My recent keynote speech at a healthcare conference
By Leslie Cotter, M.D.
What exactly is compassion? How can practicing compassion – in our work, our relationships, and our daily lives – bring about more joy and improve our health and wellbeing?
Last spring, I was invited to explore these questions in a keynote speech I delivered to a room full of healthcare workers at the annual IEHP Mission Conference in southern California. The conference's theme was "our call to collective compassion."
In my talk, titled A Call to Compassion: Life Lessons from the Trenches, I discussed the emerging science of compassion and shared seven lessons I have learned about putting compassion into action in my career as both a "street psychiatrist" and youth worker.
To give you a brief taste of my talk, here is a 4-minute video showing a few highlights:
To watch the full 45-minute keynote, scroll to the bottom of this post.
What is Compassion?
There are many definitions of compassion. My favorite comes from Dr. Dacher Keltner, director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. He defines compassion as:
"To suffer together... the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another's suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering."
At its essence, compassion is the ability to deeply connect and “be with” another human in their life experience and suffering, while feeling moved to relieve the suffering. It’s something that we all need, and it’s a capacity we can all develop. Particularly in these stressful times, I believe we are all called upon to strengthen our compassion muscles. The more compassionate we are, the more we can be a healing force in our families, our communities and the world.
7 Life Lessons About Compassion
I call myself a "street psychiatrist." In my day job at a community health clinic in Everett, Washington, where I've worked for over 25 years, I spend much of my time in the field visiting patients struggling with severe mental health and substance use disorders. I'm also a youth worker. In 2009, I co-founded Young Women Empowered (Y-WE), an organization providing mentorship-based programs for teenage women and gender-expansive youth in Seattle. In both of these roles, I'm faced with the call to compassion every day.
In my speech, I outlined seven key lessons that I've learned in my three decades working with these vulnerable populations. They are:
Listen and Connect First, Ask Questions Later: True compassion begins with deep listening.
Look for What is Going Right: Even in tough times, there's always something to celebrate.
Be Persistent - Trust in Your Desire to Help: Compassion means refusing to give up on others.
Practice Collective Compassion: Together, we can create compassionate workplaces and communities.
Place Heart at the Center: True leadership begins with love and understanding.
Creative Expression Fosters Compassionate Leadership: Art opens the door to empathy and connection.
Practice Self-Compassion: To care for others, you must first care for yourself.
I illustrated each lesson with stories about my personal experiences with the clients and youth that led me to those insights.
You can watch the full 45-minute keynote below or at this link:
What do you think?
How do you practice compassion in your professional or personal life? Do these lessons resonate with you? What other lessons have you learned? I'd love to hear from you via our contact form.
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