Ruthless Compassion With Dr. Marcia Sirota

With more than forty years’ experience in the publishing world, and twenty years in entertainment, Dr. Ken Atchity is a "story merchant"—former professor, writer, producer, career coach, publisher, and literary manager, responsible for launching hundreds of books, including 20+ New York Times bestsellers. His life's passion is finding great storytellers and turning them into bestselling authors and screenwriters. “Our universe is made of stories, not atoms.” In his second career, Ken has also produced 30+ films, including The Meg (Jason Statham), Hysteria (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Informant Media), Erased (Aaron Eckhart, Informant), the Emmy-nominated The Kennedy Detail (Discovery), The Lost Valentine (Betty White; Hallmark Hall of Fame), Joe Somebody (Tim Allen; Fox), Life or Something Like It (Angelina Jolie; Fox), and the award-winning documentary 14 Days with Alzheimer's. His many books include books for writers at every stage of their careers, most recently Tell Your Story to the World & Sel

Allan Kehler is one of Canada’s most sought-after speakers when it comes to the topic of mental health and wellness. He has stood on more than 500 stages and is recognized for his dynamic and captivating approach. Having persevered through his own mental health issues and substance use, Allan has learned valuable life lessons that have guided him on an incredible path of success.  Allan left teaching after more than a decade to focus on speaking and writing on various topics related to mental health. He is the bestselling author of four books, and his writing has been featured in numerous national magazines. Allan lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with his wife, four boys, four dogs, and a tank of fish. You can learn more about Allan on his website: www.outfromtheshadows.ca.

Abeego is Toni Desrosiers’ love child born out of a desire to live holistically and a deep drive to disrupt for good. Armed with her beeswax food wrap invention in one hand and a manifesto in the other, she leads an inspired community of nearly a million Wholehearted pioneer households hellbent on ending food waste for a food secure world. Most recent accolades include Business Person of the Year from the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, and TELUS Trailblazer at the 26th Annual RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.

Dr. William W. Li, MD, is a world-renowned physician, scientist, speaker, and author of EAT TO BEAT DISEASE – The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. He is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than 70 diseases including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. His TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views, and he has appeared on: Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Voice of America; and in The Atlantic, TIME, and The New York Times. An author of over 100 scientific publications in leading journals such as Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet, Dr. Li has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Dartmouth Medical School. You can visit his website at www.drwilliamli.com.

Dr. William W. Li, MD, is a world-renowned physician, scientist, speaker, and author of EAT TO BEAT DISEASE – The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. He is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than 70 diseases including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. His TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views, and he has appeared on: Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Voice of America; and in The Atlantic, TIME, and The New York Times. An author of over 100 scientific publications in leading journals such as Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet, Dr. Li has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Dartmouth Medical School. You can visit his website at www.drwilliamli.com.

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young is the founder of the Arrowsmith Program, a program designed to strengthen weak cognitive functions that underlie a range of learning difficulties and which has been delivered for 40+ years throughout the world.  Her work has been recognized as one of the first examples of the practical application of neuroplasticity which, simply put, is the ability of the brain to change and rewire itself over one’s lifetime. Her vision is that all students struggling with learning will have the opportunity to benefit from programs that change the brain’s capacity to learn and open to these learners a world of possibilities.   Her book, ‘The Woman who Changed Her Brain’ has become an international bestseller and tells Barbara’s journey of discovery and innovation to overcome her severe learning disabilities. Barbara is the recipient of the 2019 Leaders and Legends Innovation Award from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto for her outstanding contributions t

Michael Ungar, Ph.D., is a Family Therapist and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he holds the Canada Research Chair(Tier 1) in Child, Family and Community Resilience. Building on his work as both a researcher and clinician, Dr. Ungar has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the subject of resilience and is the author of 16 books for mental health professionals, researchers and lay audiences. These include his 2019 release, Change Your World: The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success (published by Sutherland House), a book for adults experiencing stress at work and at home. His blog, Nurturing Resilience, can be read on Psychology Today’s website. If you need more information, visit his website at https://www.michaelungar.com/.

Amy Fish is the Chief Complaints Officer, also known as the Ombudsperson at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She is responsible for promoting fairness and making sure everyone’s voice is heard. Amy regularly teaches, speaks and writes about how complain effectively (i.e., stand up for yourself and ask for what you need.) She teaches writing workshops at the Quebec Writing Federation, Hippocamp Conference for Creative Non-Fiction and at her kitchen table. She specializes in humour writing and memoir. Amy’s work has been published in Hippocampus Magazine, Readers’ Digest, Huffington Post and several other journals. You can learn more about Amy by visiting her website, https://www.amyfishwrites.com/.

Sherianna Boyle is the author of eight books including Emotional Detox: 7 Steps to Releasing Toxicity & Energizing Joy and her new book Emotional Detox for Anxiety. She is an adjunct Psychology Professor, founder of Emotional Detox Coaching®, CLEANSE Yoga® and the C.L.E.A.N.S.E Method.™ Her work has been featured in Psychology Today, Prevention Magazine, First Women, Yoga Journal and more. Sherianna is the host of the Emotional Detox Podcast and her Emotional Detox workshops and retreats can be found at http://sheriannaboyle.com/. Be sure to check out her next Emotional Detox for Anxiety retreat at 1440 Multiversity on Feb 14-16 2020 and her Portugal Adventure in May 2020.

As a interior decorator, creative director and art dealer, Alessandra Salituri has always had an eye for beauty in all forms. Born in Montreal, Canada, Alessandra’s passion for art and decor dates back to her childhood. Having grown up in an artistic home, and spent years visiting museums and gallery openings, she translated her love of art into Citizen Atelier, an online art gallery featuring contemporary prints by 30+ international photographers and artists. Founded in 2014, the platform has since been named one of the leading online art galleries in the world by Elle Decor, The Zoe Report and MyDomaine. In Spring 2018, she launched lifestyle destination “The Citizen Edit” to share her love of decor and art, and provide a peek at her life in the industry. Presently, she splits her time between her hometown of Montreal and Los Angeles. A wanderluster at heart, she loves exploring new cities for inspiration—while of course enjoying the perfect latté. For more, check out https://www.alessandrasalituri.com/

Elinor Greenberg, PhD, is a psychologist and internationally renowned Gestalt therapy trainer who specializes in teaching the diagnosis and treatment of Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid adaptations in a lively and practical way. She is a faculty member of the NY Institute for Gestalt Therapy, the Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training, and a former faculty member of The Masterson Institute (a post-graduate training institute in an object relations approach to the theory and treatment of personality disorders), and an Associate Editor of the peer reviewed journal Gestalt Review. Dr. Greenberg is the author of: Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety.

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the bestselling book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today. Nir is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies. Some of his past investments include Eventbrite (NYSE:EB), Refresh.io (acquired by LinkedIn), Worklife (acquired by Cisco), Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Presence Learning, 7 Cups, Pana, Kahoot!, Byte Foods, FocusMate, and Anchor.fm (acquired by Spotify). Nir attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory

Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW, is an emotion educator, as well as a psychoanalyst and experiential trauma therapist in private practice. She is the developer of the Change Triangle tool for emotional health. Hilary is also the author of the award-winning self-help book on emotions called, “It’s Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self” (Random House, 2018). She has published articles in The New York Times, TIME, Oprah, Salon, and professional journals. Hilary also consulted on the psychological development of characters on AMC’s Mad Men. Hilary’s blog on emotions and how to use them for wellbeing is read worldwide. For more FREE resources on emotions and emotional health, visit: Hilaryjacobshendel.com

Dr. Ryan Martin teaches courses on mental illness and emotion, including a course on anger. He researches and writes on healthy and unhealthy expressions of anger. His website, All the Rage, covers recent research on anger and provides anger management tips on how to handle anger most effectively. He also hosts the popular psychology podcast, Psychology and Stuff. Ryan was trained as a counseling psychologist at the University of Southern Mississippi where he first started studying anger after earning his undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from the University of St. Thomas. He has worked with clients- angry and otherwise- in a variety of settings including community mental health centers, college counseling centers, and a VA Hospital. He is a Professor of Psychology and an Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. His work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR’s Invisibilia podcast, BBC Radio’s Dig

Eric Maisel, PhD. is the author of more than fifty books. His books in the area of critical psychology include Overcoming Your Difficult Family, Rethinking Depression, The Future of Mental Health, Helping Survivors of Authoritarian Parents, Siblings and Partners, Humane Helping, and Helping Parents of Diagnosed, Distressed and Different Children (Routledge, 2019). His books on creativity and the creative life include Coaching the Artist Within, The Van Gogh Blues, Mastering Creative Anxiety, Fearless Creating, Creative Recovery, Making Your Creative Mark and the forthcoming Unleashing the Artist Within (Dover, 2019). His books specifically for writers include Deep Writing, A Writer’s Space, Living the Writer’s Life, Write Mind, A Writer’s San Francisco and A Writer’s Paris. His books on creativity coaching include Secrets of a Creativity Coach, Become a Creativity Coach Now!, and Inside Creativity Coaching (Routledge, 2019). Dr. Maisel, widely regarded as America’s foremost creativity coach, is a former p

Sam Morris is the founder of Zen Warrior Training®, a transformational coaching program for high performers, entrepreneurs and creative professionals. With over twenty years of experience studying and teaching the ancient wisdom of Zen and Taoist philosophy, meditation and breathwork practices, Sam coaches his clients in developing mastery of the inner workings of the mind, body and spirit to live from a place of presence, purpose and resolve in both their businesses and in their personal lives. Sam’s passion for his work is partly born out of his own transformational process after a car accident caused by a drunk driver in 1999 left him paraplegic. Sam lives in Portland, Oregon and works with clients around the world. https://zenwarriortraining.com/about-sam/

Frank King, Suicide Prevention speaker and Trainer was a writer for The Tonight Show for 20 years. Depression and suicide run in his family. He’s thought about killing himself more times than he can count. He’s fought a lifetime battle with Major Depressive Disorder and Chronic Suicidality, turning that long dark journey of the soul into five TEDx Talks and sharing his lifesaving insights on Mental Health Awareness with associations, corporations, and colleges. A Motivational Public Speaker who uses his life lessons to start the conversation giving people permission to give voice to their feelings and experiences surrounding depression and suicide. And doing it by coming out, as it were, and standing in his truth, and doing it with humor. He believes that where there is humor there is hope, where there is laughter there is life, nobody dies laughing. The right person, at the right time, with the right information, can save a life. If you ever need someone to talk to, give him a call at +1-858-405-5653.

Dr. Mark Goulston is a psychiatrist and one of the foremost thought leaders in the area of listening and empathy with his book, "Just Listen” becoming the top book on listening in the world and with his recent book, Taking to Crazy: How to Deal with Irrational and Impossible People in Your Life also becoming an international best seller, especially in Russia where its title is: How to Talk With A-holes. He is also one of the leading experts on suicide prevention and co-created and moderated the multi-award winning documentary, Stay Alive: An Intimate Conversation About Suicide Prevention. He also hosts the My Wakeup Call podcast, where he interviews influencers about what is most important to them and their wakeup calls in arriving at that.

Dr. Brian Goldman is an ER physician at Sinai Health in Toronto. He is also one of Canada's most trusted medical broadcasters. Since 2007, he has hosted White Coat, Black Art, an award-winning show on CBC Radio One about the patient experience in modern medical culture. Brian is the author of three Canadian bestselling books. His latest - The Power of Kindness: Why Empathy is Essential in Everyday Life - is Brian's search for empathy in an increasingly hostile world.

Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and former Guggenheim Fellow, he has written or edited more than 30 books, the latest being The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age, Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do, and Unleashing Your Dog: A Field Guide to Giving Your Canine Companion the Best Life Possible. Marc also writes regularly for Psychology Today. In 2009 he was presented with the St. Francis of Assisi Award by the New Zealand SPCA and in 1986 Marc became the first American to win his age-class at the Tour du Haut Var bicycle race (also called the Master’s/age-graded Tour de France). His homepage is marcbekoff.com.