Max Impact Podcast

In this episode of Max Impact , New York State, December 2024 with no fatalities. Jonathan sits down with flight nurse Shawn Dillon to discuss what happens after a non-fatal helicopter crash — when everyone survives, but life and perspective are permanently changed. Shawn shares his journey from volunteer EMS to flight nursing, the violent reality of impact, and the emotional aftermath that follow...

In this episode 7 of Max Impact , Jonathan speaks with former flight paramedic Derek Boehm, sole survivor of the 2015 Native Air helicopter crash in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains. Derek recounts the violent impact, the freezing darkness that followed, and the hours he spent severely injured beside the wreckage — attempting to help his crew while fighting to stay alive himself. Together, they ex...

When CRM/AMRM fails, the flight was a success, but everyone can see that it was a recipe for disaster. There was no accident, the flight was completed without injuries or significant events but there was a sense of fear as to how it could have all ended. Lessons learned and how the operator responded to a near miss. Rob is a 30 year veteran in both the military as well as civilian medicine. He sha...

Some moments don’t just change your life—they change the direction of everything that comes after. In this episode, Ryan Bartlett shares what it’s like to lose someone close in a fatal crash, and how that experience reshaped his path forward. From working as a flight paramedic for over a decade (PHI, AMC, Saudi)… to stepping into a role focused on safety and prevention… Ryan brings a perspective s...

There are moments in this work when the weight of it all becomes very real. 3 years ago on scene just outside Reno, Nevada. In this episode, Matt Brown shares what it feels like to be on scene—an hour from headquarters, the only one from his organization, carrying responsibility in real time. We talk about the isolation that can come with that role, the pressure of decision-making in critical mome...

Not every life-changing moment ends in tragedy. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t leave a mark. In this episode of Max Impact , I sit down with Andy Sikes to explore the moments where everything could have gone differently—and the lasting impact those moments leave behind. Andy brings a perspective shaped by high-pressure environments, critical decision-making, and experiences that challenge how we...

Survival is not something you do alone. In this episode of Max Impact , I sit down with Krista Haugen—someone who understands survivorship not just through her own experience, but through years of walking alongside others in the aftermath of trauma. Krista and I met years after our own life-altering events, connected by a shared understanding that what happens after survival is often the hardest p...

Episode 1: It Was Never About the Crash I woke up eight feet beneath the surface of the Potomac River. In the dark. Cold. Unable to breathe. This is the story of what happened that day—but more importantly, what came after. As a flight nurse, I had spent years responding to emergencies, trained to take control in chaos. In a single moment, that role was taken from me. I became the patient. The sur...