Full episode of Mindful Minutes with Raven Anderson LCSW-C (Founder of Clear Minds).

Every Tuesday this December join Zuryna Livermore and Raven Anderson LCSW-C for a weekly mental reset. These short mantras are meant to help you release and reset for an intentional week ahead.

Connect with Raven Anderson and Clear Minds Consulting and Counseling here

Being nice used to be natural. Now it’s a KPI.

In this episode of Operations Unfiltered, I break down how retailers are turning kindness into a business strategy this holiday season—from scripted smiles to Target’s “10-4 Rule.” With staffing shortages, inflation stress, and declining foot traffic, brands are operationalizing friendliness to drive engagement, loyalty, and sales.

Through my marketing operations lens, I explore:

• Why niceness is being mandated in stores
• How emotional experience is tied to dwell time and basket size
• The downside of forced kindness as emotional labor
• The big question: if niceness is required, is it still genuine?

This episode is part process design, part behavioral economics, and part real-life retail empathy. Because while companies may optimize kindness, the people doing the work are still human.

So as you shop this season, I’m leaving you with one takeaway: extend grace.