Alive Again

• 31 | The Death of Craving

  Content note: This episode includes strong language, discussion of opioid/heroin and crack use, overdose, stroke, withdrawal, arrest/incarceration, and suicidal hopelessness. Listener discretion advised. At 27, Scott Jenkins woke up thrashing in a bathtub—his left arm dead, his vision blown out—after days of speedballs and Agatha Christie marathons. Doctors later confirmed he’d had a stroke, but even that didn’t stop the obsession: “I want to get high, I want to get high… It’s all you can think about.” What began with pain pills after routine procedures spiraled into years of heroin and crack, arrests, and a jail-cell detox that finally forced a choice: surrender or disappear. In this raw, unvarnished account, Scott traces the path from the early opioid boom to the economics of switching to heroin, the surreal comedy of being “stuffed to the brim with sausage biscuits” during an arrest, and the moment he decided to let other people help. He rebuilds—six months in rehab, twelve-step work, service, and, eventually, a thriving plumbing company staffed by people in recovery. It’s a story about obsession, consequence, and the quiet miracle of a craving that never came back. If you or someone you love is struggling, you’re not alone. In the U.S., dial or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Story Producer: Nicholas Tecosky If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story! Please email us at [email protected] We’d love to hear your story! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• 30 | Strong In A Different Way

  At 17, Nicholas Tecosky, one of our Alive Again story producers, slipped on a rock face above Gem Lake and nearly fell thirty feet to his death—then spent hours lost on the wrong side of the mountain. The brush with mortality was followed by years of anxiety, alcohol, and a brutal run at creative success that left him sleepless, gray, and suicidal. Years later, a harrowing night on psychedelics cracked something open; the morning after, he chose help—therapy, medication, sobriety—and slowly rebuilt a life anchored in love, fatherhood, and a gentler definition of strength. This is a story about escaping the gravity of an abusive past, redefining worth, and discovering that being a good person matters more than being a successful one. This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation, substance use (alcohol and psychedelics), childhood trauma, and a near-fatal accident. Listener discretion advised. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. In the U.S., dial or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For resources outside the U.S., please check local crisis services. Story Producer: Nicholas Tecosky If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story! Please email us at [email protected] We’d love to hear your story! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• 29 | Living Is Forgiving

  Trigger warning: This episode contains a frank discussion of sexual molestation and drug overdose. Listener discretion advised. After a lifetime of compounded trauma—childhood sexual abuse, relentless bullying, chronic illness, and consequently a two-decade opiate dependency—Brandon Densmore overdosed on heroin and flatlined. What happened next changed everything. In vivid detail, Brandon describes the presence he felt, the visions he was shown (including the unbearable image of his mother finding his body), and the deal he made to come back. This is a blunt, no-BS account of clawing out of addiction: medical detox and the radical, unsentimental forgiveness that finally let him drop the weight he’d carried for 20 years. He rebuilt a life—marriage, fatherhood, purpose—and then underwent a second awakening that reframed success as inner quiet over external hustle. It’s raw, direct, and ultimately hopeful. Listener discretion advised for references to sexual abuse, drug use, and overdose. Download Branden’s free Quantum Forgiveness Starter Kit to start dissolving old emotional blocks and step into the life Spirit intended: https://coach-branden-densmore.kit.com/quantum-foregivness-starter Here’s a link to Brandon’s Facebook profile, where he posts ongoing reflections and resources https://www.facebook.com/branden.densmore Story Producer: Dan Bush If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story! Please email us at [email protected] We’d love to hear your story! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• 28 | Bulletproof Love

  Trigger warning: Discussion and images of gun violence. At 33, championship-level ultimate player and teacher Eileen Murray started coughing up blood—then spent a year being dismissed by doctors before hearing the word no one wants: lymphoma. Six months of chemo followed, buoyed by a community she’d spent years building on the field and in the classroom. Two decades later, driving to a friend’s wedding with her husband and kids, a sniper’s round blew out the back glass—missing her temple by a hair. No one died. It barely made the news. But the PTSD was louder than cancer. In this blunt, compassionate conversation, Eileen unpacks the visions that foreshadowed her diagnosis, the rage and surrender of treatment, and why the shooting reshaped her parenting. She refuses to center the gunman—saving her anger for systems that fail and doubling down on connection: teaching her sons media literacy, checking their sense of belonging, writing them letters for the day she’s gone. It’s a story about cultivating community before you need it, and choosing grace over grievance. Listener discretion advised: frank discussion of cancer, medical trauma, gun violence, and PTSD. Eileen’s links: Eileen’s ultimate frisbee team - https://www.nygridlockultimate.com/ Eileen also made a blog post about the shooting which you can check out here: https://www.nygridlockultimate.com/blog/wear-orangeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• 27 | No One Makes It On Their Own

  On a dangerous Australian beach, actor Frankie Mulinix was swept down the coast by a powerful undertow, slammed against rocks, and pulled under again and again. Time telescoped; panic rose; then came a stark clarity—“I’m done… I made peace with it.” At the very moment of surrender, a stranger hauled Frankie to safety and lifeguards took over. What followed was the quiet chaos of shame, flashbacks during rehearsals for Dante’s Inferno, and a hard re-examination of identity, purpose, and community. Frankie reflects on accepting death, being “robbed” of that ending, and choosing a second act—anchored by the realization that “we need each other… nobody makes it on their own.” Today, Frankie is a performer, emcee, producer, dramaturge, choreographer, director, mental health worker, voice and performance educator, swimming and triathlon coach, and intimacy choreographer and coordinator. Their theatre company Burning Bones Physical Theatre, is dedicated to collaborating with fellow creatives to engage with the local community and expand the possibilities of live performance in daring and imaginative ways. In addition, they are an internationally ranked competitive endurance athlete and integrate their expertise in optimum performance techniques as a teacher, performer, and athlete. Links: IG: @Vandellous @burningbonesphysicaltheatre @VibranceCentre website: https://frankiemulinix.com/ Story Producer: Kate Sweeney * If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story. Please email us at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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