Today Patty welcomes Mark Steven Porro, a New Jersey native who spent 28 years in Hollywood, to discuss his bestselling, award-winning debut memoir, A Cup of Tea on the Commode, The book is about caring for his mother during the final three and a half years of her life after a near-death experience in 2011. 

He explains the title’s origin from a daily bedside commode routine that included his mother’s favorite tea, and shares how hospice taught him hands-on caregiving tasks such as treating bed sores, changing diapers, sponge bathing, and managing stress. Porro describes using humor to handle difficult moments, recounts stories about both parents, and notes a caregiver health crisis that led to emergency surgeries. He also talks about creating the organic snack brand Grandpa Po’s Originals, life in the south of France, and an upcoming second book focused on his father.

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Episode Highlights:

00:00 Meet Mark Porro

01:04 Title Meaning Explained

01:54 From Notes to Memoir

02:38 Hospice Care Lessons

04:46 Not a How To Book

06:32 Humor as Medicine

09:14 Dad Stories and Dignity

12:58 Why Mark Became Caregiver

16:47 Caregiver Burnout Warning

18:37 Third Emergency Recovery

18:58 Wild Hospital Meds

20:16 Accidental Nonprofits Story

21:11 Grandpa Poes Origins

23:11 Flavors And Factory

25:03 Mantras And Burnout

25:35 Screenplay And Next Book

27:08 Awards And Reader Letters

28:24 Life In France

30:15 Wine Actor Chocolate Picks

32:56 Wrap Up And Next Guest