Dr. Marcia Sirota MD hosts Ruthless Compassion

Machan Taylor is a singer, songwriter, teacher, and author with a four-decade career in music. She has performed with artists including Sting, Pink Floyd, Pat Benatar, and George Benson, and was the lead vocalist for the Grammy-nominated group Hiroshima. She now teaches at NYU and is the author of Naked Out Loud: From Yokohama to Pink Floyd and Beyond.

https://www.machantaylor.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/machantaylorofficial/ 

https://www.facebook.com/machantaylor/ 

https://www.youtube.com/@MachanTaylorOfficial

Her book: Naked Out Loud From Yokohama to Pink Floyd and Beyond 

Audio Note: Due to significant echo and reverb present during the recording of this episode the voices in this episode have an irregular cadence at times. Although the echo and reverb was successfully cleaned-up in post-production, the irregular cadence was left intact in some sections in order to preserve the integrity of the message. We apologize for any disruption this may cause in your listening experience and thank for your understanding!

Amber Martin Smith is a psychotherapist who has lived, professionally and personally, inside the territory this book maps: inherited wounds, the good-girl conditioning that teaches us to disappear, the relationships that cost us ourselves, the undoing that eventually becomes initiation. Writing with the lyrical honesty of someone who has sat on both sides of the room, she braids her own story with the psychological insight of a clinician and the tenderness of a woman who knows what it is to find her way home.

Social Media: 

Instagram: @ambermartinsmith (https://www.instagram.com/ambermartinsmith/)

TikTok: @ambermartinsmith_ ( https://www.tiktok.com/discover/amber-martin-mom )

Amber's new book: The Long Journey Home ( https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-long-journey-home-a-mother-s-notes-on-finding-your-way-back/f0a4141ca9d381b2 )

Karen Olson, the founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise has dedicated her life to transforming the present and futures of homeless and low-income families. Karen has rallied more than a million volunteers nationwide, fostering an extensive network of support for the vulnerable. Also, because of all the efforts of the volunteers, the organization has been able to assist over a million people experiencing homelessness. Before her remarkable transition into the realm of social advocacy, Karen demonstrated her leadership prowess as a manager at Warner-Lambert. However, her leap into the world of nonprofits truly underscored her compassionate spirit and steadfast determination. Karen's efforts have been duly recognized, and she has received numerous awards. Some of them include President George H.W. Bush honoring her with the prestigious Annual Points of Light Award, and the New Jersey Governor's Pride Award recognizing Karen's remarkable social-service contributions. The American Institute of Public Service also bestowed upon her the Jefferson Award, acknowledging her tireless public-service efforts. In 2019, Karen experienced a freak accident that left her in a wheelchair. While it has changed her life, Karen continues to be involved.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karen.olson.author/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.olson.author 

Website: https://www.karenolsonauthor.com/

Book: Meant for More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose

Dr. Tony Nader is a Harvard- and MIT-trained neuroscientist, physician, and internationally recognized expert in consciousness, human development, and mind-body health. He serves as the global leader of the Transcendental Meditation® organizations, guiding their educational, health, and humanitarian initiatives in more than 100 countries worldwide. Dr. Nader earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut, completed advanced clinical and research training at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and received a Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research has explored neuroscience, neurochemistry, neuroendocrinology, stress physiology, consciousness, and human potential. A New York Times bestselling author, Dr. Nader writes and speaks on the relationship between consciousness, health, emotional well-being, resilience, and human flourishing. His work bridges modern science with deeper questions about awareness, connection, and the full development of human potential. His latest book, The Power of Caring, explores why so many people today feel emotionally exhausted despite their desire to remain compassionate, connected, and engaged—and offers a science-based framework for cultivating resilience, deep rest, emotional balance, and sustainable caring in an increasingly overwhelmed world.

https://www.youtube.com/@DrTonyNader 

https://www.instagram.com/drtonynader/ 

https://www.instagram.com/vedicsciencebydrtonynader/ 

https://www.facebook.com/DrTonyNader

His new book and The Power of Caring website: https://www.thepowerofcaringbook.com/

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://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMSW1GCV 

Audiobook https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Boundless/dp/B0GP1TKNML/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0 

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 a warm-hearted community. Your listeners can join any month. It's on the last Monday of the month, and here's the registration link: 

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)

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 )

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/

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

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