A Podcast Series

A Close Call

With Death

Second chances. New attitudes. Stories of survival that will change how you see every single day.

Hosted by Bob Howard

A Message From Your Host

Hear directly from Bob Howard — why this podcast exists, what it means to him, and what it might mean for you.

Watch Bob's Introduction

"At 68, I am more energized than ever — and this is only the beginning."

Featured This Week

Episodes Spotlight

Week of Apr 13 – Apr 19, 2026 · Rotates every Monday

#69 - Episode of A Close Call With Death with guest Curtis Marsh!

Ep. 69

Season 4

Death with guest Curtis Marsh!

Curtis Marsh — larger than life and impactful in our community — shares his powerful story of resilience and stamina after going through some very tough times. Curtis talks about how we can get in life like a backpack full of rocks and horse manure, and how we can persevere through it all.

resilienceperseverance

Guests Amie, Mike and Abby Mathis who were tragically burned in a propane explosion that engulfed their trailer while camping.

A slow propane leak filled the camping trailer overnight. Three clicks of a lighter — and the whole family was engulfed in flames. Mike, Amie, and their children all survived the inferno.

fire/burns

0:51:42

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Browse all 69 episodes

All Episodes

Stories of Survival

69 episodes. 69 lives transformed. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

Showing 12 of 69 episodes

Ep. 69

S4

#69 - Episode of A Close Call With Death with guest Curtis Marsh!

Curtis Marsh — larger than life and impactful in our community — shares his powerful story of resilience and stamina after going through some very tough times. Curtis talks about how we can get in life like a backpack full of rocks and horse manure, and how we can persevere through it all.

resilienceperseverance

#68 "A Close Call With Death" with Guest Helaman Mate Mate

Helaman Mate Mate shares his extraordinary story of survival — a close call that changed everything and revealed the power of the human spirit to endure the unthinkable.

near-death experience

#67 = "A Close Call With Death" with Guest Mark Judge

Sepsis crept in silently — and within days, Mark Judge was fighting for his life as doctors scrambled to keep him breathing. He made it back. Hear what death's door looks like from the inside.

Episode #66 "A Close Call With Death" featuring guest Chris Merrill

Chris crested a sand dune on his ATV — and the vehicle launched into the air, came down hard, and nearly killed him and two others. One wrong second and they were all gone.

Episode #65 A Close Call With Death with guest - Heather VanBorum

Five days before Christmas, a car slammed into Heather in a Costco parking lot — and she lost both legs. A stranger's fast hands saved her life. Heather's story will wreck you and rebuild you.

near-death experience

Episode #64 - A Close Call With Death with Guest Dustan Jackson

Mugged in Mexico by the Cartel, beaten unconscious, thrown from a moving vehicle, and left for dead in the desert — Dustan Jackson is lucky to be breathing. This one will make your jaw drop.

cartel attacknear-death experience

Episode #63 "A Close Call With Death" with Guest Bobby Maximus!

Bobby Maximus has trained the most elite warriors on the planet — and he knows exactly how thin the line between life and death really is. A powerhouse conversation on courage, sacrifice, and survival.

Episode #62 "A Close Call With Death" With Guest Joey Wood. Survivor of a horrific Mountain Bike Crash in the Mountains of Utah

Joey Wood crashed his mountain bike at full speed and punched a hole straight through his chest wall into his heart — doctors gave him a 3% chance of survival. He beat every odd.

mountain biking crashmountain climbingnear-death experience

Episode #61 A Close Call With Death with Kristi Whittingham - Attempted Vehicular Homicide

Crossing a highway in Hawaii, a driver deliberately swerved straight at Kristi — full speed, no warning. She survived what can only be called attempted murder. Hear her tell it.

Episode #60 A Close Call With Death with guest Zac Matthews

Zac shot himself in the neck and woke up completely paralyzed. Against every prediction, he slowly regained feeling — and now he's choosing life. Raw, honest, and unforgettable.

gunshot woundparalysismilitary/combat

Episode #59 A Close Call With Death with guest Jenny Ahlstrom. Blood Cancer Survivor!

Every 9 minutes someone is diagnosed with Myeloma blood cancer — Jenny Ahlstrom was one of them. She didn't just survive it; she built a foundation to fight it. A warrior's story.

Episode #58 A Close Call With Death with guest Elizabeth Howard

Elizabeth was seconds from plunging 50 feet off a cliff in Moab — her dad grabbed her just in time. Ten years later, she finally tells the story that her father's quick hands made possible.

rock climbingmilitary/combatfall

0:17:31

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"Every close call is a reminder — life is not a rehearsal."

— Bob Howard, Host

About the Podcast

What Happens When You Survive?

Some people brush against death and walk away unchanged. Others are transformed — awakened to a clarity of purpose, a depth of gratitude, and a fierce determination to live the life they were given.

A Close Call With Death is a podcast series of raw, honest conversations with survivors — people of all ages, all walks of life — who came face to face with the end and chose to come back with everything they had.

Plane crashes. Grizzly bear attacks. Electrocution. Drowning. Cancer. Cartel kidnappings. Avalanches. Cardiac arrest at 30,000 feet. Every story is real. Every guest is still here to tell it.

Are they more daring now? Do they finally pursue the dreams they kept putting off? Do they love more deeply, forgive more freely, live more fully? The answer, in every single episode, is a resounding and life-affirming yes.

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Episodes

4

Seasons

11

Bob's Close Calls

Bob Howard's Story

Eleven Times Death Came Calling

Each of these moments could have been the last chapter. Instead, they became the prologue to a life lived with extraordinary purpose.

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"I am more energized than ever to tell these stories — mine and those of every soul who has stood at the edge and chosen to come back. We all should value life more."

— Bob Howard

Your Host

Bob Howard

Survivor · Storyteller · Podcaster

11

Close Calls

68

Years Young & Embracing Life

67+

Episodes

Bob Howard carries within him a truth that most people only glimpse in their darkest moments: life is not guaranteed. It is a gift — fragile, precious, and worth fighting for with everything you have.

Bob has survived eleven close calls with death across a lifetime of adventure, accident, and extraordinary circumstance. From midnight collisions on Wyoming roads to being swallowed by a Cat 5 whitewater rapid on the Colorado River. From a saw blade missing his skull by inches in Mexico to being chased by hippos in the darkness of the African bush. From (ball lightning) blowing out both his eardrums on a Utah mountain to being pulled back from an electric train in downtown Salt Lake City — a consequence of the very hearing loss those lightning strikes had caused.

Each close call could have been his last. Instead, each one deepened his conviction that the rest of his life — however much of it remains — is a gift to be lived with purpose, passion, and profound gratitude.

Now, Bob is on a mission. Through A Close Call With Death, he sits down with survivors from all walks of life — athletes, adventurers, everyday heroes — to ask the question that matters most: Now that you know how close it came, what are you going to do with the rest of your gift?