#249- Compassion in Action: Inspiring Stories from Global Changemakers with Kathy Kelly and LeeAnne Lavender

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Today’s episode was recorded in the studio of American Community School of Amman in Jordan which is located on the boarders of Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Palestine. 

A big shoutout and very special thanks to my inspirational friend Mo Hourani and his team at the American Community School of Amman for hosting the Compassion Summit, an event devoted to promoting peace.

What ACS in Jordan believes is that "When there is no compassion there can be no peace, and that when we know compassion, we then might know peace."

I was honored to have been invited to be a keynote speaker alongside 2 inspiringly, compassionate humans doing amazing work to make a difference in the world in their own unique ways, Kathy Kelly and LeeAnne Lavender.

This chat covers a lot of ground, but in particular what it is that both Kathy and Leanne feel compelled to share through their work, what being self-compassion means, and how we can all take action on being more compassionate in a world that needs people to step up and be more kind and caring. 

Kathy will share the real story behind the beautiful short song you heard in the introduction to this podcast which was sung by two students at the school here in Jordan. Special thanks to Dunia and Faye for taking the time to record this song and share it with me. You are brilliant humans and ACSA is lucky to have you both as their students.

Kathy is an international peace activist from the United States. She is an author and one of the founding members of Voices in the Wilderness, and is currently a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. As part of peace teamwork in several countries, she has traveled to Iraq twenty-six times, notably remaining in combat zones during the early days of both U.S.-Iraq wars. Her recent travel has focused on Afghanistan and Gaza, along with domestic protests against U.S. drone policy. She has been arrested more than 60 times at home and abroad, and has written of her experiences among targets of U.S. military bombardment and inmates of U.S. prisons. 

LeeAnne cares a lot about compassion, storytelling and service. She is a storyteller and poet, as well as a coach and facilitator for international educators; she spends a lot of time exploring the power of stories to connect people in ways that promote peace, empathy and kindness. She’s committed to helping educators and students build changemaker/changeseeker cultures so we can all engage in positive, purposeful action. You can learn more about LeeAnne at https://www.leeannelavender.com/ 

This conversation covers a lot of ground but in particular what it is that both Kathy and Leanne feel compelled to share through their work, what being self-compassion means, and how we can all take action on being more compassionate in a world that needs people to step up and be more kind and caring. 

Kathy will also share the real story behind the beautiful short song you heard in the introduction to this podcast which was sung by Dunia and Faye who are both students at  ACSA. Hope you enjoy this podcast. 

Connect With Kathy and LeeAnne

Kathy Kelly
Twiiter
LinkedIn
Website

LeeAnne Lavender
Twitter