Growing Kindness™: Stories of kindness, generosity and community that inspire hope – Details, episodes & analysis

In a world that often feels divided and distant, I believe there’s still so much beauty to be found in small, simple acts of kindness. 

Welcome to the Growing Kindness™ podcast - a home for heartwarming stories, honest conversations, and reminders that what you do really does make a difference.

I’m Deanna Kitchen, founder of the Growing Kindness™ Movement, and I’m so glad you’re here. This trailer shares the heart behind this podcast - how stories about kindness and building community can restore our sense of connection, belonging, and hope.

Here’s a little of what you’ll hear:
• How a backyard garden turned into a global movement for spreading kindness and building community
• Real people who’ve faced illness, loss, and change - and found healing through flowers
• Why beauty and generosity still matter, especially in hard seasons
• What you can expect from this season of hope and encouragement, and how these stories can inspire your own acts of kindness

Pull up a chair as I share what’s in store for this season. I hope it reminds you that kindness still blooms - and that you have the power to grow it right where you are.

👉 Follow or Subscribe now to the Growing Kindness™ podcast so you don’t miss the first full episodes.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT:

Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners 

Donate to help kindness grow

Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates

Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags

What happens when a five-year-old says yes to a simple idea - and keeps saying yes for the next fifteen years? 

In this inspirational story about giving, I sit down with Maggie Hartman to talk about how one small act of generosity bloomed into a movement that’s helping thousands of people each year.

At just five years old, Maggie started selling flowers from her garden to fund a family trip. But what began as a small dream quickly grew into something extraordinary. Today, Maggie uses the funds raised from growing flowers to give Christmas gifts to families in need every year - a living example of the power of saying yes to what’s right in front of you. 

Through her story, we explore practical ways to give, how to find joy in generosity, and what happens when we choose to give back with what we have.

What you’ll hear:

• How a childhood flower stand became an inspirational story about giving and community impact
• The life-changing ripple effects that happen when we choose to give back
• Practical ways to give through flowers, service, and simple acts of kindness
• The surprising lessons Maggie learned about hope, patience, and the power of saying yes
• Real-life acts of kindness examples that show how generosity transforms both giver and receiver

Maggie’s journey reminds us that when we lean into the power of saying yes, we open the door to beauty, belonging, and purpose. Her story is proof that anyone - at any age - can give back in meaningful ways.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT:

Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners 

Donate to help kindness grow

Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates

Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags 

Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject

CONNECT WITH MAGGIE HARTMAN:

Instagram: @maggies_flowers

What if the hardest season of your life became the soil where kindness could grow? 

In this episode, I sit down with Alicia Plante, whose story is a beautiful reminder of the many ways to show kindness, even when life takes an unexpected turn.

After a stage four cancer diagnosis, Alicia found purpose and peace through her garden - growing and sharing flowers as acts of generosity and love. Her story is a testament to the mental health benefits of gardening, the healing power of giving, and how even the smallest acts can begin creating community. 

Together, we talk about how kindness can ground us in hope, nurture healing, and blossom into something that reaches far beyond ourselves, creating community in the most unexpected places.

You’ll hear:

• How gardening became a lifeline for Alicia’s healing and hope
• The simple but powerful stories about giving that remind us kindness still matters
• The emotional and physical mental health benefits of gardening
• Teaching children compassion and generosity through growing and giving
• How small acts of kindness ripple outward, creating community and belonging

Alicia’s story reminds us that even in the darkest seasons, beauty still grows.

There are so many ways to show kindness, share beauty, and help the world bloom - one story, one seed, one act of love at a time.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT:

Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners 

Donate to help kindness grow

Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates

Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags 

Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject

CONNECT WITH ALICIA PLANTE:

Instagram @queenplante

Have you ever wondered if one small act of kindness could truly make a difference? 

In this first episode, I share how a simple cut flower garden planted during a hard season became the beginning of a movement dedicated to spreading kindness around the world.

When I started the Growing Kindness™ Movement, I never imagined it would reach far beyond my own backyard. What began as a few jars of sweet peas gifted to strangers turned into a story of hope and encouragement, and connecting to community. In this episode, I open up about the doubts I faced when stepping into this work, stories about acts of kindness and the lessons they have taught me, and how beauty and generosity can bloom even in the hardest seasons.

Here’s what I’m sharing today:

• What inspired me to begin a cut flower garden and give flowers as acts of kindness
• How the Growing Kindness™ Movement started from one family’s garden
• The science behind why kindness is contagious
• What it means to practice spreading kindness even when it’s imperfect
• How small acts can create powerful ripples of connecting to community

If you’re looking for a little more hope and encouragement in your days, I’d love for you to grow kindness with us.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Full transcript available at this episode’s webpage.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT:

Join our free community of Growing Kindness™ Gardeners 

Donate to help kindness grow

Sign up for our newsletter for inspiration and updates

Explore free resources like our Growing Guide and bouquet tags 

Follow us on Instagram: @growingkindnessproject

MORE ABOUT THE HOST, DEANNA KITCHEN:

Growing up, Deanna Kitchen assumed her deep desire to connect with people and create community came from being raised in a tiny one-stoplight town. But over time, she’s come to realize that connection is more than where she’s from - it’s who she is. That same heartbeat for belonging became the seed that grew into The Growing Kindness ™ Movement.

Deanna believes deeply in the importance of connection and community, the power of small acts of kindness, and leaning into the limitless possibilities that our limitations provide us.

Married to her high school love (true story: they met through 4-H at the county fair) and mama to three amazing boys, they live together on their small scale flower farm @twigandvine, in a tiny town in Skagit Valley, about an hour north of Seattle. Together, their days are filled with flowers, farm critters and fairs, mountain biking and hiking.

They’ve always seen their home and farm as an opportunity to invite others into a place of rest and gathering and the Growing Kindness Movement has become a very special extension of that deeply held value.

What began with Deanna and her family’s simple act of growing and giving flowers has blossomed far beyond their farm fences. Today, Growing Kindness™ is a global movement - thousands of gardeners, givers, and dreamers around the world joining together to sow beauty, share hope, and remind one another that goodness still grows.