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When Life Throws a Curveball: The Distance between Ego and Love

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Manage episode 513553970 series 3641461
Content provided by Heather Holt. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Heather Holt or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

He was the kid who learned to earn attention with strikeouts and satellites of confidence—until the game that defined him began to take everything it had given. In this episode, Michael Bugary tells a raw, unflinching story of wanting to belong so badly he built a life around being someone else: the baseball player, the prospect, the one everyone watched. From a scholarship to UC Berkeley to the lights of the Red Sox organization, his rise looks like the dream. But under the helmet, the pressure, injuries, and a secret dependence on substances hollowed out what he loved most.

This is not a tidy cautionary tale. It’s a messy, human journey through addiction, a devastating brain tumor, and the slow collapse of a carefully performed identity. Michael admits the things he tried to fix himself—human growth hormone, painkillers, the endless chase of performance—and how they pushed him toward the edge. He walks us through interventions, failed recoveries, and the numbness that made him incapable of seeing how his choices hurt the people who loved him.

Then something small and unexpected shifts the axis of his life: a therapy dog named Lingo. Brought into a house full of hurt, Lingo becomes the quiet instrument of change—teaching Michael what unconditional love feels like, nudging him into humility, and drawing him back into service. Together they enter children’s hospitals, where laughter replaces pride and compassion replaces ego. Through those visits, Michael discovers the truth behind the old phrase that the longest distance is between the head and the heart. He learns to cross it.

By turns heartbreaking and hopeful, this episode explores what it means to lose your identity—and to rebuild one without the applause. Michael’s story asks the listeners to consider: what would you be without your performance? How do you find meaning when the game is over? Told with candid honesty by Heather Holt and her guest, this episode is for anyone who has chased something until it hurt, who has been surprised by rescue in its smallest form, and who believes that healing can arrive in the wag of a tail.

Michael Bugary

If you'd like to support the show, just click the link
Be a part of the change happened community
To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit
Changehappenedpodcast.com
Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below
20% off PURE ENERGY NOW
Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates.
Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected]
and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

  continue reading

34 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 513553970 series 3641461
Content provided by Heather Holt. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Heather Holt or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

He was the kid who learned to earn attention with strikeouts and satellites of confidence—until the game that defined him began to take everything it had given. In this episode, Michael Bugary tells a raw, unflinching story of wanting to belong so badly he built a life around being someone else: the baseball player, the prospect, the one everyone watched. From a scholarship to UC Berkeley to the lights of the Red Sox organization, his rise looks like the dream. But under the helmet, the pressure, injuries, and a secret dependence on substances hollowed out what he loved most.

This is not a tidy cautionary tale. It’s a messy, human journey through addiction, a devastating brain tumor, and the slow collapse of a carefully performed identity. Michael admits the things he tried to fix himself—human growth hormone, painkillers, the endless chase of performance—and how they pushed him toward the edge. He walks us through interventions, failed recoveries, and the numbness that made him incapable of seeing how his choices hurt the people who loved him.

Then something small and unexpected shifts the axis of his life: a therapy dog named Lingo. Brought into a house full of hurt, Lingo becomes the quiet instrument of change—teaching Michael what unconditional love feels like, nudging him into humility, and drawing him back into service. Together they enter children’s hospitals, where laughter replaces pride and compassion replaces ego. Through those visits, Michael discovers the truth behind the old phrase that the longest distance is between the head and the heart. He learns to cross it.

By turns heartbreaking and hopeful, this episode explores what it means to lose your identity—and to rebuild one without the applause. Michael’s story asks the listeners to consider: what would you be without your performance? How do you find meaning when the game is over? Told with candid honesty by Heather Holt and her guest, this episode is for anyone who has chased something until it hurt, who has been surprised by rescue in its smallest form, and who believes that healing can arrive in the wag of a tail.

Michael Bugary

If you'd like to support the show, just click the link
Be a part of the change happened community
To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit
Changehappenedpodcast.com
Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below
20% off PURE ENERGY NOW
Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates.
Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected]
and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

  continue reading

34 episodes

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