Leaving the Plan to Become the Person

Have you ever realized you were living the life someone else imagined for you?
Andrew Mitch did everything right on paper. He followed the rules, earned the degrees, and chased approval until the weight of it all became too heavy to carry. When he finally walked away from the life others expected, he found the beginning of his own.

What unfolded next was unexpected. A stranger at a restaurant table looked at him through tears and said, “Whatever you have, the world needs to hear it now.” That moment shifted everything. It was the reminder that his voice mattered, and that he no longer needed permission to use it.

This is a story about leaving certainty for something more alive. About learning to be seen, to create honestly, and to trust that your real self is enough.
Take your time with this one. It is tender and real.

What You’ll Hear

• The quiet pressure of chasing someone else’s version of success

• How leaving a PhD program became an act of self-trust

• The beauty of being seen by a stranger who changed everything

• The tension between faith, identity, and authenticity

• Learning to stop asking for permission to create

• What it means to live unapologetically yourself

Guest Bio

From small-town Ohio to Nashville, Andrew Mitch is making waves in country-pop with raw emotion, personal truth, and storytelling. His breakout single “all in my head” went viral, crowdfunded his debut album, and earned features from CMA, CMT, GLAAD, and more. With millions of views, 30K+ followers, and praise from artists like Carly Pearce and Ingrid Andress, Andrew has since released songs like "back home boy" (featured on Nashville's very own WSMV4) and "unapologetic." He continues to prove there’s power in being unapologetically yourself.

Connect with Andrew: https://www.andrewmitchmusic.com/

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The Life Shift shares real and honest conversations about the moments that change us. Host Matt Gilhooly sits with guests as they tell true stories of life-changing events, unexpected challenges, and quiet awakenings that shaped who they are today.

Each episode offers meaningful and candid storytelling about grief, healing, resilience, identity, and growth. These are the personal stories that remind us what it feels like to be human. These are the turning points that stay with us.

If you are drawn to personal growth, emotional well-being, or stories of how people rebuild after loss, this show offers a gentle place to land. Listeners come for the life changes. They stay for the connection.

New episodes every Tuesday.

For more information, please visit https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com