Bitter Herbs

🚨 If You’re Struggling
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please don’t wait. Help is available.

In the U.S., dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Visit 988lifeline.org for more resources.

You are not alone.

🎙 Episode Title: Bitter Herbs

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
The season theme Hungry explores the cravings that shape our lives not just for food, but for healing, hope, and meaning. “Bitter herbs” remind us of the hard and painful parts of life that we must sometimes taste in order to fully appreciate sweetness and renewal.

👣 Guest Introduction:
This week, we step into the shoes of Zach Tidwell a Marine Corps veteran whose journey is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. On his second deployment, Zach received devastating news: his wife was having an affair. The marriage ended in 2018, and just months later, he was in a motorcycle accident that left him with a severe traumatic brain injury. As he battled impulsivity, agitation, and alcohol abuse, he was honorably discharged and tried to start fresh in Colorado, pursuing a nursing degree. On the outside, life looked steady. Inside, he was spiraling.

By spring of 2019, Zach reached his breaking point. On March 31st, he attempted to take his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face. Against all odds, he survived but awoke to a new reality: completely blind and deaf in one ear.

What could have been the end of Zach’s story became the beginning of something remarkable. He relearned how to eat, brush his teeth, and walk. Within eight months, he was back on a snowboard in the Rocky Mountains. Soon after, he returned to college, where he began to pursue accessibility solutions after facing new challenges as a blind student.

Today, Zach is not just a survivor he’s a force. He skis, rock climbs, whitewater kayaks, skydives, and even competes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His story of resilience, innovation, and perseverance offers hope for anyone tasting the bitter herbs of life, especially during Suicide Prevention Week.

💡 Episode Highlights:

The painful unraveling that began with betrayal and a traumatic brain injury.

The moment Zach attempted to end his life and why survival changed everything.

His courageous journey of learning to live blind, and choosing to thrive.

Why his message matters so deeply in the conversation around suicide prevention.

🔗 Connect with Zach Tidwell:
Website: zachtidwell.net
X (Twitter): @ZachCTidwell

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode moved you, challenged you, or gave you something to think about don’t keep it to yourself! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know how stepping into Zach’s shoes impacted you.