Pacific Palisades: A Story I Never Expected To Tell

About this episode

Mike Schibel shares a deeply personal story about returning to his childhood home in Pacific Palisades after a devastating wildfire, exploring themes of loss and community resilience.

In this deeply personal episode, Mike returns to his childhood home in Pacific Palisades — a place that once symbolized comfort, community, and family — now forever changed by one of the most devastating wildfires in U.S. history. Through intimate conversations with his mother (and her experience of living in the Palisades for over 50 years), as well as his childhood best friend, photographer Chris Clinton, Mike explores themes of loss, resilience, and the unshakable spirit of community. Together, they reflect on growing up in the Palisades, the day the fire struck, and what it means to rebuild not just homes, but hope. This is a story about memory, change, and finding connection in the aftermath of tragedy — a love letter to a place that shaped a lifetime of meaning. Click here to read the New York Post article about Chris Chapters: 00:00 – Returning home to the Palisades 04:00 – A call from Mom: loss, displacement, and silver linings 08:00 – Rebuilding community after the fire 10:00 – A conversation with childhood friend Chris Clinton 15:00 – Growing up in the Palisades 18:00 – The day the fire hit 24:00 – Escaping the flames and saving what remains 30:00 – The aftermath…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Schibel

Guest: Chris Clinton

Topics covered

• loss
• resilience
• community
• childhood
• wildfire
• memory
• healing

Keywords

• Pacific Palisades
• wildfire
• community
• resilience
• loss
• childhood
• healing
• memory
• tragedy

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Pacific Palisades

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