Guests Tell Stories of Great Kindness - Holiday Special ep 67

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview 

Shownotes: Guests Tell Stories of Great Kindness - Holiday Special ep 67

Kindness is contagious—and sometimes it comes from the most unexpected places. In this holiday special, four Sh!t Happy guests share unforgettable moments when kindness changed everything. From strangers guarding luggage and chiropractors offering healing on the beach, to a surprise champagne celebration and the power of one encouraging word, these stories remind us how mental health, resilience, and wellbeing grow when people choose kindness.

Topics

• Random acts of kindness from strangers
• The life-changing power of encouragement
• Small gestures that have lasting impact
• Healing through generosity and compassion
• Celebrating milestones with community and love

Episode Transcript:  https://shithappy.com/guests-share-abo…ay-special-ep-66/

Find Related Episodes on Apple Podcasts:

  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shit-happy-with-toni-powell/id1829230570

• # 5 Miracle On The Camino with Stephanie Bergeron
• # 38  She Did The Impossible With Tammy Van Wisse
• # 44 The Sky Is Not The Limit with Cran Middlecoat 

#Wellbeing, #Mindfulness, #Motivation, #kindness, #randomactsofkindness,

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

Are you shit happy it's the holidays? Phil and I are, so we decided to treat you. On the sly, we've been asking our guests extra questions so that we could create a fun series of holiday specials just for you. They're surprising, they're themed, and I love them. So let's get shit happy together. These are some of the answers guests gave when I asked them about a kindness that had been done toward them. Sometimes a kindness comes from a complete stranger, which is what our crisis meets comedy guest Maida experienced. Okay, so you do you have a story about someone being especially kind to you? Was that one?

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Yes. So many years ago I was in Melbourne and I was on my way to the airport to come visit my then love, who later became my husband, now my ex. And I was gonna take public transport, pulled all my luggage to the bus stop. I had to catch a bus to another bus stop and then catch another bus. So it was a long way. And then as soon as I got to I got to the bus stop, I realized I had left something really important at home. And I was like, there's no way I'll be able to go back with the luggage. So I just took the risk, left the luggage there at the bus stop, this is a very deserted area, and ran back to the house. When I came back, there was a car standing near the bus stop waiting for me. So this mother and son, the lady was Muslim, she was in hijab, and at the time I was a hijabi as well. I used to have scarf. And he they had seen me running and they had waited to look after my luggage. So once I arrived, I was like, I was surprised that they said, We were worried that you were running like that. Where are you going? I said, I'm going to the train, I'm going to the airport. And then they dropped me. It was they were strangers, and that was just so nice. And this was a time I was going through some rough times as well. So this stranger, just this act of kindness from a stranger, just it was great. And then they gave me their phone number. If you ever need anything, contact us. That just makes me emotional talking about it. So that's what came to my mind when I saw the question. That's so lovely.

SPEAKER_05 2:23

Wow, what great people to do that for it. That's incredibly thoughtful.

SPEAKER_04 2:29

You can ask us anything. There's a link in the show notes to do just that. I can't guarantee a sensible answer. Who knows what you'll get? But give it a try anyway.

SPEAKER_05 2:41

Crane Middlecoat was a pilot who, due to a cyst in his brain, tragically lost his beloved career, and this has forced him to go in some very different directions. When I asked him this question, his answer surprised me, and I hesitated to share it with you, and you'll see why when you hear it. A story about kindness toward you.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Someone who was kind towards me.

SPEAKER_05 3:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Oh, I am quite a blessed man. I've had a lot of those, but the story that when I first read, when we first started talking about having a podcast, and this sort of came to mind, and actually, it was actually about you, Tony. It was actually about you. And it was when we met at a business networking event in Brisbane. Yeah. And I was very early on in my speaker career. And to the point I'm I was still contemplating it and how I could make it work. And I was asked to by the gentleman who was leading the networking event to do get up and just do my introduction. And I did that. And this very kind lady came up to me and complimented me at how well I spoke. And that was really encouraging, Tony. And that was something I really no one had said that to me. I was very early on in my career, no one had ever really given me a compliment on how well I speak, and that I should be considering it further. And I thought that would be, I just thought that was really appropriate to share on your podcast today, because one of those points of kindness was actually you being very kind to me and being very encouraging. So that's that story I wanted to share with you there. That's thank you.

SPEAKER_05 4:16

Oh, that's my pleasure. Well, when I heard your story, I'm like, people need to hear this story. He needs to be on stages telling this story. Yeah, so I was really excited about seeing you, Steve.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Yeah. Yeah, and I'm starting to get momentum there now. So the new website's up, so we're getting it.

SPEAKER_05 4:32

Fantastic. Good on you. So of course I was worried it was too self-serving, which just isn't a great look. However, there are two reasons I'm sharing it anyway. Only four of my guests answered this question, and they were all very short, so I didn't really have any other options of ones to share. However, the far more important reason is that it illustrates something that's incredibly important. It's something I teach a lot about as well. How important it is to speak positively to people and encourage them. We all get a lot of criticism, bullying, all sorts of things. We don't get enough of the other, and Crane was nervous. He was a stranger with a mic and uncomfortable with that mic. Yet despite his discomfort, his story was powerful, and I really saw a huge amount of potential in him. However, if no one tells you the potential they saw, how would you know? How would he know if I didn't tell him or if someone didn't tell him? And so I did tell him. I wanted him to know how well he'd done. And what I found, and you probably found too, is we never know when our words have a lasting impact. And that day they did have an impact. Crane has gone on to build a career as a speaker, and he still calls me his speaker mother. So just a few words can make a massive difference to someone's life. And Crane's also been very kind to Phil, and I have quite the passion for small planes. My mother had her pilot's license and part owner in a little plane, so it brings back a lot of good memories for me. And Crane lost his commercial license but still has his uh small plane license, and he took us flying with him one day, which was fantastic. Check out Cran's episode number 44 if you haven't heard it. I'll share two more. One from Stephanie Bejeron, and you know her from the Camino episodes, and the final one from Tammy, the marathon swimmer, who also faced cancer and a bunch of other horrible things a few years ago. And an act of kindness toward you.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

Yeah, sure. When I came back in Australia in 2010, it was the first day I was here. I was really stiff. My back was stiff from the long flights and sleepless nights. And I was at Bondai Beach and I saw a man coming out of the water with fins and a snow cold, and I just inquired, oh, are there any fish in there? Anything interesting? And we just started chatting, and it turned out that the guy was a chiropractor, and and my own said, is you know, osteopath. Osteopath. An osteopath. And yeah, and he gave me a session right there on the beach. That's pretty good. And I'm like, oh, if I could really end that that day in such beauty, I would find a fangipani flowers, which are my favorite flowers, and we don't have them in Canada because of the climate. And then I was just walking up the stairs off the beach, and there was a beautiful, pure Fangipani flower waiting for me in the steps, and there was there were absolutely no fangie penny trees around. So for me, that was a sign of welcome back to a welcome back home.

SPEAKER_05 8:05

And last question of this part is kindness toward you. What has been a great act of kindness toward you?

SPEAKER_02 8:14

Oh my goodness. I have had so many acts of kindness that I really found it difficult to pick just one, to be honest with you. But I'll share a moment with you. So when I went through my breast cancer journey and I was having treatment, chemo, and radiation, my last radiation session, as I had finished and came out into the waiting room, one of my best girlfriends from Swimming Days had snuck in and coordinated all of this with the reception team. And she was waiting there with balloons and a bottle of champagne, and they that everybody went, because normally it's quite a small, you walk out, yeah, I'm done. And I just burst into tears to see her there. And she'd organized for us to go out to lunch straight afterwards as well. So it was super special and super kind, and just one of those moments to celebrate such a monumental achievement endurance event and getting through all my breast cancer treatment. So that was really amazing.

SPEAKER_05 9:19

So that's all for today. I'd love you to share this with someone else. Share it with lots of friends.

SPEAKER_06 9:27

Goodbye, goodbye. I'm in your head now, your head now. Goodbye, goodbye. I'm in your head.