Identity: Walking Away From Who You Were Supposed to Be

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

1. The quiet pressure of chasing someone else’s version of success
2. How leaving a PhD program became an act of self-trust
3. The beauty of being seen by a stranger who changed everything
4. The tension between faith, identity, and authenticity
5. Learning to stop asking for permission to create
6. 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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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.