Episodes

Content warning: This episode discusses depression, suicide ideation, and abuse. Please take care while listening. Pamela Topjian shares her inspirational story of overcoming childhood neglect and trauma to live a life she loves.

I wanted to celebrate a milestone on the Patreon page and share a clip from one of the Patreon Bonus Episodes this week. The Patreon is growing, and we recently hit the first goal of 15 subscribers. The first two winners of the t-shirt giveaway were my supporters, Bryan and Marisa.

In this week’s episode, Josh Painter shares his inspiring journey of taking risks and how it eventually paid off. And how he has found a way to create the best version of himself ever, going against living the life that others expect of them.

Matt Drinkhahn's inspiring journey is one to be admired! From overcoming bullying to his three-day golf tournament with his father, which gave him a deeper understanding of parenting, his life has been shaped by strong moments of resilience. Throughout the conversation, we continually return to a moment with his father after a tough day in school when Matt faced his first real sense of rejection. It is this moment that Matt attributes to his strength and resilience.

I wanted to celebrate a milestone on the Patreon page with everyone and share a clip from one of the Patreon Bonus Episodes this week. The Patreon is growing, and we just hit 15 subscribers. This is a milestone because I created a t-shirt giveaway where once I hit 15 subscribers, I would draw a random name for every five new subscribers and send that person a Life Shift Podcast t-shirt (one of two designs) I created.

After ten years of teaching chemistry and dreading a future of 25-35 years of the same job, Lorraine Connell applied for a middle management position, only to be met with disappointment when she was not chosen. Without waning support from the administration, Lorraine had to innovate to find a way to enjoy teaching and challenge her students.

In this episode, Claudia Noriega-Bernstein shares her story of betrayal and how it has shaped her life. “But I have learned in all these years to take that responsibility of what could I have done different. And when I think about our marriage, I was very happy. He seemed to be very happy.”

Are you feeling stuck in life and don't know where to turn? “You know it's all of these moments that you it's when you don't think, and you don't over process that life tends to take you in the craziest and most amazing direction.”

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.

Danielle McCombs was in a moment of change, questioning her career path and what she should be doing with the next 20 years of her life. "I realized, oh, the title and the money are not the things that drive me."

In this third bonus episode, I reconnect with Rachel Fiorello (episode 9) to chat about her experience on The Life Shift Podcast.

After being forced to abandon his dream of becoming a police officer, Wayne Partello, a young, ambitious entrepreneur, is confronted with a daunting challenge: to prove himself without a college degree in the cutthroat world of media and professional sports. "You have control of your story. It's what you want to be known for, and you have control of that." - Wayne Partello.

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."

In this second bonus episode, I reconnect with Adrienne (episode 4) to chat about her experience on The Life Shift Podcast. The Life Shift Podcast is now on Patreon - Get access to ad-free episodes released two days early and bonus episodes with past guests through Patreon. https://patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

Jackie Scully reflects on her decision to leave her teaching job in Hawaii during the recession to return to Pennsylvania, only to find the job market for teachers just as difficult. "I was kicking myself. I was like, what did I do? This is not the life I want to live.”

After years of feeling like they were playing a role society had created for them, Cristina Marcello took a stand by cutting off all their hair - and found their true identity in the process. "Once you allow yourself to be your authentic self, you stop caring about what society says you should or shouldn't do. Once you get past one thing society tells you not to do, it opens up any possibility for you to just be who you want to be."

This bonus episode is a sneak peek of some of the content from the Patreon tiers. In these exclusive episodes, I will revisit past guests of The Life Shift Podcast and discuss how they felt about their episode recording on the show.

Marisa Eikenberry started in web development when her instructor pointed out a career path she didn't consider. Years later, she began editing podcasts by accident (previous sound engineering training) and quickly realized she loved it. And when her co-worker asked her to co-host a new podcast, she said YES despite never considering that as a possibility.

Robin Hofmann is a certified behavior analyst and award-winning film producer, writer, and director. "For the first time in my life, I felt in the right place."

Rebecca Lerch is a ballet dancer and a learning and development leader. She is also a single mother and hair loss advocate.

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

Mathilde Bernard Funderburk arrived in the United States with two suitcases and a heart full of hope. "I still feel like that sometimes where I need to live this life for him. I need to go through these things that he could and never have done because he died at 15 years old."

The End Question for All 32 Episodes To celebrate the end of season one, I compiled a collection of the final questions for each of the first 32 episodes of The Life Shift Podcast. I know that many listeners like to hear how the guest answers the final question.

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.