The Shift: A Podcast With Ben Brown

Ben Brown
  • 4.8 (11)
  • Mental Health

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.

  1. 1d ago

    Why I Went 500 Days Without an Orgasm (Part 1)

    Why would anyone willingly go 500 days without an orgasm? In this episode of The Shift, I tell the full story of how I ended up giving up sex, dating, and masturbation, and why what felt impossible became the most life-changing experience of my life. This isn't just a conversation about celibacy or self-denial. It's about addiction, freedom, healing, and what happens when you stop using your greatest escape and start facing what's underneath. This is the story of the shift that changed everything for me. Do you believe that your behavior with sex, love or porn is holding you back? This episode is for you.

  2. Jul 15

    From a Life of Addiction to a Life with God

    What if whatever is happening in your life is happening for your benefit, even if you can't see the reason yet? In this episode, I sit down with Ralph Rivera, a friend, mentor, and someone whose wisdom has had a profound impact on my life. Every month, Ralph opens his home to a community of people who gather to share a meal, have honest conversations, and support one another through whatever life is bringing. Together, we explore the path from addiction to recovery, the role that faith can play in healing, and the difference between religion, belief, and a personal relationship with a power greater than ourselves. Ralph also shares the remarkable story of his son, who became paralyzed after a life-changing accident, and how faith, prayer, and community have helped sustain their family through unimaginable challenges. This episode is an invitation to explore hope, resilience, purpose, and the possibility that even life's hardest moments can shape us in ways we don't yet understand.

  3. Jul 8

    Waiting for Approval is Holding You Back | Will Catlett

    How much of your life has been shaped by trying to earn someone else's approval? In this episode of The Shift, I sit down with my good friend, actor Will Catlett, for one of the most honest conversations we've had about confidence, purpose, self-worth, and what it really means to become the person you're meant to be. We talk about why confidence isn't something you're born with, why boundaries are essential if you want to grow, and how fear often keeps us from pursuing the life we know we're capable of living. One of the biggest takeaways for me was the idea that approval has to come from within. So many of us spend years waiting for someone else to tell us we're enough, when the truth is, that decision has always been ours to make. Will shares what he's learned about believing in yourself, embracing sacrifice, building a legacy, and trusting that your path unfolds one step at a time. It's a conversation between two friends, but I think anyone who's ever questioned their worth or wondered if they're on the right path will find something in it. Because no one else can give you the life you're waiting for. At some point, you have to approve yourself.

  4. Jul 1

    What Happens When You Stop Needing All The Answers?

    What if the reason you feel stuck has less to do with your circumstances and more to do with what you're unwilling to sit with? In this episode of The Shift, I sit down with my childhood friend Rich Torrisi, chef and co-founder of Major Food Group, for a conversation about curiosity, discomfort, faith, and the unseen forces that shape our lives. We talk about what happens when you stop looking for certainty, why comparison can quietly steal your joy, and how some of the most meaningful experiences in life begin when you're willing to move toward the unknown instead of away from it. Rich shares his journey from a kid with a dream to building one of the most successful restaurant groups in the world, but what stood out to me wasn't the success. It was the mindset behind it. The willingness to choose the harder path, stay curious, trust the process, and keep moving forward without needing all the answers. Because maybe growth isn't about finding certainty. Maybe it's about becoming comfortable enough to keep going without it.

  5. Jun 24

    Put the Sh*t Down!

    At some point, we all have to get honest with ourselves. We have to look at what's holding us back and ask: Is this still serving me, or is it keeping me stuck? In this episode of The Shift, I'm talking about what it really takes to put down the habits, addictions, and behaviors that no longer align with the life we want to live. Whether it's substances, social media, unhealthy relationships, or any pattern that's keeping you from becoming who you're meant to be, change begins with the willingness to face it. I share some of my own experiences with letting go, the fear that comes with stepping into the unknown, and why simply removing something isn't enough. If we're going to put something down, we also have to pick something new up. Growth can feel awkward. Being a beginner again can feel uncomfortable. But I've found that life truly begins when we're willing to step outside of our comfort zone and take that first small action. If you've ever asked yourself, "What would I do without it?" this episode is for you.

  6. Jun 17

    Are You Dating Them... Or Your Past?

    In this episode of The Shift, I sit down with Dr. Morgan Anderson for an eye-opening conversation about attachment styles, childhood wounds, authenticity, and the hidden patterns that shape our relationships. We explore why so many of us find ourselves repeating the same relationship dynamics over and over again, even when we desperately want something different. Dr. Anderson explains how our earliest experiences with love, safety, and connection create attachment patterns that often follow us into adulthood, influencing who we're attracted to, how we communicate, and what we believe we deserve. We talk about anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, emotional availability, vulnerability, self-worth, and the concept of repetition compulsion: the unconscious tendency to recreate familiar emotional experiences in hopes of finally resolving them. This conversation also explores healing, mentorship, self-awareness, and the courage required to stop numbing, feel what's underneath, and show up authentically. Because real transformation doesn't happen when we keep running from ourselves. It happens when we're willing to face what we've been carrying and create new experiences that challenge old beliefs. If you've ever wondered why your relationships follow the same script, why healthy love feels unfamiliar, or why you keep attracting the same types of people, this episode will give you a new lens through which to understand yourself.

  7. Jun 10

    What Happens When You Stop Chasing Sex?

    In this episode of The Shift, I sit down with anonymous author and recovery advocate Justin Bridges for a powerful conversation about addiction, sexual sobriety, emotional healing, and the journey of becoming whole. Justin shares how growing up in a chaotic family system shaped his relationship with addiction, identity, masculinity, and self-worth. After getting sober at just 17 years old, he began a lifelong search for freedom that eventually led him beyond substance recovery and into the deeper work of emotional sobriety. We talk about sexual abstinence, emotional release, higher power, service, relationships, and the uncomfortable process of letting go of old versions of ourselves. Justin opens up about the profound shift that occurred when he stopped looking outside himself for validation and discovered what he calls a "sacred energy" that had been there all along. This conversation explores what happens when we stop running, stop numbing, and stop chasing the things we believe will complete us. We discuss community, recovery, support systems, personal growth, masculinity, and why real transformation often begins when we're willing to sit with ourselves instead of escape ourselves. If you've ever struggled with addiction, relationships, validation, loneliness, or the fear of change, this episode offers an honest look at what healing can actually look like.

  8. Jun 3

    Are You Addicted to Being "You"?

    In this solo episode of The Shift, I talk about the process of unlearning. Not learning more. Not becoming someone new. Unlearning the versions of ourselves we became attached to long ago. I reflect on the identities I carried for years, the need for validation, the patterns I brought into relationships, and the ways I kept trying to escape myself through distractions, addiction, and external approval. One of the biggest realizations for me was understanding how much of my life was being driven by an outdated version of who I thought I was. A version created in childhood that I continued protecting long after it stopped serving me. I talk about abstinence, mindfulness, emotional awareness, relationships, and the uncomfortable process of sitting with yourself long enough to actually meet who you are underneath all the coping mechanisms. This episode is about identity. About attachment. About the stories we inherit and the ones we continue repeating without realizing it. Growth is not always about adding more. Sometimes it’s about shedding what no longer belongs to you. If you’ve ever felt stuck in old patterns, disconnected from yourself, or afraid to let go of who you used to be, this one will hit. FACE IT. SHIFT. GROW. REPEAT.

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4.8
out of 5
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About

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.

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