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The Richness of Kindness: Insights from America’s Happiness Doctor

Market Movers: The Opening Bell

November 13, 2025

Video Transcript

Today is World Kindness Day, a day that encourages performing simple acts of kindness in order to build a more compassionate world.

I spoke to Dr.

Eliah Gregoris, president of the Kindness Factor International, AKA America's happiness Doctor.

Take a look.

Welcome to FinTech TV.

I'm Remy Blair.

This week we celebrate Kindness Week worldwide.

What started back in 1997 as one day of kindness has expanded into a whole week dedicated to making the world a better place.

It's about donating food, books, or clothes, and also lending a helping hand.

Even small acts can create big impacts.

Joining me to talk compassion and connecting with our communities is Dr.

Elia Gregori, president of the Kindness Factor International, AKA America's happiness Doctor.

Welcome.

Thank you so much for joining me here at the New York Stock.

Thank you.

It's my pleasure.

Thank you for having me.

Well, first and foremost, tell me about your journey and how you got here.

You know, the kindness advocate started when I was a little boy in Greece, believe it or not.

My, my, this is my first life lesson.

My grandpa Elia, whose name I carry in I honor, who passed away when I was 5, so I don't have a lot of memories of him.

He was a sweet, gentleman.

One day I'm sitting on his lap and he says to me, My boy, do you want to know a secret?

I'm like, Yes, Grandpa, I'm looking up at him.

He goes, Do you want to be the richest man in the world?

So then my ears got like bugs biting he's like, Yes, Grandma.

He goes, if you want to be the richest man in the world, do something good for somebody else every day, and you, my boy, will become the richest man in the world.

And for some reason my little 4 or 5 year old little brain caught that do something good for somebody else every day and you'll be the richest man in the world.

Obviously at that age I thought richest man man like Pirates of the Caribbean, like gold and silver and like, right, but as we got older I realized the wisdom of his statement and now of course neuroscience has proven that when we perform acts of kindness, you know, the drug dealer, which is the human brain, the greatest drug dealer in the world is our human brain releases all those chemicals that stay in their system for like, you know, 24 hours.

So for me.

With kindness it's a win win win win.

The receiver wins, obviously, the giver wins also like I just mentioned.

The combination of that relationship wins and then even more importantly, the people that are observing this get inspired and the whole idea behind Kindness Week worldwide is to Inspire folks, cities, towns, municipalities, states, countries in the world to embrace kindness because I think with kindness everybody wins.

That's the bottom line.

Yeah, and I agree with you, but I would like to get your definition of kindness because it goes one step beyond nice, doesn't it?

Kindness is in essence is love in action, if you think about it, and kindness for the most part doesn't cost a lot and you know, it's a smile, it's a hug, it's it's a listening ear.

You know this is my psychology background, but human beings, we have two great needs.

One is to be loved, but the other one is to feel understood.

So an act of kindness could be just to listen to somebody and without judgment, with an open heart, and then helping them out.

A lot of times people confuse kindness with something being nice.

It's not being nice, it's going the extra mile.

It's it's being aware of those around you and saying, you know what.

This person looks like they have a cloud over their head.

Maybe I can help them out.

It doesn't require a lot.

It just requires a commitment to be kind on every single day.

And when you do that, your life gets transformed.

Yeah.

And do you have a background in clinical psychology, and we're here at the New York Stock Exchange where money moves.

So tell us how kindness not just affects our emotions, our daily lives, but even our finances.

Absolutely, I think kind of, if you look at organizations or corporations, I'm an executive coach.

I work with a lot of companies, even Fortune 5000 companies.

And I helped create cultures of kindness within.

What happens when you have a culture of kindness?

Number one, first of all, here are the benefits.

Number one, employees are physically healthier because they're happier and nobody talks about that.

Think about how much money a company can save if you have healthy employees.

People are more creative.

They're more innovative.

They're more engaged.

You have less turnover.

We're talking about thinking about how much money it costs when you lose people of great talent, so you have greater retention.

Happy employees who are kind in a kind culture become your brand ambassadors.

You don't need a marketing department to go ahead and recruit people.

You have your own employees doing it for you, say, you know, we have a great culture.

It's a culture of kindness.

It's a culture of empathy.

It's a culture of, I don't want to say love, maybe the corporate that means that's too much, but these are all the benefits you can have when you create a culture when basically I've got your back and I think.

With a kind culture.

You become a better teammate when you're happy because my own batteries are full, so when I see a teammate or a colleague, even my boss, and they're like struggling a little bit because I'm in a really good places like, you know what?

I got your back today.

If you need to go home early, I got I I got you covered basically and that creates a company where everybody wants to work at.

If you look at companies that are on the top 10 list of best companies to work for, they have a different thing but it's all about the culture and kindness is not forced upon them.

It's how we do business basically and the way we treat our employees, we know of course is how our employees treat our customers, so it comes full circle.

So the benefits financially are massive.

We're talking about millions of dollars if you can create a culture like that.

In your organization, yeah, I think you bring up so many important points because we think about the hundreds upon hundreds of companies that are listed here at the New York Stock Exchange and sometimes when it comes to corporate culture, we hear more about the risks or the downsides and as an executive coach, yes.

Yeah, absolutely.

So I'm sure as an executive coach, you have clients who tell you about some of the downsides, how it's affecting not just their physical health, but also mental health.

So for viewers out there who may perhaps be in some of these cultures, even toxic, what is your advice to them?

My advice to them is number one, know what you control and what you don't control.

I don't control the weather.

I don't control the government.

I don't control shutdowns.

I don't control, but what I do control is my attitude towards those things.

So if I have someone that's toxic and every company has, you know, whether it's a manager or it exists, we have to be real about that.

Um, and this is, this is come from some that I have no toxic people in my life.

I made a conscious decision 20 years ago, no more toxic people in my life and the way that you do that is you end up having what I would call a hot conversation, hot HOT.

Which stands for honest, open and transparent.

These are not easy conversations to have, but I think there is a requirement.

If I'm going to be in this country for the next 20 years, I can't be around people who are toxic every single day.

It's going to kill me basically.

Thank you so much for joining us today, for sharing your story and the importance of kindness.

Thank you, and I just want to remind people that this is Kindness Week worldwide, so go ahead and do something for somebody else this week, and you'll feel great, I promise you that.

Thank you, doctor.

Remy Blaire welcomes Dr. Elia Gourgouris, the President of Kindness Factor International and known as America’s Happiness Doctor. The segment coincides with Kindness Week, a global initiative that encourages acts of kindness to improve communities and individual well-being.

Remy begins by discussing the origins of Kindness Week, which started in 1997 as a single day of kindness and has since expanded into a week-long celebration. She introduces Dr. Gourgouris, who shares his personal journey of becoming a kindness advocate, rooted in a lesson from his grandfather in Greece. His grandfather taught him that to be the richest man in the world, one must do something good for someone else every day. This foundational lesson shapes Dr. Gourgouris’s understanding of kindness as a transformative force.

Dr. Gourgouris elaborates on the neuroscience behind kindness, explaining how performing acts of kindness releases chemicals in the brain that promote happiness for both the giver and the receiver. He emphasizes that kindness is not merely about being nice; it is about love in action and being aware of the needs of those around us. He encourages listeners to commit to daily acts of kindness, which can lead to profound personal and communal transformations.

As the conversation shifts to the corporate world, Remy asks Dr. Gourgouris how kindness impacts finances and workplace culture. He explains that organizations that foster a culture of kindness see numerous benefits, including healthier employees, increased creativity, and reduced turnover. Happy employees become brand ambassadors, promoting the company culture and attracting talent without the need for extensive marketing efforts.

Remy and Dr. Gourgouris also address the challenges faced by individuals in toxic work environments. Dr. Gourgouris advises listeners to focus on what they can control, particularly their attitudes and relationships. He introduces the concept of HOT conversations—Honest, Open, and Transparent discussions—as a way to address toxicity and promote a healthier workplace culture.

Throughout the segment, Dr. Gourgouris encourages listeners to engage in deliberate, mindful acts of kindness, urging them to shift their focus from negativity to positivity. He highlights the importance of recognizing one’s sphere of influence and using it to spread kindness and positivity.

Finally, the discussion touches on the concept of toxic positivity, with Dr. Gourgouris clarifying that genuine positivity acknowledges challenges while navigating them with gratitude and love. He stresses the importance of self-care as a prerequisite for being able to help others effectively.

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