Inspired Questions: Conversations on Self-Worth, Burnout & Showing Up Authentically

Ruth Hirshberg, MSW — Grounding with Ruth
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Inspired Questions is a podcast for women who are tired of performing, people-pleasing, and pretending they’re fine — and who are finally ready to reclaim their voice, soften their nervous system, and live with more authenticity and self-worth. Hosted by Ruth Hirshberg, MSW, self-worth and breathwork coach, each episode blends grounded conversations, honest storytelling, breathwork and meditation, and practical tools for navigating burnout, pressure, perfectionism, and the belief that you’re “not enough.” You’ll hear from women who’ve stopped shrinking and started showing up with presence. You’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system, rewrite old stories, set boundaries without guilt, and reconnect with your real self — not the version you’ve been performing. Whether it’s a guided meditation, an honest solo episode, or a conversation with a leader, therapist, or coach, Inspired Questions is your reminder that you’re not broken — you’re human, and you deserve to feel like enough. New episodes weekly. Connect with Ruth at groundingwithruth.com or @groundingwithruth. RSSVERIFY

  1. Finding a Therapist: What Nobody Tells You

    1d ago

    Finding a Therapist: What Nobody Tells You

    Have you been thinking about therapy but aren't sure where to start? Or maybe you tried it once, it didn't feel right, and you've been putting it off ever since? In this episode, I'm answering the questions I get asked most often about finding a therapist — from how to know if you even need one, to what to ask on a consultation call, to what to do if the first person you try isn't the right fit. I'm sharing what I know professionally as a registered social worker who has provided therapy for years, and what I know personally as someone who has reached out for support herself. Because I know what it's like to sit in the hard stuff alone. And I don't wish that for anyone. In this episode we cover: • How to know if therapy is right for you • What kind of therapist to look for • How to know if it's a good fit • What to do if the first therapist isn't right • Questions to ask on a consultation call • Common myths about therapy You don't have to figure everything out alone. You just have to take that first courageous step. Ways to stay connected: Website - groundingwithruth.com Counselling - Psychology Today Profile Free Guide - No Broken, Buried Instagram - Grounding with Ruth

    13 min
  2. Tired in a Way Sleep Can't Fix: Burnout and Finding Your Way Back with Mel Grime

    May 28

    Tired in a Way Sleep Can't Fix: Burnout and Finding Your Way Back with Mel Grime

    Have you ever done all the "right" things — eating well, holding it together, showing up for everyone and everything — and still felt like something wasn't right? That's where this conversation starts. In this episode I'm talking with Mel Grime, a burnout coach, registered holistic nutritionist, and yoga teacher who helps women step out of survival mode and back into themselves. Mel knows this territory personally. In 2017 she hit a point where her body was no longer letting her push through and keep going the way she always had. We talk about what burnout actually looks like from the inside, why so many women don't recognise it until their body forces them to pay attention, and what it can look like to find your way back. Not by doing more, but by slowing down and learning to listen. We also talk about people pleasing, self-trust, strong independent woman conditioning, and the pressure so many of us feel to keep holding it all together. I loved this conversation and I think a lot of women are going to see themselves in parts of it. Connect with Mel: Website: melaniegrimerhn.com Instagram: @melaniegrimerhn Free resource from Ruth: If something in this episode resonated and you're wondering where to start, Not Broken, Buried is for you. It's a free video, guide, and grounding meditation built around one simple idea: you are not broken, you are buried. There is a difference. Get it here Connect with Ruth: Website: groundingwithruth.com Instagram, Facebook: @GroundingwithRuth

    1h 12m
  3. A Meditation for Finding Your Ground Again

    May 21

    A Meditation for Finding Your Ground Again

    This is a guided meditation for the moments after hard things — when you're not quite back to yourself yet but you're trying. In this episode, Ruth guides you through a simple practice to help your nervous system settle, using breath, body awareness, and grounding techniques you can return to any time things feel like too much. If your chest has been tight, your mind has been racing, or you've hit those moments where you simply cannot face one more thing — this one is for you. An activated nervous system is not a failing. This meditation is one way to find your way back. In this episode you'll experience: A breath practice to signal safety to your nervous system, an orienting exercise to bring you back to the present moment, a grounding practice through body awareness, and a gentle reminder that returning to yourself is always available to you. Connect with Ruth: Website: groundingwithruth.com Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn: search Grounding with Ruth or book a Clarity Call with Ruth: BOOK NOW

    11 min
  4. Coming Back Before I'm Ready

    May 14

    Coming Back Before I'm Ready

    After almost a month away, I’m back — and in this episode I’m talking honestly about where I’ve been. Over the past few weeks, Keith and I have been navigating a flooded basement that turned into a major reconstruction project, weeks without heat and running water, and the anticipatory grief of learning that our cat Gus has cancer. But this episode isn’t really about the logistics of a hard month. It’s about what came up underneath it all. I talk about the old beliefs that resurfaced immediately, the nervous system responses that got loud fast, and the difference between knowing the work intellectually and trying to live it in real time when life genuinely falls apart. I also talk about: asking for helpboundariesthe guilt of stepping backthe pressure to keep performing okaynessand the strange tension of having a public-facing business built around authenticity while trying not to turn grief into content. The work doesn’t make us immune. But it can change our relationship to what comes up. I’m not at a hundred percent. But I’m here. You can learn more about me and my work at groundingwithruth.com.

    14 min

  5. Apr 16

    You Have a 100% Track Record: A Conversation with Zulma Williams

    This week I sat down with Zulma Williams — licensed clinical social worker, founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services, and the swearing therapist. Zulma started her social work degree at 42, survived breast cancer, built a thriving practice, and at 60 packed up and moved to Panama to wake up to the sound of the ocean every morning. Her motto is: I had cancer. Cancer did not have me. We talked about what it really means to keep going when life knocks you down, why your brain is lying to you, how to stop performing and start actually living, and what it looks like to put yourself first without guilt. And she said something I haven't been able to stop thinking about since we recorded. I'll let you hear it in her voice. This is one of those conversations that stays with you. In this episode we explore: Changing your question from why me to why not me. Building a new life in parallel with the one you already have. Why worrying is like a rocking chair — it gives you something to do but doesn't take you anywhere. How to push through the overwhelming parts fifteen minutes at a time. What it means to truly put yourself first. And why you have a 100% track record of overcoming your challenges. Connect with Zulma: Website: dragonflytherapyservices.net Facebook: www.facebook.com/DragonflyTSLV Instagram: @theswearingtherapist YouTube: youtube.com/@theswearingtherapist Connect with Ruth: Website: groundingwithruth.com Instagram: @groundingwithruth Facebook: Grounding with Ruth Join The Enough Project: www.facebook.com/groups/1226798815277717/ If this episode resonated with you, please follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it.

    53 min

  6. Apr 9

    Unearthing You: A Guided Garden Visualization

    This meditation is for moments when you have drifted a little far from yourself. When life has been full, or hard, or just a lot, and you can't quite remember the last time you felt like you. Rather than trying to fix anything or figure anything out, this practice offers something different: a chance to come back. Through a guided visualization, you will be invited to imagine uncovering something that has always been there, buried beneath the layers of everything you have been carrying. It was never lost. It was just covered. This meditation may be supportive if you are: coming back from a hard stretch or a period of depletion feeling disconnected from yourself without knowing why tired of rebuilding and ready to just find your way back needing something quiet and unhurried In this practice, you will be invited to: settle into your body and let the world slow down follow a gentle visualization into a quiet garden uncover something true about yourself that has been waiting return to the room feeling a little more like you There is no right way to do this meditation. You can sit, lie down, pause, or come back to it later. If your mind wanders, that is not a problem — it is part of the practice. If you would like more grounding practices like this, you can follow the podcast or find me at Grounding with Ruth, where I share meditation, breathwork, and self-worth focused support for women who are ready to stop running from themselves and start coming home. Links: Join my free Facebook community: The Enough Project Learn more about The Self-Worth Solution: www.groundingwithruth.com Follow me on Instagram: @groundingwithruth And if this meditation resonated, a rating or review helps other women find it — thank you.

    10 min

  7. Apr 2

    How to Reconnect With Yourself When You Feel Lost

    I spent the weekend doing yard work. Not something I would normally describe as meaningful — but we uncovered our backyard walkway that had been buried under grass for five years, and Keith found something hiding underneath that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Stone feet. Just sitting there the whole time. This episode is about what that made me realize about the work we do on ourselves. Not rebuilding. Not transforming into someone new. Just clearing away what has grown over the top of us until what was always there can finally be seen. It's also about spring, dormancy, and why staying buried can feel safer than being uncovered — even when it's costing us everything. I wrote more about this on the blog this week if you want to go deeper. Read Here  Connect with me at groundingwithruth.com or on Instagram and Facebook at Grounding with Ruth.

    10 min

  8. Mar 26

    Make Friends with Your Mistakes — A Guided Self-Compassion Meditation

    Last week I sat down with Hilary Momberger Powers and we talked about something that has stayed with me ever since — the idea of making friends with your mistakes. Not excusing them. Not bypassing them. Just meeting them with a little more compassion than we usually do. This meditation is built around that idea. It's about eight minutes. Find a comfortable spot and let's practise together. If you haven't listened to my conversation with Hilary yet, start there — this one pairs well with it. Stay grounded.  Connect with me at groundingwithruth.com or on Instagram and Facebook

    8 min
See All (65)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Inspired Questions is a podcast for women who are tired of performing, people-pleasing, and pretending they’re fine — and who are finally ready to reclaim their voice, soften their nervous system, and live with more authenticity and self-worth. Hosted by Ruth Hirshberg, MSW, self-worth and breathwork coach, each episode blends grounded conversations, honest storytelling, breathwork and meditation, and practical tools for navigating burnout, pressure, perfectionism, and the belief that you’re “not enough.” You’ll hear from women who’ve stopped shrinking and started showing up with presence. You’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system, rewrite old stories, set boundaries without guilt, and reconnect with your real self — not the version you’ve been performing. Whether it’s a guided meditation, an honest solo episode, or a conversation with a leader, therapist, or coach, Inspired Questions is your reminder that you’re not broken — you’re human, and you deserve to feel like enough. New episodes weekly. Connect with Ruth at groundingwithruth.com or @groundingwithruth. RSSVERIFY

Information