The Kindness Podcast | Podcast on RSS.com

The Kindness Podcast

The Kindness Podcast

by Nicole J Phillips

Self-Improvement Spirituality

Season 7

What does kindness look like when you stop letting anxiety run the show?

Dr. Robyn Graham spent years being praised for the very habits that were quietly wearing her down: the perfectionism, the need to control, the instinct to keep everyone else okay. She was a pharmacist, a high achiever, and, underneath it, anxious. It took real work to see that some of what looked like strength was actually anxiety wearing strength's clothes. Now Robyn is an Anxiety Breakthrough Strategist who blends neuroscience with real-life coaching to help high-achieving leaders spot those hidden patterns before they lead to burnout. In this conversation, she and Nicole talk about why perfectionism and people-pleasing are so hard to catch in ourselves, what it takes to interrupt a reactive cycle in the moment, and what kindness toward yourself actually looks like when the pressure is on. In this episode: Robyn's path from pharmacist to Anxiety Breakthrough Strategist, and the life circumstances that pulled her there Why anxiety-driven patterns like perfectionism and overcontrol are so easy to mistake for strengths, especially in high achievers How to tell a genuine strength apart from an anxiety-driven habit wearing a strength's disguise What self-kindness looks like in the middle of real pressure, not just in theory The difference between caring for someone and managing your own anxiety through them How to interrupt the cycle of reactive leadership in an ordinary, everyday moment One small shift listeners can make this week to lead from calm instead of fear About Robyn Graham Robyn Graham is an Anxiety Breakthrough Strategist, keynote speaker, and the creator of The CCC Method, a framework that helps leaders break free from anxiety-driven behavior so they can lead with calm, confidence, and consistency. She draws on her background as a pharmacist, a certified neuroscience coach, and a Master Certified Life Coach, and combines neuroscience with real-life experience to help high-achieving leaders recognize the patterns, like overcontrol, perfectionism, and people-pleasing, that quietly undermine their leadership. She hosts the globally ranked Robyn Graham Show and is the author of "You, Me, and Anxiety: Take Action Over Anxiety to Enjoy Being You." Connect with Robyn Website: https://therobyngraham.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therobyngraham Listen to The Robyn Graham Show wherever you get your podcasts Book: "You, Me, and Anxiety: Take Action Over Anxiety to Enjoy Being You"

What Does Kindness Look Like When an Epiphany Turns Into a Movement?

Seventeen years ago, Bobby Hoffman was stuck in traffic on a Friday night with nothing waiting for him at home but laundry. A car cut him off. He was angry enough to consider ramming it. And then he heard a question that changed the direction of his life: were you paying attention? That was the epiphany. Bobby called his friends, told them to show up with twenty dollars each, and sent them out into the community to "break the ball of stress." What started as one night with a handful of guys became ePIFanyNow, a Mid-Michigan kindness movement now in its seventeenth year. Their first community event drew 350 people, including a biker gang nobody remembers inviting. In this conversation, Bobby and Nicole talk about what it actually takes to turn good intentions into a movement, why kindness is not a soft skill, and why the kindest people are so often the ones who have been hurt the most. In this episode: The drive-thru moment and the highway moment that sparked ePIFanyNow in 2009 Why the name is spelled the way it is (E-P-I-F stands for Pass It Forward) The free venue, the phone call to the mayor, and the 350 people who showed up to the first event The science of kindness: why the giver, the receiver, and the witness all get the feel-good chemicals Bobby's answer to the "you're so Pollyanna" pushback, and where the term "soft skills" actually came from The difference between being nice and being kind, and why kindness can carry authority What Bobby does when he is the one who needs a break from kindness work Growing up as the bullied kid, and how that became the fuel Nicole shares the Botox study that explains why your face changes the room "Kindness changes the room before you ever say a word." About Bobby Hoffman Bobby Hoffman spent more than two decades as Public Relations Manager at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts before founding Thought Partner Services, a people-first consultancy focused on leadership, culture, customer experience, and communication under pressure. He co-hosts FOX 47's Morning Blend, produces the weekly Good Neighbors segment, and celebrates teachers through the Michigan Lottery's Excellence in Education. He was named Michigan's 2023 Volunteer of the Year. Connect with Bobby ePIFanyNow: epifanynow.com Thought Partner Services: thoughtpartnerservices.com Email: bobhoffman11@gmail.com Quotable "It's not a soft skill. It's a missing skill in our culture right now." "Kindness changes the room before you ever say a word." Remember, what you look for is what you see.

What does kindness look like when strangers share a name?

The Kindness Podcast with Nicole Phillips Episode: What Does Kindness Look Like When Strangers Share a Name? Guest: Phil Campbell In 1994, a college student in the Midwest was watching Hee Haw when he learned there was a tiny town in Alabama that shared his name: Phil Campbell. He went mostly because the coincidence made him laugh, and partly because he had a girlfriend nearby. He figured it was a one-time lark. Thirty years later, it has become one of the longest emotional relationships of his life. This week I sit down with Phil Campbell, a former journalist, memoirist, and nonprofit fundraiser whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Harvard Review, and Columbia Journalism Review. But his résumé is not why he is here. He is here because of what happened when he started gathering up unrelated Phil Campbells from all over the world and bringing them to one small Southern town that none of them came from. What started as a joke, a loose collection of strangers half hoping to land on Letterman, slowly turned into something none of them saw coming. In 2011, six weeks before the town's centennial reunion, a tornado tore through Phil Campbell and took twenty-six lives. The Phil Campbells came anyway, and the reason for the trip changed completely. So did everything after it. It is a story about how kindness becomes friendship, how friendship becomes responsibility, and how a person can come to love a community he has never lived in. If you have ever felt disconnected, or wondered where on earth you would ever find your people, this conversation is for you. Connect with Phil: Learn more about Phil and his work at philcampbellconsulting.com. His memoir, "I Come From a Family That Won't Talk About It," tells the deeper story behind what we talked about today. You can also find him on Instagram @philcampbellnyc. If this episode moved you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. And remember, what you look for is what you see.

What does kindness look like when your own body becomes the gym?

Episode Description This week, Nicole Phillips sits down with nationally recognized health and wellness expert Wendie Pett, a Doctor of Naturopathy with more than twenty years in practice and the creator of the Visibly Fit program. Wendie believes mind, body, and spirit cannot really be pulled apart, and she shares how a major shoulder injury more than a decade ago reshaped everything she thought she knew about strength and healing. From using your own body as your gym to ordering your life around faith, family, and work, this is a hopeful, no-excuses conversation for anyone who feels like they have run out of time, energy, or motivation to take care of themselves. About Our Guest: Wendie Pett Wendie Pett is a nationally recognized health and wellness expert and a Doctor of Naturopathy with more than twenty years in practice. Twin Cities listeners may know her as "Coach Wendie" from KTIS radio, where she has encouraged people toward health for over eight years. She is the creator of the Visibly Fit program, a holistic approach centered on whole-food plant-based nutrition, body weight resistance exercises that support joint health, and shifting unhealthy mental and emotional patterns. Wendie has hosted a nationally syndicated television program and currently hosts two award-winning podcasts, Visibly Fit with Wendie Pett and Your Biggest Breakthrough. Her Visibly Fit TV show received the Exceptional Service Award from the Christian Women in Media Association, and she speaks at corporations, churches, and universities across the country. She has authored several books, including Every Woman's Guide to Personal Power. Beyond her work, Wendie is a mother and community-minded volunteer who attributes her success to putting God first, her family second, and her business third. That same heart for families led her to Grace 'n Action, a nonprofit ministry that supports single moms and children in need, and she serves as an Ambassador for Gospel for Asia, advocating for women and children in India. A Question to Sit With What if the kindest thing you could do today is not wait for the perfect moment, but offer your body one small act of care right where you are? Connect with Wendie Website: wendiepett.com Instagram: @wendiepett Facebook: facebook.com/VisiblyFit

What does kindness look like through a futuristic lens?

Episode Description What does kindness look like when we treat it as the foundation of the future, and not just a nice thing to do today? This week, Nicole sits down with futurist, keynote speaker, and international best-selling author Michael Neece to find out. After delivering more than 750 presentations inside planetariums, Michael has developed a signature way of thinking about kindness through a cosmic lens, and he believes that lens changes everything about how we build teams, lead organizations, and imagine what comes next. From psychological safety at work to bridge-building across disparate communities, this conversation is a hopeful reminder that the future we end up with is the one we choose to build. About Michael Michael G. Neece is a futurist, keynote speaker, and international best-selling author who believes kindness is essential to building the future we want to live in. His experience spans leadership and educational roles in traditional corporate settings as well as planetariums, where he has delivered hundreds of presentations about team building, kindness, and the wonders of the universe. He is the author of In Kind: Consciously Craft a Meaningful Life and Career and co-author of Joy Unleashed: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Best Life, and he hosts the podcast Our Future is Kind. Michael is also a co-founder of The Human Summit, which brings together people working to drive more connection among disparate communities. In This Episode How standing under the vastness of a planetarium dome reshapes the way we think about kindness on the ground What it means to be a futurist who sees kindness as a strategic advantage, not a soft skill Why psychological safety is the real engine of innovative, productive teams, and how kindness creates it The conviction that every person is worthy of a seat at the table, and how being a father to members of the LGBT community has shaped Michael's work The story behind The Human Summit and why bridge-building across disparate communities matters now What the kindest possible future actually looks like, and one small act any listener can offer the world today A Question to Sit With What should the future be like? Who will be there? How can we craft it carefully into what we want and deserve? Connect with Michael Website: ourfutureiskind.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yournextkeynotespeaker Instagram: @michaelgneece YouTube: @YourNextKeynoteSpeaker Facebook: facebook.com/meteormike Books: In Kind: Consciously Craft a Meaningful Life and Career and Joy Unleashed: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Best Life Podcast: Our Future is Kind If This Episode Moved You Share it with a friend who is dreaming about a better future, or who needs a reminder that the world we end up with is the one we choose to build. And remember, what you look for is what you see.

What does kindness look like when you stop building your life around endurance?

Episode Description In this episode of The Kindness Podcast, Nicole Phillips sits down with Lauren Wu, keynote speaker, attorney, former healthcare privacy executive, and founder of Heart Led Leadership, for a conversation about what happens when life forces us to rethink everything we thought we knew. Lauren shares the unexpected thread that connects her journey from ballerina to healthcare executive to founder, and how a life-threatening health event reshaped her understanding of success, leadership, and her own worth. Together, Nicole and Lauren explore what it means to build a career and a life around being human rather than around endurance, why empathy, authenticity, accessibility, and resilience are strategic advantages in the age of AI, and what kindness actually looks like inside a workplace. Lauren also offers a tender invitation for anyone who has built their identity around being the strong one, the dependable one, the high performer, and is quietly running on empty. About our guest: Lauren Wu Lauren Wu, Esq., CIPP/US, is a keynote speaker, attorney, former healthcare privacy executive, and founder of Heart Led Leadership, where she helps organizations rethink leadership, burnout, and performance in the age of AI. Before stepping onto stages, Lauren spent nearly two decades leading privacy, regulatory, and compliance strategy at companies including Roche, Exact Sciences, and Evidation Health. A former ballerina turned executive, Lauren's work explores what happens when high-performance cultures are built around constant endurance instead of sustainable human systems. After surviving a life-threatening health event that forced her to step away from her executive career, she began speaking about empathy, authenticity, accessibility, and resilience not as soft skills, but as strategic advantages. Today, Lauren speaks at the intersection of leadership, healthcare, ethics, technology, and human-centered design, helping audiences build systems where people can succeed without losing themselves in the process. Links and Resources Lauren's website: https://www.heartledleadership.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-foster-wu/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/heartledlauren

What does kindness look like when strength means caring for yourself well?

Episode Description In this episode of The Kindness Podcast, Nicole Phillips sits down with Jessica Moyer, TEDx speaker, best-selling author, and creator of the R.E.A.L. Wellness Framework, for a conversation that goes far beyond healthy habits. Jessica opens up about how grief, burnout, illness, and loss reshaped her understanding of strength and what it truly means to care for the whole self. Together, Nicole and Jessica explore what kindness looks like when your body, heart, and life all need care at the same time, why self-advocacy is its own form of kindness, and how transformation is still possible even in the hardest seasons. Jessica also offers a practical, hope-filled invitation for anyone who is feeling exhausted or discouraged and wondering where to begin. About our guest: Jessica Moyer Jessica Moyer is a TEDx speaker, Amazon best-selling author, host of The R.E.A.L. Wellness Podcast, and a certified leadership, wellness, nutrition, and hormone coach with over 25 years of experience. She helps individuals and organizations build health as the foundation for purposeful, high-impact living. A former gym owner and multi-certified fitness professional, Jessica specializes in sustainable habit formation, strength-based wellness, metabolic health, and hormone balance, particularly for high-achieving women and leaders. She is the creator of the R.E.A.L. Wellness Framework, a holistic approach centered on realistic changes, energy creation, aligned action, and self-love. Through her coaching programs, books, and keynote presentations, Jessica equips audiences with practical, science-informed tools to optimize health, regulate stress, and achieve lasting results without burnout. Jessica is also a passionate community advocate, helping raise over $2 million for Cure SMA and serving in multiple nonprofit leadership roles. As a reality show competitor and international model, she brings both grit and creativity to every organization she partners with to drive meaningful transformation. She is the proud wife of Jason of 28 years and mom to four beautiful children, including her angel Steven. Her message is simple yet powerful: when you steward your health well, you expand your capacity to lead, impact, and live with intention. Links and Resources Jessica's website https://www.jessica-moyer.com Get R.E.A.L. Health (book) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1963294394The R.E.A.L. Wellness Podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/641le6K6xAnXAuaiXAPgkP LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-moyer-290bb0b/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Purposefullifewellnesscoach/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessmoyer/ Email jessmoyercoach@gmail.com

What Does Kindness Look Like When a Man Faces Breast Cancer?

Episode Description In this episode of the Kindness Podcast, Nicole Phillips speaks with Kelly King, a male breast cancer survivor whose journey has reshaped his views on time, purpose, and kindness. Kelly shares his unique experience of being diagnosed through a DNA blood test, navigating treatment, and the ongoing challenges he faces post-cancer. He emphasizes the importance of community, kindness, and gratitude in overcoming adversity, and encourages others to reach out for support during difficult times. About our guest: Kelley King My Why Changed Everything. For over four decades, I’ve helped people build legacies—crafting estate and life insurance strategies to protect families and futures. But I’ve learned that money alone doesn’t lead to a meaningful retirement. In 2023, that lesson became deeply personal. Through a new DNA blood test, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer—despite feeling healthy and having no symptoms. That diagnosis changed how I viewed everything: my health, my time, my why. For me, the answer was clear—my family, especially my seven grandchildren. They are my anchor and my “why.” After completing treatments, I became a co-founder of The Retirement Life, a program that prepares people for more than finances in retirement—focusing on values, relationships, faith, and purpose. My mission has grown from helping dads become better dads to helping men build lives of goodness, health, and vitality in every season. I’ve served on the board of Youth for Christ for 17 years, completed the Prime Movers program, and am a Certified Kingdom Advisor. I live in Alexandria, Ohio, attend Jersey Church, and take great joy in watching my three grown children lead boldly in their churches and communities. Purpose doesn’t end at retirement. In many ways, it begins. Links and Resources The Retirement Life https://www.theretirement.life/pages/home Facebook https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Retirement-Life-61558988862516/ Galleri early cancer detection test https://www.galleri.com Kelley King Financial Services http://www.king-fs.com Kelley’s male breast cancer story https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/post/my-male-breast-cancer-story John Hancock feature Early detection, lifelong impact John Hancock podcast episode https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-why-with-kelley-king-the-value

What does kindness look like when you train your mind like you train AI?

What does kindness look like when we learn to train our minds instead of being controlled by them? In this thoughtful conversation, Nicole sits down with Shashin Surkund, a technology leader who has spent his career building data and AI systems that shape how people experience products and services. But after a deeply personal life event, Shashin turned that same curiosity inward and began asking a different question: what if we trained our minds the way we train AI? That question became the foundation for a powerful new way of thinking. Shashin has spent the last decade raising awareness around mental health and helping people build lives rooted in gratitude, trust, and a more supportive inner voice. In his TEDx talk, he introduced the world to the idea of “inner ChatGPT,” a way of befriending the mind by being more intentional about what we feed it. In his world, GPT means something a little different: Gratitude and Positive Thoughts. Together, Nicole and Shashin talk about mental spirals, self-talk, positivity, and the quiet but powerful practice of being kinder to ourselves. They explore what it means to interrupt negative patterns, why small consistent messages matter, and how we can begin building an inner voice we actually trust. This episode is a reminder that kindness is not only something we offer to others. It is also something we practice in the way we speak to ourselves. About Shashin Surkund: Shashin Surkund is a seasoned technology professional who works for a leading financial organization and has spent much of his career enabling data platforms where analytics and AI are used at scale to create better products, services, and customer experiences. A personal life event led him to discover a deeper purpose: raising awareness around mental health. For the past decade, he has dedicated himself to fostering a culture of gratitude, trust, and positivity in both his personal and professional life. In November, Shashin introduced his best friend, POSH, short for Positive Shashin, on the TEDx stage. Through vulnerability and insight, he shared an innovative approach to mental wellness by encouraging people to treat their minds like AI language models and train them like their own inner ChatGPT. In his framework, GPT stands for Gratitude and Positive Thoughts. To kickstart each day, Shashin sends a simple email with a few uplifting thoughts to thousands of people in his organization. He calls it Daily Dose of Positivity, or DDOP. His story and openness have deeply resonated with others, earning him an unofficial but meaningful title from colleagues: Chief Happiness Officer. Connect with Shashin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashin-surkund-4288a7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innerchatgpt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18SshKoJu3/?mibextid=wwXIfr Watch or read more: TEDx: Harness Your Inner ChatGPT https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/harness-your-inner-chatgpt-shashin-surkund-cdake https://youtu.be/BsZg2y9XCQ4?si=hn8tdHVBhXtyDcfu

What does kindness look like when your body no longer looks the way you expected?

Episode Description: In this honest conversation, Nicole sits down with Asha Miller, breast cancer survivor, vitiligo advocate, storyteller, and founder of Asha Miller Creative. Diagnosed with stage 3B aggressive breast cancer at just 33, Asha shares how that experience reshaped not only her health, but her sense of self, her voice, her faith, and her understanding of what it means to live fully in the body she has now. Together, they talk about visible difference, truth telling, motherhood, healing, community, and the courage it takes to stay open when life gets hard. Asha’s story is powerful, grounded, and deeply human. This episode is for anyone navigating illness, identity shifts, or the quiet work of learning to be kind to yourself in a life you did not plan. In this episode, we talk about: • What life looked like before Asha’s breast cancer diagnosis at 33 • How cancer impacted her identity, not just her body • What it means to live fully in the body you have now • How vitiligo shaped her relationship with visibility and self acceptance • Why telling the truth matters more than telling the polished version. Why this conversation matters Asha reminds us that kindness is not denial. It is not pretending everything is fine. It is honesty. It is tenderness. It is learning to stay with yourself, even when your body feels unfamiliar and your life has taken a turn you never asked for. Her story offers hope without sugarcoating. Truth without performance. And a powerful reminder that healing is rarely neat, but it can still be meaningful. About Asha Miller Asha Miller is a breast cancer veteran, vitiligo advocate, storyteller, and consultant based in Columbus, Ohio. Diagnosed with stage 3B aggressive breast cancer at 33, she transformed her diagnosis into a life rooted in advocacy, truth telling, and building community. She is the founder of Asha Miller Creative and the voice behind Dear Cancer, It’s Me, where she creates space for honest conversations about identity, healing, faith, visible difference, and what it means to live fully in the body you have now. Through writing, speaking, and storytelling initiatives with hospitals and national organizations, Asha helps people reclaim their voice and push back darkness with love. At the heart of everything she does are her two children, who remind her daily that kindness begins at home, in the smallest moments, and in the courage to stay tender even when life has been anything but. Connect with Asha: Instagram: @dearcancer_itsme Everyday Health contributor page: Asha Dee Miller Linktree: Dear Cancer, It’s Me Outro If this conversation meant something to you, share it with someone who might need it too. And if you’re walking through something hard right now, you’re not alone in it. And remember, what you look for is what you’ll see.

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