Life Shift | True Stories of Healing, Grief & Loss

What happens when everything you’ve built feels like it’s built on the wrong foundation?

Alan Lazaros was chasing all the right things on paper. The degrees. The job. The money. But a head-on car accident at 26, eerily similar to the one that killed his father when Alan was just 2, brought it all to a crashing halt. In that moment, he came face to face with who he really was, not just who he wanted the world to see.

We talk about:

This episode is a reminder that your potential isn’t about proving anything. It’s about honoring what’s already inside.

At age 2, Alan Lazaros lost his father in a car accident. At 26, after surviving a nearly fatal crash of his own, Alan questioned everything. His career. His relationships. His identity. That wake-up call led him to walk away from Corporate America and start over with intention. Now the CEO and co-host of Next Level University, a global top 100 podcast with over 2,000 episodes across 170 countries, Alan helps others transform their lives in the areas of health, wealth, love, and personal growth. His work is grounded in discipline, data, and deep belief in human potential.

🔗 Connect with Alan:

www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros

www.instagram.com/alazaros88

www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc

🎧 Listen and follow the show: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow

✨ Support with ad-free early access: www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube: The Life Shift Podcast on YouTube

📬 Join the newsletter: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com

💬 Connect on socials: @thelifeshiftpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when loss cracks you wide open and shows you who you’ve been all along?

Britt Michaelian had built a beautiful, full life. She was raising her daughters, creating art, and moving forward. But when her mother passed away suddenly, Britt paused everything. Then, just as life began to settle, her sister was diagnosed with cancer. That second heartbreak brought a deeper reckoning.

In this conversation, Britt shares how she found clarity and purpose through pain, and how her grief helped her return to herself through healing, intuition, and a new form of creative expression.

Britt’s story reminds us that healing asks us to slow down, listen deeply, and honor the quiet wisdom that lives inside us.

Britt Michaelian is a visionary artist, Reiki master, and quantum healer whose work blends creativity with profound personal transformation. With a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and master’s degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy, Britt brings over two decades of healing experience. She has worked as an expressive arts therapist in pediatric, oncology, and heart transplant units.

Now a healing arts pioneer, Britt creates mixed-media frequency paintings that transcend the canvas, offering emotional renewal and spiritual depth. Her work has been exhibited in museums like the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and collected around the world. She also hosts Healing House, an annual art and wellness event featured in the LA Times, and shares monthly remote Reiki and free healing resources through her site and podcast, The Daily Healing.

Learn more at brittmichaelian.art and follow @BrittMichaelian on Instagram, X, and Pinterest.

🎧 Listen to the full episode and explore past guests:

www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com

☕ Get ad-free episodes and early access by supporting on Patreon:

www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

💌 Receive personal reflections and behind-the-scenes updates in the weekly newsletter:

www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/newsletter

📲 Follow the show on socials for episode drops, quotes, and more:

@thelifeshiftpodcast on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and TikTok

@thelifeshiftpod on X

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when success on paper leaves you feeling completely empty inside?

Kevin Palmieri had the dream life. The job. The car. The paycheck. But beneath the highlight reel, he was unraveling. In this conversation, Kevin shares the quiet spiral that nearly ended everything and the honest decision that changed his life for good. What started as a breakdown became a wake-up call. One that led him to become the kind of person he always needed.

You’ll hear:

Kevin’s story is a powerful reminder that worth is not earned by titles, money, or status. It’s grown through truth, trust, and the small daily steps we take to become who we’re meant to be.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com

Kevin Palmieri is the founder and co-host of the Next Level University podcast. Early in his life, Kevin found “success,” but after a brush with near suicide he realized he wasn’t living a life he truly wanted. He became passionate about self-improvement and made it his purpose to impact as many people as possible by becoming a role model podcaster and speaker. Today, Next Level University is a top 100 podcast with over 2,000 episodes and one million listens across more than 170 countries. Kevin has taken his life to the next level and achieved both personal and professional success.

Follow Kevin here:

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Love what you heard? Here’s how you can support the show and stay connected:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if grief could live beside joy instead of swallowing it whole?

When Marie Alessi’s husband, Rob, died suddenly from a brain aneurysm while on a work trip, her life shattered in an instant. But instead of letting grief move in permanently, Marie made a quiet, powerful promise: to create the happiest life possible for her and their two young boys. What followed wasn’t perfect, but it was deeply human. And deeply intentional.

In this episode:

This conversation is a reminder that joy and grief can hold hands. And that love doesn’t end.

Listen now at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow

Ad-free and early episodes on Patreon: www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

Marie Alessi is a bestselling author, TEDx and keynote speaker, and grief advocate who helps others bring lightness into their darkest seasons. After her husband Rob passed unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm, Marie made a quiet promise to create the happiest life possible for herself and their two young sons. She never imagined becoming a widow at 45, but that moment reshaped her purpose. Through her books, talks, and coaching work, Marie shares what it means to choose healing, redefine widowhood, and live a joyful love legacy. Learn more at www.mariealessi.com.

Connect with The Life Shift Podcast

🎙 Website & episodes: https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow

🗞 Newsletter: https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/newsletter

💖 Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

📷 Instagram: @thelifeshiftpodcast

👤 Host: Matt Gilhooly on LinkedIn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special bonus episode of The Life Shift Podcast, I mark the 36th anniversary of my mom’s passing by sharing something deeply personal. Usually, I’m the one listening as guests reflect on their life-altering moments. But today, I turn the question back on myself.

What would I tell the 8-year-old version of me – the boy who lost his mom in 1989 and had no choice but to grow up too quickly?

I share a letter I wrote to that younger self. It’s about grief, silence, perfectionism, and the long journey toward finally letting myself feel. It’s also about learning that our stories, even the messy ones, can help others heal.

This is both a remembrance and an offering – a way of honoring the little boy I once was, the mom I still miss, and the community of people who remind me that love and loss can coexist.

Subscribe to The Life Shift Podcast wherever you listen: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow
Get ad-free early releases and bonus content on Patreon: www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast
Join the newsletter for personal reflections: Newsletter 
Follow along on social: Instagram | YouTube

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when your earliest moments of intimacy are taken from you?

In this raw and powerful conversation, author Kaila Yu shares the truth about a traumatic experience in her early twenties that splintered her sense of self. Raised in a household where emotions were rarely named, Kaila spent years seeking validation outside herself. When a modeling opportunity turned into a violent betrayal, she dissociated to survive. For a long time, she told no one. But silence has a way of catching up to you. In time, Kaila found the strength to tell the truth and honor the version of herself who got through it.

Three key takeaways from Kaila’s life shift:

This episode holds space for the complexity of trauma, cultural expectations, and the slow, brave act of integration.

Listen at http://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/s4e201

Kaila Yu is a luxury travel and culture writer and on-camera correspondent based in Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Condé Nast Traveler, and National Geographic. In her powerful debut memoir, Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty, Kaila explores the intersections of racialized desire, consent, trauma, and identity. The book will be released on August 19, 2025, by Penguin Random House’s Crown Publishing. Through her writing and advocacy, Kaila brings voice to the often-overlooked realities of Asian American women and invites deeper conversations around healing and self-worth.

More from The Life Shift Podcast:

🎧 Listen to all episodes: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow

💌 Get weekly reflections: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/newsletter

✨ Support on Patreon for ad-free early access: www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

📲 Follow on socials: @thelifeshiftpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when the world falls apart and your inner voice says, “Not yet”?

Dr. Devin DeGreif shares a story so unimaginable it feels like fiction until you realize it is her truth. After the brutal loss of her mother, Devin unraveled, disassociated, and considered ending her life. But a thunderous inner "no" marked a turning point. What followed was a slow, intentional shift toward healing, spiritual alignment, and helping others reclaim joy after pain.

This is not just a story of survival. It is about remembering who you are underneath all the pain and building a life around that truth.

Listen now at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/s4e200

Support the show on Patreon for ad-free, early access: www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

Subscribe to the newsletter and follow on socials: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com

Guest Bio:

Dr. Devin DeGreif is a physical therapist, transformational coach and intuitive healer who has journeyed from deep grief to resounding joy herself. As the author of Good Grief: The Journey from Grief to Joy, she combines personal storytelling with expert guidance to help others navigate loss and rediscover happiness. Passionate about helping others reclaim their light after any type of pain or loss, Devin’s work focuses on embodiment. Learn more and explore ways to work with Devin at www.drdevindegreif.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the bravest thing you can do is admit you’re struggling?

When Jill Schulman walked into her ROTC unit ready to quit, she expected rejection. Instead, she was met with empathy. And that changed everything. In this powerful conversation, Jill shares the quiet, steady kind of bravery that helped her stay the course and eventually shape her life’s work.

This episode is a reminder that you don’t have to do it alone. And that choosing to keep going? That’s brave.

Jill Schulman is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, corporate leader, and expert in the science of bravery. With a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, she blends research with lived experience to help people take bold action, build resilience, and live with intention. Her new book, The Bravery Effect, offers practical tools to grow courage in everyday life, one brave moment at a time.

Listen + Connect:

🎧 Full episode: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/s4e199

🎁 Support on Patreon for early access and ad-free episodes: www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

💌 Join the newsletter: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/newsletter

🔗 Follow Matt and The Life Shift: @thelifeshiftpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when your life splits in two more than once?

Ash Perrow was a schoolteacher with a plan and a future he could see clearly. Then he held his stillborn daughter in his arms. That moment shattered everything. Years of survival, anxiety, and silence followed. Then a near-death experience cracked him open in a way nothing else ever had. And in that space beyond his body, he made a choice that changed his life.

Ash's story is a raw and beautiful reminder that healing is not linear, and it is never too late to wake up.

Guest Bio

Ash Perrow is a coach, speaker, and storyteller who helps heart-centered professionals reconnect with their deeper wisdom and live from the truth of who they are. After the stillbirth of his daughter and a near-death experience following back surgery, Ash returned to life with a clear contract: to stay for the work he does and walk the planet from his heart. That moment became a second beginning, one that unraveled everything he thought he knew about purpose, identity, and healing.

Through somatic therapy, spiritual exploration, and his own relentless curiosity, Ash rebuilt his life from the inside out. Now, he guides others through that same kind of transformation with grounded compassion and deep respect for their inner knowing. His work takes shape through coaching, workshops, group programs, and powerful storytelling that reminds us we are never alone in our becoming.

Find more at https://www.ashperrow.com or on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@ashperrow

Listen and support

🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/200

💌 Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/newsletter

🤍 Get early access and ad-free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

🌎 Follow on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and more: https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the perfect time never comes?

Katie Svoboda-Rini spent years waiting for things to settle before she could finally chase her dream. But life had other plans, including the loss of both parents, a lifetime of body shame, and a wildfire that didn’t burn her house down but still took almost everything. In the rubble of grief, burnout, and survival mode, Katie found something deeper than resilience. She found softness. And she gave herself permission to start anyway.

In this episode, Katie shares:

If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting for the “right time,” this one might meet you where you are.

🎧 Listen and subscribe: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com

Katie Svoboda-Rini is a classically trained pastry chef, lifelong home baker, and the creative force behind Confessions of a Wayward Baker and Sweet Skills Workshop. With more than 25 years of experience spanning home kitchens, pastry school, professional bakeries, and her own custom cookie business, Katie’s become known as the butter-covered cheerleader helping bakers ditch perfection and embrace the mess. Her work is rooted in lived experience — shaped by personal loss, grief, and the healing power of creativity — and she believes baking is more than a skill. It’s a way to connect, honor tradition, and make room for joy in the middle of life’s chaos.

Katie now shares recipes, reflections, and real-life kitchen moments on her blog and YouTube channel as The Wayward Baker.

🔗 Website: waywardbaker.com - in development

📺 YouTube: @waywardbaker

📸 Instagram: @sweet.skills.workshops

📢 Support The Life Shift ✨

Get ad-free and early episodes: www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

📰 Subscribe to the newsletter: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/newsletter

🌐 Explore the show: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com

📲 Follow @thelifeshiftpodcast on all platforms

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices