Last Words Podcast

Season 1 of Last Words comes to a close with a  personal reflection from host Nic Main. For the first time, Nic shares the story behind the podcast: recording his mother’s last words before her passing, traveling thousands of miles to meet guests with nothing but an idea, learning to walk alongside the dying through doula and hospice work, and holding space for strangers in their final moments. Th...

How would you navigate walking through the world with your loved on as they go from age 70 back to the mind of 1 years old?  Larry describes what it meant to keep a vow to his wife Vange, by recreating and re-orchestrating long term memories as his wife Vange saw the present change before her eyes.  In this episode, Larry describes: ​Tracking his wife’s smile  ​Unlocking long-term memory for Alzhe...

This episode is in memory of Vange Thompson, who passed away on September 27, 2025. Her husband, Larry Thompson, shares their story and what it truly means to vow for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Larry walked beside Vange through her entire battle with Alzheimer’s with one intention: To keep the vow he made to her. In this episode, Larry discusses: ​Meeting at...

Host Nic Main’s mother Shelly Main was the first interview ever recorded.  Almost 2 years ago, on October 25th, 2023.  Shelly Main fought the good fight against triple negative breast cancer for almost 2 years.  Taking on over 36 rounds of treatment. At one point being told she was in remission and could slowly return to living a normal life.  Sadly, that was wrong.   Upon finishing a 5k race and...

How would sitting with a cancer patient change you? For Krista Wilson, it shaped her in ways she could never have imagined, offering a profound appreciation for life that only comes from being present in those moments. But how did her journey begin? She shares the single conversation she overheard that set everything in motion. In Chapter 2, Krista walks us through: ​What it truly means to be part...

Krista Wilson is the Executive Director of Cancer Pathways Midwest in Evansville, Indiana. With over 20 years walking side by side with cancer patients, Krista has developed a rare perspective on what it truly means to live, when seen through the lens of terminal illness. Host Nic Main returns to Evansville to bring Krista’s story forward, not only as a leader and advocate, but also as a Stage 1 C...

In Chapter 2 of her story, Aril Ferrara brings us into the space where time bends and presence takes on new meaning.  Through her words and her art, Aril defines what it means to create her own greatness in the life she was given, even when the future is uncertain.  She invites us into her journey of self-advocacy, shaping how she wants to be remembered, and expressing her story beyond language. I...

Three years ago, Aril Ferrera was sketching out the kind of life plans anyone her age might dream of - a career, relationships, a future wide open. Then at just 25, those plans collapsed the minute she was diagnosed with stage 4 de novo metastatic breast cancer. Aril wanted to use this platform to show the simple truth and what it’s really like to live with a terminal diagnosis when time itself fe...

According to John Hopkins, the gun death rate increased 40% from 2014 to 2023. With firearms being the leading cause of death among young people ages 1-17 in 2023 in Missouri.  In this episode, Caleb walks us through the gun violence epidemic in Jennings, Missouri.  He discusses how the landscape of gangs have changed, in terms of honor and a code.  How children as young as 12 are joining low leve...

Caleb Davey is a police officer from Jennings, Missouri.  A town composed of a total of 3.7 square miles, known as the first north city of St. Louis.  Host Nic Main traveled to Jennings, Missouri and completed a series of 10 hours of riding along with Officer Davey.  In this episode Officer Davey takes us from Day 1 to Year 6 on the job.  Starting solo in the field, right when COVID-19 began.  Unl...

Imagine going back to college.  The world as you know it has changed.  The internet has launched and is on track to become one of the most impactful creations of the century. This was Paul at 65, His journey led him here. But first at 58, he had to undergo a major life transition that would be the turning point of everything he knew.  In Chapter 2 of Paul’s story:  ​He teaches us how true love alw...

Out of a roughly 50 million, 70-80% of the Silent Generation have already died. Paul is one of the 20%-30% that remain.  Host Nic Main travels to Illinois to sit with Paul in an attempt to capture 95 years of life lived.  In this conversation, Paul goes back to the very beginning.  Paul reflects on a life shaped by both hardship and resilience. Abandoned at the age of two due to a rare health cond...

How does it feel to save a life? Greg Maddock opens up about staying cautiously optimistic when a patient’s future is uncertain. What it means to walk the quiet line between the harsh realities he’s witnessed vs. the normalcy that waits at home. He offers hard earned advice for today’s EMT's and he reflects on his own mortality after dedicating half of his life to society’s most urgent moments. Th...

What does it mean to walk the line between life and death, every single day? For St. Charles Battalion Chief Greg Maddock, it all began with one ambulance ride as a child. That single experience sparked a lifelong calling to serve on the frontlines of society, where saving lives is a daily mission, and one call can change everything. Host Nic Main had the rare opportunity to ride along with Greg f...

What does it mean to live on when so many of your loved ones have already gone? How do you begin to navigate the survivor’s guilt left behind? In Chapter 2 of Heather’s story, she helps us explore those questions. She recounts her daughter Lexi’s cancer journey, hoping to save another child if she couldn’t save her own. She shares how hospice taught her the quiet power of the will to live, and wha...

You met Taylor in the debut episode of Last Words Podcast. A 24 year old Li-Fraumeni patient embracing the unconventional. Now, meet her mother — Heather Lawson. Host Nic Main returns to Indiana to hear Heather’s story. A NICU nurse, Heather reflects on what it means to work with such fragile lives and how her own story shaped her into an advocate for the mothers and newborns who enter her world....

This episode of Last Words is In Memoriam of Virginia Viviano who passed away on May 8th, of 2025. Virginia was deeply loved by her family and known to them as living example of unwavering faith. Diagnosed with terminal colon cancer and given three months to live, she chose to face her final chapter with grace, courage, and conviction. In this episode, host Nic Main makes a 12-hour drive from Miss...

Together, Amber and host Nic Main explore the uncomfortable reality of dying. How rarely we talk about it, and how that silence leaves more than just psychological scars. Amber speaks honestly about the limits of caregiving, the quiet moment when you must say “I give,” and what it means to grieve when goodbye never had a clear beginning or end. She reflects on the difference between treating the p...

In this episode our host Nic Main travels to Mississpi, to meet Amber Olsen. Amber was a mother of 3 daughters living an ordinary life through the lens of what society expected from her. She sought to provide a living, buy the car, and create the home. Then on May 19th, 2016 Amber’s youngest Willow was diagnosed with MSD. MSD, or Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency, prevents the body from processing nat...

Taylor shares how she went from caretaker to patient almost overnight. Finding her faith in the depths of darkness. She teaches us that behind death, life is waiting. Taylor reflects on what it means to be different in a world that strives to be the same. And she shares her final thoughts she will one day leave behind. This is Last Words. This is Taylor. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expresse...

In the debut episode of Last Words Podcast, host Nic Main travels back to his home state of Indiana. Here he sits down with Taylor, a previvor. Taylor is a 24 year old Li-Fraumini patient. Li-Fraumini syndrome predisposes Taylor to the risk of developing multiple cancers over her lifetime. The National Institute of Health has stated that the five core LFS-related cancers that LFS patients are pred...

Welcome to Last Words Podcast. New episodes every Tuesday at 5am CST.