What if one letter could pull you back from the edge?
Michael Allison is a U.S. Marine Combat Veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and resilience coach — but before any of that, he was a survivor. A survivor of childhood abuse, war, grief, and the kind of silence that can swallow you whole. In this episode of *The Life Shift Podcast*, Michael shares the moment he almost let go, and the letter that changed everything.
In this conversation, we explore:
- PTSD, trauma, and the invisible weight of survival
- Growing up in chaos and learning to compartmentalize pain
- The day he stood on a bridge — and what pulled him back
- How he rebuilt his life, his marriage, and his mission
- The founding of *The Adversity Academy* and his work helping others lead with heart
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:00 Surviving childhood trauma
12:00 Military service and the shift into war
25:00 The attack that changed everything
43:00 The aftermath and the silence
52:00 The bridge in Tampa
56:00 Healing, rebuilding, and finding purpose
1:03:00 Final reflections
Keywords:
Michael Allison, PTSD recovery, veteran mental health, trauma survivor, life after combat, suicide prevention story, childhood abuse healing, resilience coach, Life Shift Podcast, Matt Gilhooly
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