The Ripple Effect of Small Daily Actions
Content advisory:
This episode briefly references a suicide note to illustrate how a simple smile can matter.
Kindness That Shows Up Every Day
This episode of The Support & Kindness Podcast features hosts Greg and Rich exploring a deceptively big topic: kindness - what it is, why it matters, and how it can shape mental, physical, and social well-being.
They keep it grounded in everyday life: small interactions, leadership moments, and “micro-choices” that can shift the tone of a whole day. And they also name something many of us forget: self-kindness isn’t optional - it’s the foundation.
This episode shares personal reflections and is not a substitute for professional advice.
In this episode, you’ll explore (from the show notes and conversation):
- Kindness as consideration for others’ needs, feelings, and differences
- The “helper’s high,” and why kindness can feel energizing
- Stress, cortisol, and the body’s “calming” response to connection
- Kindness in leadership, coaching, and workplace culture
- Cultural lenses: Golden Rule, “Silver Rule,” and metta (loving-kindness)
- Practical examples you can repeat today (smiles, praise, returning carts, gratitude calls)
Kindness Isn’t Small—It’s Relational
Early on, Rich frames kindness as “consideration of others’ needs or feelings or their differences,” especially as things feel more tense and intolerant in many spaces. Greg adds the real-life friction point: it can be hard to stay kind when someone isn’t kind back, yet that’s where “rising above” becomes a practice, not a personality trait. (podopshost.com)
“Sometimes it’s hard to be nice to someone who’s not nice back—trying to rise above that.” — Greg
That word practice matters. Kindness isn’t only about grand gestures; it’s the repeated decision to stay human with other humans—especially when you’re tired, stressed, or carrying invisible struggles.
The “Helper’s High”: Why Kindness Can Feel Like Relief
Rich mentions researching the “feel-good” chemicals linked with giving and receiving kindness - serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, and Greg connects it to the idea of a “helper’s high,” similar to a runner’s high. (podopshost.com)
That phrase “helper’s high” isn’t just a catchy line. Harvard’s medical magazine describes how volunteerism and helping can feel euphoric, and notes that dopamine is released when we give to others (with researchers observing it in lab settings). (magazine.hms.harvard.edu)
Harvard Health also summarizes how helping others can support brain health and mentions that helping can trigger “feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine.” (Harvard Health)
“If you want to help yourself, help someone else.” — Greg
A gentle reality-check, though: even when the biology is real, it’s not magic. Kindness won’t instantly erase depression, chronic pain, grief, or burnout. But it can create a moment of warmth, connection, or purpose, sometimes just enough to help you take the next step.
Stress, Cortisol, and the Body: Kindness as a Protective Factor
Greg and Rich talk about kindness lowering stress—specifically mentioning cortisol (stress hormone) and linking kindness to benefits like blood pressure support, immune strength, and even longevity. (podopshost.com)
The broader research landscape is careful about causality, but it does point in supportive directions. For example, Harvard Health discusses research where volunteering is associated with lower blood pressure, while noting that studies can’t always prove volunteering caused the change—people who volunteer may also do other health-supportive behaviors. (Harvard Health)
Mayo Clinic’s medical news network notes volunteering is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety (especially in older adults), reduced stress, and even lower mortality rates compared with non-volunteers (while acknowledging the complexity of factors involved). (Mayo Clinic News Network)
So the takeaway isn’t “be kind and you’ll never struggle.” It’s more like: kindness can be one of the simplest, most accessible protective habits we can build - especially when life feels heavy.
Kindness in Leadership and Workplace Culture: Micro-Recognition Matters
One of the strongest threads in this episode is how kindness scales in workplaces—especially through leadership and everyday coaching moments.
Rich talks about how a simple smile, greeting, or “you did a good job” can improve self-esteem and performance. Greg extends that to workplace outcomes: morale, retention, innovation, less absenteeism, and better culture. (podopshost.com)
“It doesn’t take much. Simple smiles to strangers.” — Rich
The practical idea here is micro-recognition: short, sincere acknowledgment that someone’s effort mattered.
A simple kindness habit you can try (adapted from their examples):
- One sentence of recognition (specific, not vague): “Thank you for staying with that problem—your patience helped.”
- One sentence of human warmth: “I hope your day goes a little easier.”
- One moment of credit-sharing: “This went well because of you.”
Not performative. Not forced. Just human.
Culture, the Golden Rule, and Loving-Kindness: “How They Want to Be Treated”
Greg notes that kindness isn’t always universal in its expression—something that’s a compliment in one culture can land wrong in another. That’s where the conversation shifts from “what I’d want” to what the other person needs.
The episode mentions cultural frameworks like:
- The Golden Rule - often summarized as “do to others what you would have them do to you.” Britannica traces this tradition and notes it appears in multiple traditions and eras. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- A “negative” form sometimes described as don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you - a boundary-focused lens that emphasizes avoiding harm. (Britannica discusses this negative form in historical sources as well.) (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- Metta (loving-kindness) - part of the Buddhist brahmavihāras, often explained as practices of mental development like loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
And then Greg offers a modern upgrade many people resonate with:
Treat people the way **they** would like to be treated.
That’s kindness with humility: I don’t assume I’m the expert on your experience.
Self-Kindness: The Oxygen Mask Principle (And Why It’s Not Selfish)
Greg uses the airplane oxygen mask analogy: you secure your mask first so you can stay conscious enough to help someone else. Rich reinforces that caregivers and leaders have to practice self-care to sustain care for others. (podopshost.com)
This is a needed reminder for anyone living with:
- depression or anxiety
- chronic pain or fatigue
- disability or ongoing health challenges
- caregiver burnout
- trauma history
Self-kindness doesn’t mean “ignore everyone else.” It means you matter too, and you’re allowed to treat yourself like someone worth protecting.
Everyday Kindness You Can Repeat (Even If You’re Stuck at Home)
One of the most Hive-friendly parts of this episode is how doable their examples are:
- Rich returns grocery carts for parents juggling kids - because he remembers how stressful that moment can be. (podopshost.com)
- Greg praises customer service reps and then asks for a supervisor to share the compliment - creating a “two-for-one” ripple that lifts multiple people. (podopshost.com)
- Both emphasize the simplest one: a smile, a hello, a sincere thank-you - especially when someone looks tired or invisible. (podopshost.com)
A careful note on the suicide reference
Greg mentions a heartbreaking note associated with a bridge suicide: “If one person smiles at me on the way, I won’t go through with it.” In published reporting, a very similar quote appears in The New Yorker, attributed to Dr. Jerome Motto recounting a note left by a man headed to the Golden Gate Bridge. (The New Yorker)
A smile can’t prevent every tragedy. But this story underscores the episode’s point: tiny moments of recognition can be life-changing, especially for someone in a silent crisis.
If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, please reach out to a trusted person or local emergency/crisis services right away.
Key Takeaways
- Kindness is a practice, not a personality trait, small choices add up.
- “Helper’s high” isn’t just poetic: helping can activate the brain’s reward chemistry (including dopamine), which may reinforce the habit. (magazine.hms.harvard.edu)
- Kindness and volunteering are associated in research with benefits like stress reduction and improved health markers, though causality can be complex. (Harvard Health)
- Leadership kindness often looks like micro-recognition: specific, sincere positive feedback.
- Cultural humility matters: kindness lands best when it respects differences and preferences.
- Self-kindness is “oxygen mask first”—not selfish, but sustaining.
- If you can’t do a big thing today, do a repeatable small thing: one smile, one thank-you, one supportive message.
Resources & Links Mentioned
- KindnessRX: The home base Greg mentions for stories, resources, and topic suggestions. (podopshost.com)
- The Golden Rule (historical overview): Context on positive and negative forms across traditions. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- Brahmavihāra / Metta (loving-kindness) definition: Buddhist framework referenced in the episode. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- “Helper’s high” background: Harvard medical magazine discussion of the term and dopamine’s role in giving. (magazine.hms.harvard.edu)
- Helping others & brain health: Harvard Health notes serotonin/dopamine and loneliness protection via connection. (Harvard Health)
- Suicide note reporting context: The New Yorker passage quoting the note referenced in the episode. (May require subscription.) (The New Yorker)
Closing
Kindness won’t fix everything, but it can soften the edges of a hard day, reconnect us to purpose, and remind someone they’re not invisible. If this episode resonated, share a small kindness you’ve given (or received) lately in the comments. Even a “tiny” story can become someone else’s hope.
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Listen to The Podcast
https://podopshost.com/68bb1f4767d04/49801
Edited with the assistance of ChatGPT. Images created withNano Banana. I hold commercial licenses for each. (Images are for illustrative purposes only and do not depict the actual hosts.)