Ernesto Rodriguez

Mira Simone

Mira Simone joins Jaclyn in this episode for an open and important discussion about kindness within the grief space.

Trigger warning. This interview discusses a specific person's experience with death and trauma.

Mira is a widow, mother, published writer, grief coach, and grief educator. She is also a registered mental health occupational therapist in Ontario, Canada.

In early 2019, Mira's life was entirely blown apart, when her partner Brian was diagnosed with an unbelievably aggressive cancer. He died seven weeks later, leaving her alone with their almost three-year-old daughter. Almost immediately, Mira followed an uncontrollable urge to write about her grief publicly on social media and began publishing essays, as a way to process and give voice to the loneliness of her experience. The response was profound. Her following grew, as more and more widows, grievers, and grief-curious humans joined her community, craving a more open dialogue around the grieving process.

In 2022, Mira launched New Moon Mira, her grief coaching business, through which she supports widows and grievers in more intimate group settings both in-person and online and provides grief literacy training for grief-support people and healthcare professionals.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Brian Ide

Director Brian Ide joins Jaclyn in the studio to discuss his new film, "A Case for Love," human connection, and the simplicity of kindness.

Brian has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years, first as an actor, then producer, and ultimately a director. “A Case for Love” is his fifth film and premier feature-length documentary. Before founding Grace-Based Films, he directed “Clear Lake, WI” and the recent faith-based short film, “Reconcile”, which has been viewed and used in 47 different countries.

A three-time national judge for the Polly Bond Awards, he has spoken to colleges, faith centers, and film programs nationwide about the intersection of film and faith. Brian is the son of an ELCA Lutheran pastor-father and devout Catholic mother. He is the husband to a lifelong Episcopalian who is drawn to stories that focus on what unites us rather than what divides.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Brad Montague

Jaclyn speaks with New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Brad Montague about his career journey and how "stubborn optimism" has led him to believe kindness is the answer to a better world through the next generation.

Brad Montague is a highly sought-after speaker and performer whose encouragement brings hope and humanity to a wide variety of communities - from corporate to creative to classrooms around the world. Montague is the creator of the web series Kid President, the global social good movement Socktober, the bestselling picture book The Circles All Around Us, and, most recently, the creativity-packed Fantastic Bureau of Imagination. Brad can be seen as the host of the television special The Kindness Project via The Magnolia Network on Max. He lives in Tennessee with his wife and collaborator, Kristi Montague, as well as their two children.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

Follow Brad on social:

Credits

Host: Jaclyn Lindsey
Guest: Brad Montague
Producer: Melissa Malone
Associate Producer: Becca Reed
Music Composition: Chris Christiana
Design: Ben Gibson, Christine Do, Smithfield Studio

Transcript available at this link.

enJanuary 31, 2024

Trigger warning. This interview discusses the specific person's experience with abuse, trauma, suicide, and violence.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse of any kind, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Their phone number is 1 (800) 799-7233. Or you can visit their safe, secure website, thehotline.org.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide you can reach out to 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline by dialing 988 (us) or by visiting 988lifeline.org.

In this inspiring and in-depth episode, Jaclyn speaks with Ernesto Rodriguez about how he went from a prison sentence in solitary confinement to the program developer for Kindful Restoration. They discuss how unkindness led him on a path to destruction and how shifting his life toward kindness set him free.

Ernesto Rodriguez was born into a life where poverty, violence, and addiction created a deep yearning to find acceptance, which eventually led to him to gangs. At age 18, Ernesto was arrested for attempted murder, carjacking, and assault with a firearm, and at age 27 found himself in solitary confinement for 8 years. It was there he began a transformation sparked by kindness. He enrolled in college, self-help, AA, and NA and spent his years paying the kindness he received forward. While in prison he became a certified counselor and earned a bachelor’s in science in Psychology. He was released from prison in 2023 and began working as the program developer for Kindful Restoration - a subdivision of the Choose Kindness Foundation.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

Credits

Host: Jaclyn Lindsey
Guest: Ernesto Rodriguez
Producer: Melissa Malone
Associate Producer: Becca Reed
Music Composition: Chris Christiana
Design: Ben Gibson, Christine Do, Smithfield Studio

Transcript available at this link.

enJanuary 17, 2024

Dr. Oliver Scott Curry

Dr. Oliver Scott Curry joins Jaclyn to discuss the groundbreaking research he is leading at kindness.org, how kindness has shaped his career, and understanding the science of kindness.

Dr. Curry is Chief Science Officer at kindness.org, leading the innovative research hub, Kindlab. He is also a Research Affiliate at the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford. He received his PhD from the London School of Economics in 2005.

As CSO at Kindness.org, Oliver and his team are working to answer questions like: Why are people kind? How kind are people, really? Why aren’t people kinder? What are the most effective kind acts you can do? And, how can we make the world a kinder place? The work involves both pure and applied research on the causes and consequences of kindness.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

kindness.org

Follow Oliver on social:

Twitter: @Oliver_S _Curry

Credits

Host: Jaclyn Lindsey
Guest: Dr. Oliver Scott Curry
Producer: Melissa Malone
Associate Producer: Becca Reed
Assistant Producer: Nina Zaborney Kline
Music Composition: Chris Christiana
Design: Ben Gibson, Christine Do, Smithfield Studio

Transcript available at this link.

enJanuary 03, 2024

Amy Jo Martin

Jaclyn chats with the incomparable best-selling author and entrepreneur Amy Jo Martin about her boisterous career, how she came to realize self-kindness was the key to a better life, and what it takes to reinvent yourself.

Amy Jo Martin is the author of New York Times best-seller "Renegades Write the Rules", Founder & CEO, Speaker, host of the acclaimed Why Not Now? Podcast, an educator, and an investor.

She’s the Founder and CEO of Renegade Global, as well as Founder of Renegade Global Ventures.

She has worked closely with world-renowned brands such as Hilton Worldwide, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Nike, Shaquille O’Neal, Dell and many others.

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Amy Jo worked for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns during the wild wild west days of digital and social media – there were no rules or regulations in place so she helped write the rules. She went on to found one of the first-ever digital agencies, Digital Royalty, and pioneered personal branding online as we know it today.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

Follow Amy Jo on social:

IG: @amyjomartin
Twitter: @amyjomartin
Facebook: @amyjomartin

Credits

Host: Jaclyn Lindsey
Guest: Amy Jo Martin
Producer: Melissa Malone
Associate Producer: Becca Reed
Assistant Producer: Nina Zaborney Kline
Music Composition: Chris Christiana
Design: Ben Gibson, Christine Do, Smithfield Studio

Transcript available at this link.

enDecember 20, 2023

Abriella Ruby

This week, Jaclyn meets with teenage activist and actress, Abriella Ruby. They discuss Abriella's path to founding her charity, Love Conquers Dayton, ways to support young people as they navigate unkindness in their world, and what kindness means to the next generation.

Abriella is a 16-year-old change-maker passionate about helping others. She started Love Conquers Dayton when she was 12 years old, in hopes of giving a few care packs to the unhoused people in her community. That small gift of sharing quickly gathered steam, allowing her to give well over $50,000 in care packs over the last four years. Her work has garnered attention from Good Morning America and celebrities such as Jessica Vosk and Allison Janney. The board of Love Conquers Dayton consists of only teenagers, hoping to bring kindness to their community.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

Follow Abriella on social:

IG: @abriellaruby_official
Facebook: @loveconquersdayton

Credits

Host: Jaclyn Lindsey
Guest: Abriella Ruby
Producer: Melissa Malone
Associate Producer: Becca Reed
Assistant Producer: Nina Zaborney Kline
Music Composition: Chris Christiana
Design: Ben Gibson, Christine Do, Smithfield Studio

Transcript available at this link.

enDecember 13, 2023

Pierre Thiam

Jaclyn is joined by chef, author, and social activist, Pierre Thiam. Together, they discuss Pierre's journey as a chef, the importance of kindness to the environment, and how kindness transcends cultures.

Pierre is Executive Chef of multiple award-winning restaurants around the world, and his company Yolele Foods advocates for smallholder farmers in the Sahel by opening new markets for crops grown in Africa. He has cooked for the King of Morocco, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Through his advocacy and many media appearances, he has become known as a culinary ambassador, dedicated to promoting West African cooking throughout the world. His TEDTalk, given at TEDGlobal 2017 in Arusha, Tanzania, has been viewed over one million times. Thiam sits on the board of directors of IDEO.org and SOS Sahel, and on the advisory board for the Culinary Institute of America.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

Follow Pierre on social:

Credits

Host: Jaclyn Lindsey
Guest: Pierre Thiam
Producer: Melissa Malone
Associate Producer: Becca Reed
Assistant Producer: Nina Zaborney Kline
Music Composition: Chris Christiana
Design: Ben Gibson, Christine Do, Smithfield Studio

Transcript available at this link.

enNovember 29, 2023

Katie Plunkett & Becca Reed

This week, Jaclyn is joined by Katie Plunkett, founder of The Calm Classroom, and kindness.org Chief Programs Officer Becca Reed, creator of the Learn Kind curriculum. They discuss why kindness in education matters, the role social-emotional learning plays in the lives of students, and why prioritizing kindness in classrooms is essential.

It's World Kindness Week and we're celebrating in a way we never have before. Go to kindness.org/donate to learn how you can join and help us support the well-being of kids everywhere. Let's build a kinder world, together.

Have a question? Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

Follow Katie and The Calm Classroom on social:

Follow Becca on social:

IG: @heybeccareed

Credits

Host: Jaclyn Lindsey
Guest: Katie Plunkett, Becca Reed
Producer: Melissa Malone
Associate Producer: Becca Reed
Assistant Producer: Nina Zaborney Kline
Music Composition: Chris Christiana
Design: Ben Gibson, Christine Do, Smithfield Studio

Transcript available at this link.

enNovember 15, 2023

Rhonda Ross

Emmy-nominated actress, Grammy-nominated songwriter, and motivational singer, Rhonda Ross joins us to discuss how her journey through emotional hardship shaped who she is today.

This podcast is one of the many ways we live out our organization's mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness. Visit our site kindness.org and sign up to become a part of our global community which spans more than 100 countries. It's free to join and when you do you'll be the first to get access to our latest research, tools, and even episodes of this podcast. Let's build a kinder world, together. Contact us at podcast@kindness.org or on social at @kindnessorg.

Sponsored by Verizon

Important links from this week's episode:

Follow Silvia on social:

Credits