Kindness begets kindness. So, wanted to create a space to share and amplify stories of kindness with the hope that it inspires a chain reaction.

Rodolfo Barrientos

We often equate kindness to a gift , a nice word from a friend or a helping hand when needed , the act of showing consideration for others and showing empathy. But it is a peculiar thing , because though we often associate the word with small gestures , in the grander scheme of life kindness has ripples that last for a lifetime. In my fortune, I have been blessed with many acts of kindness. Because of this, when I think of this word I always think of how kindness extends beyond politeness and superficial gestures , I think about how kindness has the power to bridge gaps , impart wisdom, lift someone up and change the whole trajectory of a soul. Read more>>

Ally Evans

The kindest thing anyone can ever do for another is love them without condition. My boyfriend did that for me. He wrote me a love story, and it’s forever written in my heart. Preston Evans held my hand at sunrise on April 27th when I reached this story’s bitter end. Floating in a sea of alcoholic shame and regret, I was determined to END this broken life. That day I died an alcoholic death, not physically but of a spiritual kind. I was the epitome of the walking dead. Drowning in spirits of the desperate kind, it’s no wonder despair was a companion for my final ride. Read more>>

Marti McFly Smith

I was in the produce section of Whole Foods when I got a text from my sister that said “Dad had a heart attack. He’s at the hospital”. I double called my sister to get the details but she didn’t answer. I took long deep unsteady breaths and powered through the rest of my shopping. While waiting to check out as I stared at the top row of the AshaPops and continued my breaths but the tears broke loose. An angel in a Whole Foods name tag calmly walked up to me with a paper towel and said “I hope you’re ok” then walked away. It was the simplest, purist act of kindness from a stranger and I will never forget it. Read more>>

Whitney Haynes

One of my clients sent me to Berlin for a hair show. I was getting married that year and was paying for my own wedding so money was a bit tight. There was a huge hair show all of my friends were going to and I was a bit jealous. One of my clients heard me talking about it and offered to use miles to pay for my flight there. When I got the ticket I realized it was a first class ticket! I had never been in first class and this show needed up being a very important part of my career as it’s where I first saw my hair mentors on stage. From there I ended to traveling to Europe once a year for hair cutting education. Read more>>

Micaela Wilson

There actually is not one defining event that I can point my finger to, but instead a variety of small events that have shaped who I am as an acupuncturist. When my fertility patients put their trust in me and are willing to share grief, anger sadness, worry, happiness, joy and anxiety with me, I find that it is honest and kind. The WHOLE range of emotions. I really recognized that in those moments, they are totally willing and able to be vulnerable with me. What an honor. That conveys to me that they trust me, they feel comfortable with me, and I have been able to make a container to hold them that is judgement free. That is a small kindness that is shown to me again and again, and one that really makes my job worth it! Read more>>

Junko Kazukawa

I am a two times cancer survivor. I have been cancer free for 14 years. Since my last cancer in 2009, I started running 100 mile trail running race. To get here, I had many nice friends helped me and encouraged me to come over this difficult time. They are my friends, my boss from work, running community, and many more. I was born and raised in Japan, and I moved to US when I was 24 to attend the university. I have been working as a Fitness professional/ Trainer after the school, and started to work as an endurance running coach last 10 years. I love helping athletes/ people to achieve their fitness goals through my own experience and knowledge. I also love to encourage people go through the cancer like myself. Read more>>

Chelly Leahman

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me is invest in me . People will say they support you; they will talk the talk and not even share a post about your business or services . When a person actually spends their hard earned money on a product or even sponsoring me or my career . It’s heartwarming. Read more>>

Laura Martinez

There is not too much that can fully prepare you for the transition into adulthood and entering your career path- in my case the mental health industry. Rigid academics can help with structure and preparation of the mind. Attainment of knowledge can give you methods on how to work with certain patients. Networking with other professionals can help give you a sense of belonging in the field and connection. However; one of the greatest acts of kindness ever received was mentorship and guidance from Dr. Frank Lawlis. Read more>>

Byeongdoo Moon

As a child, I was rather sad and lonely, and I felt that no one really cared about me. However, the day before my graduation from elementary school, I was so surprised to find a wrapped gift in my desk! It was a letter and such beautifully knitted mittens from my teacher. Words cannot express the love and warmth I felt that day, in my heart and in my hands! That has been the motivation to choose my path. I treasure that memory and go back to it whenever I go through difficult times. Read more>>

Melanie Allison

This past year, an artist friend via social media submitted me as a nominee for Austin Business Woman’s Artist of the Year. When the award nomination call was announced, I shared it on my Instagram story asking to be nominated. I never thought someone would submit my name especially someone who I’ve only been friends with on the internet and not having met in person. I was then accepted as nominee! Needless to say, after the voting process, I didn’t win or place in the Top 5, but I felt like a winner having support from my peers in the art world. Read more>>

Finesse Devonne

The kindest thing anyone has done for me is…stay. Not just be there, but to stay there with me. “There” is any dark, scary, unfamiliar, and/or emotional place. I have a few friends who have done this…who do this for me. One is Andy V. Before Andy really knew me, we bonded by accident. Andy cried for me…kinda, ha ha! We got to watch a movie and write about it for extra credit. The movie was For Colored Girls. Andy was the only guy so he was looking for someone else to come with this group of girls that pulled him in. He and I had just met through a mutual friend. So, we arrive to a packed theater and the girls ditch us for four seats together… We found two seats at the top, end of the aisle (arguably better seats). Read more>>

Michael Cook

Years ago I was having a rough time with my health. I was not sure what was wrong with me but I literally felt like I was dying. This same time this was happening my parents were out of town so I didn’t have many to turn to. So, I called my now best friend to see if could come over to help me get to the hospital. When I came I barely could get to the door and I literally passed out, thank God he was there because he was able to call 911 for me. He took care of me and watched me the whole night and that is something I still to this day am so grateful for. Read more>>

Dr. Josh

We are certainly living through challenging times where it is easier to be a bully and be mean to other people. However, there are some amazing humans out there that make sure they touch lives as they go through this journey. One of those special circumstances happened to me when I met a female client and her mother. The client is an openly lesbian woman that is married to another amazing human being. When I met them, they were sharing stories about their life as a family and one story that resonated with me was that when my client’s mom found out that her daughter was gay and that her husband was not happy about the situation, the mother told her husband to accept and love their daughter as she was or else she would file for divorce and leave him. Read more>>

Ciara O’Keeffe

Being a creative and receiving a weekly wage doesn’t normally go hand in hand. I’ve gone without a wage for so many weeks. Its soul destroying, especially when you have a family to support and a roof to keep over your head. At one stage, I couldn’t afford to buy a bag of clay. I got really depressed and I felt like a failure. An old friend rang one day and asked how things were going. I told her that things were tough financially and it looked like I’d have to go back to a job I hated. She asked me how much a bag of clay was. I told her it was €35. The next day there was an envelope in my letter box with €300 in it and a message to say “Go make some Magic”. That gesture saved my life. Read more>>

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

In the summer of 2020, a group of esteemed authors agreed to write ‘blurbs’ for my upcoming debut book of fiction— those brief, glowing endorsements that decorate book jackets and invite other readers to take a look. The first to say yes was National Book Award winner Charles Yu whose inventiveness and heart had inspired me for years. Then, to my relief, other incredible authors sent blurbs too: Danielle Evans, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Megha Majumdar, Mateo Askaripour, and the Roxane Gay. The final endorsement my book received came from Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, who lauded my short stories with an affirming expletive that made me burst out in surprised laughter. Read more>>

Sonya Sklaroff

When I was a young artist starting out in New York City, a family friend would take me to dinner around the corner from my studio. She would order enough food for four people claiming she was ravenous, but only ate a small portion herself. She insisted on packing the rest for me to take home, providing me with enough food for the whole week. Later, I realized she had deliberately ordered extra dishes, knowing I was a struggling artist who wouldn’t accept direct assistance. She found a way to support me without compromising my integrity. Years later, I confronted her about my realization, and asked how I could repay her kindness and generosity. All she did was smile and she told me to pay it forward to the next generation. Read more>>

Orlando Jose Perches

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for myself was having a beautiful human believe in my project before I could ever see what it was worth. Back in September of 2022 i had just moved to Denver after living a period of time on the west coast persuing my music career. As i was still in the midst of progress within my brand i still wasnt where i wanted to be in my journey. It wasnt until i met my current business partner and significant other Julia Betts that life took a turn for the best. We both begun to learn each other understand our potential as a team together. Read more>>

Mary Bellamy

Hmm…that is a hard one. There have been a few times where people’s kindness really pushed me forward when I otherwise would have been too shy or hesitant to go it on my own. One of the biggest ones was when I found a mentor while sitting in the PRO lounge at San Diego Comic Con who invited me to the animation studios and let me sit at her Comic Con table for my first ever year selling books. She gave me the motivation to not only submit my work to companies for jobs but also to get my first table on my own for San Diego Comic Con where I’ve been for 15 years serving the girls comics market. Read more>>

Michelle “Chelle T” Turner

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me is let me fail. There is a misconception that is spreading wildly, and it’s the idea that everything is supposed to be successful. Every endeavor has it’s ups and downs and if you only expect the positive outcomes the negatives hit you like a ton of bricks. I was a teen parent and I was told by a family member that because of my choices I would never amount to anything. I was hurt and devastated but oddly inspired to prove them wrong. My mother was a strong support system for me, but she never played mom to my, now 38 year old, daughter. She made sure I felt every bit of that responsibility and dealt with all the ups and downs of the endeavor. Read more>>

Kim Wilch

I’ve always dreamed of being an author and had joined an author group called AuthorForce. I needed a diversion from the heart-heavy book I was working on, so my grandson and I wrote Peter the Turtle Can’t Poop. Publishing a book is not for the faint of heart, there is so much to know! It’s quite overwhelming. The group answered my many questions and I will always be grateful! One gal, Y.Y. Chan, took me under her wing and went above and beyond – especially when the illustrator files weren’t formatted correctly and I was having a breakdown. Somehow, the book got published, on time even! I truly believe without the support of AuthorForce and Y.Y., my dream of being a published author would never have come to be. But that’s not all! They supported the book launch, sending Peter the Turtle Can’t Poop straight to number one new release! I’ll forever be indebted to this great group of authors. Read more>>