Category: Podcasts

Episode 153: Kindness Is Making Poetry—Creating meaningful poems for strangers

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Hannah Monsour joins Anitha to talk about creating moving and thoughtful poems almost instantly. Hannah calls herself a typewriter poet. She can be found in Central Park in New York City meeting strangers who share personal parts of their lives.

Screenshot
Zoe Branch and Hannah Monsour setup outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, usually from Thursday to Sunday. Photographed in December 2023. Photo Credit Amulya Hiremath

Hannah transforms their words into on-the-spot meaningful poems. She shares some of these encounters, including taking part in wedding proposals. Hannah even creates a poem for Anitha during the episode.

A testament to the healing power of words.

To find out more about Hannah, her poetry and her podcast!!, check out these links:

Hannah’s Instagram

Podcast—Poking Around

As a thank you to Hannah for sharing her story, Anitha donated to The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. To learn more about what they do, check out their website:

The Trevor Project

To hear the full episode click here:

Episode 152: Kindness Is Remembering Esther—Continuing the legacy of Esther the Wonder Pig.

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Steve Jenkins, often known as one of Esther the Wonder Pig’s dad’s, joins Anitha to talk about his life with Esther, grieving her passing and creating a legacy in her name.

Steve talks about being back at the farm where he lived with Esther and so many other beautiful individuals. He gives a fun update about the animals he currently shares his home with, both inside and outside the house, AND he talks about Operation Angels, his new initiative to help other farm sanctuaries.

 An emotional and uplifting conversation with one of the kindest humans.

 To follow Steve and learn more about his continuing efforts to help animals, check out the following links:

Steve Jenkins – Website

Steve on Facebook

Esther The Wonder Pig-Facebook

Operation Angels – Website

As a thank you to Steve for sharing his story, Anitha donated to Ralphy’s Retreat Animal Sanctuary. Their mission is to provide a safe haven for abandoned, neglected, and abused pot-bellied pigs, as well as those piggies that can no longer stay with their families. The sanctuary is also home to alpacas, horses, donkeys, cats, feathered friends, goats and sheep. To learn more about them, check out their website:

Ralphy’s Retreat

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 151: Kindness Is The Vegan Report—A space for all fronts of the animal liberation movement.

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Animal activist and podcast host, Rayane Laddi joins Anitha to talk about his wonderful podcast, The Vegan Report. Rayane shares some of his favorite episodes and his guest wish list—Ricky Gervais & Bruce Friedrich, the founder of Good Food Institute!! Rayane also offers tips for anyone considering starting their own podcast!

To follow Rayane and listen to his awesome podcast, click here:

Vegan Report- Podcast

To learn more about Map Your Health, the initiative Rayane spoke about, click here:

Map Your Health

As a thank you to Rayane for sharing his story, Anitha donated to Dharma Voices for Animals, a non-profit dedicated to ending animal suffering within Buddhist communities by promoting plant-based living and a cruelty-free lifestyle.

To learn more about them, check out their website: Dharma Voices For Animals

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 150: Kindness Is The Animal Save Movement—Creating an eco-friendly vegan world, for the animals, the planet, and health.

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Bearing witness to a truck full of pigs being carted off to slaughter while walking her dog, drove Anita Krajnc to become an animal activist. Together she and her dog Mr. Bean, co-founded The Animal Save Movement.

Anita talks about the love-based, grassroots approach to activism the organization follows. She shares why it is important to bear witness as the pigs are being driven into the kill facilities. Since its inception in 2010, the organization has grown and includes chapters all over the world. An incredible conversation about finding our humanity and kindness.

To learn more about The Animal Save Movement, check out their website:

The Save Movement Website

As a thank you to Anita for sharing her story, Anitha donated to the Better Food Foundation. This organization is focused on building more sustainable and compassionate food systems by advancing plant-based food solutions. To learn more about them, check out their website:

Better Food Foundation

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 149: Kindness Is Loving Octopuses—A young girl dedicated to helping octopuses.

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Eleven-year-old Lily Niederhofer joins Anitha to talk about her favourite animal—the octopus!

Lily raises awareness about the plight of octopuses, in particular the horrible conditions they would endure in an octopus farm. As an avid swimmer, she uses her skills to raise money to help protect oceans and the marine life who call it home, including octopuses.

 An uplifting episode to say goodbye to 2025 and hello to 2026. This one is full of hope and inspires us all to be kind.

To learn more about Lily and her activism, check out these links:

Lily & Swim For Impact on Instagram

One Ocean Planet Website

As a thank you to Lily for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Animal Rights Initiative. This organization works to dismantle the systemic use and abuse of animals in the food, health, entertainment and fashion industries. To learn more about their work, check out their website:

Animal Rights Initiative Website

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 148: Kindness Is Queer Brown Vegan—Advocating for diversity & inclusion in environmental education.

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Isaias Hernandez, an environmentalist, storyteller and content creator, joins Anitha to talk about advocating for animals, the environment and folks from underrepresented communities.

A timely episode as the holidays remind us to show compassion for all beings.

To learn more about Isaias, the work they do to create a kinder space for all, and follow their social media accounts, check out their website:

QueerBrownVegan

As a thank you to Isaias for being a guest on the podcast, Anitha donated to Food Empowerment Project. This non-profit advocates that food choices can change the world. By making informed, ethical food choices, we can all take a stand against human and non-human animal abuse. You can learn more about them on their website:

Food Empowerment Project

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 147: Kindness Is Bags Without Barriers—Providing essential supplies so all individuals can be successful.

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Justin Osei-Dwumoh joins Anitha to talk about his amazing initiative called Bags Without Barriers.

When Justin realized that not everyone has access to essential school supplies—items that are not only necessary to succeed in school, but also can affect one’s self worth, he decided to help.

Partnering with organizations such as Herschel Supply Co., Justin fills backpacks with paper, pencils, markers, and more. Then, he hands them out in areas where the need is great.

In addition to helping students, Bags Without Barriers also supports underserved new moms by providing them with diaper bags filled with vital supplies to help them and their children.

The perfect episode to showcase the meaning of compassion, important all year round, but especially meaningful at this time of the year.

To find out more about Bags Without Barriers and the wonderful work they are doing, check out their website:

Bags Without Barriers

As a thank you to Justin for sharing his story, Anitha donated to Save Our Scruff. A dog rescue that grew organically from a community wanting to give their time and efforts to advocate for dogs in many different spaces. To learn more about Save Our Scruff, check out their website:

Save Our Scruff

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 146: Kindness Is Creating Frankie’s World–Advocating for one of society’s most misrepresented beings, rats.

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Mariah Madigan, the founder of Frankie’s World joins Anitha to talk about her journey to creating a sanctuary for rats.

Mariah first fell in love with rats when an adorable rat named Frankie came into her life. Frankie was such a great companion for Mariah and when Frankie passed, Mariah decided to create a sanctuary to honour her soulmate.

Mariah realizes that most folks have negative preconceptions about rats but she also knows that once folks meet a rat their opinions quickly change. Folks realize how smart and clean and affectionate rats truly are. Sadly, rats have been treated very badly in society. From being subjected to cruel experiments and medical testing, to being depicted as dirty and basically maligned. But once you actually learn the truth about rats, you realize they are clean, smart, very affectionate and make great companions.

This is such heartwarming episode to get us into the holiday spirit of love and compassion for all beings.

To find out more about Mariah and the incredible sanctuary she has created, check out these sites:

Frankie’s World Website

Frankie’s World on Instagram

As a thank you to Mariah for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Frankie’s World.

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 145:Kindness Is Teachers for Future Turtle Island—Educating on colonialism, equality, climate crisis & more.

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Kim Benson wears many hats—teacher, human rights advocates, animal activist, climate activist and all-around kind human. She joins Anitha to talk about Teachers for Future Turtle Island, a group working to dismantle systems of colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy and white supremacy. Kim talks about how these systems have caused and continue to cause ecological collapse, war, genocide & the suffering of all beings, human and non-human alike. Kim believes it is important to teach children about these issues in an age-appropriate manner.

Kim also shares the meaning behind the name of the group. Turtle Island is the Indigenous name for the continent of North America. This name represents the Indigenous community’s deep connection to the land and appreciation for nature. Something we can all learn from.

To find out more about Teachers For Future Turtle Island, check out their Instagram account:

Teachers For Future Turtle Island on IG

As a thank you to Kim for sharing his story, Anitha donated to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). As the largest animal liberation organization in the world, PETA focuses their efforts on helping animals who suffer in laboratories, the food industry, the clothing trade and the entertainment business. To learn more about PETA, check out their website:

PETA

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 144: Kindness Is Racing To Zero—Helping sports organizations tackle climate change.

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Oliver Scholfield, an Olympic Athlete, joins Anitha to talk about creating a business that combinec his love of sport with his passion for the environment. Racing To Zero is dedicated to addressing the negative impact the sporting world has on the climate AND coming up with solutions to reduce this impact.

Oliver shares some of the simple solutions sporting organizations can implement to minimize their harm on the environment. An episode that makes you believe positive change is possible.

To learn more about Oliver and Racing To Zero, check out these links:

Racing To Zero Website

Racing To Zero Instagram

Oliver’s Instagram

Email – info@racingtozero.ca

As a thank you to Oliver for sharing his story, Anitha donated to High Impact Athletes. This organization connects athletes to the most impactful causes in the world. They focus on three areas, Global Health and Poverty, Animal Welfare and Climate Change. At Oliver’s request, Anitha donated to the Environmental Portfolio.

To learn more about High Impact Athletes and the causes they support, check out their website:

High Impact Athletes

To hear the full episode, click here: