Compassion as a Superpower: A Conversation with Elizabeth Keiper-Aguirre

This week on The GrowthShifters Podcast, I sat down with my friend and accountability partner, Elizabeth Keiper-Aguirre. Elizabeth is a wellness coach, speaker, and the founder of WellKind School and Life Purposely Coaching. She’s spent more than a decade helping people prioritize well-being without guilt, and in our conversation, she shares why she believes compassion is a superpower.

Elizabeth always had an interest in personal development. As a teenager she collected books that she’d return to years later when she was exhausted from running a family business and raising young kids. That moment of reckoning, when she realized “if I don’t care for myself now, it may never happen,” set her on the path to coaching.

What I loved most about our conversation is how Elizabeth re-frames self-compassion as an active, engaged habit. She asks herself, “what do I need right now?” and gives herself permission to act on it, whether that’s a nap, a walk, or a moment of stillness.

To explain further, she uses a metaphor of a wilted flower: empathy sees a wilted flower and feels sad, while compassion sees the flower and waters it. For Elizabeth, compassion means acknowledging the struggle and then doing something to nurture.

This is strength in motion.

She also challenges us to find the best in the lives we’re living right now. Instead of longing for an idealized past, she invites us to reflect on what we valued then, such as freedom, creativity, and joy, and suggests simple, sustainable ways to bring those things into our present. Her motto is “bare minimum effort, maximum impact.”

Before we wrapped, Elizabeth shared her 3-2-1 rapid fire:

3 people to follow: Dr. Mindy Pelz, Mel Robbins, and Lewis Howes

2 books to read: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch

1 action step: Ask yourself daily, “What do I need right now?” and act on it!

Elizabeth’s reminder is timely. In a culture that glorifies hustle, compassion is radical. It grounds and restores us, and ultimately makes us better leaders, parents, and community members.

Connect with Elizabeth at lifepurposely.com or on Instagram @lifepurposelycoaching.

Want an audio-only version of this episode? Find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!