Episode 3: Coat Checked – Ego and Dignity

Episode 1: The Bill Comes Due

It started like any other offsite—awkward icebreakers, lukewarm coffee, and pretending to care about Q3 strategy. But somewhere between a jog to the BART station and a seafood dinner with cross-contamination potential, something shifted. This episode traces the slow unraveling: chest pain mistaken for indigestion, Coke chugging at 2 AM, and world-class denial the next morning—all while parenting, working, and silently spiraling. I talk about family history, quitting Lipitor too early, and the moment it all started to click. Because sometimes, the bill doesn’t come in dollars. It comes in heartbeats.

Episode 2: Eighteen Hours (Give or Take)

After eighteen-ish hours of chest pain, denial, and enough bad decisions to fill a medical textbook, I finally gave in: urgent care. What follows is a blur—baby aspirin, blank stares, and an ambulance ride that felt more like a backstage pass to my own collapse. No one said “heart attack” right away, but the looks said enough. And when the words finally landed, they hit hard. This episode covers the moment things turned real. The fear. The dark humor. The quiet math you start doing when you’re not sure if you’re coming back.

Episode 3: Coat Checked – Ego and Dignity

The ambulance doors open. A swarm of medical staff waits. Suddenly, I’m not a person—I’m a case. Vitals, wires, stickers, floral gown with an open back. My ego? Dignity? Coat-checked at the door, no claim ticket. This episode dives into the surreal chaos of the ER: the pit crew efficiency, the gown humiliation, the quiet panic. And the moment my wife walks in—no words, just that look that says everything we weren’t ready to say. Because when survival takes over, pride is the first thing to go.

Episode 4: You’re Having a Heart Attack—Sign Here

You’re having a heart attack,” the doctor says. Then he mentions groin access. And just like that, my remaining dignity packs its bags. This episode covers the next wave: the groin panic, the stack of consent forms, the casual phone call to my manager (yes, during a heart attack), and the real tragedy—having to cancel our Airbnb. Because when life falls apart, your brain still clings to spreadsheets, travel plans, and corporate calendars. Sometimes, denial isn’t loud. It’s just absurd.

Episode 5: The Cath Lab – Sedation and Stents

The Cath Lab. Sedation. A stent in my heart. This was supposed to be the fix—but it left behind more questions than answers. This episode dives into that strange in-between: the moment after the heart attack, when you’re alive, but everything feels… off. There’s sarcasm (still intact), paperwork I probably didn’t read, and the first time I hear the words “permanent heart damage.” Also: what it means when your wife asks for help while you’re still pretending you don’t need it. Not just about survival—but about the unraveling that follows.