In kindergarten, James Rhee received a toy red helicopter in gratitude for a simple act of kindness—the innocent generosity of sharing his lunch. Nearly four decades later, the true meaning and lesson from this memory helped him overcome indescribable hurdles as a first time CEO and son to a dying father. By applying kindness and a little math at Ashley Stewart, James and the team brought the company from the jaws of liquidation to a transcendent success that inspired a world seeking a different way. Combining the clarity and imagination we had as children with some basic business metrics, James composed a system he calls “Kindness and Math.” It’s a simple solution to the dissatisfaction and worry so many of us feel, an intuitive response to the gnawing uncertainty we face daily as we meander through our lives and struggle to understand why we might feel so out of control in our professional and personal lives.