Plot Twist: Still Alive

Meet our newest Master of Plot Twists...

Jamie was in her early 50s, celebrating the end of a long and rewarding teaching career and looking forward to retirement. She had plans. Adventures. Freedom. A brand-new chapter.

PLOT TWIST...

Just a few days after her retirement celebration, she went in for a mammogram after finding a lump.

Instead of planning vacations, she was planning Chemotherapy.

Instead of celebrating retirement, she was scheduling bloodwork, scans, surgeries, and learning an entirely new language no one ever wants to speak: Breast Cancer.

But Jamie refused to let Cancer write the final chapter.

After spending more than a year fighting for her life, she found herself asking a question so many survivors know all too well...

"Now who am I?"

Her friends suggested writing a book.

Jamie had another idea.

She didn't just want to tell her story...

She wanted to create a place where thousands of others could tell theirs.

Drawing on her experience as a podcast host for educators, Jamie launched Test Those Breasts—a podcast and nonprofit dedicated to educating, supporting, and empowering the Breast Cancer community through honest conversations with survivors, oncologists, Breast Surgeons, therapists, and advocates. She also partners with the Know Your Lemons Foundation to bring lifesaving breast health education to colleges and communities, making sure women AND men know how to recognize the signs of Breast Cancer and perform self-exams.

This episode is a reminder that early detection saves lives, survivorship doesn't end when treatment does, and sometimes life's biggest plot twists become the very thing that helps someone else survive theirs.

⚠️ WARNING: This episode contains adult language, dark humor, discussions about Breast Cancer, Chemotherapy, surgery, body image, and survivorship. As always, listener discretion is advised.

Want to learn more, access free Breast Cancer resources, or support Jamie's incredible mission?

💗 Test Those Breasts
https://testthosebreasts.org

🍋 Know Your Lemons Foundation
https://knowyourlemons.org

Because knowing your body could save your life.

Test Those Breasts. 💗🍋

Our moms spent years telling us...

"DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS."

So naturally, Stace and Krystal with a K celebrated National Picnic Month by inviting complete strangers to join them for a picnic.

No script.
No plan.
Just a blanket, some snacks, and a whole lot of curiosity.

From life's biggest plot twists to love, loss, dreams, regrets, embarrassing moments, and yes...even nervous poops...this episode proves that every single person has a story worth hearing if you're willing to ask.

What started as a simple picnic quickly became a reminder that we're all a lot more alike than we think.

Oh...and somewhere between the charcuterie and complete strangers spilling their life stories...

The girls have a surprise.

Let's just say...

Sometimes the biggest plot twists aren't the ones you've already lived.

Sometimes they're the ones that are just beginning.

⚠️ WARNING: This episode contains adult language, inappropriate humor, discussions of nervous poops, and may convince you to start FUCKING picnicking with strangers more often.

It was supposed to be an ordinary Thursday morning.

School drop-off.

Three kids under five.

A couple of kittens.

Meg dropped her children off at school...until she looked up and saw a massive cloud of smoke rising behind it.

Something didn't feel right.

She trusted that feeling, walked back into the school, gathered her children, and headed home.

Minutes later, her husband called.

"LEAVE. NOW."

What followed was hours trapped in bumper-to-bumper traffic as the deadliest wildfire in California history raced toward Paradise. The sun disappeared behind a sky filled with smoke. Cell service vanished. Trees burned on every side of the road.

With three young children in the backseat, two terrified kittens, and no way of knowing whether they'd make it off the mountain alive, all Meg could do was stay calm for her babies...and quietly ask God the question no parent ever wants to ask:

"Are we going to get out of here alive?"

This week, Meg shares the unimaginable story of surviving the deadliest wildfire in California history, the split-second decision that saved her family, the trauma that followed, and what it's like to watch your world burn while holding on to hope one mile...one prayer...and one breath at a time.

Because sometimes...

The most terrifying horror stories don't come from Hollywood.

They happen on a Thursday morning.

⚠️ WARNING: (18+). It contains strong language, dark humor, and discussions of wildfire disasters, trauma, fear, death, and the lasting impact of surviving the unimaginable. Listener discretion is advised.

EPISODE 35: STILL ALIVE — THE HALFWAY THROUGH 40 FUCK IT LIST

This week, I'm flying solo with a bottle of champagne that says "DO EPIC SHIT," which honestly feels like both a life motto and a warning label.

After surviving cancer three different times, I stopped waiting for the "right time" and started saying "fuck it" to the adventures that scared me most. Some happened years ago. Some happened recently. Every single one changed me.

In this episode, I'm celebrating the halfway point of my 40-Year-Old FUCK IT LIST by counting down my Top 5 completed adventures—from jumping out of an airplane and hiking Havasu Falls to taking a Sour Toe Shot with an actual human toe, traveling solo to the Dominican Republic, and starting Plot Twist: Still Alive. Along the way, I'm sharing the stories behind each one, the lessons I never expected to learn, and why the adventures you don't plan often become the best plot twists.

Plus, I'm revealing what's still left on the list, roasting myself for the ones I keep putting off, and asking YOU to help fill the final two blank spots before I turn 41.

Because after everything I've been through, I've learned one thing...

Life doesn't ask permission before it throws you a plot twist.

So maybe it's time to stop waiting for permission to DO EPIC SHIT.

⚠️ 18+ | Dark humor, real-life plot twists, and questionable decision-making ahead.

Inspired by the internet...and all the trolls living under its bridge.

After one of Plot Twist: Still Alive's Facebook videos exploded to more than 700,000 views, thousands of reactions, and hundreds of comments, complete strangers decided they already knew the story.

PLOT TWIST...they didn't.

Because toxic people don't come with one gender, one title, or one relationship. They can be romantic partners, parents, siblings, friends, coworkers, bosses, neighbors...or someone hiding behind a keyboard with a profile picture of a fish.

This week, Krystal with a K and her ride-or-die, Sarah, take a darkly hilarious look at toxic relationships, narcissistic traits, manipulation, trauma bonds, gaslighting, red flags, the abuse cycle, and the classic narcissistic cycle—all while asking one terrifying question...

Wait...are WE the toxic ones?

(Yes...they took the quizzes.)

They also revisit the X series and share how telling that story became one of the most liberating experiences of Krystal's life.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING (18+): This episode contains discussions of emotional abuse, narcissistic behavior, manipulation, trauma, domestic violence, explicit language, dark humor, internet trolls...and 🪳 cockroaches.

Yes.

Cockroaches.

Listener discretion is advised.

Resources: If you or someone you know is navigating a toxic, abusive, manipulative, or narcissistic relationship, visit the Plot Twist: Still Alive blog for resources, books, support organizations, and additional information: https://www.plottwiststillalive.com/blog

Weslea was living a relatively normal life. Married. Building a career. Making plans for the future.

Then, during a routine annual exam, she asked her doctor to check her lymph nodes.

"It's probably nothing."

Those four words turned into months of tests, appointments, and a holiday season consumed by uncertainty. Then came the diagnosis that changed everything:

Lymphoma.

In this episode, Weslea shares her journey through immunotherapy, chemotherapy, survivorship, and the emotional toll that cancer takes long after treatment begins. From being told she "didn't look sick" while fighting the battle of her life, to navigating relationships, loss, grief, and the darkness that often comes with survivorship, she brings honesty, humor, and vulnerability to every part of her story.

And because this is Plot Twist: Still Alive, the conversation somehow includes monkey sex.

🔗 Blog, podcast links, merch, and more:
www.plottwiststillalive.com

⚠️ WARNING: This episode contains discussions of cancer, medical trauma, mental health, grief, sex, loss, and dark humor. Intended for mature audiences 18+.

The Reaper Didn’t Train for This

In the Final Destination movies, Death always gets what it wants.

Miss your turn? Death finds you.
Cheat the system? Death finds you.
Escape the plan? Death finds you.

But what happens when Death hands you a terminal diagnosis, an expiration date, and six months to get your affairs in order?

When Jim was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer, he was told he had six months to live. Terminal. One word that changed everything and the beginning of the hardest six months of his life.

Chemotherapy, surgery after surgery, setbacks, fear, and a body that barely resembled the one he had spent a lifetime building as an athlete.

Cancer took a lot from Jim. Parts of his body. Parts of his certainty. Parts of the life he thought he knew.

But somewhere between the scans, surgeries, and endless medical appointments, he made a decision.

If he was going to die, he was going to start living first.

In this National Cancer Survivor Month episode, Jim shares how a terminal diagnosis became the catalyst for a completely different life. One filled with purpose, perspective, unexpected adventures, and enough ostomy bag plot twists to remind us that sometimes SHIT GETS REAL.

Jim says cancer didn't teach him how to die….It taught him how to live.

These days, he's sharing his battle through the book he wrote, training for an Ironman Championship that's just 120 days away, and proving that a terminal diagnosis doesn't always get the final word.

At this point, if Death plans on catching him, it better start working on its cardio.

Because sometimes the biggest plot twist isn't surviving a terminal diagnosis—it's discovering how much life was waiting for you on the other side of it.

⚠️ WARNING: This episode is 18+ and contains adult language, dark humor, discussions of death and dying, terminal cancer, medical trauma, surgeries, bodily functions, ostomy bag stories, and the realities of fighting for your life.

It’s National Cancer Survivors Month, and our BREASTIE Stacy is back...but this time, we’re talking about a different kind of survival story.

Growing up in the 90s in small-town Texas with a strict religious family, Stacy spent years trapped in the closet. From a young age, she was terrified that being honest about who she was could cost her everything. With no openly gay people around her, the fear of being outed kept her hiding in plain sight.

In honor of PRIDE MONTH, Stacy shares her coming out story, what it felt like carrying that fear for years, and how finally being true to herself changed her life.

And in true Plot Twist fashion...we also have confessions, poorly timed jokes, chaos, and a shit ton of humor.

Because closets are FOR SKELETONS...not people.

⚠️ WARNING: 18+ ONLY: This episode contains adult language, dark humor, and conversations surrounding sex and sexuality.

We have officially SURVIVED 30 episodes….in honor of this we are doing a very special MASTER OF PLOT TWISTS episode. So if you can’t handle anatomy or the word Nipples being used over 738 times….grow up or avoid this like a big city during the zombie apocalypse.  

Krystal with a K invites the PERKY GIRLS Crystal and Courtney with a C to tell us how they made a dream that most people have a reality…starting their own thriving business. And not just ANY BUSINESS, a business that helps breast cancer survivors standing in the wake of this disease after breast amputation, nightmare treatments, an obscene number of surgeries and being robbed of what society deems “Makes them a woman”….their breasts.

But these two women stand in the face of cancer alongside these warriors and give them a safe, welcoming space that allows them to give them something they not thought they’d have back….their nipples.

And as usual….this episode comes with its own PLOT TWISTS!!! So buckle up for the rollercoaster that is CANCER and see what happens when two bad ass women decide to give cancer the middle finger one nipple tattoo at a time.

Warning: 18 and up: THIS VIDEO DOES NOT HAVE ANY REAL NIPPLES OR NUDITY. IT DOES CONTAIN IMAGES OF RESTORATIVE TATTOOS THAT ARE PART OF A BREAST CANCER RECONSTRUCTION TREATMENT. 

This episode is dedicated to Pink Warrior Advocates founder Jen Reynolds. Happy Birthday. We miss you and honor you every day!

Please consider donating to The Perky Restoration Program by visiting Pinkwarrioradvocates.org website or if interested in Perky services or resources visit helloperky.com

Imagine a night when you can’t sleep and are doomscrolling TikTok at 3AM…we find Krystal with a K in this very predicament.

After their Big Bend trip collapsed into a construction-zone disappointment, the algorithm delivered something far more dangerous: Havasu Falls.

And in true “FUCK IT LIST” Zone fashion, the exact night Krystal discovered it just happened to be the exact moment permits went on sale — so naturally, three $450 permits were purchased in a sleep-deprived spiral of confidence and poor decision-making.

For 4 days, 3 nights, and nearly 40 miles, Krystal with a K, Drew aka “Baby Boy Uh,” and their 8-year-old son drag themselves through the Arizona canyonlands chasing waterfalls… even though TLC SPECIFICALLY told them not to.

Along the way: Drew confidently declares “I know EXACTLY where we are” moments before leading the family onto their most treacherous hike yet, an IBS-style shit attack strikes at the absolute worst possible moment, and socks with sandals somehow become elite hiking technology.

The biggest challenge? Mooney Falls. A 220-foot descent through caves, chains, ladders, wet rocks, and terrifying drop-offs that feels less like a hiking trail and more like OSHA and acrophobia’s worst nightmare trapped inside a horror movie.

This episode is about what happens when people stop waiting for “someday” and just say:

“Fuck it.”

Because life isn’t about being afraid to die.

It’s about being afraid to LIVE.

PLOT TWIST, BITCHES…

THEY SURVIVED….find out how

Listen/watch THIS THURSDAY on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music or YouTube (links in the bio).

⚠️ WARNING: This episode contains adult language, dark humor, hiking misery, graphic bathroom emergencies, emotional instability, and several terrible decisions made with alarming confidence. Listener discretion is advised.

Check out our merch and blog on our website at www.plottwiststillalive.com