173. Patricia Makatsaria – Kindness Habit

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“That’s the special thing about kindness. It is so many different things. It can be generosity. It can be forgiveness. It can be trust. Compassion. It’s all these things.”

Patricia Makatsaria is a Civic Volunteer and Philanthropist who has dedicated herself to her community, promoting kindness and inclusion and striving to empower young leaders.

After completing her MBA and Masters degree in Healthcare Administration, Patricia and her husband, Vladimir, moved abroad, embarking on an international life which spanned 23 years, living in Moscow, London, and Singapore.

Patricia’s career and life journey has been an untraditional one due to the one constant in her life: change. In her early years, she worked in healthcare–managing an American Dental Clinic, and in private business–owning a distribution business for a luxury Swiss facial care line. Desiring more time to manage an expanding family and their international moves, Patricia moved to a career that gave her more flexibility: volunteering and philanthropy.

In addition to a range of school and community volunteer activities, Patricia most notably worked with Operation Smile, an international charity which provides cleft lip and palate surgeries for children in third world countries. Her experiences on missions in India inspired her to commit to spreading awareness and developing young leaders for Op Smile through fundraising events, student leadership conferences, and the creation of new Operation Smile Clubs in schools.

In their family’s most recent move, Patricia landed back in the United States. Challenged with the opportunity to reinvent herself, she decided to systematically build a new life around a value that had served her well throughout her life journey: kindness.

Patricia’s blog on her website, KindnessHabit.org, shares her research and ideas around kindness and her effort to create a kindness habit in her own life. Focused on the core values of kindness, inclusion and the empowerment of youth, Patricia is actively involved in a variety of projects including: Program Director of a positive psychology program for medical trainees at Mount Sinai, Chair of the Garden Committee for New York City’s 2nd oldest public park, and Board Member for her high school in Kentucky.

Patricia currently resides in New York City with her husband, Vladimir, son, Max, and bernedoodle, Mila. She also has two children who have already left home: Alex, who lives in Brooklyn, and Alisa, who resides in Chicago.

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