Claim OwnershipThe 10 Ninety Podcast
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Mason Sawyer, originally from West Jordan, Utah, is a devoted father and advocate for resilience. He enjoyed a successful basketball career, highlighted by achievements such as Utah All-State, winning a State Championship, and playing college ball at Utah Tech, formerly known as Dixie State.
Mason married his high school sweetheart, Kortni Atkinson, whose warm spirit and commitment to family made her the heart of their home. An incredible mother and dedicated nurse, Kortni worked as a home and hospice caregiver in her final months, always trying to comfort others.
Together, they raised three children: Riggins, who mirrored his mother's positivity and had a knack for making friends wherever he went. His infectious enthusiasm and heartfelt approach to life meant that he lived fully in each moment, often claiming that each day was either the best or worst of his life. Franki, their adventurous daughter, was just two years old but packed her short life with joy and excitement. Known for her powerful scream and the adorable wrinkle in her nose when she smiled, she brought boundless energy and laughter to their family.
Tragically, on July 25, 2021, Mason's life changed forever when he lost Kortni, Riggins, and Franki in a devastating car accident. He also lost his older brother, Race, and his nephew, Rider. Race was an amazing father, husband, and role model to Mason, while Rider was a talented actor and performer with a remarkable sense of empathy for his age.
Now focused on raising his surviving son, Blue, Mason draws strength from the 10/90 Principle, emphasizing that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond. He shares his journey and message of resilience through his podcast, The10ninety, and as a public speaker, inspiring others to find hope and purpose in adversity.
Mason's story is one of love and perseverance, honoring the beautiful legacy of Kortni, Riggins, Franki, Race, and Rider as he builds a life filled with meaning and positivity.
Mason married his high school sweetheart, Kortni Atkinson, whose warm spirit and commitment to family made her the heart of their home. An incredible mother and dedicated nurse, Kortni worked as a home and hospice caregiver in her final months, always trying to comfort others.
Together, they raised three children: Riggins, who mirrored his mother's positivity and had a knack for making friends wherever he went. His infectious enthusiasm and heartfelt approach to life meant that he lived fully in each moment, often claiming that each day was either the best or worst of his life. Franki, their adventurous daughter, was just two years old but packed her short life with joy and excitement. Known for her powerful scream and the adorable wrinkle in her nose when she smiled, she brought boundless energy and laughter to their family.
Tragically, on July 25, 2021, Mason's life changed forever when he lost Kortni, Riggins, and Franki in a devastating car accident. He also lost his older brother, Race, and his nephew, Rider. Race was an amazing father, husband, and role model to Mason, while Rider was a talented actor and performer with a remarkable sense of empathy for his age.
Now focused on raising his surviving son, Blue, Mason draws strength from the 10/90 Principle, emphasizing that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond. He shares his journey and message of resilience through his podcast, The10ninety, and as a public speaker, inspiring others to find hope and purpose in adversity.
Mason's story is one of love and perseverance, honoring the beautiful legacy of Kortni, Riggins, Franki, Race, and Rider as he builds a life filled with meaning and positivity.
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Jaxen Christensen is 10 years old and is battling osteosarcoma—the same illness that Nixon Whatcott died from. Nixon's parents, Janessa and Nick, were on our show in Season 1. Jaxen has undergone several surgeries, including the amputation of his left leg, lung thoracoscopy, and lung thoracotomy. Despite everything, Jaxen is fighting for his life with a smile on his face. He is a hero of mine. If Jax can get out of bed today and have a good day without complaining about all the unfairness in his life, then so can I. Watching Jaxen, his brother Ryder, and his parents, Maggie and Corey, park their car and walk into our studio was amazing. They were fully present, appreciating every second, and not taking today for granted. It was both amazing and surprising how terrified I was to speak with a 10-year-old going through the unimaginable, and his parents, who were so happy and appreciative of what they had. It was not what I was expecting. It was a powerful example of how life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. We have attached some links that you can go to support Jaxen and others suffering from osteosarcoma. https://osinst.org/ https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jaxens-sarcoma-fight-squirrelsquad
Riggins would have turned 9 today which is hard to believe. I still hear his sweet voice and cute laugh when he was 5 about to turn 6. I love and miss you so much Riggins. Happy 9th Birthday.
I have my sister in law Keshia, niece Faith and nephew Ran on to talk about what July 25, 2021 was for each of us and what we were doing when we got the news. Talking about Trauma is hard. There is so much my family has not talked about still. The more you talk, the easier it becomes to find the right words. It takes effort, just like anything else in life. I'm so proud of my family in this episode. 3 years later it still hurts the same, maybe worse. The more time goes on the more I havent seen them. That is really difficult to accept. What I have learned so far is how much I really loved Kortni, Riggins, Franki, Race and Rider. Death has shown me that. I have learned that the gratitude, the joy, the love, the growth to be had from this horror is located in the same place as the pain. I ran from the pain for so long but that was also causing me to run away from Kortni and Riggins and Franki and Race and Rider. It still hurts, really bad. Continuing to talk about them and how I feel on the inside as allowed me to also find gratitude and love along with the pain now. I didnt have that at the beginning. Kortni, Riggins, Franki, Race, Rider. We love you and miss you so much. I never thought this would be our life and journey together. But it is, so what are we going to do about it?
"I remember when I turned 33" I am 6 months older than Kortni and so every time she had a birthday I would say "I remember when I turned..." I think she laughed hard the first time I did it and then rolled here eyes for the next 15 years when I did it haha. Where I am currently at in my grief journey is having the idea that Kortni and Riggins and Franki are somewhere. I am not sure what form or shape that is in but they are somewhere together and it is a struggle for them. Just like it is a struggle for Blue and I and the rest of our family. Kortni always found a way to help people and have a positive influence in the worst of circumstances. Even though Kortni is dealing with grief too I know she would be handling it well with a combo of grace and fury. She keeps me going, she gets me out of bed. She has always been a great leader and role model to me. I got to have some Kortni's friends on. (sorry to all the freinds we didnt have on haha kort would have felt bad) Thank you to her friends Shelbi and Madi who went to middle school with Kortni and played high school basketball with her. We had Kort's friend Aria on too who worked as a nurse with Kortni. My absolute favorite thing is hearing stories about Kortni, especially ones I have never heard of before. So thank you to Shelbi, Madi and Aria I felt Kortni's spirit so strongly talking to all of you at the same time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KORTNI! LOVE YOU FOREVER.
Got to talk with Conner Furu and what he has been through in his life. We both talked a lot about how sports has played a pivotal role in our lives. It was fun to relate with someone like him in that way. Conner is a man of his word and you get a sense of his integridy and accountability in this episode I think. One of my favorite quotes from him says; "The inferno of our grief is fueled by our refusal to acknowledge it, and extinguished by our attempts to undertand it." Grief at times does feel like an inferno and I think Conner is right. If you refuse to talk about it then it only feeds it and makes it bigger. Only by talking about it can you actually extinguish it. Thanks for showing up and being on our show Conner
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