Grit, Grace, & Inspiration | Shift Your Mindset, Find Your Purpose, & Live Inspired

What if the part of yourself you’ve spent years trying to hide could become the very thing that sets you free?

After a life-altering brain tumor left half of John Kippen’s face paralyzed, he didn’t just have to recover physically—he had to confront an entirely new identity.

For 12 years, John hid from the world, believing people would see his appearance before they saw him. Then an unexpected twist of fate—and a pocket square named Henry—reconnected him with his childhood love of magic and started a transformation he never saw coming.

John’s story is about far more than overcoming adversity. It’s about what happens when you stop allowing your scars—visible or invisible—to determine your worth.

• How John went from hiding for 12 years to confidently stepping back into the spotlight—and ultimately onto the TEDx stage.
• Why accepting the parts of yourself you wish you could change can unlock an entirely different kind of strength, confidence, and freedom.
• How pain, adversity, and even the experiences that once made you feel “broken” can become a source of purpose and a way to impact others.

If you’ve ever felt defined by something you couldn’t change, press play and discover what can happen when you stop hiding your story and start owning it!

🌐 Website + Full Portfolio

👉 johnkippen.com

Explore John’s work, TEDx Talk, documentary John’s Ultimate Illusion, plus his book Playing the Hand You Were Dealt.

🧭 Resilience & Empowerment Coaching

👉 kippen.coach

Learn more about John’s 1:1 coaching and complimentary discovery call.

🎥 Watch John’s TEDx Talk

👉 TEDx Talk – John Kippen

📽️ Watch John’s Ultimate Illusion

Featuring Jamie Lee Curtis

👉 Watch the Documentary

📖 Read Playing the Hand You Are Dealt

👉 Get the Book on Amazon

Your scars don’t disqualify you from living fully.

Sometimes the thing you’ve spent years wishing you could erase becomes the very thing that allows you to connect, inspire, and make a difference.

John Kippen’s story is a powerful reminder that you don’t have to wait until you feel perfect, look perfect, or have everything figured out to step back into your life.

You can play the hand you were dealt—and make it your own.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

What if the thing you keep turning to when life gets hard isn’t actually helping you cope… but is instead helping you avoid your life?

In Episode 464 of Grit, Grace, & Inspiration, Kevin Lowe explores the surprisingly thin line between escape and refuge—between the things that temporarily distract us from life and the things that genuinely help us return to life stronger, clearer, and more alive.

Because sometimes the very things that look healthy from the outside—working harder, staying busy, scrolling your phone, watching TV, even throwing yourself into a hobby—can become ways of avoiding what’s really happening underneath the surface.

And other times, that same activity can become exactly what your soul needed.

Whether you're looking for an original song to celebrate a person, tell a story, commemorate a meaningful moment, or bring your own idea to life through music, K-Lowe Music creates custom songs built around your story.

Learn more at K-LoweMusic.com

In this deeply insightful solo episode, Kevin draws inspiration from two recent conversations with surfers Alastair Thompson and Charles Webb.

Their stories were completely different.

Their connection to the ocean was totally different.

And yet, both revealed something powerful:

The place you go to get away from life can either pull you farther away from yourself—or help you reconnect with yourself again.

For Alastair, the ocean became a place of refuge during a life spent searching, traveling, and trying to understand where he belonged.

For Charles, surfing had been part of who he was until a motorcycle accident at 19 left him paralyzed. More than 20 years would pass before he returned to the water.

Two men. One ocean. Two very different journeys back to themselves.

And that raises the question Kevin wants you to wrestle with today:

Maybe it’s your phone.

Maybe it’s social media.

Maybe it’s Netflix.

Maybe it’s work.

Maybe it’s constantly staying busy so you never have enough silence to think about the things that hurt.

The activity itself isn’t necessarily the problem.

The better question is:

How do you feel when you come back?

Do you feel more energized?

More grounded?

More connected?

More like yourself?

Or do you come back feeling emptier, more anxious, more distracted, and even further removed from the life you were trying not to think about?

Kevin gets personal in this episode as he approaches his 40th birthday and admits that he doesn’t have life figured out either.

He still wrestles with where life is going.

He still questions whether certain activities are helping him or distracting him.

But he has learned to recognize some of the things that genuinely reconnect him with life—especially creating.

Recording this podcast.

Writing songs.

Building something from nothing.

Using creativity in the hope that something he makes might brighten somebody else’s day.

That is the difference between escaping and recharging.

One helps you disappear from your life.

The other helps you return to it.

• How seemingly positive habits can sometimes become forms of avoidance
• The difference between an escape and a true place of refuge
• Why social media and comparison can leave us feeling worse than before
• What two surfers can teach us about losing—and finding—ourselves
• Why the thing you need may already be right in front of you
• How creativity, purpose, and meaningful activities can reconnect you with life
• A simple question you can use to evaluate the things you do every day
• Why recharging yourself is very different from running away from yourself

Look at the things you turn to when life feels overwhelming.

Then ask yourself:

Is this helping me escape from my life—or helping me return to it?

Because sometimes you don’t need another distraction.

You don’t need another place to hide.

You don’t need another way to numb what you’re feeling.

Sometimes you need to find your ocean.

The thing that gives something back to you.

The thing that recharges you.

The thing that lights you up.

The thing that allows you to use your gifts—not only as a gift to someone else, but as a gift to yourself.

Don’t just escape life. Plug back into it.

Find the things that recharge you, revitalize you, and remind you that even when life gets messy, there is still something worth showing up for.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

Pulled from the Grit, Grace, & Inspiration archive: This episode was originally released in August 2022, but the message may be even more relevant today...

Have you ever felt like everyone around you is moving forward while you are still sitting there, waiting for something in your own life to finally change?

Maybe you have been working hard.

Maybe you have been doing everything you know to do.

Maybe you have stayed patient, kept believing, and kept showing up.

And yet, you still find yourself wondering:

When is it finally going to be my turn?

In this episode, Kevin uses the image of a surfer waiting for the next wave as a powerful reminder that feeling stuck does not mean your opportunity is gone.

Sometimes life moves quickly.

Sometimes it gets painfully quiet.

And sometimes the hardest part is watching other people catch their wave while you are still waiting for yours.

If you have been feeling stuck, discouraged, overlooked, or frustrated by how slowly life seems to be moving, this episode is for you.

It is especially for the person who keeps looking around and thinking:

Everybody else seems to be getting their chance. What about me?

Kevin shares a simple but important reminder: another person catching their wave does not mean there is not one coming for you.

Your job is to stay in the water.

To stay ready.

To keep believing.

And to resist the temptation to give up simply because your timing looks different from somebody else’s.

Think about one area of your life where you have been feeling stuck.

Instead of asking:

“Why is nothing happening?”

Try asking:

“What can I do right now to be ready when my next opportunity arrives?”

Then take one small step.

Keep learning.

Keep growing.

Keep preparing.

Keep showing up.

Because your next wave may arrive when you least expect it.

This episode was originally released as Episode 112 on August 12, 2022

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

What do you do when the life you thought you were going to have disappears in a single moment—and finding your way forward takes years instead of weeks?

At just 19 years old, Charles Webb was a surfer living in Southern California with dreams of taking surfing further when a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed from the chest down.

But this isn’t one of those stories that jumps from tragedy straight to triumph.

There were more than two decades in between.

Years of trying to figure out who he was now. Years of bad decisions, drugs, an arrest, rebuilding, working, surviving, and still feeling like something was missing.

Then came one phone call and one sentence:

“You could get back in the water.”

And everything began to change.

Charles didn’t simply get back on a surfboard.

Getting back in the water helped him rediscover a part of himself he thought was gone forever. It introduced him to a community he didn’t even realize he had been missing and ultimately helped him find a new sense of belonging and purpose.

What started with an adaptive paddleboard eventually led Charles back into surfing, competitive adaptive sports, and a mission much bigger than himself.

Today, Charles is the founder of Stoke for Life Foundation, where he is helping to give other adaptive athletes the same kind of opportunity that changed his own life.

His story is a powerful reminder that losing the life you thought you’d have doesn’t mean your story is over.

Sometimes you just have to have the courage to paddle out to find what is waiting out beyond the break.

• Why rebuilding your life doesn’t necessarily mean becoming the person you were before everything changed.
• How reconnecting with something that makes you feel alive can lead you toward community, belonging, and a new sense of purpose.
• Why the people you surround yourself with can dramatically change the direction of your life.
• How one opportunity to get back in the water eventually grew into a mission to help adaptive athletes around the world.
• Why believing in yourself can sometimes be harder—and more important—than having everyone else believe in you.

Charles Webb is the founder of Stoke for Life Foundation and a leader in the adaptive surfing community.

After becoming paralyzed following a motorcycle accident at age 19, Charles spent more than 20 years away from surfing before an unexpected opportunity helped him return to the water.

That experience eventually led him into adaptive paddleboarding and surfing, competition, and the creation of Stoke for Life.

Through the foundation and the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships, Charles has helped expand opportunities for adaptive surfers, increase visibility for the sport, and create a pathway for athletes to compete at a professional level.

Charles' story inspired an original song created by K-Lowe Music called “Back In The Water.”

Listen all the way through the episode to hear the song at the end of the conversation, or add to your playlist wherever you listen to music:

🎵 K-Lowe Music on Spotify:

🎵 K-Lowe Music on Apple Music:

🎵 K-Lowe Music on YouTube:

More than a business card, easier to use than a website. Connect, support, watch LIVE, and share the mission

If you’ve ever felt caught between the life you lost and the life you’re still trying to find, press play and hear how Charles Webb spent more than 20 years finding his way back to the water—and discovered purpose, belonging, and an entirely new chapter waiting for him there.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

What if the thing you keep running from is the very thing that could finally set you free?

Alastair Thompson has lived on five continents, built businesses, chased adventure around the world, and spent decades surfing some incredible waves. But somewhere along the way, he realized that maybe all that movement wasn't just about living an adventurous life.

Maybe some of it was running.

And eventually, the ocean became the place where he stopped escaping himself and started understanding himself.

Today, we're talking about fear, anger, resentment, love, loss, faith, forgiveness, and why sometimes the hardest part of life isn't catching the wave—it's having the courage to paddle out in the first place.

And whether you've ever stepped foot on a surfboard or not, I promise you, this conversation is about you.

Because sooner or later, life puts every one of us in the same position:

The wave is coming.

The question is... do you let it overtake you, or do you grab a board and surf it?

Purchase Alastair's Book: A Surfer's Guide to Enlightenment by Alastair Thompson - on Amazon

Connect with Alastair Thompson @ surfersguide.alastairthompson.com

Learn More about Kevin's custom music production agency at KLoweMusic.com

Listen to: The Ocean Taught In Questions by K-Lowe Music wherever music is found, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube

Alastair Thompson is an author, teacher, entrepreneur, surfer, and lifelong adventurer whose journey has taken him from growing up in South Africa to living and working across five continents.

After decades spent surfing and navigating his own seasons of change, Alastair began recognizing the ocean as something more than a place to catch waves. It became a teacher. Those lessons about fear, acceptance, love, loss, happiness, and finding peace with life, as it is, ultimately became his book, A Surfer's Guide to Enlightenment.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

As summer vacations end, kids head back to school, schedules fill up, and everyday routines return, it’s easy to feel like the freedom and joy of summer are disappearing with them. But maybe the answer isn’t wishing you could rewind the calendar. Maybe it’s deciding what deserves to come with you.

In this bonus episode of the Summer Shift series, Kevin Lowe challenges you to look at what summer gave you—and refuse to pack away the habits, relationships, and simple moments that made life feel better.

That evening walk you started taking? Keep it.

The mornings spent reading with a cup of coffee? Make room for them.

The extra time with friends and family? Protect it.

The moments when you stopped scrolling and actually started living? You need more of those, not less.

A new season may require a different schedule, but it doesn’t require becoming a different version of yourself.

Identify the one habit from summer that deserves a permanent place in your life.

Adapt the things that brought you joy so they still fit when work, school, and responsibilities return.

Stop dreading the return to “normal” and start viewing a new season as an opportunity for growth.

Focus on winning tomorrow instead of becoming overwhelmed by everything waiting months down the road.

Carry more connection, movement, presence, and enjoyment into your everyday life—not just your vacations.

What is one thing from this summer—one habit, practice, or way of living—that deserves a permanent place in my life?

Then don’t just hope it sticks. Adapt it. Protect it. Bring it with you.

Press play and discover how to step into your next season without leaving behind the habits, joy, and experiences that reminded you what it really feels like to live.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

What if the answer you’ve been searching for isn’t hiding in another podcast, book, expert, or piece of advice—but in the silence you keep trying to fill?

We live in a world where there’s almost always something playing. A podcast during the morning routine. Music while doing the dishes. Earbuds on a walk. Advice, inspiration, and information whenever we have a spare second. But all that input can make it surprisingly difficult to hear the one voice that understands your life better than anyone else.

In this final episode of the 12 week Summer Shift series, Kevin challenges you to do something unexpected: Turn off the podcast!

Instead of automatically searching outside yourself for the next answer, .

• Why constantly consuming advice, inspiration, and information may actually make it harder to hear what you need.
• How intentionally creating moments of silence can give you the space to uncover clarity, ideas, and your next right step.
• Why someone else’s playbook can inspire you—but ultimately can’t replace trusting your own experiences, circumstances, and journey.

Press play to discover why consuming less and embracing a little more silence could be the most meaningful shift you take from this entire Summer Shift Series.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

What if the life you’re working so hard to build is causing you to miss the life you’re already living?

There’s nothing wrong with chasing bigger goals—but when success starts costing you the moments, people, and time that matter most, it may be time to rethink what you’re really chasing.

It’s easy to tell yourself that you’ll slow down later. You’ll spend more time with the people you love once work settles down. You’ll enjoy life once you reach the next goal. You’ll finally feel successful when you get there.

But what happens when “there” keeps moving?

You can earn more money. Set another goal. Try again after a failure. But today only happens once—and the time you spend can never be put back.

In Week 11 of the 12-week Summer Shift Series, Kevin asks one of those uncomfortable questions that can change the way you see everything:

"What am I doing all of this for?"

To answer it, he shares the story of a fellow podcaster and successful entrepreneur named Adam Schaeuble who found himself in one of those high-level mastermind groups and on one particular day, the numbers started flying.

One by one, the numbers got bigger. One person was aiming to hit 6-figures this year. Another person had already crushed last year's numbers by more than double. The guy in the corner explained that he was on track to blow pass 1 million by year's end.

But then it came around to our guy Adam.

And instead of naming another financial goal, he gave an answer that changed the entire conversation.

His definition of success wasn’t built around how much money he could make.

It was built around how he wanted to spend his life.

That story leads to an even bigger realization about the limited number of ordinary days, family moments, summers, conversations, and experiences any of us actually get.

This episode isn’t telling you to stop chasing big dreams.

It’s challenging you to make sure that while you’re building the life you want tomorrow, you don’t accidentally miss the life you have today.

Adam with Podcasting Business School has got it going on! Go check out his stuff for yourself!

Press play now and take a few minutes to ask yourself whether the way you’re spending your time truly reflects what matters most to you—before another day becomes one you can never get back.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

What if the biggest setback in your life isn't the end of your story—but rather the plot twist that leads you to exactly where you're meant to be?

If you've been feeling behind, questioning your direction, or wondering whether you've missed your chance, this episode is for you. In this week's Summer Shift Series Kevin shares why unexpected detours don't signal failure—they often redirect us toward opportunities we never could have planned.

Through personal experience and practical encouragement, you'll learn how to stop measuring your life by the road you lost and start embracing the one you're on.

• Learn how to recognize the difference between a temporary detour and a permanent dead end.
• Discover why your past experiences, setbacks, and even failures are preparing you for what's next.
• Gain a practical mindset for moving forward one step at a time instead of feeling overwhelmed by the entire journey.

Press play now and discover how today's detour could become the beginning of the most meaningful chapter of your life.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration

This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

What mistake from your past still makes you question whether you deserve a better future?

Maybe it was a failure, a bad decision, a relationship you damaged, or a season of life you wish you could erase. The moment may be over, but the regret is still influencing how you see yourself and what you believe is possible.

In this episode of Grit, Grace, & Inspiration, Kevin Lowe reveals how to forgive yourself for past mistakes, release the weight of shame, and stop allowing yesterday to control tomorrow.

Most people are not held back by what happened in their past.

They are held back by what they decided it means about them.

You may have made a mistake, but that does not mean you are a mistake. You may have failed, but that does not make you a failure.

Your past is evidence of what happened. It is not a verdict declaring who you must remain.

This episode confronts three beliefs that keep people trapped in shame and regret:

• Because I did something bad, I must be bad.
• If people knew the truth about me, they would not love or accept me.
• It is too late for me to change my life.

These thoughts may feel true, but they are not facts. They are stories you have repeated long enough to believe.

Your experiences have shaped you, but they do not have to imprison you.

Even the painful and embarrassing chapters of your life can give you wisdom, compassion, and the ability to help someone else. Some of the most powerful futures are built by people who learned how to turn a messy past into something meaningful.

You cannot change what happened, but you can decide what happens next.

Kevin challenges you to write down the one sentence from your past that has been controlling your life.

Read it aloud and recognize what it truly is:

One sentence.

It is not your whole story. It is not even an entire chapter.

When you are ready, tear it up and throw it away as a declaration that it no longer has authority over your future.

You will discover:

• How to forgive yourself without ignoring responsibility
• Why shame causes you to hide and play small
• How regret becomes attached to your identity
• Why it is never too late to begin again
• A practical exercise for letting go of the past

You still hold the pen.

Your past may always be part of your story, but it does not get to write the ending. It is time to release the anchor, turn the page, and move toward the future you still deserve.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

• I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
• Want to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!
• Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In Touch
• Hire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!
• Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!

© 2026 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration