Documentaries. Conversations. Essays.

What if the life you built was never truly yours?

A documentary and media project exploring identity, meaning, truth, and transformation.

Latest Film

James Hollis on the Middle Passage

Legendary Jungian analyst James Hollis on the unseen territory of midlife, the collapse of false identity, and the soul’s call to a more authentic life.

The questions that drive illumiShift.

Who are we beneath conditioning and roles?
Is there a true Self?
Is it psychological, biological, or spiritual?
How do we live with meaning when certainty is hard to find?
Latest Conversations

Conversations with remarkable minds.

James Hollis
Jungian Analyst
Massimo Pigliucci
Philosopher
Lisa Miller
Psychologist
Sheri Mitchell
Coach & Author
Don Hoffman
Cognitive Scientist
A Feature Documentary in Production

Ice Cream & God

A search for meaning across cities, conversations, and inner landscapes—what happens when achievement stops being enough?

Essays & Field Notes

Thoughts from the road.

Why Success Didn’t Feel Like Success

On achievement, emptiness, and the quiet ache for something real.

Is There Really a True Self?

Exploring identity beyond the story we tell ourselves.

What James Hollis Taught Me About the Middle Passage

Notes from a life-changing conversation.

Field Notes from the Search

A newsletter for seekers and truth-tellers.

Reflections, behind-the-scenes notes, and what I’m learning along the way.

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Polaroid photograph of Matthew Strunk sitting on a rock at sunset
About

Hi, I’m Matthew Strunk.

I’m the founder of illumiShift, a filmmaker, writer, and host of these conversations. After building and exiting businesses, I found myself asking deeper questions about identity, meaning, and what truly matters.

illumiShift is my way of exploring those questions—through films, conversations, and essays that seek to illuminate the human experience in all its complexity and beauty.