Some things break you open in a way you never fully close back up. The Rollercoaster Podcast sits in that space — the aftermath of loss, trauma, and grief — and asks what it actually takes to keep living after everything falls apart.
Hosted by Tyler Hall, this show features unfiltered, deeply human conversations with people who’ve survived the unthinkable — the death of a loved one, sudden crisis, abuse, addiction, and the kind of pain that reshapes a life overnight. No polished takes, no tidy lessons. Just honest accounts of what grief actually feels like, and what it looks like to rebuild afterward.
Born out of a personal crisis that upended Tyler’s own life, The Rollercoaster Podcast has grown into one of the top trauma & grief podcasts globally, with nearly 200 episodes of raw, real storytelling.
If you’ve ever needed proof that people can survive what feels unsurvivable — that the climb back is possible — this is your show.
New episodes weekly. 🎢
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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.
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.
He Thought it Was a Stomach Ache - Now My Husband is Dead
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 • Duration 59:21
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
I Gave Him the Best Week of His Life - Now My Cousin is Dead
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 • Duration 50:08
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
I Found a Lump in the Shower - Now I'm Fighting for My Life
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • Duration 42:36
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
Most Heartbreaking Story I've Ever Heard
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 • Duration 01:06:52
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
We Were So Proud He Lost Weight - Now My Dad is Dead
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • Duration 42:28
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
We Were Just Setting up The Nursery - Now She's Dead
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 • Duration 01:05:16
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.
My Family Keeps Dying & I Can't Explain It
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 • Duration 01:13:16
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
We Thought She Was Just Struggling With Friends, But It Was Something Much Worse
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 • Duration 01:18:07
As a parent, there are certain things you never think you’ll have to face. Watching your child fight for their life is one of them.
In this episode, I sit down with Jheri South, a mother of seven whose story is filled with heartbreak, addiction, mental health struggles, suicide attempts, and an unbelievable determination to keep fighting.
Jheri shares how her seemingly picture-perfect life unraveled when her husband’s crystal meth addiction tore their family apart. Years later, she would face every parent’s worst nightmare when her daughter Grace attempted to take her own life and collapsed into her arms having seizures.
What follows is a raw conversation about suicide, autism in girls, ADHD, neurodivergence, parenting teenagers, and what our children may be carrying without us ever knowing.
In this episode:
Addiction tearing apart Jheri’s family
The warning signs she never saw coming
The night she almost lost her daughter
Discovering undiagnosed autism and ADHD
How parents can truly connect with struggling teens
This conversation gave me a lot to think about as a father. I think it will do the same for you.
Key Moments:
0:00 I Thought My Daughter Was Dying
6:36 Leaving Home at Just 15
10:02 When My Kids’ Mental Health Changed
16:01 The Loneliness Nobody Saw
23:26 The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
29:16 The Suicide Attempt That Haunts Me
The Rollercoaster Podcast, a podcast by Tyler Hall - Stats, Episodes and Rankings - My Podcast Data
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
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