The Kindness Chronicles

What can happen when two families reach across racial lines and choose friendship in a divided world?  In this episode of The Kindness Chronicles, author Eric Christianson shares the remarkable true story of the Davids and Sims families—one white, one Black—whose friendship began in 1959 and grew through letters, visits, and a shared belief in the goodness of people. Told through the families’ act...

What happens when you’ve spent decades building a successful career, only to find yourself asking, “What comes next?”  In this episode of the Kindness Chronicles Podcast, we sit down with Michael Dempsey to explore the pursuit of happiness, the search for meaning, and the next chapter of life after retirement. Michael shares stories from his professional journey, including the early career moment...

The school cafeteria can be a lonely place, where cliques and social status shape who feels welcome.  In this episode of The Kindness Chronicles, we share stories that show how one small act of inclusion can stay with someone for years. Oliver Foit remembers choosing a classmate who was usually picked last for a basketball team. When she asked, “Are you sure?” he told her, “Absolutely.” Years late...

What happens when you take the price off a restaurant menu and simply trust people? When South Minneapolis restaurant owner and chef Dylan Alverson removed the prices from Modern Times Cafe, he thought he was responding to a crisis in his neighborhood. Instead, he launched an unexpected experiment in human nature. Over the next seven months, more than 30,000 meals were served with no prices attach...

This week on The Kindness Chronicles, the KCP Crew welcomes Robert “Briggsy” Briggs: second-grade teacher, coach, musician, husband, and father of three. Robert shares how great teachers inspired him to enter the classroom, why second grade is such a special age, and how social-emotional learning helps kids build empathy, gratitude, and confidence. He also talks about balancing family, teaching, c...

What if the most extraordinary thing about a life is how ordinary it was? In this episode of the Kindness Chronicles, longtime Mahtomedi friend and author Bob Pechman joins us to talk about Hearts of Hickory—the story of his parents, Clarence and Barb, and the extraordinary legacy they built through ordinary acts of love. Raising six children, they didn’t leave behind a life of fame or fortune. Th...

What if the movies we love are trying to tell us something about ourselves?  Kevin Harris has spent the last decade exploring that question through his Meaning on the Screen YouTube channel, taking a deeper look at the stories, symbols, and themes hiding beneath the surface of the movies we love. In this episode of The Kindness Chronicles, Kevin joins us for a conversation about the movies that sh...

What if lowering your expectations could actually make you happier?  Todd Smith has taken a pretty unconventional path. From forming the band Johnny Clueless with Steve Brown in the early ’90s, to stand-up comedy, becoming a licensed clinical therapist, and now sharing daily videos that blend humor, music and life lessons, Todd has spent a lifetime finding different ways to connect with people.  I...

When an A/C emergency collides with podcast night, you invite the technician to pull up a chair. In this episode of The Kindness Chronicles, the crew meets Mitchell—the HVAC tech who arrived to rescue John’s aging air conditioner and unexpectedly became the perfect guest.  What starts as a house call quickly becomes a conversation about working through brutal Minnesota heat, climbing into scorchin...

⚽💧 What if the world's greatest team wasn't playing for a trophy...but for clean water? In this special episode of The Kindness Chronicles, we welcome the Salesforce and WASH for Life volunteers who traveled to Malawi, Africa, for what we call The World Cup of Kindness.  Representing five countries across four continents, this international team united with one mission: to bring hope,...

What happens after the spotlight fades?  On this episode of the Kindness Chronicles, John, Steve, and Jeff welcome former Limited Warranty lead guitarist Erik Newman, joining them from his off-grid ranch on Hawaii’s Big Island. Erik reflects on his remarkable journey—from learning guitar as a teenager at Bloomington Lincoln High School, to helping transform Limited Warranty from a local cover band...

Reviving a Marching Band Legacy: How Teachers Build Community in Forest Lake | The Kindness Chronicles  Steve and Jeff fill in for John and discuss Steve’s volunteer experience at the Special Olympics USA Games ESPN Unified Sports Challenge at Allianz Field, where he accompanied producer Jimmy "Jam" Harris and various celebrity sideline coaches.  They then welcome Forest Lake educators J...

Minnesota Nice at Lionel Richie & Earth, Wind & Fire + A Day with Jimmy Jam at Special Olympics  The hosts recap attending the Earth, Wind & Fire and Lionel Richie concert in St. Paul, including memories of their first concert together decades ago, Earth, Wind & Fire’s energetic set and deep catalog, and a merch moment that coincided with seeing a recent KCP guest. Lionel Richie op...

In this episode, we welcome strategic executive leader and event producer Kelly Olson, joined by her husband Eric Scott Olson, to discuss her career in live events and television and her current work on the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in the Twin Cities.  Kelly shares her origin story working on the 1991 Special Olympics opening ceremony, including an early assignment to find a piano for Princ...

In this episode, the hosts reflect on KG’s father’s memorial and the support from family, friends, and organizations, then share details for the July 12 Semper Fi Flo hole-in-one challenge fundraiser at Loggers Trail Golf Course in Stillwater.  The conversation features special guest Jeff Meslow, a 25-year NCAA football official and 10-year Big Ten line judge, who describes his path from starting...

At a Minnesota Masonic Charities scholarship event, the CEO explains a scholarship program designed to recognize everyday kindness by having students nominate a peer and share the award. The program’s purpose is to uncover and celebrate stories of service that often go unnoticed, highlighting how simple actions can create ripple effects across schools and communities. Throughout the night, several...

On The Kindness Chronicles podcast, John Schwietz surprises Winona State student Addison Nash—called while she’s on a boat—after her friend Sienna nominates her for a Minnesota Masonic Charities Selfless Scholarship, awarding $5,000 shared between Addison and Sienna; they discuss Addison’s empathy, the death of her brother Tommy from sudden cardiac arrest, and the family’s Be Like Tommy nonprofit...

KCP Crew Reacts to Eric Church’s “Six Strings of Life” UNC 2026 Commencement The KC Crew discuss graduation season and family updates, including a daughter graduating from the University of Minnesota, then do a “reaction video” to Eric Church’s 2026 University of North Carolina commencement speech. Church frames life like a six-string guitar, urging graduates to keep key “strings” in tune: faith,...

The KC Crew learned that The Kindness Chronicles was ranked #2 on Feedspot’s “30 Best Kindness Podcasts for 2026,” THANK YOU, listeners! They quickly review the Masonic Children’s Hospital gala that raised about $2.5 million, as an example of kindness through philanthropy. The episode then focuses on an extended discussion of The Blues Brothers, including Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s origin stor...

In the 200th episode of The Kindness Chronicles, the hosts welcome back storyteller and former advertising executive Neal Ford to discuss how his ad career shaped his focus on emotionally resonant communication and how a viral TikTok story launched his social media storytelling. Neal recounts a 1969 experience when strangers helped his family after a car breakdown near Bakersfield, restoring his f...

After a couple of “LONG Stories,” we explore the oxytocin-inducing storytelling of the late great Rob Reiner

Our scheduled guest was unable to join us, SO…More Wild talk (that’s all KG knows…and movies), and Steve leads us in another one of his Kindness Comebacks game. 

A playoff preview for the Minnesota Wild with KG followed by game show host, Steve Brown, and his Kindness comebacks.

The KCP Crew welcomes Anytime Fitness co-founder Chuck Runyon, who reflects on growing up on the East Side of St. Paul and his journey in building Anytime Fitness, which comprises nearly 6,000 global locations.  Chuck discusses the challenges and innovations during COVID closures, and outlines the company’s emphasis on training, nutrition, recovery, senior fitness programs, storytelling-driven cul...