The Rollercoaster Podcast

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 foreverThe unanswered questions surrounding her mom’s sudden deathWhy the investigation left Kylie and her brother searching for answersHow she learned to release the anger she carried toward her fatherWhy preserving the voices and memories of the people we love matters so muchBut 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 everything05:13 Flying home without knowing the truth10:03 Why her brother warned her at the airport15:07 The heartbreaking scene inside the house20:05 Strangers caught entering her mom’s office24:48 Her father’s story starts falling apart29:10 The addiction Kylie never fully understood33:07 Fentanyl changes the entire investigation38:22 The discovery that changed how she saw her dad42:04 Grieving a father who is still alive49:21 What grief taught her about surviving loss57:30 The tragedy that shaped Michael’s view of loss1:02:00 How Kylie’s grief sparked a bigger idea1:12:00 Using AI to preserve a loved one’s voice1:17:00 The questions that uncover your life story1:25:16 Hearing a loved one’s voice after they’re gone1:32:12 What she’d give to hear her mom againConnect 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/

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 cancerThe impossible decisions parents face while grievingHow Nick and Cassie helped their children process lossThe role faith played when life stopped making senseHow they slowly found hope, healing, and love againAnd 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 story03:18 The cancer diagnosis that changed everything07:04 Finding faith through aggressive cancer treatment10:19 When chemotherapy made death feel real13:17 Cancer remission and a new beginning16:32 The symptoms that revealed a brain tumor20:07 When cancer came back even more aggressively24:03 Facing the reality that Anna could die28:26 The final months of Anna’s cancer battle34:44 She fell asleep and never woke up38:09 Telling two young girls their mom was dying41:40 66 days from pancreatic cancer diagnosis to death45:00 The scan that revealed a death sentence49:32 Cody’s final message of faith51:21 Why Cody prayed for Cassie’s future husband54:28 Finding love after losing a spouse56:48 Anna’s message to Cassie before she diedConnect 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 suicideThe warning signs he wishes he had recognized soonerGrowing up autistic, masking, bullying, and feeling misunderstoodThe survivor’s guilt he still carries after Landon’s deathTurning grief into his deeply personal film Go OnLandon 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 changed03:03 When Landon’s future fell apart06:25 The week that made him feel okay again10:02 The phone call no one expected13:43 The guilt of missing the signs17:02 The suicide warning signs he missed20:23 The reality of masking autism24:00 Why other people’s opinions mean nothing29:39 What an autistic brain can feel like34:29 The Hollywood advice Landon couldn’t accept38:00 Why vulnerable people started finding him41:37 Turning Landon’s suicide into Go On45:01 Finding a reason to stay alive48:02 How to get out of emotional hellConnect 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 wrongWhy she refuses to live in the "what ifs"What losing her hair taught her about identityHow to support someone without making them feel helplessFinding one small reason to keep going on the hardest daysThis 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 Cancer03:18 The Attitude Toward Cancer That Changed My Life07:44 Why Cancer Forced Maya to Finally Put Herself First11:02 Why Maya Refuses to Feel Sorry for Herself14:44 Refusing to Let Cancer Take Over Her Life18:02 What Someone With Cancer Actually Needs From You21:04 Losing Her Hair Changed How Maya Saw Herself25:40 The One Thing Maya Does on Her Darkest Days29:26 Maya’s Brother Adam Returns to the Podcast31:20 How Adam Reacted to Maya’s Cancer Diagnosis34:01 The Joy Adam Brings Everywhere He Goes38:19 Adam’s Unfiltered Take on the Raiders41:29 Adam’s Message to Anyone Going Through a Hard TimeConnect 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 foreverThe hidden reality of PTSD, trauma, and mental health among police officers and first respondersHow undercover police work consumed Matt’s identity and contributed to the breakdown of his marriageThe moments that pushed Matt toward suicide and what ultimately kept him hereWhy simply checking on someone can be more powerful than we realizeThis 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 Everything03:03 Meeting Benny Jr. Days Before the Tragedy10:24 The Guilt That Haunted Him for Years18:02 The Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Policing24:18 When Undercover Police Work Took Over His Life27:31 Losing His Marriage, Home and Identity32:14 Taking Accountability for Who He Became36:04 His Chief Checked on Him, Then Died by Suicide42:04 The Phone Call That Saved Matt’s Life48:47 Why Checking In on Someone Could Save a Life53:22 “If Today Is a Good Day to Die, So Is Tomorrow”59:44 The Check-In Every Leader Should Be Doing1:03:29 What Matt Would Say to Someone Considering SuicideConnect with Me:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/Connect with Matt:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormatthewgriffin/