
BONUS: Celebrating the Women Who Shaped Me: A Special Mother's Day Episode
05/14/23 • 18 min
3 Listeners
In this bonus Mother's Day episode of The Life Shift Podcast, I share a small portion of a letter that my dad wrote to me. The letter reflects on the life of my mother, Joan Gilhooly, who was a kind woman with a big heart. My mother tragically passed away at the young age of 32 while on a cross-country motorcycle trip with her boyfriend. This event turned my life upside down and forced me to experience grief and loss at a young age.
I reflect on how my mother's passing impacted my life and how it led me to seek out mother figures in my life. The most significant mother figure in my life was my grandmother, who I became very close to after my mother's passing. I share how my grandmother, born in 1933, had a difficult childhood where she lost her mother at the age of two. She understood what it was like for a child to grow up without a mother and wanted to make sure that I didn't have to go through the same thing. We spent a lot of time together, went on trips, and had a very special relationship.
I also talk about how I was able to say goodbye to my grandmother before she passed away. I share how I forced a conversation with her in which we said everything that we ever needed to say to each other. I left that conversation knowing that there was nothing left unsaid and that I was at peace with our relationship. When my grandmother passed away, I was by her side, and although it was devastating, I felt a calmness to it. I knew that she believed she was going to heaven and would be reunited with my mother, who was her best friend.
This episode serves as a tribute to the two women who inspired the creation of The Life Shift Podcast and, hopefully, reminds us of the importance of cherishing the relationships we have with our loved ones. My story is a reminder that even in the face of tragedy, we can find deep and meaningful connections with others that can help us through difficult times.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mentioned in this episode:
Thank you to Ear Worthy - Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards
https://podnews.net/press-release/ear-worthy-awards-2024
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
In this bonus Mother's Day episode of The Life Shift Podcast, I share a small portion of a letter that my dad wrote to me. The letter reflects on the life of my mother, Joan Gilhooly, who was a kind woman with a big heart. My mother tragically passed away at the young age of 32 while on a cross-country motorcycle trip with her boyfriend. This event turned my life upside down and forced me to experience grief and loss at a young age.
I reflect on how my mother's passing impacted my life and how it led me to seek out mother figures in my life. The most significant mother figure in my life was my grandmother, who I became very close to after my mother's passing. I share how my grandmother, born in 1933, had a difficult childhood where she lost her mother at the age of two. She understood what it was like for a child to grow up without a mother and wanted to make sure that I didn't have to go through the same thing. We spent a lot of time together, went on trips, and had a very special relationship.
I also talk about how I was able to say goodbye to my grandmother before she passed away. I share how I forced a conversation with her in which we said everything that we ever needed to say to each other. I left that conversation knowing that there was nothing left unsaid and that I was at peace with our relationship. When my grandmother passed away, I was by her side, and although it was devastating, I felt a calmness to it. I knew that she believed she was going to heaven and would be reunited with my mother, who was her best friend.
This episode serves as a tribute to the two women who inspired the creation of The Life Shift Podcast and, hopefully, reminds us of the importance of cherishing the relationships we have with our loved ones. My story is a reminder that even in the face of tragedy, we can find deep and meaningful connections with others that can help us through difficult times.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mentioned in this episode:
Thank you to Ear Worthy - Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards
https://podnews.net/press-release/ear-worthy-awards-2024
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Previous Episode

Overcoming Mental Traps And Finding Your Compass | Jenna Irving
In this episode, Jenna Irving shares her personal journey of overcoming mental traps and finding her "compass."
"Because you really don't know how much time you have. And I felt like I had wasted so much time living in my head. I had to step out of my head." - Jenna Irving
She talks about getting lost in worry and stress before finding a life mentor who helped her overcome these challenges. Jenna also discusses the awakening process triggered by the loss of her mentor, which led her to focus on self-care and living authentically. Throughout the episode, Jenna emphasizes the importance of shifting perspective, thinking positively, and using storytelling to teach life lessons. She also stresses the significance of encouragement in creative projects and living in the heart space to overcome discouraging thoughts.
Jenna Irving is a copywriter and content creator who understands the importance of using words that connect with clients and build long-term relationships based on loyalty and great communication. With her creative writing background and English degree, along with her soft skills of high-level empathy and intuition, and hard skills of copywriting, editing, creativity, marketing, and content strategy, Jenna helps clients build their brands with the best-chosen words.
Connect with Jenna at http://www.jennairving.com.
Resources:
- To listen to more conversations about pivotal moments that changed lives forever, subscribe to "The Life Shift" on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate the show 5 stars and leave a review!
- Get access to ad-free episodes released two days early and bonus episodes with past guests through Patreon at https://patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast.
Connect with "The Life Shift" on social media:
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- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thelifeshiftpodcast
- Website: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com
This episode is a reminder that we all face mental traps and challenges in life, but by sharing our experiences and focusing on what really matters, we can find our compass and overcome these obstacles.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mentioned in this episode:
Thank you to Ear Worthy - Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards
https://podnews.net/press-release/ear-worthy-awards-2024
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Next Episode

Entrepreneurship, Family, and Mental Health: Learning Life Lessons from Tragedy | Larry Sprung
In this episode, entrepreneur and financial expert Larry Sprung shares his journey of overcoming loss and tragedy in his family to help others. Larry's experiences taught him valuable lessons about the importance of mental health and seeking help when needed.
“If you're walking down the street and there's a pebble on the ground, and you pick up the pebble, and you put it right here up against your eye. It looks like a boulder. You're never gonna get around it. But if you take that same pebble and you put it out at arm's length and then you look at it, you're like, well, it's just a pebble. I could get around that thing”
Larry's mother's battle with cancer instilled a level of fight and battle in him. He also shares how his brother-in-law's suicide reinforced the idea that life is short and that if we're not healthy, the outcomes could be detrimental. As a result, Larry became passionate about raising awareness for mental health, serving on the National Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for over 12 years and raising over $1.7 million through the Keith Milano Memorial Fund with his wife, Denise.
Larry encourages others to prioritize relationships and family and to create a life by design, not by default.
Larry Sprung is the founder and wealth advisor at Mitlin Financial, Inc® www.mitlinfinancial.com and the host of the Mitlin Money MindsetTM Podcast www.mitlinmoneymindset.com. He has been named an Investopedia Top 10 Advisor and has received several other industry recognitions. Outside of work, Larry volunteers through Family Reach, providing pro-bono financial planning services to those dealing with a cancer diagnosis. He values his family tremendously and strives to do right by his wife and two sons.
Purchase Larry’s New Book: https://www.mitlinfinancial.com/financial-planning-made-personal/
Connect on Social:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencesprung/
https://www.facebook.com/lawrencesprung/
https://twitter.com/Lawrence_Sprung
https://www.instagram.com/larry_sprung/
Get access to ad-free episodes released two days early and bonus episodes with past guests through Patreon. https://patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast
Connect with me:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thelifeshiftpodcast
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelifeshiftpodcast
YouTube: https://bit.ly/thelifeshift_youtube
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thelifeshiftpod
Website: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mentioned in this episode:
Thank you to Ear Worthy - Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards
https://podnews.net/press-release/ear-worthy-awards-2024
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
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