UnLost Cause

Mike Knox spent decades working as a parole agent inside some of California’s toughest prisons before realizing the walls that trapped him weren’t only physical. 

In his fifties, he left behind a high-stress law-enforcement career and stepped into the spotlight as an actor, comedian, and writer. 

From losing 30 pounds in a month after quitting to rediscovering his creative spirit, Mike’s story shows it’s never too late to reclaim joy, health, and purpose.

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Website: 

Social: 

If Mike’s story moved you, like, share, and subscribe to UnLost Cause on YouTube. Join our Substack for inspiring stories of reinvention at unlostcause.substack.com.

#UnLostCause #EncoreEntrepreneur #MidlifeReinvention #NeverTooLate #ComedyJourney #SecondAct #PurposeAfter40

Kate Galli on choosing freedom, compassion, and alignment over comfort. 

After two decades as a top Sydney trainer, Kate walked away to build a heart led vegan coaching business that reflects her values of freedom, integrity, and passion. 

The turning point was profound grief and a vow to lead with compassion. This conversation is a playbook for backing yourself, finding community, and living with no regrets.

Highlights:

Resources:

*Healthification Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2y0XyQ9yRxvDM7DivU6q8l

*Plant Positive Journal: https://strongbodygreenplanet.lpages.co/plant-positive-journal-v2/

If this helped you, please like, share, and subscribe to https://UnLostCause.com.

Comment with your biggest takeaway and who we should interview next.

#UnLostCause #Reinvention #EncoreEntrepreneur #NoRegrets #VeganHealth #Mindset #Community

From a second grade fiction assignment to publishing over 30 books, Aaron Ryan’s journey shows us what it means to reclaim creativity after setbacks. 

Once thriving as a voiceover artist, Aaron faced an industry collapse brought on by AI and shifting economics. 

Instead of giving up, he pivoted to writing novels with the same passion that carried him through childhood readings of Lord of the Rings. His story is one of reinvention, resilience, and agency.

Interview Highlights:

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Aaron:

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From wrestling mom and soccer coach to full fledged novelist, Ansley Ashe proves it is never too late to reclaim a dream. 

Since childhood she has loved mysteries, and now she is publishing a growing series of Charlotte “Charlie” Snow detective stories. 

In this conversation, Ansley shares how she overcame money barriers, motherhood challenges, and personal resentment by turning inward, embracing meditation, and then boldly stepping into her passion. 

Her story is a reminder that no matter your age, your creativity and purpose still matter.

Highlights:

Resources:

Ansley Ashe's Books:

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At a stage of life when most slow down, Captain DC Anderson set sail on a mission to confront one of the greatest challenges of our time: climate change. 

After decades in the oil and maritime industries, he pivoted to found the Earthship Program, an initiative that merges carbon reduction with community wealth building. 

In this UnLost Cause conversation, he shares how a sailor’s intuition, a lifetime of risk-taking, and an unrelenting conviction led him to uncover what he calls the “Carbon Ratio.” 

His journey is a masterclass in purpose, persistence, and refusing to retire from making an impact.

Highlights:

Resources:

If Captain Anderson’s story inspired you, please like, share, and subscribe so more people can hear these UnLost Cause journeys. 

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Qin Sun Stubis grew up in a Shanghai shantytown during the Great Chinese Famine.

She survived her father’s repeated imprisonments during the Cultural Revolution, and carried a lifelong dream of writing a book.

For decades, that dream sat quietly beside her desire to restore her family’s name.

In her forties, Qin finally began to write, transforming twenty years of painstaking work into Once Our Lives, a memoir that honors her parents and preserves a slice of history the world rarely hears.

This UnLost Cause conversation is about resilience, memory, and the power of telling your truth, no matter how long it takes.

Highlights:

-Growing up in a Shanghai shantytown during the Great Chinese Famine

-The arrest and imprisonment of Qin’s father during the Cultural Revolution

-Living without support (family ostracism and survival ingenuity)

-Finding refuge in books as a school librarian -The turning point: China’s national college entrance exam

-Career as a tour guide and interpreter for visiting Americans -Decision to leave China and start over in the United States

-The loss of both parents and the merging of two “lost causes” -Beginning the writing journey and overcoming language barriers

-Why the book took 20 years to complete

-The moment a publisher said yes -Lessons for anyone chasing a long-delayed dream

Resources Mentioned:

*Once Our Lives by Qin Sun Stubis

*Her Website

Followup: If Qin’s story inspires you, please like, share, and subscribe so more people can discover UnLost Cause. For more inspiring stories, visit https://unlostcause.com.

What happens when a 16-year-old girl has a mystical LSD trip and becomes a pioneering psychedelic therapist in her 60s?

Meet Gay Lynn Williamson-Grigas, licensed mental health counselor, author, and trailblazer in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

In this moving and mind-expanding episode of UnLost Cause, Gay Lynn shares how a deeply personal experience she boxed up for decades eventually became the centerpiece of her life's work.

We touch upon dreams, rituals, legal psychedelics, and how this approach is helping patients, especially those with deep trauma, rewrite their stories.

This is a masterclass in listening to your intuition, honoring the path (even when it’s messy), and embracing reinvention at any age.

Highlights:

-Childhood roots: metaphysics, dreams, and the church

-Her first LSD trip... on her 16th birthday

-Writing poetry and her first integration mentor

-Set and setting: Why her trip was expansive, not scary -Boxing up the experience for decades

-College studies and humanistic psychology

-The power of rituals: burning bowls and planting new trees

-Dream therapy and preparing for her husband's death

-The resurgence of psychedelic research

-Ketamine therapy, MAPS training, and legal practices

-The triune pathway: dreams, rituals, psychedelics -Who benefits most from psychedelic-assisted therapy?

-Personal story of recovery from eating disorders -Why she wrote "Psychedelic Dreams & Rituals"

-Advice for aspiring encore entrepreneurs

Resources:

*Psychedelic Dreams & Rituals by Gay Lynn Williamson-Grigas https://amzn.to/45deB1y

*Website: https://gaylyn.net

*How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan https://amzn.to/45oxqiC

*Holotropic Breathwork by Stan Grof https://amzn.to/3H047uJ

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Former NCAA Division I basketball player and SWAT hostage negotiator Terry Tucker shares how a rare cancer diagnosis transformed his life’s purpose.

Terry opens up about his journey from the court to law enforcement, and finally to becoming a motivational speaker who turns pain into purpose.

His Four Truths offer a blueprint for resilience, mindset, and living without regrets. This is a powerful story of reclaiming dreams, embracing adversity, and choosing significance over fear.

Highlights:

-From Chicago to D1 Basketball at The Citadel

-The life-saving letter from his father

-Balancing first job and caregiving for dying parents

-Pivoting from business to law enforcement at 37

-Becoming a SWAT hostage negotiator

-The power of purpose: following his grandfather’s footsteps -Cancer diagnosis at 51 and the two-year prognosis

-Mindset shift: turning a death sentence into a life sentence -The Four Truths to an extraordinary life

-Why Terry wouldn’t trade cancer away

-Top advice for anyone feeling their dream is a lost cause

Resources:

*Sustainable Excellence: Ten Principles to Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life by Terry Tucker: https://amzn.to/3ITh4XE

*MotivationalCheck.com

*Terry’s upcoming book: Four Truths and a Lie

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What do you do when you witness one of the most devastating events in history just blocks away? For Rick DellaRatta, a celebrated jazz musician, it sparked a movement.

In this episode of UnLost Cause, Rick shares how the tragedy of 9/11 inspired him to compose a poem that evolved into Jazz for Peace, a global movement using music to promote unity and healing.

Highlights:

- Introduction to Rick DellaRatta

- The "lost cause" Rick transformed

- Discovering music in a small town

- When the piano changed everything

- Early signs of musical genius

- From conservatory to composing

- Touring with jazz legends

- Witnessing 9/11 from his rooftop

- The spontaneous birth of Jazz for Peace

- The emotional first performance

- The United Nations calls

- Uniting Israelis and Palestinians through jazz

- Building the empowerment tree model

- Reflections on global impact and legacy

- Rick's ask for the UnLost Cause community

Resources Mentioned:

*Jazz for Peace: https://www.jazzforpeace.org

*Pain Into Purpose: https://jazzforpeace.org/painintopurpose.pdf

*About Page & Testimonials: https://jazzforpeace.wordpress.com/about

*Obama Letter: https://jazzforpeace.org/obamaletter.pdf

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Ralph Velasco, known as the Continental Drifter, shares how he turned a childhood fascination with photography and culture into a thriving international travel business after the age of 45.

In this episode, we explore how Ralph's journey from restaurateur and financial advisor to tour leader and author was catalyzed by the 2008 financial crisis, and how small steps like teaching community classes helped pave the way.

Discover how curiosity, courage, and community can unlock your next chapter, and how you can build a thriving business by combing your passions and purpose.

Highlights:

- Meet Ralph Velasco: From Financial Advisor to Global Tour Leader

- Childhood Roots: Early Travel, Photography & Curiosity

- Buying His First Restaurant at 21 and Funding World Travel

- Burning Out & Reigniting Through Digital Photography

- The Power of Testing Ideas Locally Before Going All-In

- When the 2008 Financial Crisis Became Ralph’s Catalyst

- Overcoming Fear and Embracing Reinvention

- Building a Business with Small Group Tours & Repeat Clients

- Lessons from Over 100 Trips and a Life on the Road

- The Birth of Mindful Travel and His New Books

- How to Be Present: "Be Here Now" in Life and Travel

- What's Next: Pre-tiring & Leaving a Legacy of Stories

Ralphs's Books and Website:

- Bucket List for Travel: Places to Go Before Your Knees Give Out: https://amzn.to/46eVPJE

- How to Be a Mindful Traveler Using Your 5+ Senses: https://amzn.to/4eR5U1D

- https://continentaldrifter.co/

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