Things Go Sideways cover art

Things Go Sideways

Things Go Sideways

By: KiKi L'Italien
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When life, leadership, or the world go sideways, certainty doesn't show up on schedule. Things Go Sideways is a podcast for the middle of it — the part where the plan has cracked, but nothing new has fully formed yet. Each episode is a slow, honest conversation with someone living through change: a career ending, an identity shifting, a sense that what used to work no longer fits. We don't rush to lessons or tidy conclusions. We stay with what's real long enough to notice what's true. Hosted by KiKi L'Italien, Things Go Sideways is not pitching you advice, motivation, or transformation content. This podcast is bringing you orientation. A place to make sense of uncertainty without pretending you already know what comes next. (Because most of the time, we don't — and that's not a failure.) This podcast exists to help people stay present long enough to learn when certainty is gone.2026 Career Success Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • When the Job Goes, Who Are You? Stan Gibson on Identity After Loss

    When the Job Goes, Who Are You? Stan Gibson on Identity After Loss
    Jun 10 2026
    Stan Gibson built four decades of corporate success — and then watched it dissolve in a single phone call. When the Fortune 100 company he'd given everything to displaced his position, Stan wasn't blindsided by the job loss. He was blindsided by the question underneath it: who are you when the career that defined you is gone? In this conversation, Stan Gibson — executive coach, keynote speaker, and author of Living a Rich and Intentional Life — walks through what it actually takes to rebuild identity after disruption. He covers the moment a friend's terminal cancer diagnosis reoriented his entire understanding of what "rich" means; how his wife's stage four cancer diagnosis forced him to practice what he preached about self-care; and the coaching framework he uses with executives navigating their own identity collapse — from strengths mapping to "I am" identity statements to a reverse-engineered five-year vision process. Stan introduces a through-line he calls the "genius paragraph" — a granular translation of your five core strengths into a statement of who you are at your best. It's not motivational filler. It's a tool for people who've lost the external structure that told them who they were, and need something internal to replace it. Why Listen Now: If you've ever let a job title answer the question "who are you" — and then lost the job — this episode is a hand on the shoulder, not a blueprint. Stan's been there. He built a life from the rubble twice. If this is you… You're still carrying the weight of a disruption you didn't choose, and part of what's heavy is that you don't know who you are without it. Resources Double Down on You PDF (neuroscience-based resources: sleep, nutrition, fitness, visualization) — Stan Gibson: https://leadwithstan.com Living a Rich and Intentional Life — Stan Gibson (book) Website: https://www.stangibsonspeaks.com Speaker Reel: https://www.stangibsonspeaks.com/speaking LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stangibsonspeaks The Inspiration Podcasts with Stan — Stan Gibson's podcast Psycho-Cybernetics — Dr. Maxwell Maltz (referenced by Stan) About the Things Go Sideways Podcast When life or leadership goes sideways, the story's just getting interesting. Things Go Sideways with KiKi L'Italien features honest conversations with leaders, creators, and changemakers navigating disruption, uncertainty, and identity shifts. Each episode explores trust, resilience, and what it means to stay human when certainty breaks down. New episodes share real stories about rebuilding agency and meaning without rushing to quick-fixes, spiritual bypassing, or pretending clarity comes easy. Connect With Things Go Sideways: Substack: https://thingsgosideways.substack.com/welcome Website: https://thingsgosideways.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kikilitalien/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikilitalien/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thingsgosidewayspod and https://www.tiktok.com/@thingsgosideways For Business Inquiries: kiki@thingsgosideways.com Listen & Subscribe Substack: https://thingsgosideways.substack.com/ Website: https://thingsgosideways.com/listen Libsyn RSS Feed: https://feeds.libsyn.com/597715/rss Libsyn Podcast Page: https://sites.libsyn.com/597715/site Libsyn Video Feed: https://feeds.libsyn.com/597715/spotify Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/0AToVdda4omlLpG9KpQ0Hj Spotify (audio): https://open.spotify.com/show/2K6DYzLMRkbT4FfmDaFP7a?si=4b4c70c5a3a84ce2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/things-go-sideways/id1849510232 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/87fc90ea-455c-443d-a24f-bd3bccc2e764/things-go-sideways Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/Things-Go-Sideways/B0G59XM2XY YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhenThingsGoSideways Join the Community Things Go Sideways Book Club: https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6100919/join/4db79195 YouTube Playlist (Full Episodes): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRiPZ_HubKQpcbMaCYtlJN9D6qTv4tOrb LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/things-go-sideways/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150721167011215 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585524425304 00:00 — KiKi introduces Stan Gibson and the episode's stakes 01:53 — Stan describes his first sideways moment: threatened with termination at 23 03:45 — Writing the plan on a piece of paper: "No one will ever dictate my future again" 05:12 — The second sideways moment: Fortune 100 layoff he didn't see coming 06:40 — "Always have a plan B" — why Stan was ready the morning after 07:30 — Jerry walks over at dinner: "When death becomes certain, life becomes rich" 09:10 — Wife's stage four cancer diagnosis changes how Stan lives his own framework 11:00 — The swim lane metaphor: knowing who you are and who belongs beside you 12:15 — Neuroscience of identity: RAS, amygdala, and why early lies ...
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    39 mins
  • She Went In for Her First Mammogram. Then Everything Changed.

    She Went In for Her First Mammogram. Then Everything Changed.
    Jun 8 2026

    Cecilia Satovich was 40, raising three young daughters, and living inside the life she had hoped for.

    Then she went in for her first mammogram.

    What started as something routine (an appointment you know you should make, the kind you might delay because life is full and you are busy and also, let's be real, who wants to deal with it?) became the beginning of a breast cancer diagnosis right as the world was heading into the uncertainty of early 2020.

    In this episode of Things Go Sideways, Cecilia talks about what it felt like to hear the word cancer when her children were still small, treatment was suddenly complicated by COVID, and the future she had been counting on no longer felt guaranteed.

    We talk about mammograms, fear, motherhood, asking for help, saying the wrong thing, and how hard it can be to stay close to someone else's pain when you don't know what to do with your own discomfort.

    This is not a neat cancer-survivor story with a shiny bow on it. Cecilia's story is about what happens when the body interrupts the plan, when ordinary life becomes precious in a way that feels almost unbearable, and when surviving something changes how you show up for other people who are still in it.

    Because sometimes the sideways moment is not only the diagnosis. Sometimes it is realizing how much you love your life.

    And yes. Get the mammogram.

    ---

    What is it like when your first mammogram leads to a breast cancer diagnosis?

    When a first mammogram leads to a breast cancer diagnosis, the shock is not only medical. It can interrupt your sense of safety, your plans, your family life, and the future you thought you were standing inside. In this episode of Things Go Sideways, Cecilia Satovich talks about being diagnosed with breast cancer at 40, while raising three young daughters and beginning treatment during the uncertainty of early 2020. Her story is about fear, motherhood, asking for help, and what changes when your body forces you to pay attention.

    ---

    Connect With Things Go Sideways:

    Substack: https://thingsgosideways.substack.com/welcome

    Website: https://thingsgosideways.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kikilitalien/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikilitalien/

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thingsgosidewayspod and https://www.tiktok.com/@thingsgosideways

    For Business Inquiries: kiki@thingsgosideways.com

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    40 mins
  • Grace Fatigue, Boundaries, and the Business That Survived Two Crises — with Lori Zoss Kraska

    Grace Fatigue, Boundaries, and the Business That Survived Two Crises — with Lori Zoss Kraska
    May 28 2026
    What happens when you've already had your wake-up call — and life sends another one? Lori Zoss Kraska built Growth Owl into a thriving consultancy helping nonprofits and associations land Fortune 1000 sponsorships. Then, in 2022, a doctor's hunch caught bilateral pulmonary embolisms that had no symptoms she could feel. She was answering client emails from the ER! The lesson stuck — until her mother walked into knee surgery in 2024 and walked out with the first signs of vascular dementia. In this episode of Things Go Sideways, Lori shares what it's actually like to run a business while becoming a primary caregiver. She talks about "grace fatigue" — the exhaustion of trying to make everyone else comfortable. She talks about boundaries that aren't slogans. She talks about why her client roster looks completely different now, why perfectionism didn't survive the second crisis, and the conversation with her mother on a patio that became an assignment for the rest of her life. This one is for anyone in the middle of caregiving, anyone whose body has tried to warn them, and anyone rebuilding a business around a life that won't sit still. Listen now. When things go sideways, that's where the real story begins. Connect with Lori: Website: thegrowthowl.comBooks: lorizossbooks.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lorizoss 00:00 — Cold open / intro 01:30 — Welcome and setup: holding responsibility and uncertainty at once 02:30 — The knee surgery waiting room: noticing the signs 04:00 — The sundowning event after surgery and the diagnosis 06:30 — "I had to start respecting my boundaries" 08:30 — Why she stopped taking every client and started getting selective 10:30 — Working with creators and voiceover artists — the new audience 12:00 — Walking, journaling, gratitude: self-care as infrastructure 15:00 — 2022: the pulmonary embolism and the lesson she didn't quite learn yet 18:00 — The healthcare system, the squeaky wheel, and being your own advocate 20:30 — Throwing out the perfectionism 22:30 — "Once I made the choice to work on myself, the right clients came" 25:00 — Trust, taboo, and the people who can't talk about dementia 27:30 — Grace fatigue (this is the segment to clip) 30:00 — The patio conversation with her mother 32:00 — Becoming an exceptional listener 34:30 — Her father, the protector vs. the daughter, the solutions-provider 37:00 — Final advice: listen to your body 39:00 — Close and CTAs grace fatigue, boundaries, caregiver burnout, sandwich generation, women in business, only child caregiver, corporate sponsorship, nonprofit consulting, health scare, blood clots, perfectionism, client selection, business pivot For Business Inquiries: kiki@thingsgosideways.com Listen & Subscribe Substack: https://thingsgosideways.substack.com/ Website: https://thingsgosideways.com/listen Libsyn RSS Feed: https://feeds.libsyn.com/597715/rss Libsyn Podcast Page: https://sites.libsyn.com/597715/site Libsyn Video Feed: https://feeds.libsyn.com/597715/spotify Spotify (video): https://open.spotify.com/show/0AToVdda4omlLpG9KpQ0Hj Spotify (audio): https://open.spotify.com/show/2K6DYzLMRkbT4FfmDaFP7a?si=4b4c70c5a3a84ce2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/things-go-sideways/id1849510232 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/87fc90ea-455c-443d-a24f-bd3bccc2e764/things-go-sideways Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/Things-Go-Sideways/B0G59XM2XY YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhenThingsGoSideways Join the Community Things Go Sideways Book Club: https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6100919/join/4db79195 YouTube Playlist (Full Episodes): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRiPZ_HubKQpcbMaCYtlJN9D6qTv4tOrb LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/things-go-sideways/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150721167011215 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585524425304 Share Your Sideways Story Podcast Guest Intake Form: https://forms.gle/UcccE9eJBSfEc9UN9 Schedule a Podcast Interview: https://calendly.com/kiki-interview/podcast-interview
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    42 mins
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