Welcome to the Commune Podcast. My name is Jeff Krasnow. What you're going to hear today is a re-release of our very first Commune podcast episode titled Why Forgive? It chronicles Ashley Spence's heroic story of forgiving the

seemingly unforgivable. And we talked to the world's foremost expert on the science of forgiveness,

Dr. Robert Enright, founder of the International Forgiveness Institute.

Just as a heads up, this production contains material of a highly sensitive nature,

including sexual assault that may be triggering for some individuals.

Okay, so without further delay, here's Ashley Spence and Dr. Robert Enright.

In July of 2016, I was at Wanderlust Festival in Aspen, and they had a prayer wheel there.

This beautiful, beautiful prayer wheel.

And they had a sheet of paper in front of our maps. And after we heard the story being shared and we did our yoga practice, we were invited to allow compassion to come into our lives.

And, you know, whether that be in forgiveness or letting go, how can we be more compassionate?

And to write something down on that sheet of paper that we want to send into the prayer

reel to give compassion to, maybe it's a person, an event, forgiveness, whatever it is.

And, you know, I didn't even think about it.

And tears just started flowing from my eyes.

And I wrote something along the lines

Kevin Lee Francois I forgive you I'm Jeff Crosno and welcome to Commune, where every week we explore the ideas, values,

and practices that bring us together and help us live healthy and purpose-filled lives.

Today on the program, we'll explore forgiveness. That was Ashley Spence at the top of the show.

We'll hear from her and others about their journeys to forgiveness

and how it changed their lives.

You know, in church and school at home, we're taught to forgive.

Forgive our sisters from stealing our Halloween candy.

...