Ruthless Compassion with Dr. Marcia Sirota

Ruthless Compassion with Dr. Marcia Sirota
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  • Mental Health
  • Updated Semimonthly

Ruthless Compassion is a podcast that shows you how to become fiercely kind. Host, Dr. Marcia Sirota gets into it — with experts and regular folks — about the heavy stuff that gets in the way of what we want. Heavy stuff like addiction and mental health, isolation, and loneliness, difficult family and work relationships and the importance of self-care.Dr. Marcia‘s clear, human, and accessible approach helps you to become a powerful kindness warrior. For more, visit http://marciasirotamd.com/ Dr. Marcia Sirota is a board-certified psychiatrist practicing in Toronto, Canada. She has more than 25 years of meal health experience and specializes in wellness, healing trauma, unblocking creativity, and supporting people to become kindness warriors. She promotes empowerment and self-awareness. She has two podcasts, Ruthless Compassion and Reel Mental. She is a popular workshop presenter and keynote speaker at conferences on anxiety and burnout, workplace disability, youth mental health, addiction and recovery, and social media's impact on health and wellness. She has been a speaker for sectors like education, government, social services, and corporate. She is the author of 5 books and her most recent book is "Be Kind, Not Nice: How to Stop People-Pleasing, Build Your Confidence and Discover Your Authentic Self." In her spare time, she enjoys fiction writing, yoga, spoiling her cats, and walking.

  1. 4d ago

    216 - Becoming Boundless with Carolyn Flynn

    Memoirist, novelist, journalist and essayist Carolyn Dawn Flynn is the author of the memoir Boundless and seven books of transformational nonfiction; longtime editor of Sage magazine; and a trauma-informed book coach. Boundless was longlisted for the 2021 Mslexia International Memoir Prize and the 2022 First Pages Prize. Her work has been published in Fourth Genre, Under the Gum Tree, Arts and Letters, Hunger Mountain, The Colorado Sun, The Tampa Review, The Whitefish Review (Montana Prize for Fiction), Albuquerque Journal, Sage Magazine, Albuquerque the Magazine and Wilde Frauen. Her most recent journalism pieces include guide to emotional agility and living boundlessly, "How to Get Unstuck: (Hint) Think Like a Twentysomething" for AARP magazine in April/May 2026. In her TEDx Women talk, "Tell a Better Story, Live a Better Life," she has inspired countless others to live their sacred yes—even in a world that may split open, as the writer Muriel Rukeyser once famously said, if one woman spoke the truth. She is owner of The Story Catalyst, which has offered book coaching, developmental editing and publishing consulting for many author clients for more than 10 years. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she is a hiker and a pilgrim and a desert dweller who is an appreciator of horizons. Find out more at www.carolynflynn.com. www.carolynflynn.com  Facebook: facebook.com/authorcarolynflynn abqjournal.com/author/cflynn  Substack: carolynflynn.substack.com  Instagram: carolyn_flynn  Medium: carolyndawnflynn.medium.com  Twitter: @carolynflynn  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carolynflynn  BlueSky: https://www.carolyndawnflynn.bsky.social  TEDx talk: "Tell A Better Story, Live a Better Life"  YouTube: @carolynflynn4777 Threads: carolyn_flynn Boundless is available in these places:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/noresults/9798891324824  https://bookshop.org/p/books/boundless-carolyn-dawn-flynn/7a20188b7f93a5ad?ean=9798891324824&next=t&  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMSW1GCV  Audiobook https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Boundless/dp/B0GP1TKNML/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0  PRODUCT/SERICE PROMO:  I am a book coach who works with authors to get their bold and illuminating books out in the world. I work in memoir, fiction and transformational self-help nonfiction. For anyone wanting to write their story, and listening to your show, I'm offering a free Find Out More 30-minute consultation, and people can book here:  https://calendly.com/carolyn-777/30min-free-find-out-more  Together with my co-founder of the Stories + Songs Writing Retreat, we offer a free monthly zoom with pristine writing time and warm-hearted community, and your listeners can join any month. It's on the last Monday of the month, and here's the registration link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yQwt-sftQFScOMI0xIqBhw

    216 - Becoming Boundless with Carolyn Flynn

  2. Aug 6

    215 - Restoring Meaningful Connections with Erica Gerard Di Bona

    Erica Gerard Di Bona generates one thousand letters a year with an impressive speed of 110 words per minute (on a typewriter). She may very well be the United States Postal Service's consumer of the year. A former producer in network news, The Playboy Channel, documentaries, and kids' game shows, she has never let a single opportunity for a professional Thank You slide and has often received letters and messages back from such notables as Connie Chung, Norman Lear, and Henry Winkler. Currently a fundraising consultant for UC Santa Cruz and serving on the Board of Trustees for the Smithsonian Regional Council and formerly the Rhode Island School of Design, her unique letters open doors and attract donors. People frame Erica's snail mail, and she has left her influence on the power of the Thank You with high school and college students, development executives, realtors, dentists, and grateful grandparents. Erica is a proud University of California, Santa Cruz "Banana Slug" and a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. She lives in Los Angeles with her television producer husband, artistic daughter, and seven typewriters. Website: https://www.ArtofThankYou.com/  Instagram: @Powerof_ThankYou  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erica.gerarddibona  LinkedIn: Erica Gerard Di Bona  YouTube: ArtofThankYou7557 Her book: A Letter is Better: The Art of Thank You (SPARK Publications, Sept. 22, 2025)

    215 - Restoring Meaningful Connections with Erica Gerard Di Bona

  3. Jul 23

    214 - The Sex-Positive Ageing Woman with Dr. Julie Merriman

    Dr. Julie Merriman is a licensed mental health clinician, counselor educator, burnout researcher, author and speaker. As the founder of the Soul Joy™ brand, she serves as a premier authority for women over 50 navigating the intersection of professional burnout and personal intimacy. With over 30 years of clinical experience and academic leadership—including tenures as a professor, department head, and associate dean—Dr. Merriman has dedicated her career to the science of human helping. Her work is deeply rooted in polyvagal theory and somatic neurobiology, providing a bridge between academic rigor and soul-led transformation. Her personal journey through profound burnout and a subsequent breast cancer diagnosis informs her "scorched earth" approach to healing—proving that rebirth is possible at any age. She is the author of the 12-week guide, In Pursuit of Soul Joy, and the forthcoming book, Are We Gonna Have Sex or What? (Available Now) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.juliemerriman/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Dr-Julie-Merriman-Wellness-LLC/61564870628821/  Website: https://www.juliemerrimanphd.com/ Her new book: Are We Gonna Have Sex or What: The Midlife Guide to Reigniting Desire, Reclaiming Your Body, and Feeling Fully Alive ( https://a.co/d/0hDtYJ5w )

    214 - The Sex-Positive Ageing Woman with Dr. Julie Merriman

  4. Jul 9

    213 - The Benefits of Self-Knowledge with Dr. Jeremy Thompson

    DR. JEREMY THOMPSON is a medical practitioner working on the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia. He has a counseling background in Cognitive, Narrative, and Solution-Based Therapies and for two years was the president of the Australian Society for Psychological Medicine. He spent 10 years practicing hypnosis, during which time he developed the positive-centered model. This resulted from the needs of his patients to distinguish their positive features from the bad habits and unwelcome behaviors they had acquired. Their encouragement motivated him to write Understand Your True Identity, a book that he hopes will help people find their true self and fix their anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. Dr. Thompson is married with five grown-up children and a growing number of grandchildren. He enjoys surfing, snowboarding, and playing guitar. https://understandyourtrueidentity.com/ https://www.youtube.com/DrJeremyThompson  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-thompson-41a47969/

    213 - The Benefits of Self-Knowledge with Dr. Jeremy Thompson

  5. Jun 25

    212 - Insights on Addiction with Dr. I. Michael Kaufmann

    I. Michael Kaufmann MD Medical Director Emeritus, Physician Health Program, Ontario Medical Association Physician Health Consultant Author Dr. Kaufmann, a Fellow and life member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, practised family and addiction medicine in rural Ontario for 14 years before becoming the founding Director of the Physician Health Program of the Ontario Medical Association in 1995. The PHP is a service to assist doctors and other health professionals with substance use problems, psychiatric disorders and other personal health challenges. He received certification in Addiction Medicine from the American and Canadian Societies of Addiction Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American and International Societies of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Kaufmann is the recipient of several awards for his work in physician health including a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the Misericordia Award from the CMA and the Courage To Come Back award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Dr. Kaufmann is also a life member of the Canadian and Ontario Medical Associations. Dr. Kaufmann retired as PHP Medical Director in 2017 and is now PHP Emeritus Medical Director and a physician health consultant, speaker, author and mentor. At home, he has turned his creative energies towards playing music and song-writing. In 2024 he published a book entitled Drugs, Lies & Docs: A doctor's memoir of addiction, recovery and more. He is also a contributing author to an anthology entitled When We Forgive, published in 2026. Dr. Kaufmann and his wife, Judy, live in rural Ontario and together enjoy community volunteering, walks with their four-legged family members on their farm property and bringing people together for music and discussion in the barn that once housed their chickens and sheep. Website: https://imichaelkaufmann.ca/  LinkedIn @i. michael kaufmann Book: Drugs, Lies & Docs - a doctor's memoir of addiction, recovery and more

    212 - Insights on Addiction with Dr. I. Michael Kaufmann

  6. Jun 18

    211 - When Your Father is a Father with Tony Beadle

    Tony Beadle grew up in a household full of music and pursued a career as a professional musician for sixteen years after which he enjoyed a career in performing arts administration for 30 years. He served in several positions at major US orchestras, including the Boston Pops, where he had previously performed. His upbringing was one that included a loving family life, but also was one of duplicity and hiding secrets to protect the reputation of the Catholic Church. myfatherthefather.com His memoir: My Father, the Father

    211 - When Your Father is a Father with Tony Beadle

  7. Jun 11

    210 - Letting Go of the Shame of Addiction with Jowita Bydlowska

    Jowita Bydlowska is the author of Unshaming (March 2026). She is also the author of Monster (September 2024), Possessed, the best-selling memoir Drunk Mom, and the best-selling novel GUY. She's also a prolific short-story writer, journalist and a mentor. Her favourite review on Goodreads is a review of Possessed, which reads, "Jesus Christ." Her other favourite review is a one-star review of Monster, "If someone is interested in the sexual adventures of a mentally ill woman, this book is for them." Instagram: @jowitabot  www.jowitabydlowska.com The author of Drunk Mom continues her "bravely and beautifully told" story of alcohol addiction in this raw, unsparing memoir about shame and relapse (Lena Dunham) Honest and grimly funny—with actionable advice for readers of addiction memoirs like Brené Brown's Daring Greatly and Sarah Hepola's Blackout It's been over a decade since Jowita Bydlowska published her lightning rod of a memoir on overcoming alcohol addiction as a young mother. Both hailed and criticized for its no-holds-barred transparency, Drunk Mom was—and continues to be—refreshing and revelatory in its gritty exploration of addiction recovery and relapse in the context of new motherhood. But what happens after the last page is turned, after the "happy ending" of an addiction the world assumes is safely in the rearview? When Bydlowska relapses after the success of her book, her overwhelming sense is one of shame. She struggles to reconcile the knowledge that she's helped bring comfort and hope to countless readers with her own frustration and mounting fear that the truth will only let others down. In prose that's by turns harsh and beautiful, tender and devastating, she writes about her ensuing spiral into alcoholism—and the climb back up and out. With the same generosity and grim humor that made Drunk Mom a standout, Bydlowska uses her own story as a vehicle to interrogate and challenge the narrative surrounding addiction, exploring the ways in which the conversation has both evolved and stayed the same over the last decade.

    210 - Letting Go of the Shame of Addiction with Jowita Bydlowska

  8. May 21

    209 - One Man's Experiences with Psychedelics with Mark A. Michaels

    Mark A. Michaels identifies as an uncontrolled experiment. He belongs to the first generation of test tube babies, as so-called sperm donor offspring were known in the 1950s. He has published in a variety of fields, from law to ornithology to self-help, and has written for theater and film. He came of age at CBGB and Max's Kansas City in the 1970s. He is coming of age again at 66. Recent work has appeared or will be appearing in The Brussels Review, The San Antonio Review, Bitter Melon Review, Closed Eye Open, Quarter(ly) Review, and TrashLight. https://instagram.com/markamichaels/

    209 - One Man's Experiences with Psychedelics with Mark A. Michaels
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About

Ruthless Compassion is a podcast that shows you how to become fiercely kind. Host, Dr. Marcia Sirota gets into it — with experts and regular folks — about the heavy stuff that gets in the way of what we want. Heavy stuff like addiction and mental health, isolation, and loneliness, difficult family and work relationships and the importance of self-care.Dr. Marcia‘s clear, human, and accessible approach helps you to become a powerful kindness warrior. For more, visit http://marciasirotamd.com/ Dr. Marcia Sirota is a board-certified psychiatrist practicing in Toronto, Canada. She has more than 25 years of meal health experience and specializes in wellness, healing trauma, unblocking creativity, and supporting people to become kindness warriors. She promotes empowerment and self-awareness. She has two podcasts, Ruthless Compassion and Reel Mental. She is a popular workshop presenter and keynote speaker at conferences on anxiety and burnout, workplace disability, youth mental health, addiction and recovery, and social media's impact on health and wellness. She has been a speaker for sectors like education, government, social services, and corporate. She is the author of 5 books and her most recent book is "Be Kind, Not Nice: How to Stop People-Pleasing, Build Your Confidence and Discover Your Authentic Self." In her spare time, she enjoys fiction writing, yoga, spoiling her cats, and walking.

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