebody else, will you try to be a little better too? They invite you to join and see at https://crazygoodturns.org.