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.

Mimi Blanchard

Trusting me has been the kindest thing anyone has done for me. I appreciate the responsibility that comes with it, hence allowing me to transform my approach to design. I’m grateful for the opportunity to hold someone else’s ideas and translate them into brand strategies and design work. Whether it’s a meaningful meeting about a rebranded logo, a new motion graphic layout for a radio show, or collaborating with law enforcement, being involved in these conversations is validating. These opportunities exist because people trust me, allowing me to speak with and trust myself more, making my efforts manageable. It’s no longer hard; it’s a process of coherence. Read More>>

Rachel Gardner

It is hard to pick just one act of kindness as it pertains to my business as I feel that starting my own record store was a project fueled by the kindness of others. At the beginning I had friends, new and old, who would come by the shop and help me grade and price records, help put fixtures together and keep me company. The more the word got out in the community about the shop, the more music lovers stopped by and offered to help. I had several donations of records and CDs to help get me started by wonderful friends and community members. I even had a musician let me borrow his platinum record for a wall decoration and another musician let me borrow a prized signed poster. Looking around the record store I see little signs of all of the people who came together for this shared vision and made it happen. Read More>>

Michael Singer

Day 36 on the Mississippi River; half-way through a difficult day of paddling and being buzzed by bass tournament boats, a local couple near Princeton Beach, Iowa approaches our canoe to shield us from the bass boats. Curious about our American flag and decals, they ask what we are we doing on the river. After explaining to them that we are paddling the entire Mississippi source to sea for charity, they dedicate their day to making us feel the hospitality that the river has to offer. Not only did Randy & Pat donate to The Resolute Warfighter Foundation, they boated across the river to our beach camp for the night, bringing us mac and cheese, wine, cookies, firewood, and great company for the evening. We were reassured, there are kind and philanthropic people throughout the Mississippi River and the United States. Read More>>

Michael Dennis

The kindest thing that was done for me was when I decided to change my major from pre-law to art history and studio art. I was floundering with no experience wondering if I had made a mistake when a family friend and mentor named Dave viewed my art. We spoke about my art and how the totalitarian professors were giving me a hard time because I did not fit into their mold of what an artist was supposed to be. The professor wanted us to learn how to paint by copying other artist’s works and would not let me express our talent in a different way other than their way. The professor did not allow me to sign up for art shows or festivals because they saved these shows for their favorite students which followed their every word. I was at my wit’s end. Read More>>

Pooja Desai

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me was to donate blood so my daughter Maya could get into an after-school program I so desperately needed her to get into. As a single mother having an afterschool program was essential. The after-school program only had one hundred slots. At that time, my best friend and I were co-parenting our children together and took our children with us so we could all camp out at the school by 4:00 AM until the doors opened at 8:00 A.M. Read More>>

Teah Brooks

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me business wise was give me my flowers when they didn’t have to do so. I know this may be weird to some people, but when people give me compliments on the things that I bake it makes me get a little anxious; then I’m internally setting a bar that needs to be met every time that I bake something. The backstory behind receiving my flowers would be most recently when the sweetest soul gave me a shoutout on social media. She talked about how every time her and her family tried anything that I made it was fantastic. She made an entire video of giving me praise and opportunity to get more clientele. That truly made me feel like I was doing what I was called to do. I love to bake and create things most people wouldn’t think of. It meant a lot to me to have someone think of me and want me to succeed; because not everyone wants to see an entrepreneur succeed. Read More>>

Ashea Myers

The kindest thing someone has done for me that’s hard to choose but I do remember this day. It was at my first two day market pop up by myself, I was totally exhausted but tried not to show it. A kind older woman came by and she said “can I get you anything, a coffee maybe?” I told her it was too late in the day for coffee but would love a hot chocolate. I was so overwhelmed by her kindness and thoughtfulness. The lady came back with my cocoa not too long after smiled and handed me the cup. I never got her name but she made my day much better! Read More>>

Meredith Mills-Merritt

The kindest, most thoughtful thing that anyone has ever done for me was something my husband, Matthew, recently did. The backstory is – I LOVE a fresh pair of sheets on the bed… Don’t we all, though?! Changing the linens isn’t my favorite thing to do, but what IS my favorite thing is getting in bed after a long day and having the most perfect, crisp pair of sheets waiting for me. I’m a simple woman, what can I say. Read More>>

Amaris Davidson

I am extremely fortunate to have come across some truly kind hearted individuals in this world. I share stories often of those kindnesses and will continue to do so as long as I have breath in my lungs. Professionally speaking, one of the kindest things I have ever experienced was on the set of the ABC show, Castle. I had a scene with the stars of the show, Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion, where I was to run past them in a wet and windy alley at full speed! When we blocked and ran through the scene in rehearsal, I had on jeans and boots. When I got to the hair and makeup trailer later for touch ups, Stana was in the chair. She saw me through the mirror. She whipped her head around and asked if that was what I was wearing. Read More>>