From heartbreak to hope: the Aussie movement proving kindness heals

Australian Community Media

Kindness ambassador Kath Koschel turned personal trauma into purpose. In this exclusive interview, she shares how small acts of compassion helped her overcome life-shattering adversity and inspired her global movement teaching kindness in thousands of schools.

Transcript

00:00we are more lonely right now than we've ever been before yet we're more digitally and

00:04technologically connected than we've ever been what is the antidote to loneliness it's belonging

00:10we're hardwired for connection I've got a friend who's just taken long service leave and I said

00:14what are you going to do she said I don't know I just can't face work anymore and I said what

00:18what's the problem and she said well I work from home every day most of the time I don't talk to

00:22anyone because she's single lives by herself etc and I was like I think I feel like you're just

00:27lonely at the moment like why don't you go to the gym classes that you used to go to or go for a

00:33walk and with your dog to the dog park and just chat to someone and I feel like that might start

00:37to shift and the impact of being lonely is is now compared to smoking a packet of cigarettes today

00:44in terms of cigarettes per day in terms of its effect on our physical and mental health again

00:51the antidote to loneliness is belonging and we get belonging through connection and the kinder we are

00:56the more connections that we tend to have so our relationships start to improve we can have deeper

01:01connections when we are kind and again it's it's got to be true and authentic kindness not niceness so

01:07the great story I tell one of my best mates when I was in rehab um I was there for 12 months and I

01:15hadn't even reached a weak milestone I was on day six and I was way too far ahead of myself and I was

01:20just battling I was like I don't want to be here like it's horrible I called my best mate Erin and I

01:25said mate and I could barely get the words out said could you come and pick me up she said what

01:30do you mean you're in rehab I was there visiting yesterday and I said I know mate um but I'm

01:34battling and if my health deteriorates then I'm okay with that but I can't be here anymore

01:39and um she kind of paused and I could tell she was battling too because she was breathing heavy

01:44heavy and um and she hated that I was in there and she just said mate um it's breaking me to hear

01:51this way like you're my best mate and there's nothing in the world I wouldn't do for you you know

01:54that and if I could trade places with you I would but I can't Kath and that kills me to say but I'm

02:00going to make you a promise instead I won't come and pick you up I'll come visit right now and we're

02:04going to hug and do whatever we need to do but my promise beyond that is that if you pick up your

02:09phone at any hour of the day I don't care what time it is 2 a.m 3 a.m I really don't care my promise

02:14is that I'm going to answer it and I'm going to come in and I'm going to hold your hand and we're

02:18going to take these steps together you're not alone I've seen you do hard things you can get

02:22this done and I always referred back to that this is one of the most poignant moments of my life

02:28where I was like that's true friendship to me and that's kindness in action nice in that moment would

02:33have been this yeah I agree it's a hellhole I'll come pick you up and we'll go wherever we'll go

02:38get ice cream and beer whatever you want to get but she didn't she just acknowledged that that was the

02:43best place for me to be in that moment I needed to face into it but uh but the most important part was

02:47I wasn't alone and I always say that's the difference but that's kindness in action not

02:52niceness in action

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