43 | Rip

43 | Rip

From Alive Again by iHeartPodcasts

February 17, 2026 · 56 min · Season 1 · Episode 43

About this episode

Zoe Cooper shares her harrowing experience of a parachute failure and the revelations about fear and survival that followed.

Zoe Cooper grew up around parachutes—her parents were skydivers—and by her eighth jump she felt like a pro. Then the parachute ripped. Spinning low, she and her instructor had to cut away and free-fall before a reserve could open. As the ground “was coming up impossibly fast,” time slowed. Zoe made a stark bargain—“I was willing to lose both of my legs in that moment”—yet a calm certainty kept breaking through: “today wasn’t my day.” She walked away without injury and with a revelation about fear, survival, and how the mind protects us when it matters most.  This episode, as harrowing as a failed parachute is, is really more about an almost certain life-or-death moment and how one human’s brain responded to the circumstance.  If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story! Please email us at aliveagainproject@gmail.com We’d love to hear your story!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guest: Zoe Cooper

Topics covered

  • fear
  • survival
  • near-death experience
  • parachuting
  • mind protection
  • transformation

Keywords

  • parachute
  • skydiving
  • fear
  • survival
  • near-death
  • mind
  • transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: iHeartPodcasts

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