Holly Porter: Near-Death Experience, Long COVID & Mental Health Recovery
Sh!t That Goes On In Our HeadsOctober 29, 2026
10
00:45:5842.1 MB

Holly Porter: Near-Death Experience, Long COVID & Mental Health Recovery

After surviving a near-death experience and 70 days hospitalized with COVID-19, Holly Porter joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to share the emotional toll of long COVID, medical trauma, and her journey toward mental health recovery. Discover how Holly transformed two years of emotional darkness into a powerful story of resilience, self-compassion, healing, and finding purpose after trauma.

Holly Porter survived 70 days in the hospital battling COVID-19, but surviving was only the beginning of her emotional and mental health journey. In this powerful conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Holly to explore her near-death experience, the devastating mental health impact of long COVID, and how she found purpose, peace, and hope after two of the darkest years of her life.

Awards & Downloads

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave us written or voice feedback here: https://castfeedback.com/67521f0bde0b101c7b10442a

Mental Health Quote

“Love them where they're at.” — Holly Porter

Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

Content Notice: This episode includes conversations about near-death experiences, serious illness, medical trauma, chronic pain, profound emotional distress, family loss, and wishing for death during difficult periods of recovery. Please listen with care and take breaks if needed.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 or visit:
https://988lifeline.org/

For crisis resources outside the United States:
https://findahelpline.com/

Episode Description

What happens when you survive something that nearly kills you, only to discover that staying alive is an entirely different battle? For Holly Porter, surviving COVID-19 meant 70 days in the hospital, two intubations, a tracheotomy, sepsis, and a near-death experience that changed everything she believed about life, purpose, and healing.

In this deeply personal episode of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, Holly joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to share the mental health struggles that followed her hospitalization. Long COVID, chronic pain, hair loss, and losing her singing voice were devastating enough. But the emotional aftermath brought nearly two years of darkness, broken relationships, overwhelming grief, and moments when Holly questioned why she had survived at all.

Holly opens up about her spiritual experiences, the questions she faced about her legacy, and how finding meaning in her suffering became part of rebuilding her life. She also shares the heartbreaking family challenges that tested her resilience and the lessons she learned about surrender, forgiveness, judgment, and loving people exactly where they are.

Through her personal development framework, SHIFT—Surrender, Hope, Intuition, Faith, and Transformation—Holly offers a perspective on navigating adversity without pretending healing happens overnight.

This conversation isn't about magically fixing everything. It's about surviving the messy middle, recognizing that emotional recovery takes time, and finding one small way to move forward.

If you're navigating long COVID, medical trauma, grief, or the emotional weight of starting over, Holly's story reminds us that progress doesn't have to be dramatic to matter. Sometimes, better is simply better.

Keywords: Holly Porter, near-death experience, long COVID mental health, mental health recovery, COVID-19 survivor story, medical trauma recovery, emotional healing, chronic illness and mental health, resilience after trauma, finding purpose after illness, mental health struggles, spiritual transformation, surrender and healing, grief and recovery, mental health podcast

Meet Our Guest — Holly Porter

Holly Porter is an international speaker, bestselling author of 18 books, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of the International Retreat Association. With more than 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, she also hosts the All Things Retreat podcast and wrote The Near Death SHIFT, a deeply personal exploration of what her near-death experience taught her about life, business, and purpose. Following her 70-day battle with COVID-19 and the emotional challenges that followed, Holly has dedicated herself to helping others transform adversity into purpose, meaningful connection, and positive change.

Connect with Holly Porter:

Key Takeaways

  • Survival and recovery aren't the same thing. Holly's 70-day hospitalization was only the beginning. Long COVID, chronic pain, and profound emotional struggles demonstrated how complicated life after a medical crisis can become.
  • Mental health struggles can follow physical trauma. Losing her hair, singing voice, independence, and sense of normalcy affected Holly's emotional well-being in ways she never anticipated.
  • Purpose can help you move forward through uncertainty. Holly found motivation in the commitments and projects she believed she needed to fulfill, even when the rest of her life felt overwhelming.
  • Surrender doesn't have to mean giving up. Through her SHIFT framework, Holly explains how accepting uncertainty and letting go of the need to control everything reshaped her perspective.
  • Compassion matters more than judgment. One of Holly's most meaningful lessons is to love people where they are, even when their choices, beliefs, or experiences differ from yours.
  • Progress doesn't require perfection. Holly's personal reminder, "Better's better," encourages you to focus on small improvements instead of expecting immediate transformation.

Actionable Items

  • Ask yourself what you need right now. When life feels overwhelming, borrow Holly's reflective question: "What do I need to learn out of this experience?" Consider what support, information, or change might make today a little more manageable.
  • Practice loving people where they are. When someone triggers frustration or judgment, pause before reacting. Approach the situation with compassion while still respecting your own boundaries.
  • Make "better's better" your daily reminder. Identify one small thing you can do today to support your mental or emotional well-being. It might be reaching out to someone, taking a break, or acknowledging progress you've already made.

Important Chapters

  • 00:02:27 — Holly Introduces Her Near-Death Experience
  • 00:03:22 — 70 Days in the Hospital: COVID-19, Sepsis, and Survival
  • 00:04:09 — Understanding Near-Death Experiences and Spiritual Transformation
  • 00:06:32 — Facing Mortality, Self-Worth, and Questions About Legacy
  • 00:09:19 — Being Present Versus Simply Being There
  • 00:10:38 — The Meaning of 11:11 and Holly's New Purpose
  • 00:15:42 — Two Years of Emotional Darkness After Surviving
  • 00:19:09 — Rebuilding Purpose Through Entrepreneurship and Service
  • 00:22:41 — Long COVID, Chronic Pain, and the Mental Health Toll
  • 00:25:55 — What Holly Learned About Moving Through Difficult Times
  • 00:28:48 — Life Review, Forgiveness, and Loving People Where They Are
  • 00:31:09 — The SHIFT Framework: Surrender, Hope, Intuition, Faith, and Transformation
  • 00:32:32 — Online Judgment, Harsh Comments, and Emotional Boundaries
  • 00:38:46 — Family Heartbreak and One of Holly's Hardest Lessons
  • 00:41:19 — Better's Better: Finding Strength in Small Steps
  • 00:42:29 — Why Peace Became Holly's Favorite Word
  • 00:43:20 — Where to Find Holly and Her Closing Message

Closing CTA

Subscribe, Rate, and Review!

Subscribe for more inspiring stories. Rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our Website:
https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews

#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #HollyPorter #NearDeathExperience #LongCOVID #MentalHealthRecovery #MedicalTrauma #ChronicIllnessSupport #EmotionalHealing #ResilienceAfterTrauma #FindingPurpose #GriefAndHealing #SelfCompassion #SurrenderAndHealing #COVIDSurvivor #MentalHealthJourney #HealingAfterTrauma

***************************************************************************

If You Need Support, Reach Out

If you or someone you know is facing mental health challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a crisis hotline in your area. Remember, it’s OK not to be OK—talking to someone can make all the difference.

Stay Connected with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles

Audio Editing by NJz Audio


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Powered by Beamly