I’m lucky enough to be friends and colleagues with Sara Schairer, the founder of a nonprofit called Compassion It. We live close enough to each other in the beach towns of San Diego that I can ride my bike to brunches, wine evenings, and brainstorming work meetings with her.

She recently gave a TEDx Talk at the University of California Santa Barbara. She gently challenged her audience to think about how often they “google it” and consider what it would be like if everyone would “compassion it” with that same frequency. What if we all chose to be intentional every day about realizing that everyone we interact with is struggling or suffering in some way, and to be more compassionate to them?

In this thought-provoking TEDx Talk about compassion, Sara breaks down what compassion is and what it is not (you might be surprised), examples of her work in action in settings like a men’s prison, and what little actions we can all do every day to make a difference.

~Dr. Jenn Gunsaullus — Sociologist, Intimacy Speaker, & Communication Coach