The Kindness Matters Podcast
So. Much. Division. Let's talk about how to change that. Re-engage as neighbors, friends, co-workers and family. Let's set out to change the world. Strike that. Change A World. One person at a time, make someone's life a little better and then do it again tomorrow and the day after that, through kindness.
Kindness is a Super-Power that each of us has within us. It is so powerful it has the potential to change not only your life but those around you, too. Let's talk about kindness.
The Kindness Matters Podcast
Unwrapping Kindness: Todd Zimmerman's Journey with 'Oliver the Ornament' and Beyond
Every family has their own special holiday traditions, and today, we're joined by Todd Zimmerman, the imaginative mind behind 'Oliver the Ornament', a series that's found its way into the hearts and holiday rituals of many. Our conversation with Todd is like unwrapping a gift that keeps on giving, revealing how his enchanting tales of kindness, tradition, and family not only adorn the Christmas tree but also weave themselves into the fabric of our lives. Zimmerman's narrative magic extends beyond the festive season, as he tells us about "Oliver Doodle Dandy", a Fourth of July story that sparks a deeper understanding of the holiday in children, and about "Oliver's Day of Kindness", which promotes uplifting values on World Kindness Day. His journey from a spark of an idea to the White House demonstrates the profound power of kindness, and as we chat, it's clear that Zimmerman's stories are more than just tales—they're blueprints for a kinder, more inclusive world.
Reflecting on the episode, I'm struck by the warmth and wisdom that Zimmerman shares, particularly through "Oliver Doodle Dandy and the Day of Kindness". The power to elicit change through simple acts of kindness resonates deeply, and it's a message we can all take to heart. This episode celebrates Zimmerman’s work and its significant role in shaping the character of our young ones, while also reminding us that the ripple of kindness can extend far beyond the pages of a book. As we wrap up, remember that each day presents an opportunity to spread joy and encouragement—be it through a smile, a helping hand, or a story that reminds us of our shared humanity. Zimmerman's journey and the stories of Oliver have the unique ability to inspire us all to be the bearers of kindness in our own lives. Don't forget that if you order any Oliver the Ornament product simply enter the keyword Kindness at checkout to get a 10% discount!
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Speaker 2:Kindness. We see it all around us. We see it when someone pays for someone else's coffee or holds the door open for another person. We see it in the smallest of gestures, like a smile or a kind word. But it's different when we turn on the news or social media. Oftentimes what we hear about what outlets are pushing is the opposite of kind. Welcome to the Kindness Matters Podcast. Our goal is to give you a place to relax, to revel in stories of people who have received or given kindness, a place to inspire and motivate each and every one of us to practice kindness every day. Hello everyone and welcome to the Kindness Matters podcast. I am your host, mike Rathbun.
Speaker 2:Before we begin, I'd like to point you to the Deluxe Edition Network, that's deluxeditionnetworkcom, for their Podcast of the Month for April. First up, we have Drink O'Clock, which is a podcast interviewing anyone and everything that they find interesting, and drinks may be involved and some shenanigans may be had. Also on the lineup for podcast of the month is the Stephen Crypto Show. The Stephen Crypto Show is a Rondo Award nominated podcast that covers pop culture and horror, featuring great interviews, conversations and special segments with creators and entertainers from all mediums, while keeping a sense of humor. And last but certainly not least, is Quad Pro Quo. It's a weekly film podcast inspired by the Quid Pro Quo scene in Silence of the Lambs, hosted by two couples who also happen to be friends and live next door to each other. New episodes drop every Thursday wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, don't forget to check out the show notes in this and every episode to find details on my partnership with Sunday Scaries, a CBD company, and Coffee Bros, which, of course, sells coffee. Both of those organizations are fantastic. I've used both of their products and they are absolutely amazing. You can check out those links in the show notes and you'll find keywords to use at checkout for a discount.
Speaker 2:Now let's get into the show. Hey everybody, welcome to the Kindness Matters podcast, and today I have a really cool guest for you. He is the author of multiple children's books that just tell such a fantastic story, and it's all about kindness and tradition and family. It's all about kindness and tradition and family and, without further ado, I give you Mr Todd Zimmerman. Hi Todd, hey Mike, how are you today? I am fantastic. It's gloomy, but you know I've got your amazing background and nobody will see it, because this is an audio-only podcast and that brightens up my whole day. This is an audio-only podcast and that brightens up my whole day. So you are the author of a book. Well, it's not just one book, but, for the time being, a book called Oliver the Ornament, and it basically is a story about a broken little ornament who I don't even know how to do that. Talk to me about Oliver, and where did Oliver come from and what made you decide to write a book for kids about him?
Speaker 1:Well, it's kind of. It's a really funny, interesting kind of chain of events that occurred. So it was four days before Christmas 10 years ago and I was decorating a Christmas tree. I was hanging literally the last of 200 ornaments on the tree. Somebody came up to me and said you don't have to hang every ornament on the tree. And I just thought, well, thanks for telling me now that I've hung 199. But instead I looked at them and I said, well, what am I going to do with this? Put him in the attic and then he's going to miss out on all the fun this Christmas and all the other ornaments are going to go back in the attic in January and they're going to make fun of this ornament because he missed out on all the fun. And well, there I had it.
Speaker 1:The light went on in my mind about an ornament that gets left behind in the attic. So for four days my wheels are spinning. My background is business, marketing, advertising, so I'm just thinking what a great business this could be, what a great story it could be. But I didn't know what the story was and, by the grace of God, four o'clock Christmas morning four days later, I woke up and the story came to my mind. I went down to my mom's computer and 45 minutes later the story was written. Wow.
Speaker 2:And it is. It's all about, and I don't want to give this away because anybody who's you really need to get these books and make them. And yes, I know it's probably April by the time this comes out. Well, it is April and maybe you think it's a little too early to be talking about Christmas, but family traditions are so important and you know everybody's got their traditions for Christmas right. Maybe yours involve reading Twas the Night Before Christmas to your kids, but really you should consider adding this series of books because there are six out, right, right, the final one is coming out this December, this October.
Speaker 1:It comes out Because there are six out right, right, right. So there's a total of seven.
Speaker 2:The seventh one, the final one, is coming out this December.
Speaker 1:This October it comes out. So there's, seven books in the series. Each of the books tells how the different ornaments enter the family's collection, while also teaching kids really important messages like kindness and friendship and determination. The first book starts Thanksgiving night and then the last book will end Christmas morning, with every book ending with this really exciting cliffhanger. So really, mike, the way to think about it is, these seven books are seven chapters in one family's entire Christmas season.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. And I love how you even teach inclusion. And I love how you even teach inclusion when Holly's friend Ruthie, who happens to be Jewish, and Holly tells her mom that they should get a menorah, and then you introduce the character.
Speaker 1:Nora, Nora the menorah right.
Speaker 2:Did you have so much fun making up those names? Oh, I had a blast, Nick.
Speaker 1:Well, I knew I was going to do a Menorah character and I didn't know what her name was going to be. I have a lot of friends who are Jewish. I have a lot of friends that have multi-faith families and I wanted, you know, I wanted to show that children that, hey, you know, this is the way society is today. So I knew I was going to have this character named, that it was a menorah, but I didn't know what her name was and I was out with friends for lunch and our server came up to us and she has a name tag on and her name was Nora and I said that's it, that is the name of my character. And so the waitress at the restaurant that we were at, she inspired me with her own name.
Speaker 2:That's fantastic. It's me, nora, yeah.
Speaker 1:Nora.
Speaker 2:Just like that. That's so cool. And you've got, let's see, you've got a fire truck named Edsel Yep, and there's Nord Norb Norb, the German singer, and his friend Teddy Teddy.
Speaker 1:Yes, so there's a total of 11 characters. So in each book, through the use of flashback you know because you've read them you tell the children and their families how the different ornaments enter the family's collection, Because every ornament tells a story.
Speaker 2:Indeed, and it's so good. I really I was. So you sent me all the files and I was just one right after the other, and there's always some kind of problem in each book and Oliver and his friends, the other ornaments, all get together and fix it somehow, Oftentimes defeating the plans of the mean old Nellie.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, we introduced a character in the second book. Okay, in every children's book, as we know, there's a villain. There has to be a villain in every children's book. There has to be. And I wrote the second book and after I was done with it there was something gnawing at me that was wrong with it, and I didn't know what it was. And several weeks later it occurred to me that the villains from the first book had redeemed themselves and I couldn't very well make them bad again because the kids fell in love with them in the first book. So I introduced a new character.
Speaker 1:Her name is Nellie. She is a donkey, she's an ornament of a donkey. She was left behind in the attic decades and decades and decades ago. And then this Christmas, nellie has snapped and she is determined to ruin Christmas for the ornaments, for the family and, ultimately, everyone in the whole wide world. But Oliver, even though he has a broken arm and can't do certain things, because he has such a kind heart, he's always able to overcome all odds and save the day and help the family and help the other ornaments yeah, yeah, and that's that's what I love about it.
Speaker 2:And now am I understanding correctly as I'm reading these? The parents don't know, mom and dad don't know that the ornaments can talk.
Speaker 1:You'll have to wait until the seventh book. Oh okay, that's a very perceptive question of yours, and I can't wait for you to read the last of the seventh book to find out if, in fact, the parents could or did not know that the ornaments came to life.
Speaker 2:That's oh, now I can't wait. And then. So this is every year. You came out with a new book, did you write them during the year following? Or I mean, you put out one book and then you spent the next eight, nine months writing another one. How did that work out?
Speaker 1:Another good question. It was different for each one. Typically what I did was after I was done with the first one. When that came out, then I would write the second one. So typically I would write one book a year. Sometimes it would take me a week to write it. Sometimes it would take me three months to write it.
Speaker 2:But what I did the process is the process, right.
Speaker 1:Process is the process Exactly so. What I did do, though, was when I started writing the sixth book, I knew that I had to answer. We create a lot of questions, there's a lot of background and a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up, so I really had to write the sixth and seventh book together in tandem.
Speaker 1:So that's how I wrote the last two books, because there's a lot of mysteries. A lot of people have told me Oliver the Ornament series is kind of like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer meets Scooby-Doo. So you've got this big mystery of where Nellie came from, and the ornaments are kind of like Scooby-Doo and all his friends. They're trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of where Nellie came from. But then woven in there is the traditional Christmas message of just warmth and family time. So it's a sweet story.
Speaker 2:Now that you mentioned Scooby-Doo, I think I'm going to be a little disappointed if, at the end of the seventh book, Nellie doesn't say something to the effect of and I'd have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for your dog and your meddling kids. But then you said to yourself, todd, we should do something for other holidays, like the 4th of July. We'll be right back with more of my interview with Todd Zimmerman after this brief message from a Deluxe Edition Network podcast.
Speaker 3:I'm Chris and I'm Mel, and together we host the podcast Spoil my Movie. We were watching movies anyway, and we were having in-depth conversations about those movies too, so we decided to share our thoughts with the world. You can expect me to gripe about inaccurate details like supposedly cold weather, but you can't see anyone's breath and you can expect me to be totally adorable, but also psychologically deep. And by the end of each episode we'll provide our respective ratings, using a rating scale custom tailored to the movie in question. Check us out wherever you get your podcasts. We're everywhere. We're actually behind you right now how did that come about?
Speaker 1:well, it's funny because after the first book was released, I started getting uh, I started getting contacted from school teachers. We have this whole program called Oliver's Day of Kindness that we do in schools. And I started getting comments and contacted by parents and school teachers saying that they love the messages that we're teaching in these books, but they wish that I would write a book with those same lessons that children could read year round. And I just thought to myself well, it's a Christmas book, so I can't very well compromise the integrity of this brand because, after all, it's Christmas Right. So several days before the 4th of July this was four years ago I was in my attic and I was getting all the flights out to put in our front yard and I glance over at the ornament, my ornament boxes, and again the light went on in my mind. So the story of Oliver Doodle Dandy I'll just hold it up for those that are watching. All right, oliver Doodle Dandy is right there.
Speaker 1:So it's summertime now and Henry and Holly are going to the attic to fetch their flags for their Fourth of July parade Picnic that the family has.
Speaker 1:And they're shocked when they get to the attic because all the friends that they met last Christmas have now again come to life, and they're all dressed in patriotic costumes, uh, preparing for the fourth their own fourth of july parade. And henry and holly don't understand what the big deal is. They think the fourth of july is just parades and fireworks, right, and each of the character teaches them that. Oh no, that's what happens on the fourth of july. That's not why we celebrate the fourth of july. So then the ornaments are telling them about great leaders that we've had, about inspirational presidents we've had, the beauty of our country, the freedoms that we have, the accomplishments and inventions of Americans, and by the end of the story, the children realize that in this country they can accomplish anything they set their mind to. And the little boy is dreaming about becoming a firefighter, while the little girl is dreaming about becoming the first person to land on Mars.
Speaker 2:Nice, yeah, it was so cool. Um, and there was a little commentary in there about screen time, I think, yes, yes, there is, yep, and that was perfect, because I don't know a parent alive who hasn't dealt with that. Right, right, right. And these would all be great just by themselves, just the book and the ornaments that go along with all the books, but you have included so many. You've really expanded this whole theme for teachers and schools. I love, in the back of the Oliver Doodle Dandy book you've got all of the patriotic songs Yankee Doodle Dandy and what have you. And then you've got all of the patriotic songs Yankee Doodle Dandy and what have you. And then you've got some other stuff too, but there's like a whole learning set that goes with this.
Speaker 1:Right, yes, in fact, I just attended an educators conference last week in Pittsburgh, which was fantastic. We've created a program for schools called Oliver's Day of Kindness, which is going to be held on World Kindness Day. It's going to involve discussions of kindness, examples of kindness. It's going to be virtual, so children are going to be connected throughout the country, so there's going to be a dialogue between children in California and Florida and Minnesota and Wisconsin talking about kindness.
Speaker 1:Then we get into an actual story time where the book is projected at the school-wide assembly. We then ask the children what they heard in the story that was kind. There's a lot of examples, as you know, and then we have time for Q&A. I do a Q&A with the kids and that is always really fun because it's inspirational for the children, because there's children in every classroom that aspire to be a writer and my message to them is I had no background in doing what I was doing and what I'm doing today whatsoever. I just had an idea and I followed through with it and I ended up at the White House as a result of it. So it's a really inspirational point of the of the assembly. The children then go back to their classrooms. They make cards for hospitalized children. We're hoping to have one hundred thousand cards made this Christmas for hospitalized kids.
Speaker 2:Holy cow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Then we're going to have a kindness coloring contest where they're going to have to, where all the children are going to create a piece of art that will be that will be uploaded to our site and voted on and they'll be winners nationally, national winners. The kids then fill out a pledge of kindness and they get a certificate of completion and then they go back to reading or math or you know the studies they're going to get back to. But it's not over just yet, because when the bell rings and the teachers are excusing each of the children, the teacher is going to surprise them with a digital copy of Oliver, the Ornament for each of the children. So on World Kindness Day, we're going to be doing that program. So that's very interesting.
Speaker 2:Holy cow, wow. And that'll be just after the seventh book comes out this year, right, I think World Kindness Day is November 13th.
Speaker 1:November 13th exactly, and the seventh book comes out either October 12th or October 19th. We're picking the date as we speak.
Speaker 2:Flip a coin, yeah that's just gonna sound weird. Um that, that is so cool and you ended up at the white house yes, um, my mom was really involved with my business.
Speaker 1:She loved every aspect of the business in. In fact, the angel in the story, marley, is named after my mom. She called me in January of 2018 and she said you need to get the book in the hands of the first lady. And I said why is that mom? And she said well, because she has this Be Best initiative, which is meant to combat bullying, and if you could get it in her hands, it could change the trajectory of your business. So I wrote down on my list of things to do First Lady Outreach and sadly, my mom passed away six weeks later.
Speaker 2:Very very sudden.
Speaker 1:And so I had it written down. And in August of that year I'm looking at my list of things to do and I see First Lady Outreach and I think that was my mom's idea. I've got to do it. So I sent her chief of staff a copy of Oliver the Ornament and I said I really admired what they were doing to combat bullying and I too was trying to do my part in that, didn't ask for anything at all. In October I received an email from the White House saying that the First Lady.
Speaker 1:well, first I thought it was a prank, I thought it was spam.
Speaker 2:Which one of my friends did this yeah exactly.
Speaker 1:Well, how often is it you get an email from the White House? Not two. So when I realized it wasn't, they had scheduled a. They wanted to schedule a discussion with me for the next day, which of course I had. They told me that the first lady had evaluated over 200 different Christmas book, children's Christmas books, and she had selected Oliver the Ornament to be read at Children's National Hospital in Washington DC.
Speaker 2:Holy cow, that's huge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was amazing. So this is an event that started with Bess Truman. It's completely apolitical. It has nothing to do with politics, right? Yeah, no, no, no, it's about the kids and it has been carried out by every single First Lady since.
Speaker 2:So through my mom's inspiration.
Speaker 1:My book was then read by the First Lady in 2018. In 2019, we were contacted once again. That's when we released Oliver, the Ornament Meets Belle, the second book in our series.
Speaker 1:And we were told that in 2019, that the First Lady had evaluated 250 different Christmas books for kids and she had selected my second book. She wanted to continue the tradition and then, in 2020, we were contacted saying that this year, the First Lady decided not to evaluate any Christmas books whatsoever. She wanted to continue with Oliver the Ornament and she read the third book, which, ironically, is Oliver the Ornament meets Marley, joan and Abby. So I'm sitting next to the First Lady.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, and she's reading my mom's name in front of all the hospitalized children.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:I've told the story so many times.
Speaker 3:I would imagine.
Speaker 1:And I still get chills telling the story. Wow, I'm the first author and I say this very, very humbly I'm the first author in American history that's had more than one book read at this event. Wow. And subsequently we got invited to the White House Christmas party and met the president all because the inspiration and the encouragement of my mom and my dad would have done the same thing had he been alive. But they always taught us you can just achieve anything. There's nothing that is not achievable if you put your mind to it.
Speaker 2:That probably is where your message in the Oliver Doodle Dandy came from. Huh.
Speaker 1:Yep exactly, Exactly.
Speaker 2:Wow, that is so cool. I absolutely cannot wait for your Now. Are you going to wrap up the series? I don't want to give any spoilers away. I'm asking you questions that might put you on the spot. You've already decided it's your final book for Oliver the Ornament yes, so Oliver the Ornament gets wrapped up.
Speaker 1:Everything gets wrapped up. All the mysteries are solved, we know where all the ornaments came from. I will tell you. I'll give your audience a little preview. So the last book is going to be sold as a gift set, okay, but there's a surprise ornament, see, special, surprise hand-painted ornament inside. So the children are going to open up the box. Here I've got to get this. They're going to open up the box and they're going to think they're going to get see the ornament right away. Sure what? The ornament is going to be placed upside down and we tell the children do not, do not open the ornament until you've read the book.
Speaker 1:And the last book is a pretty long book. It's really kind of a two-in-one book. It has part one. In the last book Part one is Christmas Eve and part two is Christmas Day. So the way families are doing the Oliver the Ornament series is they read the first book on Thanksgiving night, then when they have the tree up they hang Oliver on. Then the next week they read the second book, which is Oliver the Ornament Meets Belle, and then they hang Belle on the tree. Oh, I get it. And then a few days later they read the third book and ultimately they'll read the seventh book on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, concluding the whole series. And on Christmas morning they'll hang the last ornament on their tree.
Speaker 2:Wow, that is so cool, todd, and again, I can't stress enough how this message that Oliver you through Oliver puts out about kindness and generosity and family and traditions is so cool and I just absolutely love it and I wish you the best of luck. Where do you go from here? Have you even thought about it?
Speaker 1:Well, we are working. Right now I'm working with a studio in Los Angeles about the potential of the creation of a seven-episode animated Christmas special. So I'm excited about that Christmas special. So I'm excited about that. I don't believe there has been a quality Children's Christmas animated special created since 1970. When Santa Claus is Coming to Town came out. We had a string from 1964 when.
Speaker 1:Rudolph came out. Rudolph was the first one In the next six years. Then we had Charlie Brown, and we had Frosty the Grinch and we had the Grinch, and then Santa Claus is coming to town. It's been almost 60 years since there has been a quality kids Christmas special.
Speaker 2:We're due.
Speaker 1:We are due and, with the grace of God, we will be having seven of those seven separate episodes.
Speaker 2:Coming soon to Netflix.
Speaker 1:Hopefully, so.
Speaker 2:That was a really kind of menacing voice. I shouldn't have done that. Coming soon to Netflix, that would be great, and I just appreciate you so much, todd. I appreciate the work that you do and this book series is so amazing, and thank you for spending a little time with me today.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me and for any people who are interested in the series. You can go to OliverTheOrnamentcom to pick up any of the copies of the book you want to read. The books in order, so you wouldn't want to read the second.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Having read them, or at least some of them, I can tell you you don't want to read them out of order, because that'll mess everything up.
Speaker 1:And put in the discount code KINDNESS and you'll get 10% off your purchase.
Speaker 2:Ooh, this will be in the show notes. There'll be a link to the website and also, thank you so much for adding that Kindness 10%. I love it, todd. Thank you again for taking the time. I really appreciate it and best of luck to you guys. Thanks so much, mike. We'll talk soon.
Speaker 1:Take care.
Speaker 2:What a fantastic conversation with Todd Zimmerman. I love the books, I love the message of all the books and you know he probably could have just stopped writing a children's book for Christmas or even seven. But to take it even further with the Oliver Doodle, dandy and the Day of Kindness, I think is just freaking amazing and I'm so honored to have had the time to spend a few minutes with them. Make sure to check out those show notes for all the links to Todd's website and make sure to enter kindness for 10% discount on anything you buy over there. And speaking of discounts, also make sure to check out the show notes for my partnership with Coffee Bros and Sunday Scaries, cbd Gummies. Those also involve a discount if you put in the right words. Those words and those links are all in the show notes and that will do it for another episode of the Kindness Matters podcast.
Speaker 2:I hope you were inspired, I hope you were motivated, I hope you took something away from this or just left with a smile. That's my goal for every single episode. We will be back next week with another episode, but in the meantime, be that person who roots for others, who tells a stranger they look amazing and encourages others to believe in themselves and their dreams. You've been listening to the Kindness Matters Podcast. I am your host, mike Rathbun. Have a fantastic week.
