Something Shifted | Stories of Lifequakes, Identity & Starting Over

Sean Loots
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Documentary
  • Updated Biweekly

There’s a moment where your life splits in two. Before, and after. Before the diagnosis. Before the loss. Before everything changed. And the life that came after, whether you were ready or not. But who are you when the life you planned no longer fits? Something Shifted is a podcast about lifequakes, identity after interruption, and the stories we tell ourselves after everything changes. Hosted by South African broadcaster Sean Loots, the podcast shares raw, deeply human stories that don’t make the highlights reel. In an almost documentary-style narrative, Something Shifted explores identity cracks, recalibration, and small but profound shifts that shape a new life. Alongside these conversations, Sean reflects on his own journey raising a child with special needs. These aren’t stories about bouncing back. They’re about growth in the middle of chaos and meeting the person you became when life changed the plan. Something Shifted brings human back and helps you feel a little less lonely along the way. Award-winning episodes that create genuine connection and remind you: you are not alone.

  1. "Some version of alright, eventually."

    6d ago

    "Some version of alright, eventually."

    Kojo Baffoe had a dream. This is a story about losing the thing that gave your life its rhythm, and what it takes to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Listen to Your Footsteps: https://kojobaffoe.com/book/ https://kojobaffoe.com/podcast/ Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    30 min
  2. "As I walk through the darkness"

    May 19

    "As I walk through the darkness"

    Marilize De Clercq had a beautiful pregnancy. A nursery ready. A daughter named Gia - meaning gracious gift. She was days away from meeting her. This is a story about stillbirth, grief, faith, and what it means to walk through darkness without staying there. Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    22 min
  3. "You've Always Just Been This Way."

    May 5

    "You've Always Just Been This Way."

    Jess Hinds was a new mom who couldn't cope, and had no idea why. The meltdowns, the panic, the bolting from moving cars. Then came a word that changed everything: autism. This is a conversation about late autism diagnosis, the grief that comes with it, and what it really means to meet yourself for the first time. Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    35 min
  4. "Life without risk is impossible."

    Apr 21

    "Life without risk is impossible."

    In 2018, twelve boys were trapped deep inside a flooded cave in Thailand. Richard “Harry” Harris, a diver and author of The Art of Risk, believed they would not survive the rescue attempt. And yet, he recommended they try anyway. This episode of Something Shifted explores the extraordinary risks of the Thai cave rescue and what it revealed about resilience, courage, and the cost of living too safely. Harris speaks with remarkable calm about what it felt like to meet the boys in person, to swim back out alone in the dark with a decision he wasn’t sure he could make, and to sit among international experts weighing an impossible choice. His reflections show why risk is inseparable from resilience and growth, how extreme environments test identity and decision‑making, and what the Thai cave rescue can teach us about courage, survival, and purpose. This story is more than a rescue; it is a meditation on risk, resilience, and the human capacity to act when the stakes are life and death. 👉 Listen now at somethingshifted.co.za Book: The Art of Risk by Richard Harris Recorded at Latitude Podcast Studio. Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    29 min
  5. "All The Hats with All The Jazz Hands"

    Apr 7

    "All The Hats with All The Jazz Hands"

    Kamini Pather won MasterChef South Africa, shot her own Netflix show, and built a career in food and entertainment. Then her nervous system gave out. This is a conversation about burnout, the cost of public success, and what it takes to rebuild a life on your own terms, with your dog at your feet. Kamini's book All Dhal'd Up: https://likeharmony.co.za/shop www.somethingshifted.co.za Recorded at Latitude Podcast Studio Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    29 min
  6. "The things I hadn't dealt with."

    Mar 24

    "The things I hadn't dealt with."

    Josh was 12 years old when the phone rang on a quiet Sunday morning. He was home alone, mid-game of WWE SmackDown, when a voice on the other end broke the news. In this episode, Josh talks honestly about delayed grief, the way children absorb loss without the language to process it, and how the stories we tell - through music, through art, through conversation - can become the very thing that saves us. He also reflects on identity: growing up the happy one, finding his voice as a storyteller, and learning to answer the three questions his drama lecturer once posed: who am I, why am I here, and is that okay? This is a conversation about grief that arrives late, creativity as survival, and the slow, ongoing process of becoming who you were always meant to be. LINKS: Listen to Josh's song "Life as a Fleeting Bird" on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0EkW0sS6uYlfXB7InWl40o?si=40c3280ab1ed497c Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    26 min
  7. From 14% to Full Breath: Remembering Tanya Bothma's Double Lung Transplant Journey

    Mar 17 ·  Bonus

    From 14% to Full Breath: Remembering Tanya Bothma's Double Lung Transplant Journey

    What does it feel like to breathe freely for the first time at 40 years old? Tanya Bothma has struggled with every breath since birth. After a meconium aspiration as a newborn and repeated severe viral infections during childhood, she was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, a progressive narrowing of the airways that no medication could reverse. By 2017, Tanya's lung capacity had fallen to just 14%, less than one litre of air. That year, she became the first patient to receive a bilateral double lung transplant in a state hospital on the African continent. After the operation, her capacity reached 85%. For the first time, she could shout from the sidelines at her daughter's sports matches, support her husband, and live life without counting every breath. Then, in December 2023, six years after her transplant, Tanya was diagnosed with chronic rejection. In this episode, Tanya shares what it was like growing up with a severe chronic lung condition, the impossible decision to go ahead with a groundbreaking operation carrying a 50/50 survival rate, the grief of losing her brother in the same year as her transplant, and the joy of watching her daughter grow up on lungs she never thought she'd have. She also speaks with extraordinary openness about organ donation; what it means to receive a stranger's gift, what it meant to watch her own brother's tissue help 26 people, and why she believes more people need to understand what organ donation really involves. This episode was originally recorded in 2024 while Tanya was on the waiting list for her second double lung transplant. In December 2025, Tanya received that transplant. Sadly, Tanya passed away shortly after. Her story lives on as a testament to courage, love, and the life-changing power of organ donation. This episode was first published in November 2024. https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/spear-reit-a-new-breath https://odf.org.za/ https://save7.org/ https://podcasthon.org/ Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    20 min
  8. "I will not become what I witnessed."

    Mar 10

    "I will not become what I witnessed."

    What happens when childhood trauma shapes the stories we tell ourselves? In this episode of Something Shifted, True Crime South Africa host Nicole Engelbrecht reflects on how growing up with violence, addiction, and instability forged her survival strategies, and how those strategies later reshaped her identity. Nicole’s journey includes midnight moves, silent family secrets, raising a child while still in high school, and forging her own path at seventeen. For years, she believed resilience was her defining strength. But a small moment - a passing explanation on a psychology podcast - sparked a lifequake that reframed everything she thought she knew about survival. This story explores how childhood trauma can fracture identity and shape resilience, how hidden survival strategies help children endure instability, and why healing means integrating the past rather than erasing it. Nicole shows how personal transformation can emerge from the darkest stories, and how resilience is more than endurance; it is the courage to heal and grow. 👉 Listen now at somethingshifted.co.za Recorded at Latitude Podcast Studio Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

    34 min
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About

There’s a moment where your life splits in two. Before, and after. Before the diagnosis. Before the loss. Before everything changed. And the life that came after, whether you were ready or not. But who are you when the life you planned no longer fits? Something Shifted is a podcast about lifequakes, identity after interruption, and the stories we tell ourselves after everything changes. Hosted by South African broadcaster Sean Loots, the podcast shares raw, deeply human stories that don’t make the highlights reel. In an almost documentary-style narrative, Something Shifted explores identity cracks, recalibration, and small but profound shifts that shape a new life. Alongside these conversations, Sean reflects on his own journey raising a child with special needs. These aren’t stories about bouncing back. They’re about growth in the middle of chaos and meeting the person you became when life changed the plan. Something Shifted brings human back and helps you feel a little less lonely along the way. Award-winning episodes that create genuine connection and remind you: you are not alone.

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