Society & CultureEducationSelf-Improvement

Pivot Or Die

Pivot or Die is a podcast about the moments that change everything. Hosted by Seth Kaser, each episode features honest conversations with people who have faced major life pivots, hard seasons, failure, grief, addiction, burnout, relationship struggles, faith questions, career changes, and the process of rebuilding. Through real stories and vulnerable conversations, the show explores resilience, healing, personal growth, faith, purpose, marriage, mental health, creativity, and what it takes to keep moving forward when life does not go according to plan.

Play

Open in

14 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr 28 min
English

Episodes 14

Newest Oldest Longest

All14 Unplayed14 In progress0 Played0

#14
Monday · 1 hr 50 min
Matthew Holiday on American Idol Rejection and Finding His Voice
Matthew Holiday thought American Idol might be his big break. When the audition ended without a golden ticket, he had to decide what kind of musician he wanted to be. He talks with Seth about singing Sinatra, telling people he'd been turned down, and trying something simple that scared him more than it sounded: posting himself singing every day. They get into faith, TikTok, and the pressure to put out music fast once people are listening. Matthew closes with a live acoustic performance and a look at how the lyrics came together.
- Chapters
#13
November 2 · 1 hr 42 min
Hyatt Moore: Surfer Magazine, Wycliffe, & Becoming a Painter | Ep 013
At 26, Hyatt Moore was an art director at Surfer Magazine. He had reached his career goal decades earlier than expected, bought the Porsche and the sailboat, and built a life that looked successful. But he still wasn’t happy. Hyatt joins Seth Kaser to share how faith changed his direction—and how a two-year commitment to Wycliffe became 32 years of service, travel, creative work, and leadership. Then, while his career was going well, a painting in a Laguna Beach gallery window sparked an unexpected conviction: he was going to become a painter. The challenge was finding room for that new calling alongside work, family, self-doubt, and an uncertain future. From an hour after dinner to a protected painting day, Hyatt’s story explores what it means to develop a gift, surrender your definition of success, and take the next step without a guarantee. Explore Hyatt’s artwork: https://www.hyattmoore.com/ Find his books: https://hyattmoore.com/store/books
- Chapters
#12
October 26 · 1 hr 20 min
Comic Books, Battle Rap, and Finding Jesus - Rodrigo Barba | Ep 012
Rodrigo Barba talks about growing up amid instability and loss, finding identity in battle rap, and struggling with substance use. He shares how faith changed the way he understood his life and performs “Puzzle Piece,” a spoken word about Jesus putting the parts back together.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#11
September 22 · 1 hr 5 min
"I Was Screaming and Nobody Noticed" - Ally Anderson | Ep 011
Ally Anderson grew up surrounded by addiction, violence, neglect, and instability before she and her sisters were removed from their home and adopted by their grandparents. In this conversation, Ally shares her experiences with depression, sexual assault, suicide attempts, alcohol dependence, medical detox, AA, marriage, and church hurt. She also explains how studying Scripture changed the way she confronted destructive thoughts and helped her stop defining herself by what had happened to her. This is an honest conversation about sobriety, faith, personal responsibility, learning to trust again, and believing that your past does not get the final word. Content note: This episode discusses abuse, sexual assault, miscarriage, abortion, depression, suicide attempts and suicidal ideation, alcohol dependence, and church hurt.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#10
September 15 · 2 hr 16 min
How I Got Sober, Relapsed, and Found Jesus - Hunter Burson (Part 2) | Ep 010
In Part 2 of Hunter Burson’s story, Hunter explains what happened after the night he nearly took his life—and why getting sober was only the beginning. He and Seth talk about recovery, responsibility, relapse, prescription stimulant abuse, and the older man who told Hunter, “You need a bigger God.” That sentence sent Hunter into an investigation of competing religions, atheism, science, philosophy, and Christianity. The further he searched, the harder it became to avoid Jesus. This is a conversation about rebuilding a life through honesty, service, community, surrender, and faith. Content note: This episode discusses suicide, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, drug addiction, relapse, and prescription medication misuse.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#9
September 7 · 2 hr
War Stories Of An Alcoholic - Hunter Burson (Part 1) | Ep: 009
Hunter Burson grew up moving between military duty stations, struggling with pressure, belonging, anger, and questions he didn’t know how to express. After witnessing a school shooting at 13, he increasingly turned to drugs and alcohol for relief. What began as an escape gradually reorganized his entire life. Treatment didn’t stick. Consequences accumulated. Hunter lost relationships, freedom, and the first career he truly loved—but none of it was enough to make him stop. In Part 1, Hunter tells Seth Kaser about the night alcohol could no longer quiet his mind, the moment he reached the end of himself, and the unexpected prayer that became the beginning of his pivot. Content note: This episode discusses alcoholism, drug use, a school shooting, family conflict, suicidal thoughts, and an interrupted suicide attempt. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, call or text 988. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#8
August 24 · 1 hr 24 min
"My Story Should've Ended" - David Sparks | Ep 008
David Sparks joins host Seth Kaser for an honest conversation about family collapse, hidden shame, suicidal thoughts, forgiveness, miscarriage, marriage strain, workaholism, and learning to trust God when his own strength finally failed. David grew up in a stable Christian home, but after his father lost his job and battled Lyme disease, the foundation of his family began to crumble. Over time, David wrestled with pornography, hatred toward his father, the loss of financial security, homelessness-adjacent seasons, grief, and the pressure to prove he was worth something. This episode is about the slow work of God: meeting David in the dark, teaching him forgiveness, providing through community, and bringing him into a quieter life built on faith instead of self-rescue. Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation, pornography, family breakdown, miscarriage, marital strain, and grief.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#7
July 20 · 1 hr 21 min
From Fatherless to a Father of Five - Tim Felker | Ep 007
Tim Felker grew up without a father and spent much of his early life searching for identity, acceptance, and a sense of belonging. After the unexpected death of a friend, Tim entered a church for the first time and experienced a moment that changed the direction of his life. In the middle of the service, he sensed Jesus beside him and heard the words he had never received from an earthly father: “Son, I love you.” In this conversation with Seth Kaser, Tim shares his journey from fatherlessness to becoming a husband, pastor, and father of five, including three children adopted from foster care. He also opens up about the fear and inadequacy he experienced as a parent. When Tim asked God to teach him how to be a father, the answer was simple but life-changing: “First learn to be a son.” This episode explores father wounds, spiritual identity, surrender, adoption, community, parenting, and the freedom of discovering that we were never meant to carry life alone. Content note: This conversation includes discussion of fatherlessness, difficult childhood experiences, substance use, the death of a friend, family wounds, and abuse. Real stories. Hard pivots. Hope on the other side.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#6
July 13 · 1 hr 35 min
Our Son Was Born With Half a Brain: Hope After a Medical Diagnosis - Lauren Kaser (Part 2) | Ep 006
In Part 2 of their story, Seth and Lauren Kaser share the prenatal diagnosis that changed their family and gave Pivot Or Die its name. During what had been a joyful pregnancy, doctors discovered that their son Dougie was missing much of the left side of his brain and had serious concerns involving his heart. Seth and Lauren were left facing questions about his survival, development, and future—and a recommendation to terminate the pregnancy. They talk honestly about grief, doubt, prayer, medical trauma, and the night they had to decide what they believed when God did not provide the complete healing they had hoped for. Seth and Lauren also share Dougie’s emergency birth, NICU stay, porencephaly and COL4A1 diagnosis, infantile spasms, seizures, surgeries, and ongoing therapies. They explain how responsibilities that once felt impossible slowly became their family’s new normal. The episode concludes with the unexpected pregnancy and remarkable story of their daughter, Peace, as well as encouragement for parents who have received a complex medical diagnosis for their child. This is a conversation about grieving what you expected, receiving the life you have been given, and choosing hope when there are no easy answers. Content note: This episode includes discussion of prenatal medical diagnosis, pregnancy complications, termination/abortion, medical trauma, infant seizures, depression, and pregnancy-loss fears.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#5
June 30 · 1 hr 5 min
How to Grieve The Loss Of A Child - Jonathan Ferguson (Part 2) | Ep 005
In Part 2 of Jonathan Ferguson’s story, Seth Kaser continues the conversation with Jonathan about the loss of his adopted son, Silas, while serving as a missionary in Kenya. Jonathan shares what happened after Silas passed away: telling their young sons, being surrounded by their Kenyan church community, returning to the States, wrestling with anger, and learning how to grieve without easy answers. He also talks about what actually helps when someone is grieving, why presence matters more than explanations, and how therapy, faith, and community helped him keep going. This is a deeply honest conversation about child loss, adoption, grief, faith, and finding hope when life does not make sense. Sponsors / Partners Mentioned: Global Creation Foundation: globalcreationfoundation.org Jessica Chapman Art: jessicachapmanart.com Books / Resources Mentioned: Dying Well by Ira Byock - https://amzn.to/4oSlgro The Bible by Various Authors - https://amzn.to/4v1YsHe (suggested after the podcast) Experiencing Grief By H Norman Wright - https://amzn.to/4ge6sBo This is Pivot or Die: real stories, hard pivots, and hope on the other side. Subscribe for more honest conversations about life’s hardest pivots.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#4
June 22 · 1 hr 5 min
We Lost Our Son on the Mission Field (Part 1) - Jonathan Ferguson | Ep 004
In this episode of Pivot or Die, Seth Kaser talks with Jonathan Ferguson about faith, young marriage, missions, adoption, loss, and the painful pivots that shape a life. Jonathan shares about growing up as a peacemaker, getting married young, studying biology, feeling called to missions, and moving his family to Kenya. While serving there, Jonathan and his wife taught and equipped pastors, helped lead a church, raised their children overseas, and began the adoption process for a young boy named Silas. Silas had hydrocephalus and needed serious medical care. After he was placed with their family, foreign adoptions in Kenya were suddenly frozen. If they had waited one more week, he would not have been placed with them. This is Part 1 of Jonathan’s story. It leads into one of the most devastating pivots a family can face: losing a child and learning how to keep going after grief. Jonathan’s story is full of faith, honesty, pain, obedience, and the reminder that sometimes getting knocked down is part of the story, but staying down is not the end.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#3
June 15 · 1 hr 14 min
Unexpected Pregnancy, Young Fatherhood, and Finding Your Identity - David Orgill | Ep 003
In this episode of Pivot or Die, Seth Kaser talks with his friend David Orgill about unexpected fatherhood, young marriage, identity, creativity, faith, and learning to be present when life feels overwhelming. Here are the books talked about in this podcast: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: https://amzn.to/4vaEKKe Fathered by God by John Eldredge: https://amzn.to/4vtWHnv Check out David's film work here: https://storybyimage.com/ Or on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/storybyimage/ David shares how becoming a dad at 19 completely changed the direction of his life. What first felt scary, overwhelming, and unexpected became the pivot that helped him grow up, take responsibility, and begin discovering who he really was. This conversation moves through David’s story of growing up homeschooled, falling in love with his wife Katie, discovering filmmaking, working to provide for his young family, feeling disconnected from himself, rediscovering creativity, learning true rest, and wrestling with the deep truth that God’s love is not something we earn through performance. For anyone who feels like they are wandering, checking out, overwhelmed, or trying to prove their worth, David’s story is a reminder that you are already loved.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#2
June 8 · 1 hr 19 min
Trusting God Through Occupational Uncertainty - Matt Heisler | Ep 002
Seth Kaser talks with Matt Heisler about creativity, vocation, faith, fatherhood, and learning to trust God when the next step is unclear. Matt shares his story of growing up in Southern California, discovering film and storytelling, working at Apple, joining the anti-human trafficking organization A21, landing a dream job at RED cameras, traveling through Europe with his wife Shelby, becoming a father, walking through miscarriage, and navigating a new season of career uncertainty. This conversation explores the tension between ambition and family, the power of community, the role of journaling and creativity, and the peace that can come from looking back and seeing how God has been connecting the dots all along. For anyone in a season of transition, job loss, uncertainty, or waiting, Matt’s advice is simple but powerful: be patient, stay connected to your community, and trust that this season will not last forever.
- Transcript
- Chapters
#1
May 30 · 1 hr 10 min
How We Overcame Addiction and Depression in Our Marriage - Lauren Kaser | Ep 001
Seth Kaser sits down with his wife, Lauren Kaser, to talk honestly about getting married young, walking through depression, facing porn addiction in marriage, and learning how to rebuild trust, hope, and connection one step at a time.
- Transcript
- Chapters

Showing 1–14 of 14 episodes