Life Uncut

Loved By Strangers But Cut Off From Her Dad. Why ‘The Girl Who Fell From the Sky' Turned Away From Public Life. Uncut with Em Carey

·57 min·5 clips
A man told Em he never wanted to see her again specifically because she has a disability, despite everything else being perfect.
The episode begins with hosts Brittany and Tisha introducing repeat guest Em Carey, known for surviving a skydiving accident in 2013. Em shares an embarrassing story about a bed-soiling incident at a hostel in South America, highlighting the daily realities of her incontinence from spinal cord injuries. She discusses her new boyfriend Matt, whom she met on Hinge, and how they've been together for over a year. Em recounts a dating experience where a man ended things specifically because of her disability, which shocked her and made her protective of others with disabilities. The conversation shifts to Em's father cutting off contact with her and her sisters on Father's Day three years ago, just after her book release, leaving her confused and doubting her self-worth. Em explains how this estrangement led to a loss of confidence and a hiatus from social media. She talks about training for the New York Marathon as a way to reclaim her drive and set a big goal, despite not being able to run due to her paralysis. Em is walking the marathon to raise $100,000 for the Perry Cross Foundation, which funds spinal cord injury research. The hosts and Em explore themes of dating with a disability, parental estrangement, and shifting life goals. Em reflects on her identity in her 30s, feeling pressure to live meaningfully after her accident but learning to let go of strict self-imposed rules. The episode ends with Em discussing her newfound darker humor and self-acceptance.

As heard by us

Em Carey’s survival story opens into a careful, unresolved conversation about family estrangement.

Em Carey's return to Life Uncut shifts a story often framed around survival into something quieter and harder to neatly resolve. After surviving a 2013 skydiving accident in Switzerland, Carey talks about learning that her father no longer wanted contact with her or her sisters,…

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Why you'd press play

You want Em Carey beside you as she weighs strangers' warmth against the silence from a father who suddenly cut contact.

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