Near-Death SHIFT: Holly Porter on Purpose, Transformation, and Loving People Where They Are

Near-Death SHIFT: Holly Porter on Purpose, Transformation, and Loving People Where They Are Uncle Dave welcomes Holly Porter—entrepreneur, transformational leader, author, philanthropist, wife, mother of eight, and grandmother of 19—to discuss surviving COVID, experiencing a near-death event, rebuilding after trauma, and discovering a deeper mission. Holly had spent decades launching businesses and raising a large family when COVID changed everything. She entered the hospital with an oxygen level of 63 and spent 70 days receiving intensive care. She was intubated twice, received a tracheostomy, developed sepsis, and endured extensive treatments. Her husband was also dealing with COVID and blood clots, so he could not manage her care. Holly considers it a miracle that family members were permitted to stay with her when so many patients faced illness alone. Leaving the hospital on November 11—11/11—began a difficult recovery. She lost most of her hair, experienced severe pain, and needed more than a year to begin feeling functional again. Her daily philosophy became: “Better is better.” Instead of comparing herself to who she had been before the illness, Holly focused on one question: What can I do today to become slightly healthier than I was yesterday? That shift helped her stop seeing herself only as a victim and begin asking what the experience might be teaching her. During her hospitalization, Holly experienced out-of-body events, a spiritually transformative experience, and a near-death experience. She describes visiting places connected to her family history and receiving messages that gave her a renewed sense of purpose. Holly says she was sent back with a mission. Those experiences became the foundation for her book, Near Death SHIFT: What Life Taught Me About Life, Business, and Purpose. SHIFT stands for Surrender, Hope, Intuition, Faith, and Transformation. Holly explains that surrender and transformation are the bookends of meaningful change. We cannot fully transform while holding tightly to every former identity, expectation, habit, and plan. Her journey also inspired the International Retreat Association, created to serve retreat leaders, venues, travel professionals, wellness providers, chefs, attorneys, software companies, and other partners. Holly saw an industry with enormous growth but no central association providing shared ethics, education, standards, best practices, or resources. Rather than waiting for someone else to build it, she accepted the assignment. The conversation also explores Holly’s nonprofit work. Adventure Bucket Wish Foundation originally focused on long COVID, but its mission shifted toward helping women move through adversity and rediscover purpose through RBL Women—Rise, Build, Lead. Her longer-term vision includes supporting children, foster youth, and young people aging out of care. Holly closes with the message that transformed how she sees other people. During a hypnosis session revisiting her near-death experience, she asked why her life review had shown her only the good moments. The answer she received was: “I’m showing you the good because that’s what matters.” Then came the lesson that continues to guide her: “Love them where they’re at.” We cannot control another person’s path, timing, understanding, or choices. We can maintain boundaries and protect ourselves while releasing judgment and meeting people where they currently stand. Holly’s story reminds us that transformation begins with surrender, purpose can emerge from pain, and love remains one of the most powerful ways to shift the world. To connect with Holly Porter: Explore her Linktree, book, nonprofit work, retreat resources, and the International Retreat Association through the links included with this episode. To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547