In an increasingly polarizing world, the simple but powerful quality of being kind can be elusive. So much so, that one San Luis Obispo County resident stepped in as a kindness coach.
“After [President Donald] Trump got elected, and the news started getting really negative, and there was a lot of conflict and … I just wanted to remind people about all the goodness there was,” Clare Kindness owner Clare Kennedy said.
“So, I had a kindness blog, and then that turned into a podcast where I went around business leaders in San Luis and talked to them about how they were being successful in their business by making kindness their trademark.”
Kennedy said that she felt sad watching the rapid succession of news about hate crimes, “that people were dehumanizing other people from where they were born, or what they looked like, or who they loved.” She added she wanted to remind people that goodness still persisted in the world.
Kennedy developed signature talks about the power of kindness in the workplace. She debuted motivational speeches at Laguna Middle School when it reopened for students to attend in-person classes after the COVID-19 lockdown.
“We have a lot of cool people here doing really neat things to solve problems, whether bringing showers to unhoused people, or the Diversity Coalition of SLO working to share stories and build bridges to connect people, and just remind people that we’re wired for goodness and there’s so much good in the world,” she said.
Often, workplaces in SLO approach Kennedy for her kindness workshops to tackle the expensive problem of employee retention. Kennedy mentioned that the best people stay on if employers can transform the office space into a more empathetic setting.
“There’s also gossip and problems with communication,” she added. “Kindness is clarity, so just being assertive in your communication, and not aggressive or passive, but … asserting your needs to your employer or an employer asserting their needs to their employee.”
While Kennedy drew inspiration from Oregon-based kindness consultant Linda Cohen, who works with large companies, she prefers to engage with small business owners and nonprofits. Kennedy helps people with a plethora of tasks like onboarding employees correctly, demonstrating how to celebrate diverse holidays, how to market to a variety of people, and how to incorporate philanthropy and activism in their businesses.
She dreams of writing a New York Times bestselling book about kindness and wants to have a Netflix show about kind leaders in business. As short-term goals, Kennedy wants to build a kindness directory on her website, clarekindness.com, and even give awards to local business owners for being kindness leaders. Visit her website to book her for events and to listen to her kindness podcast.
“I want to share with people that if you’re a nice person, it’s different than being kind. So, if you look up nice in the dictionary, it means you’re pleasant and inoffensive. But I don’t want to aim to be nice,” Kennedy said. “I want to aim to be kind, because sometimes I offend people, but if I want to speak out on human rights abuses and I want to get political, I’m fine doing that.”
Fast facts
• Spokes will host a workshop for nonprofits led by instructor Alisa Chatinsky about organizational assessment, succession planning, and everything in between. It will take place on Aug. 29 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at 3533 Empleo St., SLO. Visit spokesfornonprofits.org to learn more about the organization, which provides resources for nonprofits, and to sign up.
• Downtown SLO will host the first Cider, Beer, & Spirits Stroll on Sep. 29 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The walking tour of downtown SLO retailers and boutiques serving beverages doubles as a fundraising event for nonprofit Friends of Downtown SLO. Purchase tickets at my805tix.com/e/fallfest. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 15-25, 2024.