We all have a negative voice that lives inside our heads, and it’s very challenging to perform at our best when we’re not kind and supportive of ourselves.Dr. Hanson and I began our book Resilient with a chapter dedicated to compassion, and particularly self-compassion. It’s the fundamental building block on which our personal growth rests.On this episode, Dr. Hanson and I are joined by one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff. Dr. Neff is the Associate Professor of Human Development and Culture in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Texas at Austin, and she was the first to operationally define and measure the construct over a decade ago. In addition to her pioneering research into self-compassion, she’s developed a program to teach self-compassion skills in daily life, co-created with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer.In the first part of our conversation, we explore the nature of self-compassion, including why it's such an essential skill for personal growth.Learn more about Dr. Neff's Mindful Self-Compassion program here.Sign-up for Dr. Hanson's new monthly meditation program here. Use the code BEINGWELL for 10% off the purchase price: https://bit.ly/2NEnVU3Timestamps:01:18: What lead you from communications to self-compassion?03:37:How do you define self-compassion differently from how we do casually?10:08: Why is self-compassion so important?12:19: How can people grow their self-compassion?15:23: How do you give yourself self compassion naturally in the course of a day?17:06: A practice of self-compassion.