Growing up in the high desert of California, Jim Doty was poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically depressed and paralyzed by a stroke.

Today, he is the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, of which the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor.

Welcome to the Alphabet of the Heart Podcast Series. This Podcast Series features Dr James R. Doty, Neurosurgeon and Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, and Dr James Kirby, Clinical Psychologist and Visiting Scholar at CCARE. Each episode features Dr Doty and Dr Kirby discussing a mnemonic Dr Doty created called, "The Alphabet of the Heart", which he wrote about in his book, "Into the Magic Shop".