Mango Bite #2: Kindness Always Wins!

For the month of December, The Mango Times podcast is taking a breather while I gear up for Season 6. In the meantime, I’m sharing weekly Mango Bites — small, meaningful moments pulled from the early days of the show.

For the second week, this Mango Bite comes from Episode 13 where I sat down with my favorite guest, my wife Kendra. 

We revisit a powerful conversation on everyday kindness, sparked by a simple “Be Kind” shirt and the surprisingly big reactions it drew—from store employees to strangers who felt seen. What starts as a soft reminder becomes a practical framework for how to move through the world with consideration, friendliness, and generosity, even when time is short and emotions run high.

A raw story from Kendra drives the lesson home: people carry invisible battles. What looks like rudeness might be survival. Defaulting to kindness means assuming there’s more to the moment than you can see and choosing patience over heat. As the holidays ramp up and stress piles on, this mindset is both a sanity saver and a community builder.

Listen now, share it with someone who needs a gentle nudge, and if the message resonates, follow the show, leave a review, and tell us your favorite act of kindness we should all try next.

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Guest Information
Kendra Fletcher, BA, MSt received her Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of the Pacific and her Master’s in Literature and Arts from the University of Oxford. She currently teaches high school literature, writing, and critical analysis. Kendra lives in California’s Central Valley, where she serves on the board of the Modesto–Stanislaus Historical Society and interns at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.

She has raised a shocking number of children, homeschooled for twenty-five years, spoken about it all over the place, podcasted, and authored two books about leaving weird religion: Lost and Found: Losing Religion, Finding Grace and Leaving Legalism. You can find her at kendrafletcher.com.

Resources and Links
Season 2, Episode 13: Being Kind Is A Revolution

Music used in this episode:
All music in this episode is licensed for use through Epidemic Sound.

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Transcript

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Welcome

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hey, this is Fletch, and I want to welcome you back to Mango Bite Number Two. As I mentioned last week, I'm taking the month of December off to work on the next season. I've already completed several really cool interviews about midlife adventures, and I'm excited for the next season that we start in January.

Introducing Mango Bite #2: Kindness

SPEAKER_01 0:26

But for Mango Bite number two, I am going back to season two, episode 13, where I talk to my favorite guest on the Mango Times, my wife Kendra. And we talked about one of my favorite things on the Fletcher Festo. Just be kind. The episode was called Being Kind is a Revolution. Again, season two, episode 13. And here is just a short clip of that conversation.

The "Be Kind" Shirt Story

SPEAKER_01 0:55

You wear a shirt? Whew! It says Be Kind.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Why do you wear that shirt? I wear that shirt because when I saw it, I thought, I could just say this over and over again to my kids, or I could just post it like a billboard.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

But what's interesting works for me. I just want to let you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Okay, well, I will tell you that I was in a drugstore shortly after I purchased that shirt and I was wearing it, and this man was stocking shelves and he turned and he saw me and he said, Oh man, every employee in this store needs a shirt like that. People just can't be kind to each other. So it's interesting the impact it's had whenever I've worn it.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

The funny thing to me is I thought you got it for yourself. I did. I thought that was the story because I thought you struggled with kindness.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Yeah, originally to remind myself, but but also because I I think I said that over and over again. I like a joke with the kids. I just need to put this on a recording and and click play all day long. Be kind. Be kind.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Yeah, and I I was telling the listener, the readers of my blog that, you know, with kindness is consideration. With kindness is friendliness. Yeah. With kindness is generosity. And all those are things about giving people the benefit of the doubt. And we live in an age now where social media, it's so easy not to be kind. People rip each other apart. Kindness goes out the window, and it's something I think our generation has lost.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

You know, um, I thought

Opinions Trump Kindness

SPEAKER_00 2:14

I think opinions trump kindness for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

That's that's awesome. That is a that's a quote right there. I could put that in the show notes. Opinions trump kindness. I did 100 random acts of kindness this year. And you remember what I told you? That once you do it, you start finding plenty of ways around you where you can be kind. Open your damn eyes, and you will see that kindness abounds. You just need to open and say, Oh, I could I could be kind to this little kid. And you realize you don't actually have to be kind to just the people around you. You can be kind to our planet, you can be kind to animals around you, you can be kind to people you don't know and you do know. So, hey, thanks for squeezing me in for this episode of the Mango Times Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yeah, I have one more story to tell you. Oh, oh, suddenly now you have time. It's short. I have I do. I have to go get my hair colored. Anyway, when we when we were expecting our sixth child, I miscarried that baby, and we were in so I'm sorry, seventh. That was our seventh baby, and I was up in the foothills with a girlfriend that day, and I said, I think I'm having a miscarriage. And she said, Okay, you run into Starbucks with a pad, you know. I'm sorry, I'm getting real personal here, but you know, go take care of that, and then I'll run you. I'll get we'll get you home, you know. So I I went into Starbucks and here I am. I'm waiting in line to get in this bathroom. I'm miscarrying a baby. I go in the bathroom, I take care of things. I come out, and she said she was sitting in the parking lot waiting for me, and she saw me kind of barrel through the door right past a guy who was coming in, and he he kind of like looked at me like, What in the world? you know.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Because you were being rude.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

Because I was being totally rude. Yeah, but just you know, pushing through this door. I do not remember the man. I don't even remember seeing him there. I don't there's I don't even remember all I remember is I've got to get to the car. I'm miscarrying a baby. Yeah, and she said it was such a light bulb moment for her to realize that we never know what is going on with somebody. That man didn't respond inappropriately. He was just sort of like, okay, what the heck? You know, like, okay, lady. But had, you know, had I been able to say, I'm miscarrying a baby right now, right now, you know, his response would have been, oh my goodness, you know, how can I help you? Or I'm sorry, or oh here, let me open the door for you. And I think it is, I think about that situation often when I realize I I have no idea what somebody has has been going through that day. Maybe they got a phone call that their spouse had been in a car accident. I mean, you just have no idea what people are going through. And so the default to kindness is always the better response.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Hey, so thank you for that story. It was a perfect story. See?

SPEAKER_00 4:53

It gave me a few minutes and it came out even better.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

I love you. You're the best.

Closing

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Again, that was from season two, episode 13. I love when Kendra's on the podcast. My my listeners tell me all the time her voice is like butter. And this woman has had 30 years of reading out loud to our kids, reading stories, and teaching online. She has a great online voice, and I need to get her on this podcast more often. But boy, what a great reminder as we head into this holiday season. Just that reminder to be kind. I will put a link to it in the show notes, or you can just scroll down your podcasts and find the entire episode and listen to it in full. That being said, I hope you're having a great holiday season. I hope you are enjoying the holidays with your family in between Thanksgiving and Christmas here. I will be back next week with another mango bite, but until then, don't forget to get out there and quietly make some noise.