near death – Surprised By Joy

“Sometimes it takes an overwhelming breakdown to have an undeniable breakthrough.” – unknown

I think there are a few existential experiences that are so rare that we almost have an obligation to share them. Like if we’ve:

Held hands with an octopus
Skiied from the top of the world
Had a near-death experience and met Jesus

There are movies made about the first two (My Octopus Teacher (2020) and Everest North (not yet released) by Jimmy Chin). And for the third, I was exceptionally lucky to have recently had a conversation with Liza Anderson about her near-death experience on the Life of Try podcast.

Liza Anderson shares the extraordinary true story behind her book The Crossing: My Near Death Experience with Jesus. After a sudden medical emergency left her in an induced coma for weeks, she experienced what she describes as a choice between life and death—and an encounter with Jesus that transformed her understanding of suffering, healing, and purpose.

Liza tells us what happens when life strips everything away—your plans, your certainty, even your sense of who you are—and asks you to choose. We talk about near-death experiences, faith, trauma recovery, critical illness, prayer, and how to stay grounded when everything around you is swirling.

Takeaways:

You don’t have to control the outcome to choose the next step.
Some of life’s deepest lessons come through suffering, but they can reshape how we live every ordinary day.
Trying can mean returning to life one small moment at a time.
Being fully present matters more than predicting or controlling what comes next.
Sometimes courage looks less like certainty and more like choosing life again and again.
The adventure of life may be less about outcomes and more about how we show up to the moment we’re in.

Here are some other ways you can listen and watch Liza’s amazing journey:

The podcast player embedded below
Click this link to watch in a browser: Near Death, Deep Faith, New Life | Liza Anderson’s Extraordinary Story
Subscribe to The Life of Try on Spotify, Amazon Music, or Apple Podcasts
Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thelifeoftry

Near Death, Deep Faith, New Life | Liza Anderson’s Extraordinary Story – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

In this episode of The Life of Try, Wynne Leon talks with Liza Anderson, author of The Crossing: My Near Death Experience with Jesus, about surviving a sudden medical crisis, spendingweeks in an induced coma, and returning with a deeper sense of faith, presence, and purpose. Liza shares her near-death experience, her encounter with Jesus, and what recovery taught her about resilience, prayer, and living in the present moment.In this episode, you'll learn: → You don’t have to control the outcome to choose the next step. → Some of life’s deepest lessons come through suffering, but they can reshape how we live every ordinary day. → Recovery is not only physical—it’s emotional, spiritual, and relational too. → Trying can mean returning to life one small moment at a time. → Being fully present may matter more than predicting or controlling what comes next. → Sometimes courage looks less like certainty and more like choosing life again and again. → The adventure of life may be less about outcomes and more about how we show up to the moment we’re in.If you’ve ever wondered how to stay grounded when everything around you is swirling, this conversation will stay with you.🔔 Subscribe for more:Subscribe to The Life of Try for more conversations on:personal growth, creativity, reinvention, resilience, writing, and mindset.📌 Subscribe & Stay Updated!ABOUT MEHi, I’m Wynne Leon — host of The Life of Try, a personal growth and self-improvement podcast exploring resilience, reinvention, uncertainty, and the courage to keep trying.Through thoughtful interviews, reflective conversations, and real-life stories, I share insights to help you navigate change, get unstuck, and move forward with more intention.🌍 Website: https://wynneleon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎥 Watch Next➡️ Letting Go Of Outcomes: The Mindset That Keeps You Moving➡️ How to Overcome Burnout and Build an Upward Spiral of Growth, Fun, Resilience and Renewal➡️ 47-From Stuck to Momentum: Thomas Edison's Method for ProgressLinks for this Episode:The Crossing: My Near-Death Journey with Jesus on Amazon