Alive Again

• 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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• 26 | The Countdown Clock

  When Maggie Slepian flipped her kayak on Montana’s Gallatin River, she found herself trapped underwater, fighting to escape a spray skirt she had never practiced removing. In those harrowing moments, she felt time slow down, her thoughts split between terror, sorrow, and love for her family as she faced the possibility of her final breaths. Surviving the accident left Maggie grappling with PTSD, grief, and the loss of the friend who had pulled her from the water. In this episode of Alive Again, Maggie reflects on her journey from an “indoor child” to an outdoor adventurer, the dangerous drive for validation that pushed her into risk, and the hard-won lesson that the people who love you don’t need you to prove yourself—they love you for who you are. Maggie wrote about her story for Longreads, which you can read here. 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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• 25 | Unfortunate Brain News

  What happens when the part of you that defines your identity begins to fail? Dana Swanson was a rising creative force—an award-winning writer-producer at Adult Swim, a voice actor, a musical performer, and a self-proclaimed comedy nerd on the brink of big things. But in 2012, her world unraveled when she began to lose control of her speech. What started as a stuttered sentence became a devastating diagnosis: a rare brain tumor—neuronal neoplasm—lodged in a precarious part of her brain. In this episode of Alive Again, Dana recounts the surreal journey from slurred words to a high-risk, eight-hour brain surgery that would change her life forever. With humor, vulnerability, and crystal clarity, she explores the collapse of identity, the death of an old self, and the painful but profound process of learning to live—and speak—again. But Dana’s story doesn’t end in silence. It becomes a story of spiritual awakening, intuition, chosen purpose, and using her voice to help others connect to their own. From losing her father at 14 to channeling messages from the other side, Dana opens up about survivor’s guilt, intuitive healing, and embracing the power of reinvention. She reminds us that we all have “battle scars,” and that the ability to evolve—again and again—is the truest sign of being alive. Cover Art: Daniel Garcia @Superduperfi 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• 24 | When the Rain Stopped

  When a tornado ripped through his Alabama neighborhood, Chris Alonzo found himself clutching his young son in a closet as the walls shook and the front door blew open. In that moment of terror, his desperate plea—“take me, don’t take my son”—became a prayer. Raised in a devout Catholic family but long estranged from faith after his grandmother’s painful decline, Chris’s brush with death forced him to confront anger, doubt, and the mystery of survival. In this episode of Alive Again, Chris shares how near-death transformed his understanding of God, community, and unconditional love—and why sometimes, faith is born not from certainty, but from fear, fragility, and the will to protect those we love. 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] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• 23 | Living on Extra Credit

  Thrill seeker, Nate Dorn, never saw himself living past the age of 25, until he set sail for Cuba on a 28-foot boat with no idea he was heading straight into the storm that would change his life. Trapped in gale-force winds with his fingers crushed in an anchor chain, Nate suddenly recognized the recurring dream that had haunted him since childhood—he was living it in real time. What he thought might be his last moment became a rebirth, one that freed him from fear and gave him what he calls “extra credit” on life. In this episode, Nate shares how risk-taking has shaped his adventures, his creative path as a photographer, and his outlook on what it means to truly be alive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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