Kindness Matters Podcast

Send us Fan Mail “Those people” is a tiny phrase with a huge blast radius. Once I start talking that way, I’m not describing real human beings anymore, I’m describing a category I can judge, mock, or hate from a safe distance. This Kindness Matters conversation is a reset for anyone worn out by political polarization, online outrage, and the constant pressure to sort the world into teams. We walk through why our brains love labels and how easily they become loaded stories: Trump voters, Demo...

Send us Fan Mail Being wrong hits a nerve for most of us, and it’s rarely about the small stuff. It’s about what it feels like to be corrected when a belief is tied to our pride, our relationships, or our sense of identity. I’m Mike Rathman, and I want to make a case for something that sounds simple but can change the way you live: getting more comfortable changing your mind can be one of the kindest things you do for yourself and for the people around you. We dig into the psychology behind ...

Send us Fan Mail We’re surrounded by disagreement, but what’s unsettling is how quickly it turns personal. A different opinion used to be just that, a different opinion. Now it often becomes a verdict: stupid, ignorant, selfish, evil. I’m wrestling with a question that sits under so many tense conversations at home, at work, and online: are we losing the ability to talk to people we disagree with, and what happens to kindness when we do? I unpack the difference between challenging an idea an...

Send us Fan Mail AI can write a beautiful apology, a perfect condolence message, and a calm response when you’re furious. The real question is not whether artificial intelligence is “good” or “bad” it’s whether we’ll use it to become more compassionate, more thoughtful, and more connected, or whether we’ll use it to avoid the hard work of being human. We talk through the everyday moments where AI can genuinely support kindness: helping us find words when we care but freeze, giving us a pause...

Send us Fan Mail Someone walks out of a federal detention facility into a Minnesota winter with no phone, no coat, and no clear idea what comes next. Then a small crowd of strangers is waiting with hot chocolate, spare coats, cell phones, and rides. That moment captures the question I can’t shake: what makes ordinary people decide that a stranger shouldn’t have to face the cold alone? I trace how that same spirit spreads beyond one sidewalk into mutual aid networks across Minneapolis, St. Pa...