Ep. 45 Encore Episode: Kindness, Connection & Recovery | Francesca Donlan

What if one of the most powerful tools for feeling better, reconnecting with others, and strengthening your recovery was something as simple as kindness?

In this audience-favorite episode, I sit down with Francesca Donlan—journalist, educator, kindness teacher, and my sister—to explore what kindness actually looks like in everyday life.

Francesca created and taught a college course on the science and practice of kindness, and in this conversation, we talk about what she learned from her students—and from putting kindness into practice herself.

We explore why kindness is more than simply being “nice,” why it can be surprisingly difficult to receive a compliment, and how small intentional actions can change the way we experience ourselves and the people around us.

We also talk about:

• Why kindness begins with how you treat yourself
• How small acts can create a ripple effect
• Using kindness and gratitude as healthy coping skills
• Getting outside of your own head by helping someone else
• Learning to notice the good that is already happening around you
• Why receiving kindness can sometimes be as important as giving it
• Simple ways to practice kindness when you're struggling
• How kindness can help rebuild connection in recovery

Francesca shares stories from her kindness classes, including the $10 Kindness Challenge, unexpected acts of generosity, and the student who learned that sometimes the kindness we go out to give comes back to us in ways we never expected.

One of my favorite ideas from this conversation is also one of the simplest:

Kindness isn't just something we think about. It's something we do.

You don't have to change the world today. Smile at someone. Give a genuine compliment. Write down three things you're grateful for. Do something thoughtful for yourself.

Then see what happens.

A question to carry with you today:

How can I be kind today—to myself, to others, and to the world?

This episode originally appeared earlier in the podcast and remains one of our most-listened-to conversations, so I'm bringing it back for listeners who may have missed it the first time.

Live free, evolve fully, and live unclouded. And be kind to yourself.

Invitation to consider at least one helpful piece of information to help them thrive in their sobriety and to share with podcast with others and to follow and email questions.