Ep 25: Alisyn Camerota on Loss, Love & Starting Over The Moment Everything Changed
Grief, loss, career reinvention, and starting over after tragedy take center stage in this powerful conversation with journalist and author Alisyn Camerota. When life changes in an instant, how do you rebuild, find purpose, and move forward? In this emotional episode of Call Me Friend, Daryn Kagan sits down with Alisyn to unpack what it really takes to navigate loss, trauma, and major life transitions.
From her experience with workplace harassment and power abuse during the Me Too era to the devastating loss of her husband to pancreatic cancer, Alisyn shares the raw truth about grief recovery, emotional healing, resilience, and rebuilding your life after loss. This conversation dives into career setbacks, personal growth, relationships, and finding strength after tragedy, showing how even the hardest moments can lead to transformation, clarity, and a completely new path forward.
In This Episode You Will Learn
✅ How to rebuild your life after loss and grief
✅ The truth about career reinvention and starting over
✅ What resilience actually looks like in real life
✅ How relationships and timing shape your life path
✅ The reality of workplace abuse and how to recognize it
Powered by Ms Lou’s Cabin https://www.airbnb.com/h/mslouscabin
Timestamps
- 0:00 Workplace harassment, Roger Ailes, and the defining career moment
- 5:05 How Daryn and Alisyn connect through journalism
- 7:39 The golden era of CNN and purpose-driven journalism
- 11:13 Leaving CNN, management changes, and shifting priorities
- 13:10 Meeting Tim, commitment, and being ready for love
- 18:40 Marriage, infertility, IVF, and building a family
- 19:54 The pancreatic cancer diagnosis that changed everything
- 20:18 “A grenade thrown into our lives” – everything changes instantly
- 22:30 Navigating the emotional impact of a terminal diagnosis
- 25:10 How their family dynamic shifted overnight
- 28:40 Living through uncertainty and anticipatory grief
- 33:30 Me Too Story: Navigating Power, Fear & Career Risk
- 35:50 Processing fear, reality, and what comes next
- 46:47 Asking for a Friend: what to say to someone facing grief
- 58:08 Daryn’s closing thoughts and episode wrap-up
Key Takeaways
🔹 Loss can completely reshape your identity and purpose
🔹 Career setbacks can lead to unexpected opportunities
🔹 Emotional healing requires honesty, time, and support
🔹 True resilience is built through life’s hardest moments
Guest Bio
Alisyn Camerota is an award-winning journalist, television anchor, and author known for her work on major news networks including CNN and Fox News. She is widely respected for her reporting, storytelling, and advocacy, particularly around issues of workplace culture, personal resilience, and women’s experiences in media. Her journey through grief, career reinvention, and personal growth has inspired audiences around the world.
- Alisyn’s memoir Combat Love: https://amzn.to/4bTOBwY
- Alisyn substack: https://alisyncamerota.substack.com/
- “Hostage” by Eli Sharabi https://amzn.to/4vha1vu
- “That’s The Way God Planned It” documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEOdCPoHRn4
Resources & Links
- Powered by Ms Lou’s Cabin- https://www.airbnb.com/h/mslouscabin
- Sign up for our newsletter: https://darynkagan.substack.com/
- Hope Possible: A Network News Anchor’s Thoughts On Losing Her Job, Finding Love, A New Career, and My Dog, Always My Dog https://amzn.to/4az2X5f
- Miles Husband: MilesHusband.com
