About the Episode

My guest today is Houston Kraft. He is a professional speaker, author, curriculum developer, and kindness advocate who has a passion for sustainable impact, positive culture change, and student success. His aim is to create a more loving, kind, and compassionate world. He is the co-founder of CharacterStrong, an organization that provides curricula and training for schools all around the United States and Canada. He is the author of the book “Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness” which takes an honest look at the gap between our belief in kindness and our ability to perform it well, and shows us how to put intention into action.

A simple act of kindness can make a person feel better because kindness is not normal in our world. Houston starts the conversation by sharing the moment he wanted to make kindness normal in our world. He further shares how he wanted to create more compassion in our culture.

We explore the importance of kindness and empathy in our world. We delve into why empathy has decreased in recent times and the barriers that prevent us from being kind. We also discuss how we can develop our empathy muscle through specificity, sacrifice, and awareness. Houston also discusses the difference between confetti kindness and deep kindness, and we learn about the importance of paying attention to shame and understanding the needs of others without expecting anything in return. Join us as we explore the power of kindness and how we can cultivate it in our society.