When Grief Becomes a Turning Point Most of us don't plan for the moments that change everything. Britt Michaelian sure didn’t. She was living in San Francisco, raising her daughters, working in expressive arts therapy, and creating vibrant, Rothko-…
Chasing Success but Feeling Empty I recently had the chance to sit down with Kevin Palmieri, founder and co-host of Next Level University, to talk about a part of success that doesn’t get enough attention – what happens when achieving your goals st…
Redefining Grief and Rewriting the Story When Marie Alessi’s husband, Rob, died suddenly from a brain aneurysm, everything changed in an instant. He was away on a business trip. She had just kissed him goodbye at the train station, their kids ridin…
Learning to Trust Her Voice Again When Kaila Yu joined me on The Life Shift, I knew it was going to be a powerful conversation. But I didn’t expect it to sit in my bones the way it has. Kaila shared a story that most people would never speak aloud.…
Grief has a way of rearranging everything. For Dr. Devin DeGreif, it didn’t knock politely. It shattered her world in an instant. Her story is not just about surviving the unimaginable. It is about what happens when you choose to stay, when you deci…
Rethinking What Courage Looks Like I used to think bravery was about doing big things. Running toward danger. Standing in front of a crowd. Making massive, life-altering decisions. But after nearly 200 conversations on The Life Shift Podcast, I’ve …
The Moment That Shattered Everything I’ve talked to a lot of people about the moment their life changed. That “before and after” they never saw coming. But when Ash Perrow told me about holding his stillborn daughter in his arms, I didn't know what…
We talk a lot about resilience. About pushing through. About staying strong when life throws you into chaos. But we don’t always talk about what happens after the storm calms down. When the world goes quiet and you finally have space to feel it all.…
The weight of silence What struck me most about my conversation with Michael Allison was how much he had carried without ever being asked how he was really doing. From childhood abuse to a VBIED explosion in Iraq, Michael didn’t just survive trauma…
Living with Half the Story When Lisa Sugarman was ten years old, she was told her father died of a heart attack. It was a painful truth to carry, but one that allowed her to grieve and eventually move forward. For 35 years, that version of her stor…
When Parenthood Doesn’t Go as Planned I’ve talked to a lot of people about the moments that reshape everything. Those forks in the road when life suddenly feels unfamiliar. Talking with Jennifer Celeste Briggs reminded me that sometimes the biggest…
What Happens When You Finally Choose Yourself? Ryan Hennessey didn’t set out to leave teaching. Like a lot of us, he was doing what he thought he was supposed to do. Showing up. Caring deeply. Pouring himself into a career that once felt like a cal…
When Life Splits in Two Some moments change everything. Donna Kendrick’s life-altering shift came the day she lost her husband to suicide. One minute, she was preparing for a casual night out. The next, she was standing in a new house, realizing sh…
When the Future Disappears in an Instant It wasn’t a shouting match. It wasn’t a courtroom. It was sushi. A quiet moment at a familiar restaurant. And a handshake. That was the moment Mikelann Valterra’s marriage ended. Not with fireworks, but wit…
When a Dream Doesn’t Fit Anymore There’s this idea we all grow up with – that if we start something early enough and push hard enough, we’ll end up exactly where we’re supposed to be. But what happens when that place no longer feels right? That’s …
Seeing People Isn't Always Easy — But It's Always Worth It When Adam Erwin boarded a plane shortly after 9/11, he was filled with the kind of fear many of us still remember from that time. It was his first flight since the attacks, and every unfami…
When Life Splits Into “Before” and “After” There’s a moment Tony Stewart will never forget. His wife picked up the phone, listened quietly, and then looked up and said, “I have tumors in my lungs and spine.” It was a moment that fractured time, spl…
We all know the script: go to school, get a degree, find a good job, buy a house. It's the path many of us are encouraged to follow, often without questioning if it truly fits. But what if that script never felt right to begin with? In this article…
The Day Ian Fee Chose Himself Over Alcohol For three decades, Ian Fee believed that alcohol was his superpower. It helped him network, entertain, and keep the party going. He could walk into any room, light it up, and leave with new clients and new…
Growing Up Without the Words Leyla King grew up in Texas surrounded by warmth, family, faith, and tradition. Sunday feasts with dozens of cousins, strong matriarchs in the kitchen, and a deep connection to her Christian upbringing were the norm.…
When Laura DeKraker Lang-Ree’s three-year-old daughter whispered, “It hurts everywhere, Mama,” she had no idea those would be the words that shattered her world. But in that quiet moment, everything changed. What followed was a diagnosis — leukemia …
Burnout Doesn’t Always Announce Itself If you’ve ever taken on too much and told yourself, “I’ve got this,” you’re in good company. That was Andrew Lang’s default for years – saying yes, staying late, taking on the roles no one else would. He was a…
The journey through a life-threatening illness is one that can shake us to our very core. It's a path that challenges our resilience, redefines our priorities, and often leaves us forever changed. Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Vanes…
Life has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs our way, doesn't it? One moment we're cruising along, thinking we've got it all figured out, and the next, we're faced with a challenge that shakes us to our core. These moments, these life shifts, ca…
