Comfort Food with Kelly Rizzo

Kelly has been wanting to have this conversation for a long time, and she's so glad she finally did. Her guest is Lindzi Scharf, a writer, entrepreneur, and mother who lost her daughter Evan at just three and a half years old to an incredibly rare mitochondrial disease. Evan was only the 27th child in the world known to have her specific condition.
What makes this conversation so special is the way Lindzi talks about Evan. It is not dark or heavy. It is full of joy, full of love, and full of the kind of hard-earned wisdom that only comes from living through something this profound. Kelly admits she was nervous to have a child loss parent on the podcast, scared of saying the wrong thing. But Lindzi has a way of making you feel like you can ask anything, and that saying the wrong thing is always better than saying nothing at all.
They talk about what it was like to know from early on that time with Evan was limited, how that shaped the way Lindzi chose to live every single day, and what it means to actively choose joy in the face of the unimaginable. They also get into what people can do to support a grieving parent, how to talk about someone who is gone, and the complicated question of past versus present tense. Plus, there is a beautiful connection involving Evan's favorite song that will give you chills.
This episode comes out right around what would have been Evan's birthday. Happy birthday, Evan.
Follow Kelly on Instagram @KellyRizzo and keep the conversation going there.
You can find Linzi on instagram at @lindzischarf

Thank you to Lifeway Foods for sponsoring this episode. For more info about Lifeway please visit www.lifewaykefir.com
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Kelly is going there. She has hinted at this story before, but this is the first time she has ever shared the full, unfiltered details of her worst breakup ever. And yes, it is as shocking as it sounds.
It was 2015. Kelly was 36, living with her boyfriend, had just bought a house with him, and was basically planning a future together. Then the day before the movers arrived, he sat her down and ended it. Out of nowhere. No fighting, no warning signs, just a rug pull that left her suddenly homeless, heartbroken, and starting completely from scratch.
Kelly walks through every detail: what he said, what she thought, the moment months later when he showed up crying telling her she was the love of his life, and then the phone call where he took it all back. And then, four months after blocking him forever, she met Bob.
But this episode isn't just the story. It is also a genuine, practical guide for getting through a brutal breakup. Kelly shares what actually helped her: finding her own space, letting her people in, leaning into spirituality and self-help, not letting herself spiral into self-blame, and yes, getting back out there. She also gets honest about the anxiety that kind of heartbreak leaves behind, and how she still works through it today.

Follow Kelly on Instagram @KellyRizzo and keep the conversation going there.
Thank you to Marconi Foods for sponsoring this episode. Use code KELLY for 15% off at marconi-foods.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content warning: This episode contains a candid discussion of suicidal thoughts. Please listen with care.
Kelly and Alison Victoria have been friends for years, both Chicago girls with more in common than they ever got to explore until now. This is the conversation they've been wanting to have, and Alison chose Comfort Food as the only place she'd tell this story for the first time.
For the first time ever, Alison opens up about a four-year legal nightmare that nearly destroyed everything she had built. It started with a business partnership that seemed promising and spiraled into eight lawsuits, forensic audits, unpaid contractors, permits that were never pulled, and headlines calling her a fraud. She lost her house. She lost her car. Her bank account was drained. And at her lowest point, she called a friend and said she didn't want to live anymore.
This conversation goes there. All of it. How Alison kept showing up anyway, how HGTV had her back when she was terrified they would fire her, and how she rebuilt from zero into the thriving, Emmy-nominated career and life she has today. She also talks about what she learned: that the truth always prevails, that patience is a real virtue, and that grief comes in more forms than most people realize, including the grief of losing yourself.
This one is a must-listen for anyone who has ever felt buried alive by someone else's mess.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
Follow Kelly on Instagram @KellyRizzo and keep the conversation going there.
You can follow Alison Victoria at @thealisonvictoria

This episode is sponsored by Marconi Foods. For 15% off use code KELLY at Marconi-foods.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one is so special, and Kelly is so glad to be bringing it back.
When Kelly first dreamed up this show, John Stamos was one of the very first people she thought of. He's a beloved actor, musician, and New York Times bestselling author of "If You Would Have Told Me." But more than any of that, he is one of her dearest friends and one of the greatest sources of comfort she's had since losing Bob.
In this conversation, Kelly and John go deep. They talk about the Full House legacy and what it really meant to him to finally come to terms with a show that changed millions of lives. They share stories about Bob, including the night they found out he was gone, and what those first impossible days looked like for both of them. They talk about grief in the most honest way: prayer, therapy, the moment you stop fighting the pain and just let it move through you, and why keeping someone's name alive is one of the most loving things we can do.
And then there's a very special moment near the end: the world premiere of a song Bob wrote and performed on his last tour, "I'm Not in Love with My Wife's Father." Kelly had been waiting so long to share that with the world, and getting to do it with John made it all the more meaningful.
If you've ever loved someone and lost them, this one is for you.
Follow Kelly on Instagram @KellyRizzo and keep the conversation going there.
Follow John at @johnstamos on Instagram

And thank you to Marconi Foods for sponsoring this episode. Find more info at marconi-foods.com and use code KELLY for 15% off!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Egg freezing has become almost a cultural mandate for women in their 30s. And if you haven't done it, people want to know why. Today I'm talking about why I chose not to, and what that decision taught me about knowing yourself, trusting your gut, and pushing back on the idea that there's one right answer for every woman.
This isn't an anti-egg-freezing episode. It's an honest look at the pressure we face, the way love and timing and circumstance can shape a decision that feels impossibly big, and why peace with your choice matters more than what anyone else thinks you should do.
Whether you're in the thick of this decision, already made it, or just want to understand it better, I hope this one hits home.
Follow me on Instagram @KellyRizzo and let's keep the conversation going there.

And thank you to Marconi Foods for sponsoring this episode. For 15% off use code KELLY at check out and visit marconi-foods.com for more info and to try the new Platinum Giardinera today!
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