Identity: The Day She Changed Her Mind

Have you ever felt the quiet pull to change everything you thought you were building?

For Marty Ross-Dolen, that moment came on September 11, 2001. She had devoted her entire life to psychiatry, but as she watched the towers fall with her children nearby, something in her said it was time to let go. That decision set her on a new course — one that led to motherhood, teaching, and eventually a memoir that uncovered the silence of multi-generational grief.

In this conversation, Marty shares what it means to step away from a lifelong identity and find a new one through writing and reflection.

1. Why listening to the voice inside matters more than the expectations you were raised to follow
2. How unspoken grief can ripple through generations and quietly shape a family’s story
3. What happens when you allow yourself to change your mind, even after decades of commitment

Marty’s journey is both personal and universal, a reminder that it’s never too late to begin again.

👉 Listen to the full conversation and support more stories like this.

Guest Bio

Marty Ross-Dolen is a graduate of Wellesley College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is a retired child and adolescent psychiatrist. She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her memoir, Always There, Always Gone: A Daughter’s Search for Truth, was released with She Writes Press in May 2025. She teaches writing and lives in Columbus, Ohio. Learn more at www.martyrossdolen.com.

🎧 Listen and follow at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow

✨ Support the show with ad-free early access at www.patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcast

📬 Join the newsletter for more reflections and behind-the-scenes: https://thelifeshiftpodcast.beehiiv.com/

💬 Connect on socials @thelifeshiftpodcast

Mentioned in this episode:

Available Now: "still HERE: True Stories of the Moments That Changed Everything"

This episode is brought to you by *still HERE: True Stories of the Moments That Changed Everything* by Matt Gilhooly. Matt is the creator and host of The Life Shift Podcast. Over four years and more than 240 episodes, he has sat with strangers and asked them about the moments that changed everything. *still HERE* is what he found. Over 100 true stories. Eight sections. One listener making sense of what it all means for the rest of us. Available now in Kindle and paperback on Amazon. Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Here-Stories-Moments-Everything/dp/1639011854/ If you read it and it moves you, an honest review on Amazon helps more people find it.