Can an Anonymous Poem Save a Life?

Based on the podcast Spiritual Conversation, produced by HolisticCircle, hosted by Philipp Kobald, featuring guest Iris Barratt

The Honor Code We Forgot to Update

We live in a world where “thank you” often sounds like a reflex or comes with a receipt. But for Iris Barratt, it’s a sacred art — best delivered anonymously, in rhyme, and preferably by mail. From her Oregon mountain home, she’s spent decades creating surprise recognition awards that uplift kids, caregivers, volunteers, and anyone else who quietly shows up without fanfare. Her quiet revolution is unfolding via poetry, paper, and radical appreciation — one envelope at a time.

On Spiritual Conversation, hosted by the ever-curious Philipp Kobald for HolisticCircle, Iris shares her life’s work: honouring people without asking anything in return. It’s part recognition, part soul craft, and very much a rebellion against the transactional culture we’re all exhausted by.

A Certificate in Feelings, Please

If you think awards are just for overachieving students or office parties, prepare to recalibrate. Barratt’s Etsy shop, Evolving Genius Awards, isn’t peddling novelty items — it’s distributing emotional rescue kits. Her “Musical Mastery” awards land in mailboxes like secret affirmations, often mistaken by children as gifts from their music teachers. Caregivers receive “Compassion Awards” and call her crying. Not because it’s sentimental fluff, but because it’s the first time someone saw them.

The prices are low. The impact isn’t. Every award comes wrapped in intention, surprise, and poetic language. This is recognition as spiritual nourishment — not performance review.

America Gives Out Thank-Yous. Europe Offers Grim Nods

Host Philipp Kobald openly admits that honour culture feels foreign to his European upbringing. In one example, he recalls a famously stingy vocal teacher whose highest compliment was “not a complete disaster.” You could practically hear generations of repressed applause.

But that’s exactly where Barratt’s work hits hardest: the cultural reluctance to truly see and affirm one another. She’s not advocating shallow praise. She’s teaching a different muscle — one that strengthens connection, not ego. The anonymous nature of the awards strips away self-congratulation and invites mystery, reflection, and gratitude. It’s not “look at me,” but “look at what’s possible.”

Yes, She Was a Clinical Hypnotherapist

Barratt’s background is as eclectic as it is rooted in service. She’s been a clinical hypnotherapist, a community education instructor, a palm reader in Sun Valley for the rich and famous, and an event entertainer. But the thread tying it all together is honouring — the act of seeing the best in someone and reflecting it back to them.

Her programs have spanned everything from workplace team-building to awards for struggling children. It’s not a hustle. It’s a philosophy. And it’s one she’s been refining for decades.

The Secret Sauce Is Literally Secret

Here’s the twist: it’s all anonymous.

Someone gets a poetic award in the post. No sender. No fanfare. Just a beautifully worded tribute to their compassion, artistry, or resilience. And then begins the guessing game — who sent this? Was it my friend, my neighbour, a stranger? That mystery is the point. It forces the recipient to consider all the people who might care. It creates an emotional echo chamber of kindness.

Barratt calls it “unconditional love in action.” And she means it.

Your Inner Child Just Screamed with Joy

Barratt believes that surprise and wonder still have the power to shift lives. Whether it’s a child discovering they’ve been anonymously awarded for their talents, or a weary caregiver finally receiving a nod from the universe, her awards trigger a deep emotional response. They’re tangible proof that someone — somewhere — sees you.

And because they’re anonymous, the effect expands. It isn’t about ego, and there’s no pressure to return the favour. It’s pure. That rarity is part of the magic.

When the Nurse Cries, You Know It’s Working

She shares stories of caregivers breaking down in tears, schoolchildren beaming with pride, and teachers moved by the idea that appreciation can be posted, not performed. Philipp listens, occasionally stunned, trying to wrap his brain around how something so simple can be so profound.

Because it is simple. But it’s not shallow. It takes real courage to appreciate without agenda, and even more to do so without credit. In Barratt’s world, the people who are too often invisible finally get their due — quietly, powerfully, and often with a poem.

Not Another Dead-End Side Hustle

Barratt isn’t stopping with awards. She’s now building event programs that help people honour one another in group settings — retirement parties, birthdays, community events, workplace tributes. And she wants these programs to be translated and used globally. Already, her “Spirit of Compassion” award has been translated into multiple languages.

Her big vision? Empowering single parents to run these events as micro-businesses. Honour-based gatherings. Portable appreciation. A paid opportunity to help others feel seen — and bring their own kids along to witness it.

The Revolution Will Be Mailed

In the face of algorithmic approval and social-media saturation, Barratt offers a counterculture of sincerity. Her work whispers what we’ve all forgotten to say out loud: you matter. And sometimes, that’s all it takes.

For those who want to witness this quietly radical force in action — or send a little shockwave of kindness through someone’s mailbox — this Spiritual Conversation is worth your time. Just don’t be surprised if you end up printing an award yourself before the day is done.

Watch it on the @HolisticCircle YouTube channel, if you’re ready to be reminded how powerful it is to care.

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By Philipp Kobald in cooperation with AI
www.HolisticCircle.org
@2025 HolisticCircle by Philipp Kobald