Healing Episodes

Sunny Chang shares his journey of finding strength, healing, and hope in mental health after coping with grief and guilt. Sunny emphasizes the importance of processing emotions and feelings and shares his strategies for dealing with loss, including practicing mindfulness, therapy, and exercise. He talks about finding hope and healing through mental health and emphasizes that seeking help is a sign of strength. “I think that's important to me now, where it sounds almost cliche, but it's okay to not be okay. It's okay to sometimes just lay in bed and cry, and you need to process those emotions and those feelings.”

In this episode of The Life Shift Podcast, guest Olivia Dreizen Howell shares her personal story of going through a divorce as a single mother with two young children. "I really knew my kids deserved a life that didn't include walking on eggshells all the time. And they deserved a mother that could show up for them. I mean, Matt, I have letters I wrote to my sons apologizing for the things I had to do to survive at that time. You know, and I was so scared that something would happen to me, and they wouldn't know that I believed in them, or that I thought that they were okay to be themselves, or that they could be whoever they wanted to be.”

Michelle Glogovac, a podcasting expert, award-winning publicist, and author of Podcast Guesting Made Simple, shares her experience of a life-changing medical emergency that occurred only a week after her 41st birthday. "Well, the ER doctor said to me she goes, "if you had waited until that Friday to see your regular doctor, you would have died."

Suzanne Anderson shares her journey of self-discovery and the traumatic event that changed the trajectory of her life. She discusses finding true love with her husband, David, and the magical life they built together. However, everything changed when David died by suicide just two days before his niece's wedding and five days before Suzanne was set to launch her new program. “I had a friend who does the shamanic rattles if you've ever heard of these intense rattling. And she rattled, rattled. And when it hit the peak moment, I took this vessel and just smashed it on the stone hearth. And it went into just a bajillion pieces. And the whole room went, kuch! And my body did. It was like the message to my body, and I think others felt this too, that there would be no putting back together this thing.”

Robert Peterpaul, host of the "The Art of Kindness" podcast, shares his inspiring story of resilience and the power of kindness. “I remember the moment that really started to shift things was waking up that morning to go to school. When my brother said, my stomach hurts, I don't feel well, I don't feel well. I immediately thought he was faking it. I thought he was just trying to get out of class because, listen, I've hid in the basement, I've hid in closets, I've hid under the tables to not go to school. That was us. And then he kept up with it. And I still was kind of like, huh. I think my parents, too, at first maybe thought that. And then... they finally relented and said, okay, we'll take you to the doctor. And he was just in so much pain. And so I went off to school, kind of probably forgot about it. I was like, maybe jealous he was staying home, to be honest. And then when I came out of school, my parents weren't there to pick me up.”

In this episode of The Life Shift Podcast, John D'Agostini shares his journey of overcoming shame, toxic masculinity, and finding purpose. He discusses his experiences coping with family addiction and abuse, societal pressure on gender roles, and struggling with isolation and sleeping in his car. He also talks about overcoming shame and toxic masculinity, seeking help, and providing safety and direction for the lost through a book and mentoring program. "I wouldn't even admit those things to myself back then. The lack of self-awareness was alarming because I had this blind spot that I know was full of a bunch of junk, and I just absolutely refused to deal with it because that's just not what men do. Or at least that's what I thought at the time.”

Elizabeth Rosenberg shares her personal journey from burnout to spiritual awakening. “And I learned through therapy that I would also give myself migraines not only to give myself a time out but to punish myself for not being successful at what I had set out to do, which is just like mind-blowing to me because you're like, oh my God, like you did this to yourself.”

In this episode, entrepreneur and financial expert Larry Sprung shares his journey of overcoming loss and tragedy in his family to help others. Larry's experiences taught him valuable lessons about the importance of mental health and seeking help when needed. “If you're walking down the street and there's a pebble on the ground, and you pick up the pebble, and you put it right here up against your eye. It looks like a boulder. You're never gonna get around it. But if you take that same pebble and you put it out at arm's length and then you look at it, you're like, well, it's just a pebble. I could get around that thing”

In this episode of The Life Shift Podcast, my guest, Ryan Gottfredson, a leadership development author, researcher, and consultant, shares his journey to understanding his relationship with his parents, his emotional struggles, and how his lack of emotional support as a child has left him with difficulty building certain emotions. He also dives into how different therapy modalities can help rewire your brain to function more healthily.

**Please note that this episode may be triggering for some listeners. Take care as you listen.** John Kelley shares his story of loss, resilience, and transforming grief in this week's episode. John's story is one of tragedy and triumph, and his incredible journey inspires many. In this episode, John talks about his father's advice (“Tomorrow is not promised”), his father's untimely and sudden death, and the tragic passing of his mother.

This is a REPLAY of episode 11, launched in May 2022. I wanted to share this episode again for new subscribers who have yet to hear my story and the WHY behind The Life Shift Podcast. Life Shifts and Grief.

In the face of tragedy and loss, she found the strength to keep going for her kids. "I mean, if it weren't for them, I'm honestly a little afraid of what would have happened because they were my everything, everything I did for them."

Tory Campbell is a breast cancer survivor. She is originally from Connecticut but now resides in San Diego, California.

Rob Cressy went from selling advertising on an obituary website to becoming a self-aware, growth-minded sports creator by design, not by default. This mindset helped him survive a near-death experience during a marathon run.

Hondu shares this journey to sobriety and the moments that triggered his addiction. Most importantly, we discuss how he stays sober daily and the everyday struggles that try to pull him from his 6+ year sobriety.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Free Skin Co. business owner, branding, and marketing leader Ashley Pereira. Ashley shares deeply personal stories about her physically and sexually abusive upbringing. She shares the milestones in her journey, from leaving the situation to a devastatingly dark moment of a suicide attempt.

In this episode, I talk to my friend Becca Berkey about the more recent pivotal moments in her life – the convergence of many nearly simultaneously. In one year, Becca got pregnant at 37, lost two family members on the same day, and then the world shut down due to the pandemic. But the most interesting part about her story is her journey that brought her to live authentically – driven by her values.

In this episode, I host my new connection, Kelly Anderson. Kelly and I met through LinkedIn, but as you will notice through the conversation, we found a strong connection through the discussion about her pivotal moments. In this episode, Kelly talks about how she left the corporate world to find her purpose. Her story will resonate with anyone that has ever asked themselves, “Is this all there is to life? The same routine day in and day out?” I loved having this conversation with Kelly and creating new, stronger bonds with people living their purpose.

In this episode, I am joined by my friend David Toback, a voice actor and creator of the GVAA Rate Guide used by non-union voice actors. In our conversation, we talk about how a collection of shifts in his life led him to lean into his passion and be more open to the universe. In addition, we learn how some life-altering shifts introduced him to the idea that he can truly do whatever he wants.

Join me on this episode as I talk to my friend, Morgan (Mo), from high school. Our paths only briefly passed, but we sparked a strong connection, and since then, I have been following her journey. In this episode, we talk about how Mo's MS (Multiple Sclerosis) diagnosis changed her life and how she feels it necessary to bring her to the current appreciation for the simple things in life. We discuss honoring our pasts and learning to be vulnerable, and providing space because "our mess is our message."

In this episode of The Life Shift Podcast, we explore a non-traditional approach to recovering from chronic PTSD, featuring Adrienne, a yoga teacher, mobility specialist, biohacker, and self-improvement enthusiast. Adrienne's journey from the depths of severe PTSD to a life filled with purpose and anxiety-free days is truly inspiring.