• Hold a door.
• Wave a car in.
• Text an old friend out of nowhere.

Small kindnesses — but that same gesture can mean something completely different three time zones away.

In Episode 42, we travel the world to ask one question: does kindness look the same everywhere?

The heart of it does. The shape of it doesn't. Greg, Rich, Liam, and Sarah trace the word for kindness through six faith traditions, and a few languages English never gave a name to, then look at the research showing the world is measurably kinder than the news makes it seem.

Along the way: tipping and fair wages, why we brace for cold strangers, where religion and people part ways, and how to be kind to someone whose customs you don't share.

What you'll take away:The pull to help is universal — how we show it is local.Every tradition has its own word:

• metta
• agape
• chesed
• sadaqah
• seva
• ubuntu.

A tip that says “thank you” here can read as an insult elsewhere.

People are about twice as kind as we expect.Assume good intent, stay curious, ask instead of guess.

Chapters:(00:00) Introduction — kindness around the world(01:47) Every faith's word for it(03:13) The numbers: how kind the world really is(04:35) Tipping, suspended coffee, and shifting shapes(06:00) Faith traditions: tzedakah, zakat, langar(07:53) Roundtable(16:19) Common questions(32:24) Free-form sharing(37:10) What's on your heart(41:33) Challenge & closing

This episode featured Greg, Rich, Liam, and Sarah.

💜 Free weekly peer support groups:

• Brain Injury (Mon 1PM ET)
• Chronic Pain (Tue 12PM ET)
• Mental Health (Wed 7:30PM ET)

Sign up / RSVP: kindnessrx.org/groups

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Connect: kindnessrx.org

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Content note: this episode discusses rejection, shame, and self-harm. If you are struggling, you are not alone. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

That sinking feeling when one small piece of feedback lands like a punch? There is a name for it: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD. In Episode 41, Greg, Rich, Liam, and Sarah talk plainly about what RSD is, why it can feel physical, and what actually helps, with no quick fixes.

We get into why one criticism can drown out ten compliments, why the rejection does not even have to be real to hurt, how this connects to ADHD without being limited to it, and the small tools that genuinely help in the moment.

In this episode:

• What RSD is, and what it is not

• Why your brain treats one harsh comment as a survival threat

• "Too sensitive" versus something more than that

• Grounding, breathing, and a cold-water bottle on the neck

• The one-pause challenge to try this week

Chapters:

(00:00) What RSD really is

(03:22) How common is it?

(05:49) Why one criticism outweighs ten compliments

(10:34) When rejection hurts

(12:43) Real or just too sensitive?

(21:09) Do you need ADHD to feel it?

(23:35) What helps when the sting hits

(27:32) Free-form sharing

(31:40) What is on your heart this week

(40:09) Recap, challenge, and close

Featured this episode: Greg (host), with Rich, Liam, and Sarah.

Free weekly peer support groups:

Brain Injury (Mon 1PM ET)

Chronic Pain (Tue 12PM ET)

Mental Health (Wed 7:30PM ET)

Sign up or RSVP: kindnessrx.org/groups

Help keep the groups free: buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx

Website: kindnessrx.org

Newsletter: kindnessrx.beehiiv.com

Episode 40: The Cost of Kindness

Content note:

One segment includes a personal story of childhood family violence. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone:

In the US call or text 988, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

We almost always hear “the cost of kindness” as a warning. This episode flips it: the real cost isn’t being kind — it’s holding kindness back.

Greg and the panel make the case with research and a lot of honest, everyday stories.

In this episode:

• Why kindness lowers stress — and lifts productivity by about 12%

• What unkindness really costs a workplace (the numbers are rough)

• How to be kind without getting walked on — boundaries and advocacy

• Kindness vs. people-pleasing — the honest difference

• Why you have to save some kindness for yourself, too

Chapters:

00:00 Why “kindness costs” is backwards

02:16 The research: cortisol, blood pressure, productivity

04:24 Is kindness a weakness at work?

05:15 Everyday kindness, the small stuff

06:10 What kindness does in the brain

07:43 Turning kindness inward

08:32 The cost of kindness at work

11:54 Getting taken advantage of + people-pleasing

24:26 Staying kind when you’re running on empty

39:40 Recap, challenge & support groups

This episode featured Greg with co-hosts Rich, Derek, Liam, and Sarah.

💜 Free weekly peer support groups: Brain Injury

(Mon 1PM ET), Chronic Pain

(Tue 12PM ET), Mental Health

(Wed 7:30PM ET). Sign up / RSVP:

https://luma.com/calendar/cal-oyT0VPlVTKCPxBw

Keep the groups free: https://buymeacoffee.com/kindnessrx

Web: https://kindnessrx.org

Newsletter: https://kindnessrx.beehiiv.com/