Comfort Food with Kelly Rizzo

This one is really special. And really personal.Kelly recently found a grief journal tucked in her nightstand that she wrote in less than a month after losing Bob. The problem? She had completely forgotten she'd written in it. She opened it expecting blank pages... and found something that stopped her in her tracks.In this episode, Kelly reads from that journal for the first time in over four and a half years, going through the prompts she answered just weeks after Bob passed: the happy memories, the hardest time of day (nights, always nights), what she was holding onto (keeping the silverware in the right drawers because that's how he liked it), and the last memory they shared together before he left for his final trip.She also shares the lessons she wrote down that Bob taught her, things like always say I love you, order everything on the menu, and more. And she closes with something really practical: what you should NOT say to someone who is grieving, and what actually helps.This episode is coming out the week of what would have been Bob's 70th birthday. It feels like the right time to share it.If you're in grief right now, or supporting someone who is, or just missing someone you love, Kelly hopes this helps. Come find her on Instagram @KellyRizzo and keep the conversation going.Subscribe, rate, and review. It really does help more than you know.

Bestselling author Gabrielle Stone joins Kelly for one of the most kindred-spirit conversations Comfort Food has had yet. Gabrielle wrote the cult-favorite memoir Eat Pray FML, its sequel The Ridiculous Misadventures of a Single Girl, and her newest release with husband Tay, Finding You Through Finding Me.Her CliffsNotes story: married almost two years, blindsided by her husband's six-month affair with a 19-year-old. She filed for divorce, fell madly in love with a "well-known Hollywood actor" (Javier in the book), got invited on a month-long trip to Italy, and 48 hours before the flight, he broke up with her. So she went anyway. Six countries, one month, solo. And wrote a book about it.Kelly and Gabrielle dig into the love bombing red flags they would have missed at 28, Gabrielle's subconscious "when I love someone, they leave" wound (she lost her dad at 6 and her high school sweetheart at 18), why the relationship after the divorce often hurts worse than the divorce itself, and what it actually takes to reset your nervous system from toxic love to safe love. Plus where Javier is now (still, apparently, doing the same thing at 50).Honest, raw, funny. The kind of conversation you wish you could have over a bottle of wine.Grab Gabrielle's books, follow her on Instagram and TikTok, and don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review. GABRIELLE'S BOOKS ON AMAZON: Eat Pray FML: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Eat+Pray+FML+Gabrielle+Stone The Ridiculous Misadventures of a Single Girl: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Ridiculous+Misadventures+of+a+Single+Girl+Gabrielle+Stone Finding You Through Finding Me: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Finding+You+Through+Finding+Me+Gabrielle+StoneFOLLOW GABRIELLE: Instagram: @gabriellestone TikTok: @gabriellestoneFOLLOW KELLY: Instagram: @kellyrizzo TikTok: @kellyrizzo

Julie Smolyansky, CEO of LifeWay Foods — the largest kefir brand in the country — has one of the most extraordinary stories you'll ever hear. Born in Soviet Ukraine, her family defected behind the Iron Curtain when she was just one year old, arriving in America with $116 and no English. Her mother went on to open Chicago's first Slavic deli — and even brought the very first cases of Nutella to the United States. Her father, longing for the kefir he grew up with back home, eventually built LifeWay Foods from scratch.When Julie was just 27, her father passed away suddenly, and she stepped in as CEO — becoming the youngest female CEO of a publicly traded company in US history. What followed was a decade of immense challenge, personal rock bottoms, and an unshakeable refusal to fail.Kelly and Julie talk about the immigrant work ethic that shaped them both, navigating grief while running a company, the gut-brain connection and why kefir is having its major cultural moment, and what it really means to turn pain into purpose. Plus they make a ridiculously good smoked fish farmer cheese dip live in the kitchen — and yes, it's as good as it sounds.This episode was kindly sponsored by Lifeway Foods. Learn more about Lifeway here! https://lifewaykefir.com/Follow Kelly on Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/kellyrizzo/?hl=enFollow Julie on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/juliesmolyansky/?hl=enListen on Apple Podcasts-https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/comfort-food-with-kelly-rizzo/id1716987177Listen on Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5PW46ZYYpLlUCRPWn0Vfm7?si=100c49d2f5f64975Visit Kelly’s Kitchen- https://kelly-rizzo.com/Join Comfort Club:https://www.comfortclubonline.com/

The night before my husband Bob passed away, I was lying in bed watching Sex and the City (...And Just Like That)Specifically… the episode where Mr. Big dies.I remember feeling completely gutted watching Carrie lose her husband so suddenly. I was thinking, that would be the worst thing imaginable. Trying to put myself in her shoes… trying to understand that kind of loss.And then, just hours later… it became my reality.In this episode of Comfort Food, I share one of the most surreal and emotional experiences I’ve ever had—watching a fictional version of sudden loss, and then living it myself almost immediately after.From standing in my closet surrounded by Bob’s clothes… to realizing I was experiencing the exact moments I had just watched on screen… this is a story about grief, shock, and the strange ways life can mirror art.We talk about:The emotional weight of everyday moments after lossWhy nothing can prepare you for sudden griefThe surreal experience of “recognizing” your own grief in something you’ve seen beforeAnd how deeply certain memories and objects can hold meaningIf you’ve ever experienced something that felt too strange to be real… or had a moment where life felt like it was echoing something you’ve seen or felt before… this episode is for you.

What if bullying didn’t end in high school?In this episode of Comfort Food, I sit down with my wonderful sister Kristin to talk about something we almost never hear about… what it’s like to be bullied as an adult.In my early 30s, I went through an experience that was confusing, isolating, and honestly, hard to even talk about at the time. It didn’t look like the bullying we’re used to hearing about… which made it even harder to recognize and deal with.We get into:what adult bullying actually looks likewhy it’s often minimized or overlookedthe emotional and professional toll it can takeand what helped me move through itThis conversation is personal, honest, and something I know so many people quietly experience but don’t always have the words for.If you’ve ever felt targeted, excluded, or questioned your own reality in a situation like this… you’re not alone.

What is it really like to build a career as a content creator?In this episode, I’m joined by my very dear friend Erica Eckman, founder of Ecko Digital Media. Erica and I actually started our journeys at the same time over a decade ago… with just a few thousand followers and no roadmap.Since then, our paths have taken very different directions. Erica built a powerhouse agency with over 40 employees that reps over 80 influencers- plus she's the co-founder of the massive wellness brand, FlavCity, while I leaned into hosting, media, and storytelling. In this conversation, we get honest about what it actually takes to grow and sustain a career in this space.We talk about:what people don’t see behind the scenesthe pressure, burnout, and constant evolutionhow the industry has changed over the yearsand what it really means to “make it” onlineAnd then we’re joined by Erica’s wonderful sister, Melissa Metrano, a successful creator in her own right, and by successful, I mean well over 10 million followers across many platforms. She's a behemoth in the industry. We all have a candid conversation about navigating social media, identity, and growth from another perspective.We also get deeply personal about how our lives have evolved, how success can look very different than expected… and even how this industry has challenged our friendship at times.This is a real, unfiltered look at the highs, the pressure, and the reality behind being a content creator.

Dating after loss is something no one can fully prepare you for.In this episode of Comfort Food, I sit down with my dear friend, Amanda Kloots, to talk about what it’s really like to date as a widow — the emotional complexity, the challenges, and the unexpected growth that comes with opening your heart again.Amanda shares her journey of navigating grief while learning how to love again, the fears and judgments that can come with moving forward, and how she ultimately found a deeper understanding of herself through the process.This is a conversation about resilience, self-discovery, and the reality that life after loss can still hold joy, connection, and even new love.If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to rebuild your life after everything changes — or how to trust yourself again in relationships — this episode is for you.

Adult female friendships can be some of the most meaningful relationships in our lives… but also some of the hardest, especially as we get older.In this episode of Comfort Food, I sit down with one of my best friends, Tiffany Louise, therapist and life coach, for a very honest and relatable conversation about why friendships in your 40s can feel more complicated, more layered, and sometimes more painful than they used to.We talk about people pleasing, boundaries, friendship breakups, ghosting, nervous system triggers, and how inner child wounds can shape the way we show up in our relationships today. We also get into what makes a friendship nourishing versus draining, why so many women struggle with reciprocity, and how to build deeper, more meaningful connections.If you’ve ever outgrown a friendship, struggled to set boundaries, felt lonely even while surrounded by people, or wondered why friendship feels harder in adulthood, this episode is for you.