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The Kindness PodcastAuthor: Nicole J Phillips
Welcome to The Kindness Podcast, named by Oprah Magazine as one of the "16 Best Happiness Podcasts." We help people take the heaviness of life and infuse it with hope through practical tips, new imaginings, and vivid storytelling that illuminates the kindness around us.Our host, Nicole Phillips, is a sought-after keynote speaker and the author of five books, including, The Negativity Remedy. Language: en Genres: Education, Religion & Spirituality, Self-Improvement, Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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What does kindness look like when you treat it as serious business?
Episode 21
Wednesday, 26 August, 2026
Amanda Fornal was on a panel at SXSW when someone asked her a simple question: what gets you up in the morning? "To do good," she said, and then she said the rest of it out loud. A few days earlier she had heard a venture capitalist argue that the smart money goes to sociopathic founders, not kind ones. It did not sit right with her logically or emotionally. So on that stage she said, "I'm kind, and I'm proud of it. If you don't want to invest in kindness, that's on you."A few days later she had a name for her next project. She built the website, started interviewing, and talked with more than 100 leaders, founders, and investors across more than 35 countries about one question: does kindness actually work in business?Here is what I appreciated about this conversation. Amanda is not asking us to be nice. She went and checked. She read the academic research before she trusted her own instincts, and she is direct about the fact that a business has a bottom line and kindness has to hold up against it. What she found is that it does, through loyalty and innovation and the kind of psychological safety that lets a team say the half-formed idea out loud.We also got honest about something I do not always admit on this show. I told her that kindness does not sell. Companies hire me for resilience and burnout and mindset, almost never for the word itself. Her answer to that is worth the listen on its own.Connect with Amanda and dig into the researchInvesting in Kindness: investinginkindnessproject.comBe interviewed for the project. Amanda is still taking interviews and invited you directly: forms.gle/o4gMVQWdFLfmugXY8Take the survey: forms.gle/Tt3THNeyTUu9Qd968Hypatia Leadership (her executive coaching work): hypatialeadership.comElephari (the story preservation platform): elephari.comWomen in Exploration: womeninexploration.orgFounder Buddies: founderbuddies.comLove Is, the documentary: loveisthedocumentary.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amandadfornalInstagram: @TheOrangeExplorerKindness Pays: The Business Case for Prosocial Leadership: https://www.investinginkindnessproject.com/blog/kindness-pays-the-business-case-for-pro-social-leadershipKindness and Retention: What the Research Says About Why Employees Stay: https://www.investinginkindnessproject.com/blog/kindness-and-retention
