Summer Staff Picks: Kristin Neff

**Jakob Lewis** (0:00)
Hey friends, Jakob Lewis here, executive producer of No Small Endeavor. I'll be honest with you, for most of my life, I figured self-compassion was a soft and kind of selfish notion, a nice way of letting myself off the hook.
And then along came our episode with Kristin Neff, and it turned out, thankfully, I was wrong. So here around the office, we're all doing our summer staff picks, and mine is Kristin Neff's episode, and here's why. Her whole argument is that self-compassion isn't weak. She even wrote a book called Fierce Self-Compassion.
Her research shows that self-compassionate people, they keep their standards just as high as others. What changes is how they treat themselves when they fall short. The motivation comes from care, love, not fear.
The way I think about it now, it's talking to yourself the way a good friend would. And a good friend doesn't just tell you what you want to hear, they won't let you get away with something stupid precisely because they care. Because you're a good, worthy, and loved person. And we don't just present this stuff on the show. Lee and I were curious enough about this that we actually tried one of Kristen's exercises ourselves, and we wrote ourselves a self-compassionate letter every day for a week, and it genuinely worked. I was happier. And when I practice this stuff, I'm happier. And you could be too. So two things. One, give this episode a full listen through, lots of gems in there. And two, Kristen has a self-compassion workbook. Kind of rocked my world. It's full of exercises to put the stuff into practice. All right. Cheers. Enjoy.

**Lee C. Camp** (1:32)
I'm Lee C. Camp, and this is No Small Endeavor, exploring what it means to live a good life.
Conventional wisdom has it that human flourishing requires heavy doses of high self-esteem. But today I sit down with a vocal critic of the cult of self-esteem, professor and author, Kristin Neff. She says, the biggest problem with self-esteem is that it tends to be contingent, that an undue focus upon self-esteem can lead us only to feeling good about ourselves when we succeed.
So what does she offer as a better path to our individual and collective flourishing?
Self-compassion. Today, an in-depth conversation with Kristin Neff, with a little help from psychiatrist and author, Kurt Thompson, in which we discuss the way self-compassion may be a healthier, more effective alternative to self-esteem, as well as the practices that may help us to develop a framework of self-compassion in our own lives. Hey friends, Lee here. If you enjoy our conversations at the intersection of faith, purpose, and living well, then I have the perfect podcast recommendation for you, With and For, hosted by Dr. Pam King. With and For's latest season brings together psychology and spiritual wisdom in a way that feels thoughtful, grounded, deeply human. And it's hosted by my friend, Dr. Pam King, a developmental psychologist and ordained minister, who offers practical guidance towards a life of thriving. I'd recommend starting with their episode featuring Parker J. Palmer, world renowned writer, speaker, activist, Quaker elder, who focuses on issues in education, spirituality, and social change. A moving and instructive conversation. Can't recommend it enough. Also check out With and For's special summer series of wisdom practices, released each Monday. There are short exercises shared by guests that will become a tool kit for thriving. Consider them your experiment in becoming more fully alive. So go ahead, follow With and For, hosted by Dr. Pam King, wherever you're listening now.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:30)
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**SPEAKER_4** (4:01)
Getting to a great idea is hard in college. Nonsensical essays, cringe-inducing presentations, and seemingly unsolvable problem sets.
But then, the first thought becomes the final thesis. Jumbled slides transform into a polished keynote. And that midterm assignment gets a lot less mid. Because the road to great ideas is littered with bad ones. You just have to keep going until something clicks.
Great ideas start on Mac. Find out more on apple.com/college.

**Lee C. Camp** (4:30)
Kristin Neff received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley. Is currently an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Kristin is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research. In addition to writing numerous academic articles on the topic, she's also the author of the book Self Compassion, The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, and most recently, Fierce Self Compassion, How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive. Welcome, Kristin.