In this episode, I sit down with Nick Rogers and his wife, Cassie, two people whose lives were shattered by the unimaginable loss of their spouses to cancer.

Nick takes me through his wife Anna’s battle with aggressive breast cancer, the moment they thought she had beaten it, and the devastating reality of watching it return and spread. He also shares the impossible decisions he had to make as a father while trying to protect his two young daughters from losing their mom.

Cassie’s story is different, but equally heartbreaking. Her husband Cody went from seemingly healthy to being diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer, and just 66 days later, he was gone. Before he died, Cody told Cassie something incredible: he was already praying for the man who would one day love her and help raise their children.

In this episode:

• What it’s really like to lose a spouse to cancer
• The impossible decisions parents face while grieving
• How Nick and Cassie helped their children process loss
• The role faith played when life stopped making sense
• How they slowly found hope, healing, and love again

And somehow, through grief, faith, and circumstances that are almost impossible to explain, Nick and Cassie found each other.

This conversation is about losing the person you thought you’d grow old with, parenting through grief, trusting God when nothing makes sense, and slowly discovering that life, and even love, can exist after unimaginable loss.

Key Moments:

00:00 Two spouses lost to cancer, one unexpected love story

03:18 The cancer diagnosis that changed everything

07:04 Finding faith through aggressive cancer treatment

10:19 When chemotherapy made death feel real

13:17 Cancer remission and a new beginning

16:32 The symptoms that revealed a brain tumor

20:07 When cancer came back even more aggressively

24:03 Facing the reality that Anna could die

28:26 The final months of Anna’s cancer battle

34:44 She fell asleep and never woke up

38:09 Telling two young girls their mom was dying

41:40 66 days from pancreatic cancer diagnosis to death

45:00 The scan that revealed a death sentence

49:32 Cody’s final message of faith

51:21 Why Cody prayed for Cassie’s future husband

54:28 Finding love after losing a spouse

56:48 Anna’s message to Cassie before she died

Connect with Me:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/⁠

Connect with Nick & Cassie:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/rebuildingrogers/⁠

A few days before 16-year-old Landon took his own life, he spent what felt like one of the best weeks of his life with his cousin, Landon Ashworth.

They ate way too much sushi, played golf, shot guns, laughed, talked about life, and dreamed about the future. When the week ended, Landon told him how much he needed it. He seemed happy. He seemed okay.

Then came the phone call that changed everything.

I sit down with filmmaker, actor, writer, and creator Landon Ashworth for an incredibly raw conversation about suicide, autism, grief, survivor’s guilt, and the things we sometimes don't see until it's too late.

In this episode:

• Losing his 16-year-old cousin Landon to suicide

• The warning signs he wishes he had recognized sooner

• Growing up autistic, masking, bullying, and feeling misunderstood

• The survivor’s guilt he still carries after Landon’s death

• Turning grief into his deeply personal film Go On

  
  

Landon opens up about experiencing suicidal thoughts himself and why he now isn’t afraid to directly ask someone if they’re thinking about taking their own life.

We also talk about the painful reality of trying to help someone find their way out of the darkness, why emotional pain can feel impossible to escape, and the importance of finding something worth holding onto.

This conversation is heavy. But more than anything, it’s about choosing to keep going.

Key Moments:

00:00 The week before everything changed

03:03 When Landon’s future fell apart

06:25 The week that made him feel okay again

10:02 The phone call no one expected

13:43 The guilt of missing the signs

17:02 The suicide warning signs he missed

20:23 The reality of masking autism

24:00 Why other people’s opinions mean nothing

29:39 What an autistic brain can feel like

34:29 The Hollywood advice Landon couldn’t accept

38:00 Why vulnerable people started finding him

41:37 Turning Landon’s suicide into Go On

45:01 Finding a reason to stay alive

48:02 How to get out of emotional hell

Connect with Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/

Connect with Landon Ashworth:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/landonashworthdirects/

#SuicidePrevention #AutismAwareness #SurvivorsGuilt

When I called Mya Ludwig a few weeks ago, I expected a hard conversation. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer, undergone a double mastectomy, and was halfway through chemotherapy. Instead, I hung up feeling like Mya had somehow helped me.

So I knew I needed to bring her back to the podcast.

Mya opens up about the moment she discovered the lump, what treatment has really been like, and how losing her hair challenged the way she saw herself. But what impacted me most was her perspective. She refuses to let cancer become her identity or allow fear about tomorrow to steal the life she still gets to live today.

We talk about learning to put yourself first, finding joy in incredibly difficult seasons, and how a traumatic brain injury years earlier taught Mya lessons she never imagined she'd need again.

And making this conversation even more special, Mya's brother Adam joins us again, bringing the same joy and personality we loved the first time.

In this episode:

• The moment Mya discovered something was wrong
• Why she refuses to live in the "what ifs"
• What losing her hair taught her about identity
• How to support someone without making them feel helpless
• Finding one small reason to keep going on the hardest days

This conversation reminded me that we don't always get to choose what happens to us. But we do get to choose how we show up through it.

Key Moments:

00:00 The Lump Maya Knew Was Cancer

03:18 The Attitude Toward Cancer That Changed My Life

07:44 Why Cancer Forced Maya to Finally Put Herself First

11:02 Why Maya Refuses to Feel Sorry for Herself

14:44 Refusing to Let Cancer Take Over Her Life

18:02 What Someone With Cancer Actually Needs From You

21:04 Losing Her Hair Changed How Maya Saw Herself

25:40 The One Thing Maya Does on Her Darkest Days

29:26 Maya’s Brother Adam Returns to the Podcast

31:20 How Adam Reacted to Maya’s Cancer Diagnosis

34:01 The Joy Adam Brings Everywhere He Goes

38:19 Adam’s Unfiltered Take on the Raiders

41:29 Adam’s Message to Anyone Going Through a Hard Time

Connect with Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/

Connect with Mya:

IG: @minimamamya (https://www.instagram.com/minimamamya/)

In this episode, I sit down with Matthew Griffin, who spent 21 years serving in the military and law enforcement. During those years, Matt saw things most of us will never see. But one call would stay with him for decades.

As a young police officer, Matt responded to the accidental death of two-and-a-half-year-old Benny Jr., the son of a friend. Matt was the first officer on scene and performed CPR, but Benny didn’t survive. What followed was years of guilt, nightmares, drinking, and the belief that if he had reacted just seconds sooner, maybe he could have saved him.

The trauma didn’t stay at work. Slowly, Matt began losing himself, his marriage, his identity, and eventually his desire to keep living.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The call involving two-year-old Benny Jr. that changed Matt’s life forever

• The hidden reality of PTSD, trauma, and mental health among police officers and first responders

• How undercover police work consumed Matt’s identity and contributed to the breakdown of his marriage

• The moments that pushed Matt toward suicide and what ultimately kept him here

• Why simply checking on someone can be more powerful than we realize

  
  

This conversation is about what happens when the people we expect to save everyone else are quietly falling apart themselves.

And why sometimes surviving starts with giving life one more hour. One more day.

Key Moments:

00:00 The Police Call That Changed Everything

03:03 Meeting Benny Jr. Days Before the Tragedy

10:24 The Guilt That Haunted Him for Years

18:02 The Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Policing

24:18 When Undercover Police Work Took Over His Life

27:31 Losing His Marriage, Home and Identity

32:14 Taking Accountability for Who He Became

36:04 His Chief Checked on Him, Then Died by Suicide

42:04 The Phone Call That Saved Matt’s Life

48:47 Why Checking In on Someone Could Save a Life

53:22 “If Today Is a Good Day to Die, So Is Tomorrow”

59:44 The Check-In Every Leader Should Be Doing

1:03:29 What Matt Would Say to Someone Considering Suicide

Connect with Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/

Connect with Matt:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormatthewgriffin/

In this episode, I sit down with Olivia Burnett, who lost her dad, Kevin, to stage four colon cancer at just 24 years old. He was her Superman, the person who gave her confidence, made her feel unstoppable, and always reminded her that she was “golden.” Within months of his death, grief pulled Olivia into a darkness she never expected.

She tried therapy. Medication. Exercise. Friends. Family. Everything people tell you to do when you're struggling with depression. But nothing seemed to break through. Eventually, Olivia found herself sitting on her bed with a bottle of pills in her hand, believing suicide was the only way out.

Then two words entered her mind: Hold on. That tiny piece of hope was enough.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Losing her dad to stage four colon cancer at just 24 years old
• The delayed grief that sent Olivia into a devastating battle with depression
• The night she believed suicide was her only way out and the two words that stopped her
• How tiny, everyday decisions helped her slowly find hope, resilience, and purpose again
• Turning unimaginable pain into a reason to help others hold on through their darkest moments

This conversation isn't about pretending everything gets better overnight. It's about what can happen when you hold on long enough to see what comes next.

Key Moments:

00:00 My Dad Was Healthy Then Everything Changed

04:06 The Signs of Stage 4 Colon Cancer We Missed

08:02 The Night I Watched My Dad Die

11:12 The Future Cancer Stole From Us

15:03 How My Dad Faced Death Without Fear

19:03 Finding Yellow Socks in the Darkness

22:09 Why “Choose Happiness” Isn't That Simple

25:16 When Grief Turned Into Severe Depression

28:03 The Night I Almost Ended My Life

31:16 Turning My Pain Into Purpose

35:46 How I Finally Climbed Out of the Darkness

39:34 The Small Decisions That Saved Me

41:06 What My Dad Would Say to Me Today

Connect with Me:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/⁠

Connect with Olivia:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/twentysomething_podcast/⁠

There are some stories you hear that stay with you long after the conversation ends. This is one of them.

In this episode, I sit down with Nathan Wieser, a husband, father and author of We Did It, to talk about a journey through pregnancy loss, infant loss, miscarriage, PTSD, grief and a fight to become a father that lasted more than a decade. Nathan and his wife Lucy endured loss after loss. But nothing could prepare them for the day their daughter Mary died during birth, while Lucy herself was fighting to stay alive. 

Nathan remembers sitting alone in a hospital hallway waiting for one thing: to hear his daughter cry. The cry never came. What followed were years of grief, trauma and fear before they found the courage to try again.

Then came Otto. Born at just 26 weeks and weighing only two pounds, Otto spent 121 days in the NICU fighting through emergency surgeries, sepsis and moments when his parents didn't know if he would survive.

In this episode:

• Losing their daughter Mary during childbirth and nearly losing Lucy too
• The miscarriages, grief and PTSD that followed their devastating loss
• Finding the courage to try for another child after years of trauma
• Otto’s premature birth and the terrifying 121-day fight for his life in the NICU
• How loss changed Nathan’s perspective on fatherhood, marriage and what truly matters

This is an incredibly raw conversation about losing children, surviving trauma, marriage, fatherhood and finding hope when life has given you every reason to stop believing things can get better.

This conversation gave me a lot to think about as a father. I think it will do the same for you.

Key Moments:

00:00 Waiting for a Cry That Never Came

06:22 The Diagnosis No Parent Is Ready For

12:38 The Moment Everything Went Horribly Wrong

18:04 Telling His Wife Their Baby Had Died

24:19 Could They Ever Try for a Baby Again?

28:17 Losing Their Twins Without a Heartbeat

31:12 The Phone Call That Saved His Life

36:45 Meeting His Two-Pound Son for the First Time

41:42 The NICU Nightmare Begins

47:25 His Heart Stopped Again

49:13 The Miracle Doctors Couldn’t Explain

52:06 They Finally Got Home... Then Lost Everything

54:15 Walking Through Hell to Find Their Miracle

58:28 The Best and Worst of the Medical System

1:00:36 Why He Gave Up Alcohol for His Son

Connect with Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/

Connect with Nathan Wieser:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanwieser/

We Did It by Nathan Wieser (Author): https://www.amazon.com/We-Did-perspective-enduring-miscarriages/dp/B0FLVTTHPY/

In this episode, I sit down with Jaclyn Rose, a mental health advocate whose life has been shaped by unimaginable loss. Jaclyn shares the heartbreaking story of losing her uncle to suicide, her father to addiction, and years later, her older brother to the very same battle. Rather than allowing grief to harden her heart, she chose to understand it.

This conversation challenged the way I think about addiction, mental health, suicide, grief, and what it truly means to love someone who is suffering. We talk about the silence that often surrounds these struggles, why shame keeps so many families trapped, and how healing begins when we stop asking, “How could you do this to us?” and start asking, “What pain were you carrying?”

In this episode:

• Losing her uncle, father, and brother to suicide and addiction
• The text message from her dad hours before he unexpectedly died
• Why shame and silence make grief even harder to carry
• What addiction taught her about love, forgiveness, and compassion
• How she turned unimaginable loss into a mission to help others heal

If you've ever lost someone to suicide or addiction, love someone battling mental illness, or are carrying grief that still feels too heavy to name, I hope this episode reminds you that you are not alone.

Key Moments:

00:00 The Text Message That Changed Everything

05:12 Seeing Her Uncle After Suicide at Just 9 Years Old

09:08 Why Silence Makes Grief Even Worse

16:17 The Birthday That Changed Her Relationship with Her Dad

20:01 The Truth About Her Father's Addiction

24:03 Reuniting With Her Dad One Week Before He Died

31:00 How Grief Turned Into Anxiety, Addiction & Survival

34:19 Why Time Doesn't Heal Trauma

36:05 Can You Love Someone Who Keeps Hurting You?

43:03 What Addiction Really Feels Like

46:41 Her Brother Started Following the Same Path

50:10 Loving Someone Without Enabling Them

54:08 "I Got My Son Back"... Or So We Thought

59:20 The Second Phone Call That Broke Her Heart

1:02:00 Saying Goodbye Without Shame

1:07:48 The Biggest Gaps in Mental Health Treatment

1:10:04 Why We Need to Change the Way We Talk About Grief

Connect with Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/

Connect with Jaclyn Rose:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithjac/

As a parent, there are certain things you never think you’ll have to face. Watching your child fight for their life is one of them.

In this episode, I sit down with Jheri South, a mother of seven whose story is filled with heartbreak, addiction, mental health struggles, suicide attempts, and an unbelievable determination to keep fighting.

Jheri shares how her seemingly picture-perfect life unraveled when her husband’s crystal meth addiction tore their family apart. Years later, she would face every parent’s worst nightmare when her daughter Grace attempted to take her own life and collapsed into her arms having seizures.

What follows is a raw conversation about suicide, autism in girls, ADHD, neurodivergence, parenting teenagers, and what our children may be carrying without us ever knowing.

In this episode:

• Addiction tearing apart Jheri’s family

• The warning signs she never saw coming

• The night she almost lost her daughter

• Discovering undiagnosed autism and ADHD

• How parents can truly connect with struggling teens

  
  

This conversation gave me a lot to think about as a father. I think it will do the same for you.

Key Moments:

0:00 I Thought My Daughter Was Dying 

6:36 Leaving Home at Just 15 

10:02 When My Kids’ Mental Health Changed 

16:01 The Loneliness Nobody Saw 

23:26 The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything 

29:16 The Suicide Attempt That Haunts Me 

35:22 The Night My Daughter Tried to Die 

40:02 “Are We in Heaven?” 

47:32 Parenting vs. Connecting With Your Teen 

54:22 The Hidden Damage of Seeking Approval 

58:02 Are You Borrowing Your Self-Confidence? 

1:04:02 Your Thoughts Aren’t Always True 

1:06:57 Breaking Free From External Validation

Connect with Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/

Connect with Jheri:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jherisouth/

In this episode of the Roller Coaster Podcast, I sit down with Rebecca Doyle, who shares the heartbreaking story of losing her only brother, Edward, to an unexpected complication from cancer treatment at just 28 years old. What started as stomach pain quickly became a Stage 3 cancer diagnosis, months of chemotherapy, and a phone call that changed her life forever.

Rebecca opens up about watching her brother die over FaceTime, the grief she buried to stay strong for her young daughter, and how years of unresolved trauma, postpartum depression, and unimaginable loss eventually pushed her to the brink of suicide. This is an honest conversation about grief, survival, faith, and finding a reason to keep living when life feels impossible.

In this episode:

• Losing her only brother to cancer just days after doctors said he was close to remission

• The FaceTime call where she watched her brother die and how that moment changed her forever

• How buried grief, postpartum depression, and trauma led her to two suicide attempts

• The moment she chose to ask for help, entered psychiatric care, and began healing

• Finding hope through therapy, faith, and rebuilding a life she never thought she'd want to live again

  
  

If you've ever lost someone you love, struggled with suicidal thoughts, or wondered if healing is possible after tragedy, I truly believe this conversation will remind you that you're not alone.

Key Moments:

00:00 The Phone Call That Changed Everything

03:39 "Edward Is Going to Die Today"

06:12 Why Her Brother Meant Everything

09:38 The Stage 3 Cancer Diagnosis

11:57 The Chemo Complication That Killed Him

16:02 When Grief Became Suicidal Thoughts

19:44 The Night She Tried to End Her Life

21:40 Her Second Suicide Attempt

24:51 How Does Someone Reach That Breaking Point?

27:55 Why She Couldn't Stop Blaming Herself

30:30 What Her Brother Would Say Today

33:28 The Truth About Therapy No One Wants to Hear

Connect with Tyler :

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/

#SuicidePrevention #GriefRecovery #HealingAfterLoss

Some stories leave you speechless. This is one of them.

In this episode, I sit down with Kelle Bott for one of the most raw, emotional, and unforgettable conversations we've ever had on the Rollercoaster Podcast.

At just 18 years old, Kelle watched her father take his final breath. In a matter of seconds, the person she believed was invincible was gone, and the grief that followed completely changed the course of her life. What started as a way to numb the pain through alcohol quickly became a devastating addiction filled with withdrawal, hallucinations, relapse, isolation, and the belief that she would never be okay again.

But Kelle's story doesn't end there.

She courageously shares her journey through addiction recovery, entering treatment, losing a baby through miscarriage, becoming pregnant again, and making the heartbreaking decision to place her son for adoption so he could have the life she dreamed of giving him.

This conversation is about grief, alcoholism, sobriety, recovery, trauma, motherhood, open adoption, healing, and finding hope when life feels impossible. Kelle's vulnerability is extraordinary, and her story is one that will stay with you long after this episode ends.

In this episode:

• Watching her father take his last breath in the ICU

• How grief turned into a life-threatening alcohol addiction

• Losing herself after the death of the person she loved most

• Why she almost chose abortion with her second pregnancy

• The heartbreaking decision to place her son for adoption

• Finding sobriety, healing, and hope after unimaginable loss

  
  

If you've ever experienced loss, struggled with addiction, questioned your worth, or wondered if life could ever get better, this conversation is for you.

Key Moments:

00:00 The Last Night I Ever Had With My Dad

04:27 COVID Took My Dad So Fast

09:00 The Impossible Decision to Let Him Go

14:00 The Promise My Dad Never Got to Keep

19:10 When Grief Turned Into Alcoholism

24:15 Alcohol Took Control of My Life

29:35 Detox Saved My Life

35:20 The Wake-Up Call I Couldn't Ignore

40:40 I Got Pregnant 90 Days Sober

45:30 I Almost Chose Abortion

49:20 Hiding My Pregnancy From Everyone

52:05 The First Time I Held My Son

53:30 His Father Overdosed in My Hospital Room

55:45 My Final Night With My Baby

58:10 The Hardest Goodbye of My Life

1:03:40 How I Found Hope Again

1:07:00 If You're Struggling, Hear This

Connect with Kelle Bott:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellebott/

Connect with Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/