FACE IT. SHIFT. GROW. REPEAT.
Episode Nine
The ONLY Way To Actually Feel Better.
In this episode of The Shift, I sit down with Dr. David Forbes for one of the most impactful conversations I’ve had on the podcast so far. We talk about trauma, emotional release work, childhood wounds, therapy, emotional safety, and what it actually means to heal instead of just cope. Dr. Forbes shares a perspective on trauma that completely changed the way I think about emotional pain. That trauma is not necessarily the wound itself, but the separation that happens from ourselves after the wound.
The distance we create from the parts of us carrying pain because, at some point, it no longer felt safe to stay connected to them. We get into the limitations of traditional therapy, the importance of being seen and understood, and why healing often requires more than just talking about what happened. We also explore emotional release work, support structures, dependency, psychedelic therapy, sobriety, and the fear so many of us have of relying on anything outside of ourselves to feel okay. This conversation challenged me in a lot of ways. It made me think differently about conflict, relationships, accountability, and the stories we carry into adulthood from childhood.
If you’ve ever struggled with feeling disconnected from yourself, emotionally stuck, or trapped in patterns you can’t fully explain, this episode will resonate.
For Ben, that moment came seven years ago. What started as smoking too much weed in high school turned into countless blackouts in college, and eventually a lifestyle fueled by cocaine, women, and escape. At a certain point, he realized his life had become unmanageable with a capital U.
But, what began as a decision to get sober turned into something much deeper: confronting not only the addictions, but the habits and patterns that had been holding him back for years. And when Ben made the decision to change, he went all in. That’s the New Yorker in him.
He went to meetings, read books, worked with mentors, and went to retreats focused on emotional release. He committed himself to rebuilding his life from the inside out.
Along the way, Ben developed a relationship with a power greater than himself, and in doing so discovered his true purpose: helping others on their own path.
Then about a year ago, a friend said something that stuck with him:
“Ben, you need to start a podcast.”
The seed was planted and from it grew The Shift — a podcast about what happens when we stop avoiding the things that hold us back and start facing them head-on. While themes like sobriety and faith will come up, The Shift isn’t a sobriety podcast or a religious one. The Shift is an open, inclusive space for anyone and everyone.
Through Ben’s shifts, and his guests who have experienced shifts of their own, the goal is simple: to help listeners who might be struggling with something realize they’re not alone, and to share insights and strategies that they can put to work in their own lives.