What if that pivotal moment was just the beginning?

Episodes

Addiction and Recovery: When the Hero Asks for Help
242
April 14, 2026

Addiction and Recovery: When the Hero Asks for Help

A Navy SEAL veteran shares how a nine-year addiction brought him to his knees, and how rock bottom became the foundation of his life's real mission.
Identity: What a Stroke Couldn't Take
241
April 7, 2026

Identity: What a Stroke Couldn't Take

A stroke took Deb Meyerson's voice, her mobility, and eventually her Stanford career, and this is the story of how she and her husband Steve found a way to build something meaningful from what remained.
Family Secrets: When the Truth You Always Sensed Finally Has a Name
240
March 31, 2026

Family Secrets: When the Truth You Always Sensed Finally Has a Name

Wendy B. Correa discovered at 62 that her father wasn't her biological dad. Her story of childhood loss, family secrets, and healing is for anyone carrying something they were never allowed to say out loud.
Mental Health: Learning to Live on the Other Side of Breaking
239
March 24, 2026

Mental Health: Learning to Live on the Other Side of Breaking

Chris Magleby's story is about what happens when the control you've spent your whole life building finally cracks, and what you find when you stop trying to think your way out.
Domestic Violence: Breaking the Silence Men Are Taught Not to Break
238
March 17, 2026

Domestic Violence: Breaking the Silence Men Are Taught Not to Break

Eugene Z. Bertrand survived domestic violence and a near-death experience. On The Life Shift Podcast, he shares how radical acceptance and vulnerability helped him reclaim his power.
Existing vs. Living: A Mother's Journey Back to the World
237
March 10, 2026

Existing vs. Living: A Mother's Journey Back to the World

After losing her son at 23, adventurer and author Dianette Wells had to find her way back to a world that had lost its sparkle, and she did it one step, one trail, and one yes at a time.
Unsaid: The Stories That Disappear Before We Think to Ask
236
March 3, 2026

Unsaid: The Stories That Disappear Before We Think to Ask

A conversation about the life shift that happens when you lose the chance to capture someone’s story, and the quiet urgency that follows.
Grief: Learning to Stay Open When Everything Hurts
235
Feb. 24, 2026

Grief: Learning to Stay Open When Everything Hurts

A tender conversation about loving fully, grieving honestly, and staying open to life even after profound loss.
The Small Moments That Quietly Change Your Life | Bonus
Feb. 22, 2026

The Small Moments That Quietly Change Your Life | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me after more than two hundred conversations on The Life Shift.Today I am talking about the small moments that end up changing everything. Not the dramatic events we can point to, but the quieter shifts. The split second where you choose something different. The small yes or no that later becomes a turning point. The thought you almost ignore until it finally lands.In this reflection, I talk about t...
Grief: Making Something Beautiful From What Broke
234
Feb. 17, 2026

Grief: Making Something Beautiful From What Broke

A quiet conversation about learning to stay open and find meaning when life moves you through loss and change.
What It Really Feels Like to Start Over | Bonus
Feb. 15, 2026

What It Really Feels Like to Start Over | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me after the conversations on The Life Shift.Today, I am talking about starting over and the quiet moments when someone realizes life cannot keep going the way it has been. These beginnings rarely look dramatic. They show up as discomfort, restlessness, or a small truth that refuses to stay quiet. They arrive long before anything changes on the outside.In this reflection, I talk about how starting a...
Grief: Learning to Carry Joy and Loss Together
233
Feb. 10, 2026

Grief: Learning to Carry Joy and Loss Together

A conversation about love, loss, and the quiet courage it takes to stay open when life refuses to follow the plan.
Guest: Sharon Spano
The Moment You Finally Say the Truth Out Loud | Bonus
Feb. 8, 2026

The Moment You Finally Say the Truth Out Loud | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me after the conversations on The Life Shift.Today I am talking about the moment you finally say the thing you have been holding in. It is rarely dramatic. It is rarely loud. Most of the time it is a quiet shift in the air. A small release. A truth that has been waiting for you to stop hiding.In this reflection, I talk about the fear that comes before speaking the truth, the relief that follows, and...
Burnout: Crying in a Dark Theater
232
Feb. 3, 2026

Burnout: Crying in a Dark Theater

A conversation about burnout, belonging, and the moment a body tells the truth when a life no longer fits.
How We Slowly Rebuild After Loss | Bonus
Feb. 1, 2026

How We Slowly Rebuild After Loss | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me after the conversations on The Life Shift.Today I am talking about the quiet ways people rebuild after loss. Not the dramatic versions we often hear about, but the slow work that happens in ordinary moments. The rebuilding that takes shape in private. The kind no one sees.In this reflection, I talk about how grief reshapes us, how healing does not mean going back to who we were, and how rebuildin...
The Morning She Finally Chose Herself After Burnout
231
Jan. 27, 2026

The Morning She Finally Chose Herself After Burnout

After years of chasing approval and success, Lin Yuan-Su sat alone in a parking lot and realized it was time to stop living for everyone else and start listening to herself.
Guest: Lin Yuan-Su
The Life Shift Podcast | A New Trailer
Jan. 26, 2026

The Life Shift Podcast | A New Trailer

The Life Shift Podcast is a long form interview podcast about the moments that turn our lives into before and after.Each episode centers on one defining life shift. A moment that changes how someone sees their life and what it takes to live differently after it.This is not a show to offer solutions or advice. These are thoughtful conversations about real experiences, shared by people navigating loss, burnout, identity, grief, and major life changes.Hosted by Matt Gilhooly.Listen to episo...
Who You Become After Everything Breaks Open | Bonus
Jan. 25, 2026

Who You Become After Everything Breaks Open | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me after the conversations on The Life Shift.Today, I am talking about identity and what happens when the life you have been holding together finally cracks open. Identity is not fixed. It shifts and bends. It breaks down and rebuilds. It grows through fear and through honesty. And most of us do not realize how much we have been holding until something inside us asks for change.In this reflection, I...
Healing Childhood Trauma and Remembering What Never Broke
230
Jan. 20, 2026

Healing Childhood Trauma and Remembering What Never Broke

After surviving childhood sexual abuse, Suzanne Roberts spent her life learning that the holiness she once felt in dissociation was actually the soul within her, and that healing meant remembering she was never truly broken.
Grief Does Not Look the Same for Everyone | Bonus
Jan. 18, 2026

Grief Does Not Look the Same for Everyone | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that stay with me long after the conversations on The Life Shift.Today, I am talking about the way grief shows up differently for each of us. Grief is not a single feeling. It is not one path or one expression. It shifts. It breaks open. It softens. It surprises you. And sometimes it says the opposite of what you think it should.In this reflection, I talk about the pressure many of us feel to grieve a certain way,...
She Finally Stopped Running From Her Own Story
229
Jan. 13, 2026

She Finally Stopped Running From Her Own Story

Katie Grimes shares how she stepped out of old patterns, faced the truth she had been avoiding, and learned to build a life where she finally feels at home.
Guest: Katie Grimes
Learning to Trust Yourself Again | Bonus
Jan. 11, 2026

Learning to Trust Yourself Again | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that keep showing up after more than two hundred conversations on The Life Shift.Today I am talking about self trust and what it means to rebuild it after years of doubt, shame, or fear. Trusting yourself is not a single moment. It grows slowly through messy progress, small choices, and the courage to keep showing up even when you feel uncertain.In this reflection, I talk about the back-and-forth nature of healing...
She Found Her Voice After Years of Silence
228
Jan. 6, 2026

She Found Her Voice After Years of Silence

After surviving childhood trauma, Erin Snow found her strength in listening, turning years of silence into a life built on empathy, healing, and truth.
Guest: Erin Snow
You Don’t Have to Be Healed to Begin | Bonus
Jan. 4, 2026

You Don’t Have to Be Healed to Begin | Bonus

This episode is part of The Things We Carry, a solo series shaped by the themes that keep showing up in the conversations on The Life Shift.Today I am talking about the belief that you have to be fully healed before you can change your life. I do not think that is true. Healing is not a finish line. It is not a requirement you have to meet before you are allowed to grow or move forward.In this reflection, I talk about why healing and change often happen together, and why waiting to feel whole...