Shells and Shadows

In this episode of Shells & Shadows, Yehuda sits down with Tricia Sexton — breathwork facilitator and founder of Rooted Journey Retreats. Tricia shares what it was like growing up inside bullying that escalated into sexual assault, rumor, and shame — and how that kind of betrayal can live in the body for decades, showing up as distrust, low self-worth, and painful patterns in relationships. Wh...

In this episode of Shells & Shadows, Yehuda sits down with Ashley Rupe in the new Salt Lake City studio for a conversation about loneliness, survival, and building the support system you never had. Ashley shares why she started a local healing collective — a non-clinical space rooted in breathwork, nervous system regulation, and real human connection. Not a place to be diagnosed. A place to sh...

In this episode of Shells & Shadows, Yehuda sits down with James Miragliotta, author of Time at the Edge — a former attorney and entrepreneur whose life changed after a near-fatal stabbing and near-death experience. James built a high-achieving life: a growing law practice, public office, business ventures, and international work. But a series of losses — including the death of his father, his...

What happens when your life is decided for you? In this deeply personal episode of Shells & Shadows , Yehuda sits down with Phil Wintch—one of the therapists from the residential treatment center where Yehuda was sent at sixteen. What unfolds is not a takedown of the youth treatment industry, nor a blind defense of it—but an honest reckoning with the light and the shadow that live inside trans...

Yehuda HaLevi, host of Shells and Shadows, joins Light Stone on The Stone Protocol after recording 30 episodes in 14 days in Salt Lake City — more than his entire first year of podcasting combined. Shells and Shadows is a podcast about people who have turned their darkest experiences into their greatest gifts. After two weeks of holding space for strangers' stories of addiction, homelessness, sexu...

In this episode of Shells & Shadows , Yehuda sits down with Bradley Banner, founder of Bannr Systems, for a grounded conversation on discipline, biology, identity, and what it means to truly live with your body—not through it. Fresh out of college with a background in neuroscience and endurance training, Bradley shares how studying the body became a pathway into understanding behavior, purpose...

In this episode of Shells & Shadows, Yehuda sits down with John Paul Kingston (JP) — host of the Cultivated Man Podcast, and a men’s vitality coach focused on embodiment, masculinity, and emotional integration. JP opens with the truth most men spend years avoiding: shame. He shares how carrying sexual trauma from adolescence shaped his relationship to his body, sexuality, and identity — and ho...

In this episode, I sit down with Daniel Eisenman — host of the Breaking Normal podcast, founder of Tribe Vitamins, and one of the original forces behind Boulder’s 100 Sundays pull-up group. The conversation opens with what Daniel calls a “cosmic wink”: synchronicity as a living language, a breadcrumb trail of events and circumstances that line up in such perfect and ineffable ways. We explore what...

In this episode of Shells & Shadows, Yehuda sits down with Yitzy Wilhelm—the heart and soul of Chabad at CU Boulder and a cornerstone of the community’s Friday night Shabbat experience. Yitzy shares what it means to lead Kabbalat Shabbat week after week (for more than a decade, since his bar mitzvah), why welcoming people matters, and what makes Chabad feel like home for students walking in fo...

In this deeply thoughtful episode of Bridging Generations , host Howard Snooks (76) sits down with Yehuda Halevi (23) , host of the Shells and Shadows podcast, for an honest, wide-ranging conversation that defies the typical "Boomer vs. Gen Z" narrative. At the intersection of Howard’s decades of experience in clinical social work and Yehuda’s deep dive into Depth Psychology, Internal Fa...

Steven Brandwayn strips the performance away from meditation. It isn't about reaching a state of "zen." It is about recognizing when you’ve been pulled off center and building the "bounceback muscle" to return. We map the internal courtroom where Fear, Doubt, Shame, and Guilt—the Four Henchmen—run the show. This is a grounded guide for anyone sick of being hijacked by their own mental chatter and...

In this deeply personal episode of Shells and Shadows, I sit down with my uncle, Brian Rosen. While we have always been family, we sit down for the first time to open up about a hidden scar that few talk about: we were both sent away from home as young men. What starts as a conversation about the shock of being placed in a boys' home evolves into a profound reflection on forgiveness. We discus...

In this intimate solo episode of Shells and Shadows, we strip away the modern obsession with "finding" our purpose and look instead at how we create it. Reflecting on a recent pilgrimage to the Viktor Frankl Museum in Vienna, I explore the profound difference between what we want from life and what life is asking of us. We discuss the concept of "Self-Transcendence," the evolvi...

Young men are lonelier than any generation ever recorded—and most are hiding behind a single word: fine. In this conversation, Yehuda and Baruch HaLevi (author of The Guy in the Glass) sit down to examine the deeper roots of the male loneliness epidemic—not just through statistics, but through lived experience. Phones replacing presence. P*rn replacing intimacy. Education systems that don’t fit bo...

In this solo episode of Shells & Shadows, Yehuda reflects on Hanukkah beyond the surface — beyond the songs, the food, and even the childhood version of the miracle of the oil. This is an episode about light itself. Drawing from Jewish mysticism, Chassidut, and Kabbalistic teachings, Yehuda explores the ancient metaphor of the flame and the wick:The flame as the soul — always reaching upward,...

In this episode, Ben Duffy and I dive straight into the inner architecture of fear, ego, story, and the strange ways reality becomes “real” only when we grip against it. This is a conversation about the mechanics beneath our lives — the places where psychology, spirituality, and personal myth overlap — and how darkness, when met directly, becomes fuel for growth and creation. Ben breaks down empti...

This episode digs into what it means to return to nature—not as a getaway, but as a way of remembering who we are beneath the layers of routine, separation, and modern structure. A barefoot walk in the woods, a brief plunge into cold water, or simply coexisting in silence with the plants in my home became unlikely catalysts for remembering a truth often obscured by the systems we live within: that...

In this season opener of Shells & Shadows, I sit down in Boulder, Colorado with performance coach and facilitator John O’Connor to explore what it truly means to build a life around calling — not certainty. At 23, I often struggle with how to turn what lights my heart into something the world recognizes as valuable. John (now in his 50's) reminds us that our path is not a straight line — i...

In this powerful episode, AJ takes us on a profound journey of self-discovery, from his troubled teen years to his spiritual awakening in Judaism. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, AJ was sent to a troubled teen program that sparked his first real introspection. Despite the personal growth, the dysfunction in his family remained, leading him to explore new paths for self-improvement. In colleg...

In this deeply reflective episode, we explore the journey of self-discovery and authentic living through the eyes of two profoundly different yet remarkably similar men. We dive into the life lessons of a former cannabis entrepreneur turned peer support specialist, whose path led him from high-stakes hustle to heartfelt service, helping others find meaning in their struggles. 💡  Topics Covered: T...

In this insightful episode, we dive deep into the importance of emotional awareness, the journey of personal growth, and the transformative power of real friendships. Our guest, Daniel, shares his experiences from therapy, the role of jiu-jitsu in his life, and the value of surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to be better. Key Topics Covered: Facing Reality for True Change:  Daniel...

Bob opens his heart about the mystery of love, the depth of grief, and the enduring hope for life after death. From his 70-year marriage and the pain of losing his wife to reflections on prayer, belief, and the Jewish experience, Bob shares raw truths that many are too afraid to say out loud. Judah and Bob explore what it means to live with questions, not answers—and why that might be the most fai...

In this deeply personal episode, we explore faith, identity, and resilience through a powerful conversation between two brothers navigating college, spirituality, and Jewish pride in a post-October 7th world. From wrestling with antisemitism and the visible signs of Jewish identity to the significance of conversion and the strength of internal faith, this episode dives into what it means to be pro...

In this moving and powerful conversation, we sit down with a sniper who served during the war in Gaza. He shares the raw reality of combat — the split-second decisions, the moral weight carried by every shot (and every shot not taken), and the bond of brotherhood that kept him grounded through the chaos. We explore how military training builds instinct, why valuing human life remains central even...

Steven Brandwayn is student of life, a man who brings his unique light into our world as a neuroperformance/life coach, psychedelic guide, entrepreneur, and teacher of Kabbalah – Jewish mysticism. He guides others in elevating their consciousness by harnessing nature’s powerful healing potential, using plant medicine and brain-rewiring techniques. Don't miss this captivating conversation, where St...