The Shift: A Podcast With Ben Brown
The Shift is a podcast hosted by Ben Brown 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 come up, it is not a sobriety or religious show, but an open and inclusive space for anyone. Through Ben's own shifts, and conversations with guests who have experienced shifts of their own, the goal is to help listeners who are struggling realize they are not alone. Episodes share insights and practical strategies listeners can apply in their own lives.
Episodes
A.I. Girlfriends = The Male Loneliness Epidemic
Have you ever found yourself reaching for a quick digital escape because real human connection felt too uncomfortable?In this episode, I dive straight into the male loneliness epidemic and why so many men are turning to AI girlfriends.For nearly thirty years, I relied on internet porn to hit the easy button whenever life felt flustered, conditioning my brain and running from genuine intimacy. Thro
Is Porn Hijacking Your Ability To Love?
Have you ever felt completely disconnected from true physical intimacy, even when you desperately wanted it?In this episode, I open up about my decades-long struggle with porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) and how early exposure to extreme content completely distorted my sexual arousal template. PIED is a behavioral and psychological condition where an individual experiences difficulty achie
How Breathwork Can Get You Sober from Sex and Porn Addiction
For almost 30 years, I ran from every uncomfortable feeling I had. As a kid, nail-biting and video games. Then, as a teen and beyond, porn, fantasy, and sex. When I decided to get sober, I lost every one of those buffers at once, and I had to find another way to survive the fear. I needed a new coping mechanism. In this episode, I sat down with breathwork therapist Jesse Torgerson to break down th
From Addiction to Purpose: How to Use AI to Map Your Dream Life
Do you know exactly what your problems are, but have no idea where you actually want to go? When I first got into recovery, my mentor challenged me to write down my five-year dream life. I played it safe. Censored myself so I wouldn't fail and feel bad. He looked at what I wrote, saw straight through it, and sent me back to do it again. This time, from a place of full permission to dream, not from
Can Another Person Really Fix Your Self-Esteem?
Have you ever looked for another person to fix the internal noise you cannot stand? In this episode, I look back at how I used external validation to escape my own feelings of inadequacy.Before getting sober and stepping into recovery, walking down a street in New York City could trigger a complete internal crisis. The moment I saw an attractive woman, my mind convinced me that her approval was th
Why Having a Plan B Will Kill Your Dream
Mario Carbone didn't build Major Food Group by hedging. He went all in, no safety net, no backup plan waiting to catch him if it didn't work.This episode is about the lie of the safety net. The plan B you keep "just in case" isn't protection; it's permission to fail.Every hour spent maintaining a fallback is an hour not spent making the real thing work.Mario and I get into what all-in commitment a
Cheeseburgers to Designer Shades: Playing Whack-a-Mole With Addiction
Have you ever found yourself swiping your credit card not for the item in your hand, but for the person you hope it will make you become?In this episode I open up about my battle with shopping addiction and how it connects to my deep-seated need for validation. For years, my addiction played a game of whack-a-mole. When I got sober from booze, drugs, and sex back in 2019, my brain immediately tran
Your Fear of Being Cringe is Ruining Your Life
Do you ever think to yourself, I don't want to be perceived the wrong way, so I will just stay quiet?From a young age, I started to get the response from the outside world that 'you like me when I am small, so let me stay small, so I get what I need.'In this episode of The Shift, I explore how the fear of being cringe is really a prison holding you back from having a big, bold, and wonderful life.
"I Absolutely Despised Motherhood" with Hana Catlett
I will never forget the first time I heard Hana say, "I hated being a mom and I hated being a wife," while she was standing next to her husband Will (who is one of my best friends) and thinking to myself, "Holy sh*t this is uncomfortable."In this episode of The Shift, I sit down with my friend and one of my former coaches, Hana Catlett, brand archietect, wife, and mother of two.Hana's transparency
You are a LUMINARY with Hana Catlett
In this episode of The Shift, I sit down with my dear friend and mentor, Hana Catlett. While Hana is known as a brand architect, what she really does is help people uncover who they truly are beneath the conditioning, the fear, and the stories they've been telling themselves. She helps people get clear on the impact they're here to make, and then holds them accountable to actually step into it.Thi
Why I Went 500 Days Without an Orgasm (Part 2)
How long do you think you could go without an orgasm?In this episode of The Shift, I tell the highly anticipated part 2 of the story of how I ended up giving up sex, dating, and masturbation, and why what felt impossible became a life changing course of events.This isn't just about me. It's about addiction, freedom, healing, and what happens when you stop using your greatest escape and start facin
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 greates
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 i
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 e
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 c
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
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 earli
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
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 approva
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
You Are Not Your Pain.
In this episode, I sit down with sex therapist, Amanda Adili to talk about addiction, healing, spirituality, and what it actually means to be true to yourself.Amanda shares her journey through addiction and recovery, and the deeper emotional work that began after getting sober. We talk about the tools that helped her reconnect with herself in a real way. Therapy. Two way prayer. Learning how to si
You Don’t Quit. You Replace.
In this episode, I sit down with Dane to talk about what it actually looks like to change your life.Not just saying you want to be different… but doing the work to become different.Dane shares his journey through sobriety and what he’s learned about replacing old patterns with something better. We talk about the idea that you can’t just remove the things that aren’t serving you, you have to give y
Daddy Issues, Anyone?
Do you have a difficult relationship with a parent? In this deeply personal episode of The Shift, I share my journey with my father—how his struggles with mental health and multiple suicide attempts shaped my life. I realized that a lot of my acting out through sex, substances, and risk was a way to cope with a pain I couldn’t fully name at the time.But this episode isn’t just about me; it’s about
Forgiveness Isn’t Soft. It’s Freedom.
In this deeply moving episode, I sit down with my dear friend Hal Strickland, a grateful 67-year-old from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, whose gratitude and spiritual wisdom have helped shaped my life. Hal, a profoundly optimistic man, shares his insights on forgiveness, faith, and the transformative power of letting go of resentment. There’s no single topic here—just a heartfelt conversation that will l
DMX To Chopin - It’s Time To Get Quiet
In this episode, I talk about a time when I used to watch porn regularly as a way to check out. Then something changed. Right after finishing, I had to turn it off right away.Then I saw a guy on Instagram who had meditated for 83 days straight, and something about that inspired me. I never thought about meditation before, but suddenly I was doing it. As I practiced, I noticed how often I got physi
She's A Thirsty Girl...But Thirsty For What?
What are you really thirsty for? In this episode, I sat down with Alex Qin, writer and director of “Thirsty Girl”, a film about a female sex addict. Alex was haunted by her own childhood. She was scared of her mom and yearned for her dad. So, as a child, she dreamed about other men coming to save her. But once she started drinking, she got the courage to start turning these fantasies into reality.
Whose Limits Are You Living?
In this episode, I ask you a vital question: whose limits are you living by? I share a moment in a spin class when I pushed past what I thought was my max—and it made me question every limit I’d ever set. I reflect on growing up with ADHD, feeling othered, and molding a persona for external validation. Now, seven years sober, I’m unlearning those patterns—and I invite you to do the same. It’s not
Facing What Fuels the Addiction
In this first episode of The Shift, we confront the brutal truth: our addiction isn’t the real problem—it’s the fear we refuse to face. You’re not simply battling a habit; you’re running from your fears. And when that escape turns painful, you have a choice: keep running or face it all head-on.You can stop the cycle by entering into a relationship with yourself in a whole new way—and finally becom
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