We asked entrepreneurs, artists, creatives and folks from every walk of life to share stories of kindness with us because we believe that hearing about kindness inspires more kindness. Our world needs more kindness.

Lindsay Castiglione

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me: This was an easy one for me to answer but it is, I’ll admit, probably going to be a little difficult for me to verbalize. The kindest thing anyone ever did for me was done by the kindest person in my life, my husband. He might come across as a tough guy from northern NJ, but once you get past the street wise, loud Sicilian, you get to the soft, gooey lasagna mush he really is. He’d give a stranger the shirt off of his back even if it meant he would go cold, just so that that person wouldn’t have to suffer. He’s the single most caring person I have ever met and he makes me want to be more like that every day. Read more>>

EmmaSara McMillion

Today, let me take you on a journey – a heartwarming story that unfolded right in front of a grocery store. It’s a story that reaffirms our belief in the goodness that resides in unexpected places. The day kicked off with a seemingly mundane task – a trip to the city to get groceries and take care of business, about a 3-hour drive. Little did we know that this routine trip would turn into anything but ordinary. An encounter with a less-than-friendly business counter person left us drained by the drama. Hungry and exhausted, finished our grocery shopping and we picked up some items for our lunch – a pre-made chicken and tortillas combo that soon became our impromptu chicken tacos. Read more>>

David Damian Figueroa

I can give lots of examples, but the three kindest acts that stand out are by my cousin, Connie. My mom had taught her how to sew when she was a young girl. My cousin now a master quilter, shared lots of stories of things that I had known of my mother. My cousin donated a quilt for the silent auction of one of my favorite charities. She also made a denim coat of “many colors and a quilted Day of the Dead tapestry. These are treasured items and represent part of my mother’s legacy. Read more>>

Bare, Raw

This is a really beautiful question. And actually, it’s a rather full question. The kindest thing by far anyone has ever done for me has to be, Jesus saving me. One perfect man, that was completely God took on everything that was too great for me. He took on everything that was too scary for me, everything that was too deadly for me, including my sin; And He endured, just for me to be saved; Just so He could be with me. Read more>>

Andrea Ardila

We already had water vending machines in supermarkets and various retail locations in CA, operating and manufacturing machines ourselves. We had even pioneered a new category with our Alkaline water vending machines, perfectly suited for organic and natural stores. However, reaching out to big organic supermarkets was a challenge. Some didn’t respond, and some appointments went terribly wrong, leaving my motivation and confidence at a low point. The supermarket industry, often male-dominated, made me question how a Latina woman could introduce a new machine to renowned supermarkets. Read more>>

Lulu Liao

Kindness has the power to create a ripple effect, inspiring positive change and fostering a sense of connection among people. I often find the kindest acts are the ones that are unexpected, perhaps from strangers or unasked for. Here are two that come to me immediately: Read more>>

Rhianna Bowyer

The Artist Community in Kansas City has given me a safe space to share my work and aspirations as a visual-based creative that is continuously learning how to make work focused on personal stories and insecurities in a beautiful way. KC is the city I was born and raised in, yet finding connections in the art scene before and more so after 2020 sometimes feels intimidating because of the admiration I hold for Kansas City Artists. When I hear the stories shared by my community it is an act of kindness that often melts my heart and in turn helps me know there is a reason to share mine. I’m honored to exchange and display that kindness with our small group of local artists in the Crossroads. Read more>>

Sandra Powers

In the unlikeliest of corners, I discovered my guiding lights – mentors who sculpted my path in ways unforeseen. The seeds of my creativity found fertile ground in the encouragement of my 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Ferrer. She didn’t just teach; she nurtured my burgeoning imagination, gifting me the stage of our classroom to unfurl my tales to my fellow classmates. Read more>>

Kari Hall

When I was 23 years old, I started working for an Occupational Therapist at her private practice. I worked hard for her and she mentored and coached me. After 2-3years she decided to go into the field of research and said “if you want all the bills and responsibility that comes with it, this practice is yours. She walked out and kept the practice. I now have 10 employees, 2 offices and after almost 40 years a very successful Pediatrics Occupational Therapy Practice. Read more>>

Shannon Shiang

For an artist, striking a balance between personal expression and market appeal is a constant challenge. In a conversation with my close friend Brock Pierce, he asked a game-changing question: “What if I could ease your biggest financial burden? Could you then fully focus on your artistic vision?” Read more>>

Ryan stream

have numerous stories of kindness that have greatly impacted my life, but one of the most profound acts of kindness came from a family that adopted all of my brothers. This incredible family rescued us from the challenges of foster homes and difficult situations. Notably, they not only adopted four boys but also had a family of seven of their own. Despite our tumultuous past, which involved struggles with drugs and alcohol and the unfortunate separation of my brothers and me, this family’s boundless kindness allowed us to reunite and stay together. This act of compassion spanned over a period of two years, and it remains the most heartwarming and life-changing gesture anyone has ever done for me. Read more>>

MYKÄL

I used to spend every day at the pool during the Summers when I was a kid. I really looked up to the life guards who worked there. I’m not really sure why but I put them on a pedestal and used to follow them around. There was one who I especially liked. She was beautiful. My first real childhood crush. I was 10 and she was probably 15 which isn’t a huge age difference as an adult, but at that age it’s astronomical. More on this later…. At that time they used to all wear red-tethered whistles around their necks. I remember this because they used to spin them around their fingers over and over again while they sat in their chairs and watched the kids swim. Read more>>

Jessica Goodall

When I had the idea to establish & develop Eva’s Closet & Foundation, I approached my parents with the idea, as they are business owners in Fort Myers, & had some amount of space available at their place of business, and without any hesitation whatsoever they told me that I could begin & establish our family foundation. We are now nearly 8 years later; aiding over 100 families in need, each week in SWFL. I was so extremely excited and continue to be very thankful every day for their amazing support and to be able to fulfill my dream. Read more>>

Nikki Opara

The kindest thing someone has ever done for me is speaking life into me when I was at my lowest mentally and emotionally. I truly believe words have power, words have the power to lift you up or bring you down. Read more>>

Ebenezer Eferobor

I value relationships a lot, and I would like to give a shoutout to Kenny Wood and Shie Rozow, two awesome guys who do a lot of amazing work. I met Kenny in the summer of 2022, and Kenny connected me with an opportunity immediately without me asking. He had spoken to a colleague and had given them my information. I was at home, and I got this email from a famous composer, asking if I would be interested in the opportunity. I thought I was dreaming. I owe a lot to Kenny, he gave me my start in this ultra competitive industry. Kenny, if you ever see this interview, thank you! Read more>>

Cierra Hawkes

While I was in undergrad, I began working at my church academy’s after-school program. I was responsible for picking up the children from their classrooms, providing them with snacks, homework help, and activities until their parents arrived. During my employment, I was dropped from my academic program and kicked out of school. Once my boss got a whiff of my drop-out, she would gently ask me whenever she saw me “Are you back in school yet?” I continued working for the after-school program until the next school year when I decided to work as a teaching assistant at a local learning center. I remember thinking, “Welp, I’m already doing what I wanted to do, so I can just work from here on out.” Read more>>

Dorecia Carr

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me was when one of my actor’s bought me a mustard seed necklace. My mother used to tell me that it was very important to always try to have just a little bit of faith, even if it were the size of a mustard seed. And she used to make me wear a mustard seed necklace, but I lost the necklace after she was murdered. And one of my actors knew the story, and surprised me with a mustard seed necklace. Read more>>

Krystal White

I was racking my brain trying to come up with an answer to this wonderful question. When I tried to determine one that was the most poignant or the one that was the most meaningful, a single moment just kept eluding me. Most of the times that were coming into my focus were times were when I was in a dark place, an unsafe place, an uncertain place, a toiling place, or a place of a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Read more>>

Eric Meyer

The kindest thing anyone has done for me is to stand in my corner and help me bring this vision to life. During the 8 years that it took to build this studio there have been key people that have been involved from breaking ground to completion of the studio. The kindness that was given to me from Dave Del Valle, Anthony Rodriguez, Marc Nirenberg, Larry and Paula Meyer and my wife Angelica Meyer. They were involved by designing the space, and physically helping me with construction.These have been the key people that encouraged me to build this and were always there to lend a helping hand when it was needed. Without these people and their help and support none of this would be possible. Read more>>

Kat Arias

During a particularly rough patch in my journey, one of my former students turned friends asked me to be honest and say the truth about how things were going. When I broke down and told the truth, he lent me a sum of money and told me not to worry about it, that he knew I would pay it back when I could. He knew I would never ask anyone for help so he just asked me to take it and said “Ferocity needs to make it.” I worked really hard until I did indeed pay him back, I don’t know if he will ever actually know what that moment meant for me beyond the business. Read more>>

Jonathan Plotzker-Kelly

We had a long-standing relationship with a chemist – they provided many of the formulas that we use in our products. I had previously worked with them back in the 1990’s when I was with Bare Escentuals, the large skincare (and now cosmetics) company. When I founded Heliotrope, they were the first people I called to work on my first product – leveraging our past connection. Read more>>

 Jamie Choe

We are a small business/ floral shop and we had to build our business from nothing. Our main goal was to provide great customer service and beautiful floral arrangement hoping it puts smile on someone’s face. We started from having 0 client to having voted as ” best florist” in Hermosa Beach. Our goal always has been focusing on our local clients ( both sender and recipient) and did our best to accommodate their floral needs/ requests / visions. Sometimes its easy, and clients with kind words that made our day. Well, there were some days, s we had to deal with clients with more demanding and specific requests. Often times, they didn’t show much emotions and we weren’t sure if they liked us or not. Yet, they all became our long regular clients. Read more>>

Bruce Edwin

During college in Chicago one year, I was between jobs and unemployed. I didn’t have much left to pawn or sell and was very poor and hungry. It was freezing cold and I had spent my last bit of cash on the subway to get down to Chicago Avenue off of Michigan Avenue near Water Tower Place where I later worked. I tried pawning this watch someone had given me as a gift, but the pawn shop had so many watches, they wouldn’t give me the 50 I asked for, or even give me twenty buck for it. Read more>>