Achievement isn’t the same as fulfillment. Host Mary McCorvey talks with Kevin Palmieri, founder/host of Next Level University (top-100 podcast, 1M+ listeners across 170 countries). Kevin shares the moment he says “rock bottom has a basement,” why he reached out for help, and how he rebuilt with small promises, habit tracking, identity work, and better Relationships.
You’ll learn
- Why purpose starts with self-belief—and why self-worth keeps what you build
- Habit tracking and “commitment devices” that make consistency inevitable
- Identity upgrades: from who you were to who you’re becoming
- Evaluating your circle (best from your past vs. best for your future)
- Love + ambition: weekly check-ins, date nights, and honest boundaries
Guest: Kevin Palmieri, Founder & Host, Next Level University
Host: Mary McCorvey, Experience Over Expectation
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Mary McCorvey is a veteran of the Gulf War, founder of 7 companies, TV producer, author, radio host, and playwright whose life reads like a memoir—because it is one. From being implicated in a murder at 17 to surviving sarin gas exposure in Kuwait, Mary’s story is defined by resilience, reinvention, and one core question: What do you do… when life keeps rewriting the script?
After being diagnosed with terminal pulmonary fibrosis and told she had two years to live, Mary defied the odds. She rebuilt her life after betrayal, launched a mission to send students’ work to the Moon, and most recently, opened a locked box she’d carried for 35 years—unleashing a memoir-in-motion about love, memory, and healing.
Now the host of the podcast and author of the book, Experience Over Expectation, Mary brings wit, warmth, and depth to conversations about identity, aging, forgiveness, and second chances. She’s equally at home discussing trauma and tenacity as she is laughing through the absurdities of life.
Mary lives—and thrives—in Pennsylvania, with a story to tell and a mic in hand.
