# Being HumanKind > Being HumanKind is the platform of author, speaker, and creative leader Justin Ahrens. It explores how intentional acts of kindness transform confidence, work, relationships, and influence — through writing, speaking, coaching, and the Being HumanKind book. Justin Ahrens is the founder of Rule29 and author of Being HumanKind. The site publishes essays on leadership, creativity, and kindness; lists upcoming events and speaking engagements; and offers products including the Being HumanKind book and field-note resources. ## Pages - [Home](https://www.behumankind.today/): Lead with heart, create with purpose — the Being HumanKind hub. - [About Justin Ahrens](https://www.behumankind.today/about): Justin's story, work, and philosophy. - [Speaking & Coaching](https://www.behumankind.today/speaking): Keynotes, workshops, and executive coaching. - [Events](https://www.behumankind.today/events): Upcoming talks, workshops, and appearances. - [Connect](https://www.behumankind.today/connect): Contact Justin for speaking, coaching, or collaborations. - [Products](https://www.behumankind.today/products): The Being HumanKind book and related resources. - [Blog](https://www.behumankind.today/blog): Essays on leadership, kindness, creativity, and being. - [States of Being / Field Notes](https://www.behumankind.today/states-of-being): Short reflections framed as states of being. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.behumankind.today/privacy): How this site handles data. - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.behumankind.today/terms): Site, product, email, and SMS messaging terms. ## Products ## Blog posts - [Being the Keeper of the Moment](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-the-keeper-of-the-moment) (September 9, 2026): I officiated a wedding for the first time, for my nephew Drew and Victoria, and somewhere between the nerves and the vows I crossed the line from performing a moment to actually inhabiting it. On pres - [Being Unsettled in a Changing Season](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-unsettled-in-a-changing-season) (August 31, 2026): You can wear yourself out doing things you love. On vacation, an empty nest on the horizon, and one long sit with the ocean, I started learning the difference between moving through an emotion and mov - [It Still Gets to Be a Big Deal](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/it-still-gets-to-be-a-big-deal) (August 22, 2026): Someone else having it worse does not make what you are carrying less real. On comparative suffering, self-compassion, and Scott Spiezio picking up sticks in his yard. - [Being Heard](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-heard) (August 16, 2026): When we try to carry worry entirely inside our own heads, it grows. A reflection on how naming what troubles us — with someone we trust — makes it more manageable, and why sharing the weight is one of - [Being in the Question](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-in-the-question) (August 9, 2026): Some questions are not problems to solve. They are sacred quandaries — places where we learn how to become. - [What We Think Success Looks Like](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/what-we-think-success-looks-like) (August 4, 2026): I started a personal project to reconnect with something I have loved since childhood. I did not expect it to open a door to something that had been right in front of me all along: the people, stories - [Built for Belonging](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/built-for-belonging) (July 27, 2026): Are we building a life or just filling a calendar? A backyard, a daughter leaving home, and the quiet realization that the greatest thing we build is our people. - [Maybe It's Now?](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/maybe-its-now) (July 19, 2026): What if the good old days aren't behind you, but unfolding in the wonderfully ordinary moments of today? - [You Are Allowed to Change: Freedom to Grow](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/you-are-allowed-to-change) (July 13, 2026): Freedom, becoming, and the courage to evolve — why changing your mind isn't a betrayal of who you were, but the truest kind of growth. - [The Traditions That Shape Us](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/the-traditions-that-shape-us) (July 6, 2026): A birthday dinner, a family tradition of going around the table, and a reminder that the greatest gift we can give isn't another present—it's helping people feel seen. - [Don't Wait to Say It](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/dont-wait-to-say-it) (June 29, 2026): A goodbye text from a dying friend, a national park, and a podcast about ice cream reminded me of one thing: don't wait to tell someone they mattered. - [What We Inherit: The Gift of Presence](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/what-we-inherit) (June 21, 2026): The greatest gift we can give each other isn't something we buy—it's showing up fully present. - [Hope in the Tension: The Stockdale Paradox](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/hope-in-the-tension) (June 15, 2026): The Stockdale Paradox taught me resilience doesn't live at either extreme. It lives in the middle, in the tension between what's real and what's still possible. You don't have to choose between honest - [The First Fire of the Season](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/dont-miss-the-fire) (June 8, 2026): One tired evening, a backyard fire I almost skipped, and a reminder that the life we long for is usually hiding in the moments we are most tempted to miss. - [Being Ready for the Next Shot](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-ready-for-the-next-shot) (June 1, 2026): One tree. One perfect drive ruined. A reflection on recovery, grace, and finding the courage to swing again after life sends you ricocheting backward. - [Being Renewed](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-renewed) (May 26, 2026): Some things can't bloom in a hurry. A reflection on slowing down, looking up, and letting spring renew what winter quieted. - [The Best Human They'd Ever Met](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/the-best-human-theyd-ever-met) (May 18, 2026): Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship, but the thing everyone kept saying about him wasn't about golf. It was about who he is. A reflection on the reputation we're actually building. - [Cheese Curds, Old Fashioneds, and Connectedness](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/cheese-curds-old-fashioneds-and-connectedness) (May 11, 2026): A late dinner in Madison, a conversation with a friend, and a question that won't leave: have we confused culture with connectedness? - [Being Misunderstood… and Choosing to Keep Walking](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-misunderstood) (May 4, 2026): When effort doesn't match perception and intention gets lost in translation — a reflection on the quiet weight of leadership and learning what's actually yours to carry. - [What If Nothing Needs to Change… Except How You See It?](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/what-if-nothing-needs-to-change) (April 27, 2026): A quote from a film festival reframes everything: maybe the breakthrough isn't a new strategy or a new direction — maybe it's new eyes for what's already in front of you. - [What Would You Build…If You Actually Believed It Could Happen?](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/what-would-you-build) (April 20, 2026): What would you love to build if you actually believed it could happen? A reflection on belief, commitment, and the gap between seeing an idea and actually building it. - [The Intelligence to Adapt](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/the-intelligence-to-adapt) (April 13, 2026): "Maybe it's not about having the answer… maybe it's about being willing to adjust." What if the smartest thing you can do isn't hold your ground — but adjust your footing? - [Finding the Gift](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/finding-the-gift) (April 7, 2026): What if the setbacks you're stuck on are actually shaping something you can't see yet? A story about staying open long enough to find the gift hidden inside the hard moments. - [Being Made New](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-made-new) (March 31, 2026): Why Spring Might Be the Best Time to Begin Again. What if the best time to begin again isn't January 1… but right now? - [Don't Make It Easier, Make Yourself Stronger](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/dont-make-it-easier-make-yourself-stronger) (March 21, 2026): Stop waiting for things to get easier. Start getting better at handling hard. What if the hard challenges are actually shaping something in us that easy never could? - [Why the Small Things You Do Today Might Matter More Than You Think](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/the-work-we-never-see) (March 14, 2026): Most of us carry a tree in our minds — a vision of the work we want to do, the impact we hope to make. But most days feel like painting leaves. What if those leaves are the work? - [Maybe We Should Talk to Strangers](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/maybe-we-should-talk-to-strangers) (March 8, 2026): When you talk to strangers, the world suddenly feels a lot more human and a lot smaller. Sometimes the person sitting right next to you has a story that might change the way you see the world. - [In the In-Between](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/in-the-in-between) (March 1, 2026): To feel the full depth of grief or love, you have to have them both. Grief is not the opposite of love — it is love with nowhere to land. - [(The Honest Version)](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/the-honest-version) (February 22, 2026): Restoration doesn't always mean reconciliation. Sometimes it's repairing the relationship. Sometimes it's restoring your own peace. - [Being Brave in the Middle](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-brave-in-the-middle) (February 15, 2026): The only way out is through. What are you currently trying to go around? - [Being Clear](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-clear) (February 8, 2026): Why clarity, follow-through, and closing the loop are some of the kindest things we can do. - [Choosing Light: When Silence Is Easier](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/choosing-light) (February 1, 2026): When silence is the easier option, choosing to speak with love, honesty, and courage is how we stay human. - [Being a Neighbor?](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/being-a-neighbor) (January 29, 2026): Or maybe the better question is: how are we seeing our neighbors, and what kind of neighbor are we becoming? - [Building Space for Wonder (Yes, Literally)](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/building-space-for-wonder) (January 25, 2026): Why curiosity isn't something you stumble into — it's something you intentionally build into your life. - [When the Magic Fades and What Comes After](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/stay-long-enough) (January 19, 2026): Sometimes the most human thing we can do isn't start over — it's stay. - [Built in the Waiting: What the No's Were For](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/built-in-the-waiting) (January 11, 2026): I didn't see it at first. When the early no's came, they felt like resistance. But those no's weren't working against me — they were working on me. - [You're Not Starting Empty](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/youre-not-starting-empty) (January 3, 2026): Before you add anything new to your life, there's a quieter truth worth noticing: you are already carrying more than you think. - [Just Because](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/just-because) (December 23, 2025): Why do we only come together at the big moments? What if we made gathering a habit — not out of obligation, but out of love? - [Sometimes the Greatest Gifts Aren't Wrapped](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/greatest-gifts) (December 14, 2025): They're the moments that hold us still. A Sunday morning reflection on ornaments, memories, and what really matters. - [Rest Isn't Easy For Me. Maybe It Isn't For You Either.](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/rest-isnt-easy) (December 7, 2025): Even when my body gave me no choice but to rest, actually resting was still hard. And that delay showed me something. - [Can We Ever Be Too Thankful?](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/can-we-be-too-thankful) (December 1, 2025): Sitting in post-Thanksgiving stillness, hip throbbing and heart strangely full, the answer was clear. - [An Alive Day: You Are Still Here](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/an-alive-day) (November 23, 2025): Maybe today is your Alive Day. Not because something dramatic happened, but because you chose to notice that you are breathing. - [Seasons of Being: Why Change Feels Hard](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/seasons-of-being) (November 11, 2025): The seasons are changing, and so are we. Nature never fights its transitions — but we humans tend to resist change. - [Everything is Attention](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/everything-is-attention) (October 31, 2025): Why presence is the last human medium. If everything is becoming television, then maybe the last truly human act is to look up, notice, and be here. ## Feeds - [RSS Feed](https://www.behumankind.today/rss.xml): Latest blog posts. - [Sitemap](https://www.behumankind.today/sitemap.xml): All public URLs including every blog post and product. - [Full content map](https://www.behumankind.today/llms-full.txt): Extended description of the work. ## Optional - [Blog: Leadership](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/category/leadership) - [Blog: Being](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/category/being) - [Blog: Relationships](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/category/relationships) - [Blog: Connection](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/category/connection) - [Blog: Courage](https://www.behumankind.today/blog/category/courage)