Stop Surviving the Fire: Start Living After It

The Angry Therapist Podcast

John Kim

Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A year ago, on January 7th, my house burned down. This solo episode is a reflection on what that loss revealed — not just about grief, but about meaning, identity, and the quiet permission to live differently in the second half of life. I talk about the difference between a house and a home, what it means to lose community, and why starting over isn’t always a failure — sometimes it’s prescribed. From standing in the ashes of my cul-de-sac to building a slower, more intentional life in Costa Rica, this episode explores how tragedy can become an act break instead of an ending. This episode is for anyone who feels tired of grinding, restless in their current life, or quietly sensing that the second half deserves a rewrite. You don’t have to burn your life down to change it — but sometimes life lights the match for you. If you listen to this podcast, I’d love to hear from you. Email me your thoughts: theangrytherapist@gmail.com Host Links & Resources: Surf, Sex & Pancakes - Join John Kim for a surf retreat in Costa Rica. Sign up HERE 📘 Read John’s new book in progress Sh*t Your Therapist Would Never Tell You on John’s SubStack ⁠HERE⁠ If you’re ready for deeper work, the Secure Self course is available HERE Order John's new book, Break Up. On Purpose,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow John on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find out more about John⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is your latest idea.
0:02.0	It's unique, it's game-changing, it's huge!
0:06.0	But you can go even bigger with AI-powered PDF spaces in Acrobat Studio,
0:12.0	turning your files and links into actionable insights and content,
0:16.0	plus share projects and collaborate seamlessly while keeping everything private and secure.
0:21.5	So your excellent idea stays yours.
0:25.5	Do that with Acrobat.
0:27.3	Learn more and try it out on Adobe.com.
0:30.6	You know, it's a brand new year and today is kind of a special day.
0:35.4	It's January 7th, a year ago today on this day. Our house burned down.
0:44.0	I'm John Kim, a licensed therapist who used to be a miserable fuck before going on a hero's journey
0:49.1	and turning expired relationships into revelations. I use my story to help others come with you instead of at
0:56.1	you, unrehearsed on purpose, because self-help doesn't have to be polished or complicated. Just honest.
1:05.7	Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Whenever you're listening to this. You know, it's a brand new year,
1:11.9	and today is kind of a special day. It's January 7th, a year ago today on this day, our house burned
1:20.6	down. And I don't want to do a never forget. That's not my stance with the fires. And I'm going to be
1:30.1	honest, I mean, it was traumatic for all of us, for sure. But for many, especially renters,
1:35.8	especially people who didn't have insurance, there's a lot of people right now trying to
1:40.3	rebuild and they're struggling. And it completely, I I mean like COVID or 9-11, it completely
1:46.4	changed their lives. It'll never be the same. And so a lot of people are still traumatized.
1:53.7	And I definitely, I want to be sensitive to that. And it isn't my story because, and listen, I don't know if I'm in denial or if I'm not willing
2:05.1	to feel my feelings, but I feel like since the fires, it didn't hit me the way that it
	...

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