The Rollercoaster Podcast

I thought it was just a routine procedure, until we got the call that changed everything.

In this episode, I sit down with Danielle and Joey Orr, parents navigating a journey no family should ever have to face. What started as a simple hospital visit quickly turned into something far more serious, leading to a diagnosis that would completely reshape their lives.

Their son Joey has already defied the odds since birth, facing Down syndrome, heart complications, and now childhood leukemia. And yet, his strength will leave you speechless.

We talk about the fear, the unknown, the late-night phone calls, and what it really looks like to fight for your child every single day.

This is a story about resilience, faith, family, and holding on when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

If this story moves you, and you feel called to help, you can support Joey and his family here ❤️
👉 https://gofund.me/bce5c8e48

Watch this. Share this. It matters.

Key Moments:
00:00 It Was Just a Routine Procedure… Then the Call Came
03:12 The Moment You Hear Your Child Has Cancer
10:15 He Didn’t Cry Then They Took Him Away
16:20 Life in the NICU: Fear, Waiting, and No Control
19:45 Raising a Child with Down Syndrome, What No One Tells You
25:00 The Joy in the Chaos, Meet Joey
30:40 The Routine Surgery That Changed Everything
33:50 The Call Every Parent Dreads at Midnight
36:10 Walking Into Oncology And Knowing It Was Cancer
41:05 The 24 Hours That Turned Into a Nightmare
44:20 What It’s Really Like Inside Childhood Cancer Treatment
50:00 The Emotional & Financial Toll No One Sees
56:10 1 in 600 Million: Why Their Marriage Survived

Guest Info:
Instagram: @joeysfightclub (https://www.instagram.com/joeysfightclub?igsh=MWswMnZpMTdmb2V4Yw==)
Facebook: Joey's Fight Club (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ChPdrjH8m/)

Carl Angelo was never supposed to be a rapper.

He grew up in a Filipino immigrant family that came to America chasing stability, sacrifice, and the promise of a better life. Like many first-generation kids, the expectation was clear: follow the safe path, build a career, make the family proud.

But he felt something pulling him in a completely different direction.

In this episode of The Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with Carl Angelo as he shares the deeply personal journey behind his music, his viral rap video, and the painful choices that come with chasing a dream no one else around you fully understands.

He opens up about family pressure, identity as a Filipino-American, the struggle between security and passion, and the moment he realized nobody was coming to save him.

This conversation explores courage, sacrifice, and what it really means to choose your own path.

If you’ve ever felt torn between honoring your family and honoring yourself, this episode will hit close to home.

Watch, share, and let me know what resonated with you.

Key Moments:
00:00 The Viral Rap Video That Changed Carl Angelo’s Life
03:12 Telling My Immigrant Parents I Wanted to Be a Rapper
06:18 The Hidden Pressure of Filipino Family Expectations
12:05 The Truth About the American Dream for Immigrants
15:08 Are Poorer Countries Actually Happier?
18:12 How Karaoke Parties Shaped Carl’s Love for Music
21:02 The Moment I Realised I Had a Rap Talent
27:06 Why I Haven’t Gone All-In on Music Yet
33:05 What Happens When You Finally Commit to Your Dream
36:08 Why Social Media Can Change Everything for Artists
42:05 I Became the Person I Needed Growing Up
48:00 The Painful Choice Between Family and My Dream
51:22 Missing My Grandmother’s Final Moments
54:15 When Choosing Yourself Feels Like Betrayal
01:00:48 The Message I Want Filipino Kids to Hear

Guest Info:
Instagram: @‌carlangelomusic (https://www.instagram.com/carlangelomusic/)
YouTube: ‪@carlangelomusic (https://www.youtube.com/@carlangelomusic)

It was supposed to be a routine surgery.

On August 6, 2021, Shantelle Tate kissed her young son goodbye and walked into the hospital expecting to be home the next day. Doctors told her it was a simple procedure they perform all the time.

But something went terribly wrong.

What followed was a medical nightmare that would nearly cost Shantelle her life. A surgical complication led to sepsis, emergency surgery, and a medically induced coma that lasted an entire month. During those 30 days, her family was called in more than once to say goodbye.

In this emotional episode of the Roller Coaster Podcast, I sit down with Shantelle and her husband Brandon Tate as they share both sides of the story, the terrifying moments in the hospital, the fight to survive, and the perspective that changed their lives forever.

This conversation explores survival, faith, trauma recovery, and gratitude for life.

If this story moved you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs hope today.

Key Moments:
00:00 A Routine Surgery That Almost Killed Her
05:32 It’s Just Gas: The Warning Doctors Missed
08:02 She Didn’t Wake Up for a Month
10:21 Trapped Inside a Coma Nightmare
13:50 Learning to Walk Again in the Hospital
16:27 Life After a Month in a Coma
19:42 “You Flatlined Three Times”
24:41 Realizing a Month of Life Was Gone
29:10 The Hard Truth About Friends
35:15 Being Told She Might Not Wake Up
38:18 Why Trauma Changes Everything
43:59 When They Knew She Might Survive
46:18 Her Message to Anyone Fighting to Survive

Guest Info:
IG: @shantelle_b_tate ( https://www.instagram.com/shantelle_b_tate/)

This is going to feel different than anything we’ve done before.

Today, I sit down with Mya-Lisa Ludwig and her 52-year-old brother Adam and what unfolds is one of the most beautiful conversations we’ve had about special needs, caregiving, sibling love, and finding purpose after grief.

Adam lives with Mya, who became his full-time caregiver after the heartbreaking loss of their parents. But this isn’t just a story about autism, dementia, or navigating skilled nursing care. It’s about protection. Patience. Faith. And what happens when a sister decides, I was made for this.

This episode is about unconditional love, resilience after loss, and the sacred responsibility of caregiving. If you’ve walked through grief, supported a special needs sibling, or felt called to care for someone you love, this one will stay with you.

Watch, share, and let me know what hit home.

Key Moments:
00:00 This Is Different Than Anything We’ve Done
03:02 I Became His Protector: The Boxing Glove Moment
08:49 Losing Their Parents & The Burden He Carried
11:04 What Life Looks Like Living With Autism
15:00 The 12-Hour Sleep Schedule That Changed Everything
20:21 The Lunch Routine That Saved His Life
23:05 Caring for Parents With Dementia & Pancreatic Cancer
29:25 The Truth About Being a Full-Time Caregiver
34:28 “I Was Made For This” - A Divine Calling?
38:18 Living With an Angel Every Single Day
44:50 The Best Thing About Adam 
47:40 The Moment That Built His Confidence
52:28 What Makes Him Proud To Be an Uncle
56:41 The One Thing That Still Hurts To Talk About

Guest Info:
IG: @minimamamya (https://www.instagram.com/minimamamya/)

If you looked at her life from the outside, it was perfect.

A brilliant Harvard-trained doctor. Four beautiful children. A marriage built on love. And then, slowly… it wasn’t.

In this episode of The Rollercoaster Podcast, I sit down with Andrea Suchin, caregiver, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Wuggle. For six years, Andrea watched subtle changes in her husband Craig, slowly unravel into something far more devastating. What began as small personality shifts spiraled into financial chaos, misdiagnosis, rage episodes, and ultimately a diagnosis of behavioral frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Craig showed symptoms for nearly six years. For the final four, Andrea became his full-time caregiver, managing medications, protecting their children, advocating when doctors dismissed her concerns, and standing by him until his final breath.

This is a story about dementia, caregiver burnout, anticipatory grief, and the trauma of watching a mental death before a physical one.

But it’s also about purpose.

Andrea shares how survival mode led to the creation of Wuggle, a sleep solution now helping caregivers around the world.

If you’re navigating caregiving, dementia, exhaustion, or profound loss, this conversation is for you.

Watch, share, and join The Rollercoaster Community.

Key Moments:
0:00 The Night I Knew He Was Dying
3:45 Caregiver Surgery… Then Crisis
9:05 The Hospice Call That Never Came
12:40 His Final Words to Me
15:10 Holding Him After His Last Breath
18:05 Relief, Guilt & Grief Collide
24:15 22 Credit Cards & $170K Debt
30:00 The Devastating Diagnosis: FTD
36:00 Caregiver Burnout Nearly Broke Me
39:10 The Sleep Breakthrough That Saved Me
42:30 From Grief to Mission: Creating Wuggle
45:40 The Text That Changed Everything
51:00 Anxiety, Migraines & Better REM
54:20 The Trauma Caregivers Don’t Admit