I wanted to share the new trailer for Grief and Light, hosted by my friend and former Life Shift guest, Nina Rodriguez.

Nina created this show after the sudden loss of her only sibling, and it has become a beautiful space for honest reflections and conversations about life after loss. She explores grief as a lifelong companion, something that shapes us, teaches us, and walks beside us, rather than something to move on from.

Grief and Light is about living in the "and," where sorrow and joy, darkness and light, loss and love all belong. If you have found comfort in the stories shared here on The Life Shift, I think you will connect deeply with Nina's approach and the community she is building.

Follow Grief and Light on your favorite podcast platform, and visit griefandlight.com or @griefandlight to learn more.

At 28, Dan MacQueen was thriving in London with career momentum, global travel, and Friday night pints. Then one morning on the tube, his vision went black. Days later, he was in emergency brain surgery. That should have been the turning point. But it was only the beginning. A massive brain hemorrhage, four weeks in a coma, and months of painful rehab left him having to relearn how to walk, talk, and even smile.

But Dan didn’t just come back. He chose to build a life richer than the one he had before.

What we talk about in this episode:

Dan’s story isn’t sugarcoated. It’s real, raw, and full of fight. And it’s a reminder that no matter the setback, the next right step still counts.

Start with the next step. Listen now and hear how Dan redefined progress, purpose, and possibility.

Dan MacQueen is a brain hemorrhage survivor, speaker, and resilience advocate. At 28, his world stopped after an emergency surgery left him in a coma. With no roadmap for recovery, Dan rebuilt his life from the ground up by learning to walk, talk, and function again. Today, he helps others navigate change, build grit, and shift their perspective with practical life tools. He has shared his story with organizations like Hootsuite, Spendesk, and Headway West London, leaving audiences empowered to become better than yesterday.

https://www.macqueendan.com/

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This episode originally aired in 2024 and is replayed for aHUS Awareness Day to raise awareness of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.

What happens when survival meets the unexpected reality of a rare disease?

In September 2024, Taylor Coffman first shared her powerful story on The Life Shift. After giving birth to her daughter, she experienced a life-threatening emergency that revealed a rare disease called atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Her survival came against all odds, and her journey from patient to advocate continues to inspire.

To honor aHUS Awareness Day, this replay brings Taylor’s story back to the forefront:

Replay this conversation and share it to help raise awareness for aHUS and rare diseases that often go unseen.

After a career in acting and media, everything in Taylor Coffman’s life stopped during the birth of her daughter. Her delivery triggered atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, leaving her near death with multiple organ failure. Defying the odds, her survival inspired her to become a patient advocate, empowering others facing rare or life-altering diagnoses. Taylor’s Huffington Post article about her medical crisis became Apple News’ top story, reaching nearly 1 million readers in 48 hours. She now writes Rare Disease Girl on Substack and is working on a book that blends advocacy, light, and humor with the hard truths of navigating chronic illness. Connect with Taylor at Rare Disease Girl on Substack or on Instagram @taylorcoffmanmade.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

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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

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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

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👤 Host: Matt Gilhooly on LinkedIn

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.

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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:

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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

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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.