SOS - Stories of Survivors

A podcast dedicated to resilience, healing, hope, and the power of the human spirit.

SOS - Stories of Survivors is a health podcast hosted by Serina Dansker, with 70 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Serina Dansker hosts SOS - Stories of Survivors, a health show with 70 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #70

  Ep. 70 | Signs: When Love Finds a Way to Reach Us

  Sep 27, 202647 minS2

  Have you ever experienced something that stopped you in your tracks and made you wonder, was that a sign? A butterfly appearing at exactly the right moment. A song you haven’t heard in years suddenly playing when you’re thinking about someone you lost. A cardinal, a dragonfly, a heart in the clouds, a coin in an impossible place—or an old message appearing on your phone with the words you desperately needed to hear. In this deeply personal solo episode of S.O.S. Stories of Survivors, Serina Dansker explores the subject of signs and the moments that have made her wonder whether the people we love are ever truly as far away as they seem. Inspired by the chapter “Signs” from her book S.O.S.: A Lesson on Love, Loss, & Survival, Serina shares experiences that began long before the death of her 16-year-old son, Scott. She remembers the monarch butterfly that landed directly on her toe after her father’s death, despite their complicated relationship. She recounts a vivid and unsettling dream involving a former colleague that took on an entirely different meaning when Serina discovered years later what had happened to her. Then came Scott. After losing her son to suicide, Serina desperately searched for reassurance that he was at peace and still somehow connected to her. What followed were moments she couldn’t always explain but couldn’t ignore either: hearts, dragonflies, songs, messages, words written in the sand—and one unforgettable message involving SpongeBob underwear that carried Scott’s unmistakable sense of humor. Now, after the loss of her mother, the signs feel different again: dimes appearing in unexpected places, bright red cardinals, butterflies and even the 1970s disco song “You Can Ring My Bell” turning up in the most unlikely places. Each person, Serina believes, seems to have their own signature. But on the morning she planned to record this episode, another remarkable story arrived. An old middle-school friend she hadn’t spoken with in years unexpectedly reached out to tell her about the monarch butterflies that appeared almost daily during one of the most difficult transitions of his life. For months, as his family’s longtime business closed and he struggled with guilt over letting go of his grandfather’s legacy, the butterflies followed him. Then, once he found his way forward, they stopped. For Serina, the timing of his message felt like one more reminder to tell these stories. This episode isn’t about proving the afterlife or convincing anyone what to believe. It’s about allowing ourselves to find comfort and meaning in the moments that touch our hearts. Because perhaps signs don’t change what happened. Maybe they change the way we carry what happened. And as Serina reflects on Scott’s poem “People,” she recognizes another kind of sign that may be even more important: the signs being shown by the people who are still here. The friend who suddenly withdraws. The child whose personality changes. The person who keeps insisting they’re fine when something tells you they’re not. Sometimes, instead of waiting for a sign, we can become the sign someone else needs—the sign that they are seen, that someone cares, and that their life matters. If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or thinking about suicide in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24/7. To learn more about Serina Dansker, purchase her book S.O.S.: A Lesson on Love, Loss, & Survival, book her for a public speaking engagement, and discover more stories of hope, healing, and resilience, visit www.serinadansker.com. S.O.S. Stories of Survivors — Where Survival Sparks the Soul.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #69

  Ep. 69 | Healing From the Heart: Jaye Newman on Grief, Intuition & Finding Your Inner Voice

  Sep 20, 202651 minS2

  Sometimes the person who enters your life during your darkest moment becomes part of the way you find the light again. In this deeply personal episode of S.O.S. Stories of Survivors, Serina Dansker sits down with healer and Sacred Heart Communications creator Jaye Newman—a woman who entered Serina’s life just weeks after the death of her 16-year-old son, Scott. At the time, Serina didn’t know exactly what she needed. She only knew she was shattered by grief and wanted desperately to heal. Jaye became part of that journey. Jaye shares how her intuitive abilities first appeared when she was just three years old and how, as she grew older, she learned to hide a part of herself in order to fit in. Eventually, she found her way back to that calling through craniosacral therapy and decades of working with people experiencing grief, trauma, illness, and loss. Together, Serina and Jaye explore what it means to reconnect with your inner voice, listen to your body, release judgment, and become more receptive to the things we may not always be able to see or explain. But some of the most powerful moments come as they revisit Serina’s earliest days of grief. Jaye remembers meeting Serina only weeks after Scott died and working with her as she struggled to bring herself back into her body after unimaginable trauma. Serina recalls simply telling Jay: “I need to be healed.” Their work together eventually opened conversations about Serina’s continuing connection with Scott—and one unforgettable moment involving Christmas. As Serina struggled with what to do with Scott’s stocking during the family’s first Christmas without him, Jaye asked what Scott wanted. The answer she received seemed almost ridiculous: Underwear. Serina laughed and initially couldn’t understand it. Until later, sitting in traffic, she remembered something no one else could have known. When she chose Scott’s clothes for his burial, she had carefully selected his favorite shirt, shorts and sunglasses. But she had forgotten his underwear. For Serina, that funny, deeply personal moment felt unmistakably like Scott—the same teasing personality she had always known—and became an unexpected source of comfort during tremendous grief. The conversation also explores the many ways families learn to maintain connection after someone dies: keeping photographs nearby, preserving a loved one’s room, visiting their gravesite, holding onto their phone, reading old messages, continuing traditions, and finding new ways to carry their presence forward. Serina shares how she transformed Scott’s bedroom into a peaceful space for meditation and reflection while preserving his photographs, poetry, toys and memories. She also remembers the first family photograph after his death, when Jake and Lexi held a framed photograph of their brother so that, although Scott was no longer physically present, he was still part of the family. Because healing doesn’t mean leaving someone behind. Grief doesn’t disappear. We learn how to carry it differently. Jaye also introduces listeners to Sacred Heart Communications, her work designed to help people strengthen their senses, trust their intuition, release judgment, recognize patterns and beliefs, and reconnect with what she describes as the intelligence of the heart. Throughout their conversation, Serina and Jaye discuss spirituality, signs from loved ones, energy, the possibility of connection after death, and Jaye’s personal beliefs and experiences from decades of healing and hospice work. These spiritual ideas reflect their experiences and beliefs rather than something everyone must interpret the same way. And during Suicide Prevention Month, Serina returns to an important message about the ripple effect of suicide. When someone dies by suicide, the pain doesn’t simply disappear. Families, friends and communities are left carrying tremendous love, grief, questions and often guilt. For those struggling today, Serina’s message is simple: Please stay. Reach out. Tell someone what you’re feeling. Let someone sit beside you in the pain. The episode closes with Scott’s poem “Embracing My True Self,” a powerful reflection on identity, self-acceptance and recognizing your own worth—including a reference to a crown that would later take on an extraordinary personal meaning for Serina and Jaye. As Jaye reminds us: You have more innate abilities within you than you may ever have imagined. If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. To learn more about Serina Dansker, purchase her book S.O.S.: A Lesson on Love, Loss, & Survival, book her for a public speaking engagement, and discover more stories of hope, healing, and resilience, visit www.serinadansker.com. S.O.S. Stories of Survivors — Where Survival Sparks the Soul.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #68

  Ep. 68 | The Ripple Effect of Suicide: Love, Loss & the Lives Left Behind

  Sep 13, 202644 minS2

  When someone dies by suicide, their life ends in that moment. But the impact of that decision does not. It moves through mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, spouses, friends, classmates, teachers, and entire communities. It changes birthdays, holidays, relationships, memories, and the future everyone thought they were going to have. In this deeply personal solo episode of S.O.S. Stories of Survivors, Serina Dansker opens up about the ripple effect of suicide and the loss of her 16-year-old son, Scott, who died by suicide on April 23, 2021. Beginning at Scott’s funeral, where nearly 800 people stood in the pouring rain to say goodbye, Serina reflects on something Scott could not see in his darkest moment: how deeply his life mattered. She remembers looking at the crowd and thinking over and over: Say something that keeps one kid from following Scott. Those words would eventually become part of the foundation for her book, her advocacy, and S.O.S. Stories of Survivors. Serina takes listeners back to the 1:07 a.m. knock on the door that divided her life into “before” and “after,” and speaks candidly about the complicated reality of suicide grief—the shock, disbelief, anger, guilt, unanswered questions, and endless replaying of conversations and memories. What did I miss? Should I have known? Could I have done something differently? Why didn’t he call me? She also shares one of the hardest lessons she has had to learn: Guilt is not the same thing as responsibility. Love alone cannot always overpower the distorted thinking created by severe emotional pain. Scott was loved deeply. He had family, friends, plans, support, and a future. Yet in one unbearable moment, he could no longer see another way forward. The episode also explores the often-overlooked grief of siblings and spouses. Scott was one of triplets, leaving his siblings, Jake and Lexi, to suddenly imagine a life in which there were no longer three. Serina reflects on trying to grieve her son while still being a mother to her surviving children, and on how two parents can experience the loss of the same child in completely different ways. Through it all, community became part of survival. Friends helped write Scott’s obituary. People brought food, sat beside the family, cried with them, laughed with them, remembered Scott, and simply showed up. And Serina learned that sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer a grieving person isn’t the perfect thing to say. It’s our presence. This episode also challenges us to look beyond the surface of someone’s behavior. Through Scott’s poem The True Me, Serina reflects on how quickly we label someone as difficult, angry, rebellious, dramatic, or withdrawn without asking what might be happening underneath. Sometimes anger is pain. Sometimes withdrawal is overwhelm. Sometimes the person making everyone laugh is hurting the most. Serina also speaks about the future that parents grieve after losing a child—the birthdays that never come, careers never pursued, relationships never formed, and the adult version of a child they will never get to meet. But she makes an important distinction: Scott’s death is part of his story. It is not Scott’s entire story. He was a son, brother, friend, Scout, writer, teenager, and a complicated, funny, imperfect, deeply loved human being. And while grief continues, so does life. Serina explains why she doesn’t believe in “moving on” from Scott. Instead, she chooses to move forward with him. His photographs come with her. His poetry comes with her. His lessons come with her. His love comes with her. And while her pain eventually became purpose, Serina is clear: purpose does not make the loss worth it. She would give back the book, the podcast, the speaking engagements, and every opportunity if the trade were having Scott walk through the front door again. Purpose isn’t compensation for loss. Purpose is what she chose to do because she could not change the loss. During Suicide Prevention Month, this episode is both a message to those struggling and a hand extended to those already living with suicide loss. If you are struggling, please stay. You do not have to solve your entire life today. Tell someone you’re not okay. Ask someone to stay with you. Let another person into your pain and give tomorrow the opportunity to look different. And to those left behind: you are allowed to survive. You are allowed to laugh again, travel, celebrate, love, and build a beautiful life while still desperately wishing the person you lost were here. Grief and gratitude can exist together. Sadness and laughter can exist together. Loss and love can exist together. If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. To learn more about Serina Dansker, purchase her book S.O.S.: A Lesson on Love, Loss, & Survival, book her for a public speaking engagement, and discover more stories of hope, healing, and resilience, visit www.serinadansker.com. S.O.S. Stories of Survivors — Where Survival Sparks the Soul.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #67

  Ep. 67 | From Survivor to Advocate: Andrea Della Mura on Cancer, Purpose & Fighting for Your Health

  Sep 6, 202650 minS2

  At just 24 years old, Andrea Della Mura found a lump in her breast. Initially told it was probably nothing to worry about, something inside her told her to keep asking questions. She trusted that instinct, sought another opinion, and soon heard the words no 24-year-old expects to hear: breast cancer. In this powerful episode of S.O.S. Stories of Survivors, Serina Dansker sits down with Andrea, a two-time breast cancer survivor, entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and owner of The DRIPBaR Rye in Westchester, New York. Andrea opens up about facing cancer at an age when most people are just beginning to build their adult lives. She remembers the brutal reality of chemotherapy and radiation, losing her hair, moving back home, worrying about losing the career she loved, and feeling as though she needed to remain strong—not only for herself, but for everyone around her. Then, before turning 40, cancer entered her life again. This time, a routine mammogram revealed something that could easily have been missed. What initially appeared to be a calcification ultimately led doctors to discover a completely new breast cancer. Andrea made the difficult decision to undergo a double mastectomy—a decision pathology would later confirm may have saved her life. Every quadrant of both breasts contained tiny cancer cells. Andrea describes survivorship as a privilege, knowing that not everyone she met during her first battle was fortunate enough to make it to the other side. But surviving twice also left her with a question that followed her for years: Why am I still here? Today, she believes she’s beginning to understand the answer. Andrea has transformed her experiences into a mission of helping others become stronger advocates for their own health. Through her work at The DRIPBaR Rye, she has created a community where people can ask questions, explore wellness resources, and feel heard—something Andrea knows can be desperately needed when someone is frightened, overwhelmed, or newly diagnosed. Andrea and Serina also explore the importance of listening to our bodies, seeking additional opinions, asking better questions, nutrition and wellness, the emotional aftermath of serious illness, survivor’s guilt, PTSD, and the difference between simply surviving and learning how to live and thrive. For Andrea, healing doesn’t mean fear disappears. Even after more than three decades of survivorship, certain smells, places, experiences, and medical moments can still bring her back. But she has learned something equally powerful: You don’t have to see the entire road ahead. You only need to see the next step. Her message to anyone currently facing their own “monster”—whether it’s cancer, illness, trauma, or another life-changing challenge—is to surround yourself with compassionate people who aren’t afraid to tell you the truth, hold your hand, and help get you through the fire. Because sometimes our most painful chapters can become the foundation for our greatest purpose. Serina closes the episode with Scott’s poem Still the Same, reflecting on identity, acceptance, pain, and the parts of ourselves that remain even after life’s experiences have changed us. To learn more about Serina Dansker, purchase her book S.O.S.: A Lesson on Love, Loss, & Survival, book her for a public speaking engagement, and discover more stories of hope, healing, and resilience, visit www.serinadansker.com. S.O.S. Stories of Survivors — Where Survival Sparks the Soul.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #64

  Ep. 64 | A Second Chance at Life: Bill Osborne on Purpose, Priorities & What Really Matters

  Aug 16, 20261h 2mS2

  What happens when the life you spent decades building suddenly comes to a stop—and you’re forced to ask what really matters? In this deeply personal episode of S.O.S. Stories of Survivors, Serina Dansker sits down with former Fortune 500 CFO Bill Osborne, whose life changed dramatically after a serious medical event nearly took his life. For years, Bill’s career was more than what he did—it was part of who he was. Long hours, constant travel, late-night calls, and the pressure of corporate leadership had become normal. Work came first, while his health, relationships, and even his own well-being often came second. Then, at 55 years old, Bill began struggling to breathe while traveling to Puerto Rico. What he initially tried to brush off eventually led doctors to discover blood clots throughout his legs and numerous pulmonary emboli in his lungs. A doctor told him something that would forever change his perspective: he shouldn’t be here. But Bill survived. What followed wasn’t simply a physical recovery. It became a complete reevaluation of his life. Bill shares how he lost more than 100 pounds, rediscovered exercise and tennis, stepped away from corporate life, and began investing his time in something he had previously overlooked: people. He speaks candidly about regret—particularly the time he wishes he had spent with his parents and children—and the guilt that can accompany being given a second chance when others aren’t. He also shares the unexpected moments that made him realize just how much he had changed, including an old acquaintance telling him, years later, “You’re a nicer person.” Today, Bill measures success differently. It’s found in time with his wife and adult children, friendships, service to others, his faith, and experiences like walking portions of the Camino de Santiago alongside his daughter. His story carries a message for anyone consumed by work, stress, achievement, or the belief that there will always be more time: Don’t wait for something life-changing to remind you to live. Put down the phone. Take care of your health. Invest in your relationships. Be present. Bill may still be searching for the exact reason he was given another chance, but perhaps part of that purpose is found in what he’s doing now—sharing his story so someone else might make a change before they’re forced to. As Serina reminds us through the words of her late son Scott, we are all someone’s reasons why. To learn more about Serina Dansker, purchase her book S.O.S.: A Lesson on Love, Loss, & Survival, book her for a public speaking engagement, and discover more stories of hope, healing, and resilience, visit www.serinadansker.com. S.O.S. Stories of Survivors — Where Survival Sparks the Soul.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on SOS - Stories of Survivors. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.