The Life Shift Podcast: Those Moments That Change Lives Forever

 Interview podcasts succeed or fail based on two factors. First, how good is the host as an interviewer? Can the host ask questions that stimulate a conversation? Is the host prepared and done the research, yet spontaneous enough to ask impromptu questions generated via the back and forth of the interview? Does the host actively listen and respond appropriately?

On The Life Shift podcast, host Matt Gilhooly has candid conversations with people about the pivotal moments that changed their lives forever.

On the podcast's website, it reads: "We all have our stories, but through these conversations, we discover communities. We learn that there are commonalities through the ups and downs that we all face. But most importantly, we learn that we are not alone."

The Life Shift podcast highlights life-altering moments and humanizes the struggles and triumphs through them all.

While that mission is an aggressive goal, The Life Shift podcast has an ace in the hole.   

It's the host, Matt Gilhooly. Sound Judgment podcast creator and host Elaine Appleton Grant has been talking about "hostiness" for over a year. Hostiness is the skill set necessary to be an effective podcast host. And Matt Gilhooly definitely has plenty of hostiness.

Gilhooly, a Public Relations Graduate from the University of Florida, possesses the innate ability to interview his guests with the skill of a therapist, an aptitude for active listening, and an empathetic style that soothes the guests and entrances the listeners.

For example, in the April 11th episode, Gilhooly talks with author Wiley Davis about her powerful journey of self-discovery. Growing in a Presbyterian household, Davis harbored a secret. She was an atheist. Struggling with that dissonance, Davis found solace in horse riding with her friends as she navigated life. But it was leaving an abusive marriage that truly tested her strength. 

Gilhooly handles the interview with the delicate and intricate skill of a brain surgeon. He probes. He consoles. He empathizes. Most of all, he allows his guest, Wiley Davis, to take center stage and stay there. Unlike some podcast interviewers who overwhelm their guests and steal the spotlight, Gilhooly intuitively knows that the story, the narrative, and the human drama emanate from the guest on that episode, not from him.

There are several podcasts that spotlight such moments in life, with All The Wiser with Kimi Culp being the best, in my view. What Culp and Gilhooly share is a sense of perspective about their shows, and how the headline is the guest's tale, not theirs.

Gilhooly has also done a professional job at monetizing his podcast and extending his reach. For instance, the podcast's website is highly functional, pleasing to the eye, and full of additional information. 

Gilhooly has a blog that accompanies each episode, and he is apparently as comfortable with the written word as he is with the spoken word. 

Here's a snippet from his blog post about the Wiley Davis episode. " Leaving a toxic relationship can be daunting, but it can also be a life-changing experience that leads to personal growth and self-discovery. In this blog post, we explore the actionable steps you can take to leave a toxic relationship and find your true voice, inspired by Wiley Davis' story on The Life Shift Podcast."

Finally, Gilhooly has some cool merchandise. Some podcasters give as much thought to merchandise as they do which brand of floss to buy. That's a shame. Quality merchandise can raise visibility for your podcast and extend your brand. 

I love that the merchandise just doesn't have the name of the podcast plastered on everything from mugs to t-shirts. Gilhooly takes that next stop. His merchandise is emblazoned with some of the key messages from his podcast. There is, for example, a t-shirt with Radical Acceptance on it in a rainbow of colors. How about a sweatshirt that says, "What is your pivotal moment."

I think what that extra step tells me is that Gilhooly isn't just trying to sell listeners more stuff but helping them internalize some of the key messages from his podcast.

Matt Gilhooly's success proves that you don't have to be a celebrity, a person with years of experience in media, a Spotify-funded "influencer," or a private equity-funded elitist, to be a successful podcast host with a podcast that celebrates the ability of humans to overcome, thrive in spite of obstacles, and recognize that pivotal moment in which an individual's life hangs in the balance.

Check out The Life Shift podcast.  Maybe the podcast can help you through your "life-altering moment."