The path to purpose is rarely straight, and for Kyle Kittleson, the host at MedCircle, it took an unexpected turn that would ultimately impact millions of lives. In a revealing conversation on The Blueprint Podcast, Kyle shared his remarkable journey from training dolphins and sea lions to becoming one of the most trusted voices in mental health education.
His story is not just about career transformation—it’s about personal growth, the power of saying yes to unexpected opportunities, and the profound impact of mental health education on both the educator and the educated.
The Unexpected Opportunity That Changed Everything
Kyle’s story begins in Los Angeles, where he was pursuing his dream of becoming the next Jeff Corwin or Steve Irwin. After years as an exotic animal trainer working with dolphins, sea lions, whales, and parrots, he was struggling to make it in the entertainment industry.
When Doug Colbeth, CEO of MedCircle, offered him a chance to interview doctors about mental health, Kyle’s initial response was honest uncertainty: “I’m not a doctor and I don’t know if I’m really that qualified to do this.”
But sometimes the most transformative opportunities come disguised as simple invitations. Kyle’s first interview with Dr. Ramani, a clinical psychologist specializing in narcissism, was conducted in her apartment with no expectations.
That single video exploded to over 15 million views, launching not just Kyle’s career but also Dr. Ramani’s journey to becoming a mental health influencer with over a million YouTube subscribers.
Kyle learned that sometimes the most meaningful opportunities come when we’re least prepared for them. The willingness to step outside our comfort zone and embrace uncertainty can lead to profound personal and professional transformation.
Kyle’s Personal Transformation Through MedCircle
What makes Kyle’s story particularly powerful is how deeply the work has changed him personally. Despite being in therapy since age nine, Kyle credits his education at MedCircle with providing more practical tools and insights than decades of traditional therapy. “I learned more in my first six months at MedCircle than I did in all my years in therapy,” he reveals.
The transformation wasn’t just professional—it was deeply personal. Kyle describes himself as having been “a very short-tempered person” who “used to be not very empathic” and would “roll their eyes if somebody was complaining about something hard that happened to them.”
Through his work with mental health professionals, particularly Dr. Ramani, he learned to build empathy, develop resilience, and approach life with greater understanding and compassion.
Psychoeducation—learning about mental health concepts and tools—can be as transformative as therapy itself. Understanding how our minds work gives us the power to change our patterns and responses.
The Power of Perspective and Pause
One of the most practical insights Kyle shares comes from his understanding of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He describes a simple but powerful technique: when experiencing difficult thoughts, instead of accepting them as reality, pause and say “I am having the thought that…”
This small shift creates space between you and your thoughts, allowing you to observe them rather than be overwhelmed by them.
Kyle illustrates this with a relatable example: instead of thinking “Jason is so bored with this conversation,” he would reframe it as “I am having the thought that Jason is bored with this podcast.” This technique, which he calls “the ultimate mindfulness hack,” provides the space needed to evaluate whether thoughts are true or helpful before acting on them.
He also shares a story about encountering an angry pilot at an airport, explaining how his increased empathy allowed him to see the situation differently.
Instead of judging the pilot as a “jerk,” Kyle recognized that “something is going on with him always or at one point today.” This shift in perspective not only showed compassion for the pilot but also improved Kyle’s own emotional state by releasing him from holding animosity toward a stranger.
That moment between stimulus and response is where our freedom lies. By creating space between ourselves and our thoughts, we can choose our responses rather than being controlled by our reactions.
Practical Mindfulness for Real Life
When it comes to implementing mindfulness in daily life, Kyle offers refreshingly practical advice. Instead of trying to meditate for hours or achieve some idealized state of constant awareness, he suggests starting with something as simple as handwashing.
Dr. Ramani taught him to use each hand-washing session as a mindfulness moment, focusing on the water temperature, the feel of soap, and the sensations in his hands.
“Every time you wash your hands during the day, that is going to be your mindful moment,” Kyle explains. “The only thing I want you to focus on when you’re washing your hands is washing your hands.” After practicing this for a month—accumulating about 90 mindful moments—Kyle found that his brain naturally shifted into present-moment awareness during stressful situations.
This approach demonstrates the power of building mindfulness through small, consistent practices rather than attempting dramatic lifestyle changes. Kyle also endorses the physiological sigh technique popularized by Dr. Andrew Huberman: double inhaling through the nose followed by a long exhale.
This simple breathing technique can quickly shift your nervous system from stress to calm.
Advocating for Yourself in Healthcare
One of Kyle’s most passionate messages concerns the importance of being an active participant in your healthcare. He shares a powerful story about a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder whose psychiatrist prescribed lifelong medication after only a four-to-six-week trial study. When she asked about long-term side effects, the doctor simply said, “I don’t know.”
Kyle’s own experience with a therapist who fell asleep during sessions “no less than 10 times” over two to three years illustrates how we often accept substandard care simply because someone has professional credentials. His message is clear: “We’re the freaking customer, okay? They don’t leave us reviews. We leave them reviews.”
He challenges listeners to apply the same research energy they’d use when buying a TV to finding the right mental health professional. This means asking questions, seeking second opinions, and being willing to change providers if the relationship isn’t working.
Building Resilience in the Next Generation
When discussing what we should teach children, Kyle emphasizes resilience above all else. “Too many parents are preparing the road for their child rather than preparing their child for the road”, he says.
This insight speaks to a broader cultural shift where children are increasingly protected from failure and discomfort, ultimately leaving them unprepared for life’s inevitable challenges.
Kyle advocates for letting children experience age-appropriate difficulties…from running up the driveway and scraping a knee to handling small responsibilities independently.
He shares a story about a child who was nervous but excited after independently ordering and paying for food at a restaurant, describing it as “a core memory” that built capacity for handling uncertainty and discomfort.
The modeling parents provide is equally important. Kyle points out how calling yourself “stupid” when you make a mistake teaches children the same harsh self-talk. Instead, he suggests reframing challenges as opportunities: “I get to go to the gym” rather than “I have to go to the gym.”
The Art of Authentic Connection
Kyle’s approach to interviewing reveals important principles for authentic connection in any relationship. He describes himself as a “vicious advocate for the listener,” refusing to accept generic responses like “remember to rely on your community and take time for yourself” when someone is facing a real crisis.
His technique involves putting himself in the position of his audience—particularly women, who make up a large portion of MedCircle’s viewership and asking, “Is she getting her questions answered? Is she feeling seen and heard?” This approach creates content that resonates because it addresses real needs rather than providing surface-level advice.
Kyle also emphasizes the importance of preparation and relationship-building with the experts he interviews. His long-standing relationships with core doctors allow him to push harder for deeper insights because they’ve built trust and rapport over time.
Embracing the Suck: A New Approach to Mental Health
One of Kyle’s most provocative insights involves what he calls “embracing the suck.” He argues that the mental health field has swung too far toward positivity and solutions, leaving little room for the reality that sometimes life is genuinely difficult and unfair.
“What is wrong with just being pissed because you married a scumbag?” Kyle asks. “We can start there. Let’s just be pissed that you married a scumbag for as long as you want to be pissed about it.” This approach validates genuine emotions rather than rushing toward forgiveness or positive reframing.
He challenges the common therapeutic advice that “you have to forgive” to heal, arguing that forgiveness isn’t necessary for healing and that people can choose to never forgive someone and still move forward with their lives. This perspective offers relief to those who feel guilty about their inability to forgive or who feel pressured to “get over” traumatic experiences.
Sometimes the most healing thing you can do is acknowledge that something genuinely sucks. Forcing positivity or forgiveness before you’re ready can actually impede healing. It’s okay to sit with difficult emotions.
The Ripple Effect of Mental Health Education
Kyle’s work with MedCircle has created a ripple effect that extends far beyond individual viewers. His child-focused content through his YouTube “Baba Blast” character teaches empathy and resilience to children ages 2-6, using storytelling and animal characters to model healthy emotional responses.
Every episode includes the phrase “What do we say when things get tough? I can do this.”
This dual approach—helping adults during the day and children on nights and weekends—represents Kyle’s holistic view of mental health education. By addressing both current adults and future generations, he’s contributing to a cultural shift toward greater emotional intelligence and resilience.
The success of doctors like Dr. Ramani, who has built nearly 2 million subscribers on her YouTube channel and written four books after appearing on MedCircle, demonstrates how mental health education can create positive feedback loops. As more people become educated about mental health, they become advocates for others, spreading knowledge and reducing stigma.
The Courage to Be Vulnerable
Throughout the conversation, Kyle demonstrates remarkable vulnerability in sharing his personal struggles and growth. He openly discusses his history with therapy, his previous lack of empathy, and his ongoing challenges with stress recovery. This transparency isn’t just refreshing, it’s therapeutic for listeners who may struggle with similar issues.
His willingness to share failures and ongoing struggles normalizes the reality that mental health work is ongoing and that growth comes in stages. Kyle’s story reminds us that we don’t have to be perfect to help others, and that our struggles can become our greatest sources of strength and connection.
The journey continues, and as Kyle reminds us, that’s exactly as it should be. We’re all works in progress, and that’s good enough.
