The Rollercoaster Podcast

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 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 oldThe delayed grief that sent Olivia into a devastating battle with depressionThe night she believed suicide was her only way out and the two words that stopped herHow tiny, everyday decisions helped her slowly find hope, resilience, and purpose againTurning unimaginable pain into a reason to help others hold on through their darkest momentsThis 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 Changed04:06 The Signs of Stage 4 Colon Cancer We Missed08:02 The Night I Watched My Dad Die11:12 The Future Cancer Stole From Us15:03 How My Dad Faced Death Without Fear19:03 Finding Yellow Socks in the Darkness22:09 Why “Choose Happiness” Isn't That Simple25:16 When Grief Turned Into Severe Depression28:03 The Night I Almost Ended My Life31:16 Turning My Pain Into Purpose35:46 How I Finally Climbed Out of the Darkness39:34 The Small Decisions That Saved Me41:06 What My Dad Would Say to Me TodayConnect with Me:Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/⁠Connect with Olivia:Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/twentysomething_podcast/⁠

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 addictionThe text message from her dad hours before he unexpectedly diedWhy shame and silence make grief even harder to carryWhat addiction taught her about love, forgiveness, and compassionHow she turned unimaginable loss into a mission to help others healIf 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 Everything05:12 Seeing Her Uncle After Suicide at Just 9 Years Old09:08 Why Silence Makes Grief Even Worse16:17 The Birthday That Changed Her Relationship with Her Dad20:01 The Truth About Her Father's Addiction24:03 Reuniting With Her Dad One Week Before He Died31:00 How Grief Turned Into Anxiety, Addiction & Survival34:19 Why Time Doesn't Heal Trauma36:05 Can You Love Someone Who Keeps Hurting You?43:03 What Addiction Really Feels Like46:41 Her Brother Started Following the Same Path50:10 Loving Someone Without Enabling Them54:08 "I Got My Son Back"... Or So We Thought59:20 The Second Phone Call That Broke Her Heart1:02:00 Saying Goodbye Without Shame1:07:48 The Biggest Gaps in Mental Health Treatment1:10:04 Why We Need to Change the Way We Talk About GriefConnect with Me:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/Connect with Jaclyn Rose:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithjac/

In this episode of the Roller Coaster Podcast, I sit down with Rebecca Doyle, who shares the heartbreaking story of losing her only brother, Edward, to an unexpected complication from cancer treatment at just 28 years old. What started as stomach pain quickly became a Stage 3 cancer diagnosis, months of chemotherapy, and a phone call that changed her life forever.Rebecca opens up about watching her brother die over FaceTime, the grief she buried to stay strong for her young daughter, and how years of unresolved trauma, postpartum depression, and unimaginable loss eventually pushed her to the brink of suicide. This is an honest conversation about grief, survival, faith, and finding a reason to keep living when life feels impossible.In this episode:Losing her only brother to cancer just days after doctors said he was close to remissionThe FaceTime call where she watched her brother die and how that moment changed her foreverHow buried grief, postpartum depression, and trauma led her to two suicide attemptsThe moment she chose to ask for help, entered psychiatric care, and began healingFinding hope through therapy, faith, and rebuilding a life she never thought she'd want to live againIf you've ever lost someone you love, struggled with suicidal thoughts, or wondered if healing is possible after tragedy, I truly believe this conversation will remind you that you're not alone.Key Moments:00:00 The Phone Call That Changed Everything03:39 "Edward Is Going to Die Today"06:12 Why Her Brother Meant Everything09:38 The Stage 3 Cancer Diagnosis11:57 The Chemo Complication That Killed Him16:02 When Grief Became Suicidal Thoughts19:44 The Night She Tried to End Her Life21:40 Her Second Suicide Attempt24:51 How Does Someone Reach That Breaking Point?27:55 Why She Couldn't Stop Blaming Herself30:30 What Her Brother Would Say Today33:28 The Truth About Therapy No One Wants to HearConnect with Tyler :Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.hall/#SuicidePrevention #GriefRecovery #HealingAfterLoss