A Close Call with Death

This session is the first of Season #3, A Close Call With Death, providing some personal commentary and a personal close call as this new season gets kicked off.  I wanted to first thank all of our listeners from Season 1 and 2 and growing with us through a recovery year of 2021 where we heard from many people with fascinating stories of challenges, struggles, dissappointments, and close call...

Sadie Hawkes, age 37 is a strong athlete I have come to know in a daily workout routine at the Orange Theory Gym here in Utah, where her mom, Susan Anderson comes all the way across town to work out at 6:00 am with her daughter.  Sadie is strong and competitive and that personality is most likely the grit it took to overcome the powerful adversity of prescription drug abuse and addiction starting...

Fatu Matagi. -   What an inspiring story of the brother to Sam Matagi from episode #11.  Sam lost both arms in a tragic accident where over 7,000  volts of electricity went through him resulting in both arms having to be amputated. Today, I talk to Fatu Matagi, the brother of Sam, who in a very similar accident lost his right arm having the same 7,000 + volts of electricity ran...

I met Cheyenne Schwein while in Alaska with a group of friends spending a week in the wild catching Silver Coho Salmon and Halibut.  I was telling the group about my podcast A Close Call With Death when Cheyenne said, "I have a story of death and I think it would be an interesting story".  Cheyenne had her best friend literally die in front of her while playing soccer and celebrating a g...

Welcome Jason Van Camp!  We are so privileged to have this leader join "A Close Call With Death", to reflect a little on life lessons as a world traveled, experienced operator in the military special forces for the United States of America.  Jason is the Chairman at Mission Six Zero, Executive Director at Warrior Rising, and author of "Deliberate Discomfort".  When you are in the military as a spe...

In this episode I sat down with Matt Oehler again for a part 2 because in the first recording, Matt shared with me the intense experience he had as a young man in New York actually witnessing 911 as it happened.  Then, offering aid as a trained Marine reserve attend to the injured and the dead that day, to going full time into the Marines to serve our country in Iraq surviving one of the area...

Our guest this week is Christine Wzorek.  Christine is one of Utah's rising stars. She is a Human Capital professional that cares tremendously for the employers in the region and the people who make them successful.  Christine suffered a life-threatening illness early in life with a ruptured appendix leaving her near death in a hospital in Idaho. Later, in her early marriage, while seeki...

Nikki has a fascinating story of surviving a traumatic accident in New York City where she was hit by a car while walking through an intersection at night near China Town.  Nikki flew over 30 feet ultimately landing on her head causing extensive damage to her left side of her head and suffering from major damage to bones and vital organs on her left side.  Nikki has survived this acciden...

This session I talk with Mike Jones.  Mike comes from Southern California and recently Gilbert Arizona where he shares a story of being raised in a violent drug and mental health crisis life being kidnapped and then stashed away in a dark motel room for days on end suffering from malnutrition and psychological terror.  In his early teens being welcomed into a Southern California gang he...

Matt Oehler is our guest this week with an amazing life of serving our country from a missionary for the LDS Church in New York City, to a Marine in Iraq, witness to the planes flying into our World Trade Center towers, and currently serving our community as a police officer in today's challenging world.  Matt shares with us different sides of A Close Call With Death personally as well as see...

Audrey Overton walked into the recent networking meeting I was in and told a short story of how she has a uniqueness about her as she bit her tongue off when she was a child AND, had a terrible near death car accident that nearly took her life.  I knew my show needed to record her story. This session will unfold how this life threatening event played out and why Audrey is here today to talk a...

Teri Benson is our guest on the show bringing with her the story of her Aortic Dissection.  This heart and major heart valve / artery malfunction left her without a heartbeat for over 25 minutes as a talented surgical team operated on her for 18+ hours and brought her not only back to life, but she was able to continue her active life ever since. Teri has written a book called "How my ordinar...

Our special guest today is Jeff Smith.  Jeff is a great man and a "Serial Entrepreneur" in life. Jeff has grown and exited some great Utah companies and is currently Chairman of the Board of Jet Dental that he and his son Jordan currently President, created a few years ago. The cool thing is that Jeff donates large sums of money to some wonderful causes like Make A Wish, ShelterKids, Huntsman...

Sue Urses joins the show today as a Utah native with a past as a Las Vegas Police Officer. She later moved back to Utah and pursued a career change to a Human Resource Executive serving in a national and international role to some of Utah's largest technology companies with employees that span the globe.  Sue traveled all over the world in her role. In the last few years she has fought a toug...

In this episode, we sit down with Sam Matagi. Sam is a young Samoan man who while working in the cold in Colorado, in a bucket truck for the power company, had 14,700 volts of electricity enter his body leaving him severely injured, ultimately losing both of his hands. Sam's remarkable journey takes us into that day and the countless days beyond of recuperation and challenges that only made Sam st...

This episode we talk with our guest Andrea Duncan who suffered a major heart attack just after the birth of her second child and discovering her heart was in jeopardy and not going to work any longer and she needed a new heart.  Andrea received this new heart from a donor and she shares with us her experience and a Close Call With Death.

Larry joins us today on our podcast and reveals his close call's! with death as he tells of his 4 near death experiences!! Larry lives here in Utah, is a graduate from BYU, with an MBA with an emphasis in international business from the University of Utah. He has lead many companies as CEO and authored books like CEO by Monday, and many many articles for Forbes. Larry is a husband, friend to many...

In this interview, I have a deep conversation with one of Utah's high profile leaders in the law enforcement community as Chief of Police and Under Sheriff, Former NFL Player, Congressional Candidate, Teacher, Coach, and Mentor! Beau's story of his life of many experiences that brought him to experience a Close Call with Death and having seen death up close and personal, leaves the listener with f...

In this episode I am recording another one of my personal journeys but with a special guest star, my son Taylor Howard who now at 37 sits with me to reflect on this story back when he was 21 years old. This takes place on the river in West Water Canyon just out of Moab Utah on the mighty Colorado River on Category 5 white water rapids! This truly was a close call with death! Enjoy and live to tell...

Bailey's journey is a battle at an early age with the use of drugs including pain killers and opioids.  Bailey found herself in a course of leaving her midwest home in Ohio to travel west to Southern California where she lived on the streets at 16 - 17 and was sexually assaulted, addicted, alone sleeping in parks, and overdosed three times.  Now 23, Bailey tells her story of being saved by her Aun...

In this episode I reveal my Close Call With Death as I was almost killed by 2 !!! lightening strikes moments apart and only 30 feet apart leaving me temporarily deaf in both ears!  This event was while on patrol on the mountain at Park City Mountain Resort.  I was a ski patroller on scene in a blizzard of the decade.  This was one of my scariest moments of my life and so grateful fo...

In this session, we interview Jeff Griffin, who suffered a spinal fracture leaving him, in his early 20's, a paraplegic with little hope for a future he aspired for in becoming a collegiate football receiver for BYU. Jeff later has fought back to find a life with a wife, children, and has written a book, IMPossible out now on Amazon and other book store outlets. Jeff is a professional motivational...

Jon Funes suffers with a brain tumor and survived a surgery in 2019 and is still fighting his way back.  Jon reflects on his journey and how that impacts his life every day and how his experience will shed some light on a quest to live out the rest of this life helping others. His wife Kristen shares her side of the story and allows us to experience her vulnerable growth and how together they keep...

In this episode I am interviewing Keith Morey, addressing his close call with death, recovery and outlook in life. 10 years Keith was in a dark place and nearly left this life. This is a story of his struggles his recovery and his gift to others.

This is the first in the series called A Close Call With Death.  It is going to be packed with episodes that tell of my own personal run ins with Death and how my life was changed by these experiences.  I am also interviewing guests with same types of Close Calls with Death via an illness or accident that ultimately brings out the best in us. Listen close you might want to learn from the...