When Andra Liemandt '96 and her band, The Mrs, began filming their first music video back in 2014, she had no idea the concept would go viral. The premise behind their single "Enough" seemed simple: how do you feel when you look in the mirror?

Liemandt and her bandmates set out to film people standing in front of a mirror at Barton Creek Mall in Austin and asked them to describe what they saw. While their individual responses weren’t always very kind, the messages they heard back from loved ones were. The video quickly became a deep dive into the concept that how we speak to ourselves in the mirror matters… a lot.

As Founder & President of The Kindness Campaign (TKC), a nonprofit incorporating social emotional learning and mental health components to build curriculum, products, programs, and partnerships to empower people to transform behaviors and choose kindness, Liemandt knows before you can give kindness to others, you first have to give it to yourself.

“Self-compassion has three main elements: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness,” she said. “The self-kindness piece has become very important in the work I do with TKC. We all know our own pitfalls and pain points, and we know how to get to ourselves. Sadly, we spend most of our time in front of the mirror being harsh to ourselves. Kindness starts with us.”

Liemandt says people’s thoughts of themselves immediately changed once they heard positive words from others. TKC’s signature and most requested activation, Enoughie’s Magic Mirror™, has been featured at the Mall of America, at the Top of 30 Rock in New York City, as a project with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, and in many other venues across the country.
“I never imagined the mirror would become this,” she said. “It shows how deeply intertwined our own message is with what we receive from others.”

Her journey creating the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum and TKC as an organization began with a devastating personal loss. When her daughters’ young friend died by suicide, Liemandt saw how the tragic effects of bullying, loss, and grief were affecting her entire family. She started journaling with her daughters to process their emotions.

"I was also grieving the loss of a family friend,” she said. “Journaling with my daughters at our kitchen table was helping us. I was in unfamiliar territory, but it was a focused healing session that resonated.” They were seeing one in four children coming into school having already experienced some form of trauma by age three,” she said. “I asked to do more research with mental health professionals and return with a plan to serve students from a very young age. If we don’t start addressing issues like trauma, loneliness, and hopelessness early on, it will get worse. We must give them the tools to cope and a support system.”

Knowing her daughters’ classmates, parents, and teachers were also impacted, Liemandt Xeroxed copies of the journal to share with the principal—just in case anyone was interested. She was shocked when he asked for copies for the entire campus and then four additional schools. She met with the director of health and wellness at Austin ISD to find out more about the needs of the student body. Familiar with the CDC’s data on suicide as the second leading cause of death among teens, she was floored when the director said they needed something for preschoolers.

After collaborating with emotional health experts, teachers, and curriculum writers, TKC launched in 2015 with a grade-specific emotional health curriculum for Pre-K3 through 5th grades. Their five-school pilot program expanded to 50 schools just one year later. In 2017, TKC had their curriculum in more than 80 campuses, making it accessible to over 40,000 students.

Since then, Liemandt launched a podcast, “I Am Enough,” and now gives keynote addresses about the importance of emotional health. TKC public service announcements are featured in AMC Theatres nationwide, and their annual Art Of Kindness fundraiser is now a two-day festival featuring live music, art-infused activities, food, a celebration of community, and more.

“Any nonprofit professional will tell you how important it is to have people—companies, friends, loved ones—who all care and are invested in your mission,” she said. “Their support is immensely powerful. Self-image, empathy, emotional awareness, and community are what binds everything we do together.”

Liemandt also says there isn’t enough emphasis on exercising what she calls “emotional muscles.” The Kinesiology major and former aerobics instructor knows mental fitness is just as important as training your body.

Before you can give kindness to others, you first have to give it to yourself.” Andra Liemandt ’96

Knowing this, she set out to build a tool for teens that focused on strengthening emotional muscles like joy, anger, fear, sadness, and trust. After working with therapists and psychologists, Liemandt and her team developed a free app called KindGym™. She wanted the app to help students and their parents take control of their own emotional health, especially since teens are inundated with all types of online content.

“How you’re spending your time online matters and what you’re putting into your mind matters,” she said. “KindGym is a micro-learning app with very short exercises to strengthen those emotional muscles. For just five minutes a day, the app can help parents set up boundaries and guidelines with their children. It features a year-long program of exercises that serve as tools. We ask users to first read about the emotions, then think about them, learn how to process, and finally, activate those skills when needed.”

Making the app free was Liemandt’s highest priority, given the lack of access to mental health professionals.

“I used to be a trainer and, in fitness, you have to start somewhere,” she said. “The same goes for emotional health. How muscles work in the gym is how emotional muscles work in our lives. When you start taking control of your own emotional health, you begin a journey to a happier life. I know this isn’t going to fix the mental health crisis in our country, but we must start somewhere.”

Creating a community of support with TKC is something Liemandt ties back to her experience at TLU. The confidence and courage she developed as a student are key to where she is today.

“My professors believed in me,” she said. “I got to be a leader and they taught me to not be afraid of taking risks. I relate that experience to my first meeting with AISD when they looked to me for help. The biggest thing as an entrepreneur is knowing people will only believe in your product as much as you do. You can make a difference if you believe in yourself.”

Art Of Kindness Fundraiser 2023
Austin, TX

• Art of Kindness Gala: March 31 at SKYBOX on 6th
• Community Celebration: April 2 at Easy Tiger East

With community vendors and brand partners like Baylor Scott & White Health, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, and more, TKC’s annual fundraiser focuses on their message of suicide prevention, addressing bullying, and the impact kindness has in our community. For more details, visit www.tkckindness.org/aok.