What happens when the very things you swore you'd never become are the things that slowly take over your life?

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with Natalie Stavola, a recovery coach, filmmaker, and survivor whose life was shaped by childhood trauma, abusive relationships, addiction, and years of self-destruction.

Natalie shares the harrowing moments that changed her forever, including having a gun held to her head by a man she loved, battling alcoholism and cocaine addiction, and finding herself trapped in cycles of abuse she never thought she would tolerate. Despite studying psychology and criminology, she discovered firsthand that understanding trauma and escaping it are two very different things.

Together, we explore how childhood wounds can shape our adult relationships, why addiction is often rooted in pain, and what it really takes to heal after years of running from yourself. Natalie also opens up about the spiritual awakening that helped her get sober and the work she now does helping others find hope in their darkest moments.

If you've ever struggled with addiction, experienced abuse, battled your inner demons, or wondered whether healing is possible after trauma, this conversation will stay with you.

In this episode:

• Growing up in a home marked by emotional abuse

• The relationship that ended with a gun to her head

• Alcohol, cocaine addiction, and hitting rock bottom

• Why trauma keeps us returning to toxic people
• The moment she knew she needed help

• Sobriety, healing, and rebuilding her life
• Finding meaning in the pain she survive
• How she now helps others heal from trauma and addiction

Key Moments:

00:00 The Moment He Put a Gun to My Head

05:05 When I Became My Own Worst Enemy

08:12 Why I Never Fit In Anywhere

12:15 Looking for Good in a Broken World

15:06 Why Pain Can Become Your Purpose

18:07 The First Drink That Changed Everything

24:06 The Dangerous People We Choose

26:49 Why Some People Never Ask for Help

31:32 Can You Save Someone From Addiction?

35:04 The Relationships That Nearly Destroyed Me

37:20 He Put a Gun to My Head

40:13 Why I Went Back to Him Anyway

45:01 The Day My Healing Finally Began

47:44 The Protest That Broke Me Open

50:10 When I Could No Longer Hide My Trauma

Connect with Me:

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

Connect with Natalie Stavola:

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

What do you do when the person you've loved for 20 years decides they no longer want to live?

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with Tommy O'Mara to talk about the day that changed his life forever. After two decades together, Tommy came home expecting an ordinary morning with the woman he loved. Instead, he found Cynthia unconscious on the floor after she had intentionally taken her own life.

Tommy shares the heartbreaking moments of performing CPR on his partner, watching paramedics fight to save her, and the crushing guilt that followed after her death. In the months that followed, he found himself carrying her medications in his car and questioning whether he wanted to keep living himself.

But this conversation isn't just about loss.

It's about surviving the unimaginable. It's about learning to live with grief, finding support after suicide, overcoming guilt, and discovering that life can still hold joy after tragedy.

We also explore addiction recovery, mental health, spirituality, healing after suicide loss, and Tommy's belief that love continues long after death.

If you've ever lost someone you love, struggled with grief, or wondered whether life can get better after heartbreak, this episode is for you.

Key Moments:

00:00 - I Thought She Was Sleeping, But She Was Already Gone

03:42 - The Brutal Assault That Started Her Downward Spiral

06:04 - "I'll Never Be Pretty Again"

08:21 - The Woman Who Saved My Life

12:15 - Finding Hope After Unimaginable Loss

16:08 - The Morning I Found Her Unconscious

18:09 - The Moment They Covered Her Face

21:33 - Why I Still Talk to Her Every Day

24:49 - Can We Communicate With Loved Ones After Death?

27:03 - Why I Started Believing in More

30:19 - My Journey Through Addiction and Recovery

33:10 - Was Her Death Part of a Greater Purpose?

38:35 - The Truth About Suicidal Thoughts

41:27 - What To Do When You Want to Give Up

43:16 - The Power of Grief Support Communities

Connect with Tyler: 

IG: @tyler.hall (https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/)

Every morning at 6:45am, Baylee would get the same text from her fiancé, Jared.

He would meet her in the parking garage before work, walk her inside, give her a hug, a kiss, and remind her that she was loved. It was a simple routine they never thought twice about. Until one morning, that text never came.

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with Baylee Barnes as she shares the heartbreaking story of losing her fiancé to suicide and the phone call that changed her life forever. Just weeks before this conversation, Baylee was planning a future with the man she loved. Then, without warning, everything changed.

Together, we talk about grief, suicide loss, men's mental health, faith, healing, and the invisible battles so many people fight behind closed doors. Baylee courageously opens up about the signs she never saw, the guilt so many loved ones carry after loss, and how she's finding the strength to keep moving forward one day at a time.

If you've ever lost someone, struggled with mental health, or wondered how to support someone through unimaginable pain, I hope this episode reminds you that you're not alone.

In this episode:

• Coping with suicide loss and grief

• Men's mental health and hidden struggles

• Finding hope after tragedy

• Faith, healing, and resilience

• How to support someone who is hurting

  
  

Key Moments:

0:00 - The Morning Everything Changed

3:06 - The 6:45am Text That Never Came

7:30 - "Bailey... He's Gone"

12:43 - Why She Shared This Story So Soon

16:04 - A Video That Changed Everything

20:45 - Their Final Vacation Together

23:27 - Feeling Defeated vs Finding Hope

28:24 - Crying in the Sauna & Cold Plunge

31:27 - The Powerful Note Everyone Should Write

34:27 - A Message for Anyone Considering Suicide

36:14 - The Three Words That Could Save a Life

37:18 - The Reason to Stay One More Day

Connect with Me:

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

Connect with Baylee Barnes:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baylee0821/

What do you do when a doctor tells you that you have 15 months to live and less than a 10% chance of surviving the next two years?

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with Doug Cartwright, a sales coach, entrepreneur, and one of the most spiritually grounded people I've ever met, who was diagnosed with Grade 4 Glioblastoma, the deadliest, most aggressive form of brain cancer, just weeks before we recorded this conversation.

Doug walks us through the symptoms that were dismissed as anxiety, the emergency brain surgery that saved his life, and the vision he had that completely changed how he sees death, faith, and what it means to truly live.

If you've ever faced a moment that shattered your sense of the future, this conversation will stay with you.

Please consider supporting Doug’s GoFundMe linked below:

https://gofund.me/27a96d9ed

Key Moments:

0:00 “I Thought I Was Going to Die Today”

5:38 Waves of Panic & Impending Doom

9:03 He Thought He Had DPDR Disorder

14:09 The Phone Call That Saved His Life

18:45 “My Life Will Never Be the Same”

21:36 Living Like Every Day Could Be His Last

25:18 The Power of Saying I Love You

29:12 Brain Cancer Became His Greatest Test

33:10 Can You Keep Your Heart Open in Hell?

38:32 How to Change Without Trauma

41:14 The Experimental Cancer Vaccine in Germany

43:02 The Truth About Death Nobody Talks About

44:13 The Message He Wants to Leave Behind

Connect with Me: 

IG: @tyler.hall (https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/)

Connect with Doug Cartwright:
IG: doug_cartwright (https://www.instagram.com/doug_cartwright/)

What happens when the person trained to save lives loses someone they couldn’t save?

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Marlon Rollins for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever had about suicide, grief, trauma, mental health, and healing. Dr. Rollins spent years working as a crisis director and mental health professional helping people through suicidal crises, until the unthinkable happened. His sister, Amber, took her own life, leaving behind a 13-year-old daughter who was the first person to find her.

This conversation explores the devastating reality of suicide loss, survivor’s guilt, depression, addiction, firearms, trauma, parenting, social media, and why so many people suffer in silence. We also discuss suicide prevention, warning signs, purpose, connection, and the urgent mental health crisis impacting children, teens, veterans, nurses, and families around the world.

If this episode moved you, please share it with someone who may need it.

Key Moments:

0:00 The Call That Changed Everything

6:02 The Coroner Called Me Next

12:48 The Suicide Prevention Grant

18:40 His 13-Year-Old Niece Found Her

23:35 “Losing My Sister Was a Gift”

30:31 Learning to Heal Himself

36:11 The Suicide Myth We Believe

42:42 She Heard the Gunshot

49:19 Did His Sister Plan Her Suicide?

56:32 Suicide in Kids Is Exploding

1:00:54 Why Community Saves Kids

1:07:24 Find a Bigger Why

1:14:13 Do People Regret Suicide?

1:20:17 Why Suicide Keeps Increasing

1:24:39 Mental Health Is Finally Changing

Connect with Me: 

IG: @tyler.hall (https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/)

Connect with Dr. Marlon Rollins:

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

Nothing prepares you for the moment your parents call screaming that your little brother is gone.

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with twin brothers Jake & Joe Sharp as they relive the night their 16-year-old brother Sam died by suicide while they were serving church missions in Mexico.

What followed was a pain neither of them knew how to survive. The phone call, the confusion, the anger, the guilt, and the devastating reality of returning home to a family forever changed. But this conversation is about more than loss. It’s about mental health, teenage depression, shame, hope, and the reminder that the people smiling the most are sometimes hurting the deepest.

Jake & Joe share who Sam really was beyond his struggles: a light, a comedian, a brother, and someone deeply loved.

If you or someone you love is battling suicidal thoughts, please know this episode was made for you.

If this story moved you, share it with someone who needs hope today.

Key Moments:

00:00 The Call That Changed Their Lives Forever

05:04 They Were in Mexico When It Happened

09:04 The Panic Before the Phone Call

13:23 Who Sam Really Was Behind the Smile

17:00 Why His Death Still Makes Them Angry

19:18 The Morning After Everything Changed

22:05 Why Teen Suicide Is Exploding

27:13 The Dangerous Lies Teens Believe

30:35 The Note Sam Left for His Brothers

34:24 The Suicide Prevention Message Everyone Needs

38:36 The Happiest People May Be Hurting Most

41:05 Their Message to Teenagers in Darkness

Connect with Me: 

IG: @tyler.hall (https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/)

Connect with Jake & Joe Sharp:

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

I thought I understood what domestic abuse looked like until I heard Erica Muniz’s story.

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, Erica shares the reality of surviving a 15-year marriage, one that began with control and silence, and escalated. From being isolated from her family to enduring moments that nearly cost her life, her story is confronting, raw, and impossible to ignore.

But this isn’t just about trauma, it’s about faith, resilience, and finding the strength to finally break free.

If you or someone you love is experiencing abuse, this matters.

Watch now and share this with someone who needs to hear it.

Key Moments:

00:00 He Dragged Me by My Hair

03:12 The First Signs I Ignored

08:24 Locked in a Closet Pregnant

11:18 It Gets Way Worse

15:42 Dragged Across the House

19:18 “You Don’t Deserve the Bed”

23:28 The Boiling Water

26:18 Asking “Why Me?”

29:07 The Doctor Knew Something Was Wrong

33:20 The First Time I Fought Back

35:20 When it Stopped (Temporarily)

41:08 In the Car44:18 My Husband’s Reaction Today

47:02 What a Real Man Looks Like

50:56 Advice for Others

53:09 The Story That Shook Me

56:16 Turning Pain Into Purpose

Connect with Me:

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

Connect with Erica:

Instagram: @erica_muniz_86 (https://www.instagram.com/erica_muniz_86/)

I was standing in front of the mirror, fixing my tie, minutes away from going live on CNBC.

Then my phone rang.

In a matter of minutes, my entire world collapsed.

In this episode of the Rollercoaster Podcast, I step out of the interviewer's seat and into the most vulnerable conversation of my life, sitting down with Aleksei Archer of the Morning Glory Podcast to share the story of the day that split my life in two.

From selling my company and living what most people would call the dream to a sudden medical emergency that nearly took my wife from me, and did take our unborn child.

I talk about the moment I got the call. The panic of being miles away and completely helpless. The trauma that doesn't leave you. And the night I genuinely didn't know if I was going to lose everything that actually mattered.

But there's a turning point in this story.

One that quietly rearranged everything. How I see life, how I hold faith, and what I now understand about what's truly worth protecting.

This episode is about love, loss, trauma, and the perspective that only comes from almost losing it all.

If you've ever moved too fast, chased the wrong things, or taken the people you love for granted, this one will stop you in your tracks.

👇 Which part of this story stayed with you the most?

Key Moments:

0:00 The Call That Changed Everything

2:07 Living the Dream, Until That Morning

8:28 First Experience of Trauma & Shock

11:23 Losing Our Unborn Child Mid-Crisis

14:11 Breaking Down Mid-Flight

17:12 The Terrifying Moment in the Hospital Room

21:43 The Moment Everything Changed

23:48 The Miracle We Weren’t Supposed to Have

26:28 Why Money No Longer Matters

30:30 Faith, Loss & Mental Health Struggles

35:33 The Suicide That Shook My Community

41:16 Supporting Someone in Their Darkest Moment

44:10 Why We Need to Talk About Suicide

47:02 The Loneliness Epidemic No One Talks About

52:07 The Difference Between Support & Real Brotherhood

Connect with Me:

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

Connect with Aleksei Archer:

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

They were only married for 3 months and 3 days and then everything changed.

Today on the Rollercoaster Podcast, I sat down with Gracie Laufenberg to hear the story of a love that felt like it lasted a lifetime and the moment it was taken from her in an instant. From believing in love at first sight to building what she calls a perfect marriage and the phone call that shattered her world, this conversation will stay with you.

Gracie opens up about the day her husband, Don, left for a flight and never came home, the moment she checked his location, and the words she’ll carry with her forever.

This episode is about love, loss, faith, and finding strength when your future disappears overnight.

If you’ve ever faced grief, heartbreak, or unimaginable loss, this one is for you.

If you feel it in your heart to support Gracie, here is the link to her GoFundMe page. ❤️ https://gofund.me/b87e4b424

👇 What part of Gracie’s story hit you the hardest?

Key Moments:

0:00 The Day I Met My Husband

3:48 The Moment I Knew He Was The One

7:36 The Proposal That Changed Everything

10:02 The “Perfect” Marriage We Built

15:04 I Checked His Location…

17:42 The Words That Broke Me

20:18 Seeing My Husband One Last Time

22:46 The Crash We Somehow Survived

27:40 The Last Call I’ll Ever Have

32:36 What Life Looks Like Now

37:32 Trying to Understand Why

42:28 Learning to Live With the Pain

45:00 Living Without My Future

47:30 The Message Everyone Needs to Hear

Guest Info:
IG: @gracie.laufenberg (https://www.instagram.com/gracie.laufenberg/)

I didn’t expect this story to hit this hard.

Because it starts with success and ends somewhere no one thinks they’ll ever go.

In this episode, I sit down with Brad White, who was making over $100K a year, building a business, and living what most people would call the dream until one decision pulled him into addiction, and everything began to collapse.

What started with pain pills turned into a spiral of opioids, meth, and a life he couldn’t recognise, losing his home, his marriage, and eventually becoming homeless.

But there’s a moment in this conversation that stopped me…

A moment where he looks around and realises: this isn’t who I’m meant to be.

If you’ve ever wondered how addiction really takes hold and what it takes to fight your way back, this episode will stay with you.

Watch till the end and share this with someone who needs it.

Key Moments:

0:00 From $100K Success to Losing Everything

3:12 The First Pill That Changed His Life

6:28 Building a Business While Secretly Using

9:41 When Drugs Started Taking Over Everything

12:55 I Knew I Was in Trouble

16:08 The Addiction I Couldn’t Escape

19:22 From Success to Homeless in 4 Years

22:36 Surrounded by the Wrong People

25:48 I Was Going to Die

32:18 Walking Away With Nowhere to Go

35:42 Why Rehab Didn’t Feel Safe

38:55 Starting Over With Nothing

42:10 Living With Addicts While Trying to Stay Clean

45:27 Fighting Temptation Every Single Day

48:41 The People Who Saved My Life

55:10 The Turning Point That Changed Everything

Guest Info:

IG: @bwhite1 (https://www.instagram.com/bwhite1/)