93: The Reflex of Kindness: Lonnie Ali on Scaling Compassion and Sustaining a Legacy

In our latest LiveWell podcast episode, we sit down with Lonnie Ali, a dedicated advocate for Parkinson’s research, a champion of compassion, and widow to Muhammad Ali.

Lonnie shares her personal journey from growing up across the street from the legendary boxer in Louisville to becoming his "rock" and care partner throughout his battle with Parkinson’s disease. Chair and co-founder of the Muhammad Ali Center, Lonnie details the importance of the Ali Compassion Index, the Center’s impressive measuring tool for compassion in cities across the U.S. With Lonnie’s help, we reframe compassion not just a soft sentiment, but a measurable "muscle" that can be flexed to bridge divides and foster civic engagement in our communities.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Five Layers of Compassion, from self-compassion to the nation on a whole. 
• Stories of Muhammad’s instinctive kindness, from talking a man off a ledge to bringing a family in need into his home. 
• The Compassion Index: Why cities like Seattle, Louisville, and Atlanta are leading the way in civic engagement and volunteerism. 
• Overcoming the guilt of prioritizing one's own health to avoid burnout. 
• How small, daily acts, like letting someone in during traffic, can catalyze global change.

This episode offers actionable tools and powerful stories to help you flex your compassion muscle and live a fuller, more connected life. 

Resources:

• Book: Soul of a Butterfly by Hana Ali 
• Website: AliIndex.org 
• Website: Ali Compassion Report

Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.

We also have links in the show notes on our website: healthy.ucla.edu/livewellpodcast

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu. 

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @LiveWell_UCLA!

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla