The Rollercoaster Podcast

Latest Episodes:

He Thought it Was a Headache - Now My Husband is Dead Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

What happens when the person you've loved almost your entire life is suddenly taken from you?

My guest today is Ashley Leatham, who lost her husband, Scott, a 39-year-old firefighter, to a rare and aggressive cancer called NUT carcinoma. What started as persistent headaches turned into a devastating diagnosis, and just five months later, Ashley was holding her husband's hand as he took his final breath.

They had known each other since they were 12. They built a beautiful life, raised two children, and imagined growing old together. Then everything changed.

Ashley opens up about the unimaginable pain of watching her husband fight for his life, the heartbreak of telling their children he was dying, and the final moments she'll never forget.

In this episode:

The warning signs before Scott's devastating cancer diagnosis
How five months changed their family's lives forever
The heartbreaking final days before Scott passed away
Navigating grief, widowhood, and raising children after loss
Finding purpose, faith, and hope when life feels unbearable

This conversation is a powerful reminder that tomorrow is never promised, the people we love are everything, and even in our darkest moments, there can still be a reason to keep going.

Key Moments:

00:00 The heartbreaking final moments of Scott's cancer battle

03:01 A childhood friendship that became a lifelong love

07:50 The headaches that revealed a deadly cancer diagnosis

12:44 The hospital visit that changed everything

16:14 The rare cancer diagnosis and desperate fight to survive

20:11 When chemotherapy led to a terrifying emergency

23:05 Seven organs failing and the fight to stay alive

27:28 The devastating cancer prognosis that shattered their hope

30:18 How facing death changes what matters most

35:16 The powerful life lesson Scott left behind

38:55 The suspected cancer risks inside the fire station

43:23 The heartbreaking news that Scott had weeks to live

46:16 The final family memories before saying goodbye

49:09 Holding her husband's hand as he took his last breath

52:35 The painful reality of grief after losing a spouse

56:06 Finding purpose and hope after unimaginable loss

Connect with Me:

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

Connect with Nick & Cassie:

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

I Was Almost a Killer, Here's How I Got There... Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

There’s a point where you can’t blame your past anymore. You have to look in the mirror and decide who you’re going to become.

My guest, Shane Goodbar, has lived both sides of that truth.

Shane was sexually abused as a child, learned to hide behind a mask, and eventually found escape through alcohol and drugs. What started as a way to numb the pain spiraled into addiction, broken relationships, multiple DUIs, jail, and a moment where he came terrifyingly close to taking another man’s life.

But this isn’t just a story about addiction. It’s about accountability, recovery, fatherhood, faith, forgiveness, and what happens when you finally stop seeing yourself as the victim of your own life.

In this episode:

How childhood sexual abuse shaped Shane’s identity and need to escape
Why drugs and alcohol became a way to stop feeling
The rock-bottom moment that finally broke through years of denial
How a two-year therapeutic community completely rebuilt his life
Why recovery meant learning to love the man staring back in the mirror

What stayed with me most was Shane’s willingness to own all of it. Not excuse it. Not hide from it. Own it.

Because no matter how lost you’ve become, your past doesn’t have to be where your story ends. But eventually, you have to take the first step.

Key Moments:

00:00 The man behind the mask

03:18 Hiding childhood sexual abuse

06:02 When drugs became the escape

09:41 Living two different lives

13:15 Addiction starts taking over

17:46 The relationship that changed everything

21:07 Becoming a father changes the path

24:49 The lie he told himself about fatherhood

27:07 His fourth DUI and arrest

30:04 Ten days after leaving jail

33:09 When rock bottom finally hit

36:03 Facing the man he had become

39:01 Learning to love himself again

42:03 The identity crisis facing men

45:12 Finding God after years of pain

48:26 Why surrender finally brought peace

51:03 His message to anyone still lost

53:02 What recovery actually gives you

Connect with Me:

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

Connect with Shane:

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

This Voicemail is All I Have Left of My Mom Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

There are some phone calls that divide your life into a before and an after.

My guest, Kylie Hammonds, was just 26 when she received one of those calls. Her mom, Tabitha, had died suddenly, leaving Kylie and her brother searching for answers about what happened that night.

Kylie takes me inside the events surrounding her mother’s death, the fentanyl discovered during the investigation, the questions surrounding her father, and the painful reality of grieving her mom while also grieving a father who was still alive.

In this episode:

The phone call that changed Kylie’s life forever
The unanswered questions surrounding her mom’s sudden death
Why the investigation left Kylie and her brother searching for answers
How she learned to release the anger she carried toward her father
Why preserving the voices and memories of the people we love matters so much

But this conversation became about so much more than loss.

Kylie shares what three years of grief, anger, prayer and healing have taught her about forgiveness, giving yourself grace, and how easily we convince ourselves we’ll have more time with the people we love.

Later, Kylie’s boyfriend Michael Curtis joins us to share how watching her navigate this unimaginable loss inspired him to create Forevermore, a platform designed to preserve the voices, stories and memories of the people we love.

And at the very end, Kylie plays the only voicemail she has left of her mom.

It’s only a few seconds long, but when it’s the only chance you have to hear someone you love again, a few seconds is everything.

Key Moments:

00:00 The phone call that changed everything

05:13 Flying home without knowing the truth

10:03 Why her brother warned her at the airport

15:07 The heartbreaking scene inside the house

20:05 Strangers caught entering her mom’s office

24:48 Her father’s story starts falling apart

29:10 The addiction Kylie never fully understood

33:07 Fentanyl changes the entire investigation

38:22 The discovery that changed how she saw her dad

42:04 Grieving a father who is still alive

49:21 What grief taught her about surviving loss

57:30 The tragedy that shaped Michael’s view of loss

1:02:00 How Kylie’s grief sparked a bigger idea

1:12:00 Using AI to preserve a loved one’s voice

1:17:00 The questions that uncover your life story

1:25:16 Hearing a loved one’s voice after they’re gone

1:32:12 What she’d give to hear her mom again

Connect with Me:

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

Connect with Kylie:

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

Connect with Michael:

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

He Thought it Was a Stomach Ache - Now My Husband is Dead Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

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/⁠

I Gave Him the Best Week of His Life - Now My Cousin is Dead Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

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

I Found a Lump in the Shower - Now I'm Fighting for My Life Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

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/)

Most Heartbreaking Story I've Ever Heard Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

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/

We Were So Proud He Lost Weight - Now My Dad is Dead Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

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/⁠

We Were Just Setting up The Nursery - Now She's Dead Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

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/

My Family Keeps Dying & I Can't Explain It Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

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