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

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Timestamps

0:00 Workplace harassment, Roger Ailes, and the defining career moment
3:58 Daryn’s intro and the Call Me Friend setup
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: Roger Ailes, Fox News, 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

Check out my interview with Bill Hemmer: https://youtu.be/x1VuM_awknA?si=dsX5DNGxA4u1HHic

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

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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

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