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Send us Fan MailCapitalism gets talked about like a cage match: winners on one side, everyone else on the other. I’m not an economist, but a single line stopped me cold: capitalism actually works better when it’s built on a foundation of empathy and equity. So I follow that thread where it really matters, not in charts or jargon, but in people’s lives and the systems that shape their chances.

We start by naming what capitalism is at its best: innovation, risk, work, and the freedom to build something real. Then we ask the uncomfortable questi...

Send us Fan MailThe loudest room in a school can be the most honest one. We’re talking about the cafeteria, that daily moment when kids carry a tray into a crowded space and have to answer a deceptively hard question: where do I sit, and what does that choice say about me?

We map the “ecosystem” almost every lunchroom develops; the confident table with its hidden hierarchy, the quiet table adults tend to overlook, the newcomers taking a social test with no study guide, the floaters who may be flexible or just searching for a home base, and th...

Send us Fan MailThis is the Number One downloaded episode of the Kindness Matters Podcast.You can feel the country pulling apart in tiny, personal ways: the friend you stop texting, the family group chat you mute, the coworker you avoid because one comment could turn into a fight. We want a different path, so we sit down with Bill Groner, a longtime trial lawyer who represented more than 10,000 Ground Zero responders after 9/11 and now teaches depolarization and civil dialogue skills to college students. His work is rooted in one big idea: society gets healthier when we practice “we” instead of “...

Send us Fan MailThis is the second most listened to episode of The Kindness Matters Podcast. A tent city on the news can be easy to scroll past. For Rob Bergfalk, it became the moment he could not ignore, and it grew into Compassion Church and Compassion Coffee in Anoka, Minnesota. We talk with Rob about what it really looks like to feel “called” to something, and how purpose becomes tangible when you build a place where people who are often overlooked are seen, known, and supported.

Rob walks us through the long, careful path from 2018 to launching the c...

Send us Fan MailThis is the third-most-listened-to episode of The Kindness Matters Podcast. A craft night with a few moms, a pile of extra gloves, and a simple desire to stay connected somehow turns into two coach buses packed with winter gear and volunteers. I’m joined by Michelle Christensen from Golden Valley, Minnesota, the founder of One Good Deed, to tell the story behind Scarf Bombing, a direct, practical kindness project that puts warmth where it’s needed most across Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Michelle walks me through the early days: asking friends and coworkers for hats, glove...

Send us Fan MailThe hardest kind of kindness is often the kind we refuse to give ourselves. I’m Mike Rathbun, and this is one of the most personal conversations I’ve ever shared, because it’s about men’s mental health, the pressure to stay “tough,” and what happens when we turn pain into silence.

I talk through the messages many of us learned as boys: walk it off, boys don’t cry, handle it yourself. Then we get specific about how depression in men can hide in plain sight. It doesn’t always look like sadness. It can show up a...

Send us Fan MailOne careless sentence can make someone shut down for years. One kind sentence can pull them back from the edge. That’s the tension we live in every day, and it’s why I wanted to bring on Shannon Roy, a veteran trial attorney and the founder of Roy Law Firm in Denver, Colorado. She spends her life inside emotionally charged, high-stakes conversations, where communication, tone, and trust are the difference between escalation and understanding.

We talk about how words can humanize or dehumanize, and why the very first moments of a conversation matter so much...

Send us Fan MailI can't believe it's been nearly 25 years. 7,000 people step off diverted planes into a town they’ve never heard of, carrying fear, exhaustion, and the sickening uncertainty of 9/11. Gander, Newfoundland a place of moose, cold weather, and a quiet airport suddenly becomes the safest spot in the world, not because it has more resources, but because it chooses to treat strangers like neighbors.

We walk through how 38 flights end up on this tiny corner of North America, what it feels like to sit on a plane for hours without answers, and why the mix of pas...

Send us Fan MailA kid isn’t “being difficult” in a vacuum. Most of the time, they’re broadcasting a need they don’t have words for, and the adults around them are deciding what that behavior means. I sit down with Bobbi Chegwyn, an Australian-born life coach turned children’s author, to talk about the hidden power of everyday language, and why the way we speak to kids becomes the way they eventually speak to themselves.

Bobbi shares what changed for her when she moved to the United States and chose an unexpected job to learn her new communit...

Send us Fan MailYou can feel it before you can explain it: you show up, you speak, and it’s like the decision was made before you walked in. Now zoom that feeling out from a meeting to an entire neighborhood and you start to see what civic alienation and political powerlessness do to real human lives. I wanted a quiet, solo conversation about what happens to a community when large groups of people stop believing their voice matters, and what kindness looks like when the stakes are high.

We dig into what social science says about civic ex...

Send us Fan MailA lot of people say they want to support veterans. Jon King is building systems that actually do it, one mentor match and one shared meal at a time. John spent over 20 years in the Air Force and Army, flew medevac missions, and lived the kind of pressure most of us can’t fully picture. After leaving the service and navigating disability, career shifts, and a major layoff, he put his energy into work that feels real, local, and human.

We talk about Bootleg Barbecue and why feeding people is more than a side hustle. Jo...

Send us Fan MailHuman trafficking can feel like a distant headline until someone explains what it really is and how it actually works. We talk with Stephanie Page, co-founder and executive director of Stories Foundation, to break down the definition in plain language: trafficking is driven by force, fraud, or coercion, and it includes both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Stephanie explains why labor trafficking is often the bigger global problem, and why awareness matters most when it changes how we see everyday vulnerability and control.

We also dig into what prevention looks like on the ground. Instead...

Send us Fan MailA sober living home can be more than a roof. It can be a turning point. We sit down with Amber Miller, the founder of Angels House of Healing, to hear how she turned grief, addiction recovery, and a promise to break a generational cycle into a real transitional living community for women. Her story starts with losing her mother to alcoholism at 44, and the clarity that the deeper wound was unhealed trauma. From there, Amber shares what it took to get sober, face shame, and rebuild an identity rooted in values and integrity.

We...

Send us Fan Mail *This episode includes open and honest discussion about suicide, suicide loss, and mental health struggles. We talk about lived experiences, prevention myths, language that reduces stigma, and ways to seek help when safety is at risk. If these topics are difficult or activating for you, please listen with care. You may want to pause, step away, or skip this episode entirely if it feels overwhelming. Your wellbeing matters, and it’s okay to take the space you need. *Silence can feel polite, but around suicide it can be deadly. I sit down with Kelly Poelker, the hea...

Send us Fan MailOne bad stretch can make you believe you’re stuck as the worst thing that happened to you, and that’s exactly what we push back on with Jesse Lewis. Jesse is a professional stage hypnotist whose live shows vanished during Canada’s COVID shutdowns, and the fallout hit fast: lost income, a divorce, and a season of life where he lived in the cab of his truck on the side of a mountain in British Columbia.

We talk through what survival actually looks like when there’s no clean “turning point.” Jesse shares the unglamorous...

Send us Fan MailA car overheats on a scorching Sunday in 1969. No phones, no call boxes, no easy way out. What happens next is the kind of true story that quietly rewires your brain: a young cowboy pulls over, tows a stranded father and son into town, recruits a mechanic after church, and turns a miserable breakdown into one of the best days of their lives. That’s the heart of my conversation with Neal Foard, one of the most trusted modern voices in heartfelt storytelling.

We get into why this message hits so hard right now, when so...

Send us Fan MailThe moment you realize “the system” can’t carry this for you is the moment you become your child’s advocate. I sit down with Ashlyn Thompson, co-founder and executive hope director of Parent Empowerment Network, to unpack the kind of courage that gets built in hospital rooms at 2 a.m. Ashlyn shares the story of her daughter Emery’s rare congenital condition, bladder exstrophy, and what it’s like to hold joy and grief at the same time on the day your child is born. 

We talk through the realities of complex pediatric surgery, extended hosp...

Send us Fan MailA lot of us know the feeling: you’re doing your best, your kid needs you, and inside your own head the weather turns. I sit down with Kendall Consini Moore, the writer behind Cloudy Day Chronicles and the author of Mom’s Cloud and the Beach Adventure, to talk about a simple idea that can change family communication: giving big feelings a name kids can actually use.

We get specific about how her “cloud” metaphor was born from a bedtime story and a real parenting worry, and how the beach became the perfect setting to expla...

Send us Fan MailSilence can feel like a conversation killer, but what if it’s the fastest path to trust? We sit down with John Nepper, a speaker, educator, and leadership trainer with 35+ years of experience, to unpack a practical approach to kindness and leadership that works in real workplaces, not just on posters.

We talk about why storytelling in leadership matters, how small talk becomes meaningful when you’re intentional, and what John calls the Story Formula for Extraordinary Retention. The big idea is deceptively simple: everyone’s story matters. When leaders learn to listen without hijacking the mo...

Send us Fan MailKindness can sound like a soft idea until you meet someone who survived because other people refused to look away. I’m joined by Betsy Ronel, host of Heavens To Betsy: Let’s Talk Midlife, and her story is as heartbreaking as it is human: she lost her husband suddenly in a car accident, right as they were growing their family, and her life changed overnight. What happened next wasn’t a miracle cure. It was something more believable and more repeatable: strangers showing up with meals, flowers, books, phone calls, and steady presence when she had nothin...

Send us Fan MailWhat if generosity were as simple as pressing play? We sit down with Dave Lewis, a San Diego accountant and solo pianist who built Playing To Pitch In, a project that routes 100% of streaming royalties directly to six vetted charities. No tip jars, no detours—just music funding impact through automated splits to organizations like the Against Malaria Foundation, Helen Keller International, Best The Book Bus, a local food bank, the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and disaster relief groups.

Dave walks us through the moment that sparked it all—discovering “earning to give” during 2020—and how he eng...

Send us Fan MailWhat if kindness isn’t a bonus trait but the backbone of how we build, lead, and create? We sit down with Minneapolis-based multidisciplinary artist Joe Charley—model, actor, musician, choreographer—to explore how empathy becomes skill, how structure unlocks flow, and why tenderness is a form of courage in high-stakes spaces.

Joe traces his journey from child performer to intentional creator, sharing the moment he stopped trying to outgrow his past and started forgiving it. That self-empathy, he says, saved him from shame and freed him to practice with focus. He explains how acting taught...

Send us Fan MailWhat if Alzheimer’s didn’t close a life, but opened a new way to see it? That’s the question at the heart of our conversation with author and advocate Marilyn Raichle, whose book “Don’t Walk Away: A Care Partner’s Journey” chronicles how a reluctant daughter discovered joy, humor, and dignity alongside her mother living with dementia. We move from fear to curiosity as Marilyn shares the moment a simple painting class changed everything—the hum of focus, the pull of community, and the art that silenced stigma with beauty.

Together we explore how lang...

Send us Fan MailEver feel like you’re sprinting through life in the wrong shoes? We sat down with inner glow coach and author Angie Hawkins to unpack how compassion, boundaries, and vulnerable honesty can move you from chasing approval to living with grounded confidence. Angie’s memoir, Running in Slippers, becomes a vivid metaphor for growth: sometimes playful, sometimes painful, always real. She opens up about the childhood patterns that fuel people pleasing and perfectionism, then shares how an emotional rock bottom led her to rebuild from the inside out.

We dig into the difference between forgiveness and...

Send us Fan MailWhat if a warm cup and a square of chocolate could turn fear into trust? We sit down with speaker and community builder Andrea Putting, the heart behind Chocolate and Coffee Break, to explore how small, shared rituals help people feel safe, heard, and human again. Born from the aftermath of the Sydney siege and the #IllRideWithYou wave of solidarity, Andrea’s simple practice has grown from a single day into a year-round movement that workplaces, neighborhoods, and friends can use to bridge differences.

We unpack why familiar rituals matter: holding a cup signals safety, sc...

Send us Fan MailNew to The Kindness Matters Podcast? Start here.If you’re looking for uplifting podcast episodes, real stories about kindness, or inspiring conversations that restore hope, this episode is the perfect place to begin.With over 150 episodes, we’ve pulled together 5 of the most impactful, meaningful, and inspiring stories that truly represent what The Kindness Matters Podcast is all about—kindness in action, real people making a difference, and hope in a world that needs it. From “Me” to “We”
Discover how shifting your mindset fr...

Send us Fan MailCompassion gets called a “soft skill,” but what if it’s the hardest form of strength? We sit down with Tammy Ward, a former RCMP leader who spent 24 years across federal, provincial, and municipal policing—from major crimes to remote northern posts—to unpack how empathy saves relationships, reduces conflict, and sustains teams in the toughest moments. Tammy shares clear, lived examples of de‑escalation through listening and presence, including why speaking with rather than at people can prevent force and build trust that lasts beyond a single call.

The conversation goes deep on leadership after trauma...

Send a textWhat if the strongest form of advocacy didn’t sound loud, but felt deeply human? We sit down with Whitney Price, founder and executive director of Unpuzzled Parents Connect, to unpack how empathy, clarity, and community can move mountains for families raising neurodiverse kids. From West Virginia’s resource deserts to two-hour doctor trips and long insurance battles, Whitney shows how facts over fury and kindness over shame can open doors that frustration often slams shut.

We trace the family journey from the shock of an early autism diagnosis to the quiet heroics of daily advocacy: docu...

Send a textWhat if the strongest performance tool you have isn’t a dashboard, but dignity? We sit down with Paul Meunier, executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association, and author of the book Relationships Are Everything: What Youth Workers Teach Us About Leadership, to unpack why kindness and empathy are not soft—they’re the hard, practical skills that power trust, retention, and meaningful results. Drawing on decades as a psychotherapist, community leader, and advocate, Paul shares what youth workers already know: relationships are the foundation of growth, whether you’re guiding a teenager through turmoil or leading a cross...

Send a textWelcome to The Kindness Matters Podcast — a space for people who believe small acts still change the world.In a culture that feels loud, divided, and quick to judge, this podcast explores something quieter but stronger: kindness. Not as a cliché. Not as a slogan. But as a daily decision that shapes families, communities, and the tone of our hearts.If you’re tired of outrage fatigue and ready for conversations that challenge you to live differently — this is your place.New episodes drop every Thursday. Hit follow and join a community choosing compassion over cynicism.Support...

Send a text New here? Start with this 82-second overview of what this show is about. Support the show

Send a textA bold claim said empathy is “toxic.” We took that personally—and turned it into a rich, practical conversation about what empathy really is, how it works, and why it makes families, classrooms, and communities stronger. With consultant, author, and caregiver Linda Lemos, we move past slogans and look at empathy as a skill you can learn, teach, and use every day without lowering standards or excusing harm.

We start with caregiving, where pain and patience collide and where boundaries and compassion must live together. Linda shares how empathy shifts reactions from reflexive judgment to informed respon...

Send a textGrief can stop you in your tracks—or it can become the ground where purpose takes root. We welcome Debbie Simmons, a “legacy architect” whose life moved from devastating loss to intentional impact, as she shares how she traded the unanswerable why for the empowering how and designed a life that serves families for generations.

Debbie tells the story of losing her quadruplets at 26 weeks and the two questions that reshaped everything: how do I survive, and later, how do I thrive. That shift led to adopting nine children from sibling groups and learning trauma-informed parenting the ha...

Send a textThe world feels sharper than it used to. Conversations cut faster. Systems feel colder. And many good people feel tempted to harden—not because they don’t care, but because they’re tired.In this final bonus episode of The Kindness Matters Podcast, Mike shares why staying soft in a harsh world is not weakness—it’s courage. Drawing from his new book, Still Changing A World: Small Acts of Kindness That Make a Big Difference, he explores how we can protect our humanity without burning out, disappearing, or becoming bitter.This episode is about boundaries instead of...

Send a textIn this bonus episode of the Kindness Matters podcast, host Mike Rathbun dives into one of the core ideas from his book Still Changing a World: Small Acts Of Kindness That Make A Big Difference;  kindness is not neutral—it is courageous. He explores why neutrality is passive while kindness is an active, often costly choice that can require comfort, convenience, and even approval. Mike reads a powerful section from the book that unpacks how kindness asks us to stay human in dehumanizing moments, choose compassion over convenience, hold boundaries without cruelty, and interrupt harm even when it’s unco...

Send a textIn this bonus episode of the Kindness Matters podcast, host Mike Rathman shares the heart and hope behind his new book, Still Changing a World: Small Acts of Kindness that Make a Big Difference. Instead of a sales pitch, Mike offers an invitation into the “why” behind the project and reflects on what it means to keep choosing kindness in a world that feels sharper, faster, and more divided than ever. He reads a short passage from the book’s introduction, exploring how true change has always depended on quiet, everyday choices—how we treat one another when no one is...

Send a textWhat if the smallest act of kindness could shift someone from isolation to hope? We sit down with mental health advocate, peer support specialist, and nonprofit founder Maddie Andrews to unpack what recovery really looks like for people living with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder—and why stigma keeps too many from asking for help. Maddie’s candid story moves from a year of medical crisis to a mission: make mental health care equitable, accessible, and free of shame through peer-led support and community education.

Across this conversation, we explore how lived experience builds instant trus...

Send us a textWhat if the safest schools aren’t the ones with the toughest rules, but the ones where every kid feels seen? We sit down with Dr. Beth Sanborn—26-year police veteran turned school safety coordinator—to unpack how compassion, trust, and everyday presence can prevent harm long before discipline or court becomes part of the picture.

Beth takes us inside the real work of a school resource officer: mentor, educator, and, when necessary, law enforcement. She explains why a “stolen Oreo” is a moment for curiosity, not cuffs, and how asking why behavior happens leads to smarter...

Send us a textWhat happens when grit, humor, and sharp self-advocacy meet a system that still talks over disabled people? We sit down with author, podcaster, and athlete Win Charles for a wide-open conversation about cerebral palsy, pain that won’t be ignored, and the stubborn hope that keeps her training for Kona even as she prepares for a hip replacement at 37.

Win breaks down what CP actually feels like—spasticity that clamps like a rubber band, a startle reflex that can derail recovery—and the cascading impact of a fall that left her hip 50 degrees out of the so...

Send us a textA terrified hello on a budget flight became a life raft—and then a blueprint for community. We sit down with photographer and connection-builder Adam Schluter to explore how he turned awkward street moments into lasting friendships, a global chorus of stories, and a backyard tradition that has welcomed more than 10,000 neighbors to the same picnic tables.

Adam traces the origins of Hello From A Stranger from early rejection to a pivotal encounter with a young refugee in Milan who had never been asked for his photo. That moment reframed the mission: people don’t just...