Erin Mashaw Almost DIED Giving BIRTH to TWINS

Are you living under the lie that you can do it all?That you can crush it at work, be amazing at home, and somehow never fall short?

So many of us operate in survival mode. We go from one thing to the next, running like robots on a track we don't even control. We drive, push, and hurry—shoving our discomfort down because we feel like we don't have time for it. But the more we try to ignore it, the bigger it gets.

I recently sat down on the Share Life podcast with Erin Mashaw—speaker, author, and COO of Birds on a Wire. Erin’s story will completely break your perspective on control, fear, and what it really means to slow down and trust God through the messy chapters.

We dive deep into some wild, unbelievable moments from her life, including:

• The Drug Rep Balloon: How losing the full volume of her blood after delivering twins led to a doctor reading instructions in the OR for an unused device left behind by a drug rep—and how it saved her life.
• "Death Is Coming": What waking up to D.I.C. (a condition nicknamed "Death Is Coming") taught her about experiencing radical peace when her organs were hours from shutting down.
• The Brain Surgery Goal Trap: Why setting a goal "not to cry" before brain surgery set her up to feel like a failure, and how she learned that you can actually hold fear and trust at the same time.

Click here to watch the full inspirational people interview on the Share Life podcast.

P.S. If you are sitting in the pit right now feeling overwhelmed, remember what Erin shared with me: the end of your story isn't written yet. Take a breath and give yourself some grace today.

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• Watch: Click here to watch this discussion on YouTube directly, or click play on the embedded video below to begin streaming the interview. Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
• Listen: Click here to listen on Spotify directly, or click play below to immediately begin streaming. You can also find this discussion on Pocket Casts, iTunes, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts under the name Share Life: Systems and Stories to Live Better & Work Smarter or Jason Scott Montoya.

Connect With Erin Mashaw

• Connect with Erin | Website - Instagram - Facebook - LinkedIn
• Erin's Books | A Student's Guide to Sexual Integrity - Awkward Conversations
• Birds on a Wire | Website - YouTube - Facebook - Instagram - Linkedin
• Wire Talk (Podcast) | Spotify

Referenced Books

• Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve Cuss
• Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children by Jodie Berndt

FAQ

Podcast Episode Transcript

[00:00] — Teaser Clip

Erin Mashaw:
The doctor steps out of the OR to go find Reese. She basically tells him that they have plasma and platelets coming from another hospital because they’ve used up everything this hospital has, and that it will be there in 45 minutes by helicopter, but that I wouldn't make it 45 minutes. She just said to Reese, "It's in God's hands now. There's nothing more that we can do."

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[00:21] — Welcome & Introduction

Jason Scott Montoya:
Welcome to an Inspirational People interview on the Share Life Podcast. I'm Jason Scott Montoya, and today I'm talking with Erin Mashaw. Erin, say hello!

Erin Mashaw:
Hi!

Jason Scott Montoya:
Good to have you. Erin is a speaker, author, and the COO of Birds on a Wire, with over two decades of experience equipping families to navigate the worlds of faith, parenting, and marriage. She co-authored A Student's Guide to Sexual Integrity alongside Jim Burns, and she's working on a second book with him that will be coming out in the near future. She has partnered with organizations like North Point Ministries and HomeWord, and is a mom of four raising teens and young adults with her husband of 24 years as of Monday.

I met her husband and her son on my recent trip to El Salvador. We had a great time together, and that's how we connected. Erin's passion is helping us slow down, find hope and humor in the messy chapters, and invite God into the everyday moments that shape our homes. So, Erin, welcome! Tell us about you and your story.

Erin Mashaw:
Thank you! Thanks, Jason, for having me on. I really appreciate it. Like I said, Reese had such a great time on that trip with you guys and the team, and it was just a great connection to make.

Reese and I have been married for 24 years, and like I'm sure it is for most people, it's been a little bit of a wild ride at times. Life never looks exactly like you planned for it to, but I'm so grateful that—even though I didn't know it at the time when choosing a spouse—I underestimated how valuable humor was going to be. In hindsight, I'm so glad that he's funny and that we can laugh together, because there are so many things you experience where you're like, "I did not have that on my bingo card. I was not expecting that."

For us, one of those things was having twins. We have no twins on either side of our family as far back as we know. We had two kids and were asking ourselves if we should have a third.

Jason Scott Montoya:
What year did the twins come?

Erin Mashaw:
They were born in 2012. We found out I was pregnant, and then I went in for a routine appointment. They said, "Hey, so it looks like there are two in there!" I was shocked. It was definitely the shock of a lifetime.

Jason Scott Montoya:
Raising twins is hard work, from what I hear. I mean, I have five kids, but two at once would be rough.

Erin Mashaw:
It's crazy. I'm most amazed by people who have twins first and then keep going! For us, I had always wondered how you know when you're done having kids. Having twins is how you know! We were like, "We're good."

Jason Scott Montoya:
You have twins, and then you know!

Erin Mashaw:
Yeah. I felt like that first year somebody was always crying—and a lot of times it was me. It's just a lot.

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[03:12] — Medical Crisis: Postpartum Hemorrhage

Erin Mashaw:
When we had the boys, we were bracing ourselves. I feel like the hardest seasons of our marriage were definitely the years we had a baby because there are so many tasks and so much to do. They're so needy, understandably, and you can't blame the baby, so everything just feels much harder.

We knew after having two kids that this was going to be hard, especially with two coming at once. So we braced for it. We did a marriage study in our small group leading up to it to try to strengthen our foundation. We had friends with twins, so we were prepared that the boys might need NICU time, or I might end up on bed rest during the last part of the pregnancy, or that medically it could be challenging specifically for them.

However, we had the boys, and everything went smoothly at first. I was 37 or 38 weeks when I had them, and they were 6 lbs 13 oz and 5 lbs 4 oz. Everything was great—until a couple of hours after they were born. I just felt terrible. I felt so weak and wasn't myself. So we talked to the nurse, who reached out to the doctor.

Jason Scott Montoya:
Were you at the hospital at this time?

Erin Mashaw:
Yes, we were still at the hospital. The doctor came in and was checking on things. They kept coming back in, saying, "I think something's not right." They gave me some medicine while trying to figure out what was going on, but the medicine made me so loopy.

At one point, they said they needed to take me back to the OR to see what was happening because they couldn't stop the bleeding.

Jason Scott Montoya:
How were you feeling in that moment? Were you aware, or was the medicine keeping you from feeling it?

Erin Mashaw:
I just felt weird—in and out. I wasn't fully unconscious, but I'd wake up, feel like something was happening, and then fade out again.

At one point, they asked if Reese could sign permission for me to have surgery. I said, "No." They asked, "Why not?" and I said, "I don't want the surgery!" They told me I had to have it. I think I tried to sign my name in the air at one point. I was definitely not fully present.

They took me back into the OR thinking they could resolve it easily. Once in there, they discovered I was hemorrhaging. I was losing blood faster than they could replace it. They were giving me plasma, platelets, and blood, but I had lost the full volume of my blood.

That was when the doctor stepped out of the OR to find Reese. She told him that plasma and platelets were coming from another hospital by helicopter in 45 minutes because they had used everything this hospital had—but that I wouldn't make it 45 minutes. She told Reese, "It's in God's hands now. There's nothing more that we can do."

Naturally, this was shocking news. Reese prayed and reached out to our pastor and parents to let them know. People just started praying. He shared a request on Facebook that traveled much farther than we imagined, and literally thousands of people were praying.

The doctor went back into the OR and remembered a medical journal article she had read about a Bakri balloon—a procedure that can stop bleeding in postpartum mothers. They had never used one before, and the hospital happened to have one left by a drug rep that no one had ever used. They found it, read the instructions right there in the OR, and put the balloon in. It stopped the bleeding. It was truly miraculous. We feel like God did an amazing thing through the capable hands of our medical team.

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[08:00] — Awakening in the ICU & "DIC"

Erin Mashaw:
They stopped the bleeding, and the doctor went out to tell Reese. I woke up completely unaware of everything that had happened because I was unconscious for all of it. When I woke up, Reese told me that the hospital waiting room was filled with people from our church praying, and that my parents and siblings were on their way from Georgia, New York, and Alabama.

I was like, "What happened? What's going on?"

Jason Scott Montoya:
"There's a party going on—what's this about?"

Erin Mashaw:
Exactly! It was crazy. I was in the ICU, so I couldn't be with the babies at that point. Reese came to stay in my room. I looked at my phone and saw all the social media posts and shares—it was so humbling.

The next morning, the ICU doctor came in and started talking about placing a central line and doing all these procedures. I said, "No, no, no. I don't know if you've read my chart, but I'm a medical miracle! I'm fine."

Jason Scott Montoya:
(Laughter)

Erin Mashaw:
He looked at me and said, "Hey, I know that you look good and feel good, but you are not good."

Through the night, I had developed a condition called DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation), which medical workers sometimes nickname "Death Is Coming" because when patients get DIC, your body has used up all its clotting agents. Most people die from it because the medical team doesn't catch it until it's too late.

Thankfully, I had a doctor who stayed up all night running tests because she felt something wasn't right, so she caught it. They told us, "We've given you all that we can. Your body will either kick in and start making what it needs to make, or in a few hours, your organs are going to start shutting down and you're going to die."

While the whole experience through the night was a horrible ordeal for Reese to walk through while I was unconscious, waking up to the news that I might die in a matter of hours was massive.

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[09:50] — Parallels with Personal Tragedy & Surrendering Outcomes

Erin Mashaw:
It hit especially hard because I lost my mom when I was three years old. My dad was a pastor, and when I was three, my mom was 32. She left behind a nine-year-old sister, a six-year-old brother, me, and a younger brother.

There were so many parallels. Here I was, 32 years old, having just had our third and fourth babies, with a husband in ministry. It felt like such a parallel to losing my mom as a child.

In reflecting on that, I realized that I survived losing my mom. Of course, I didn't want to leave my kids—I wanted to parent them, see them grow up, and continue my life. But in that moment, God gave both of us clarity: of course I wanted to be here to parent my kids, but at the end of the day, what my kids needed most wasn't me—it was Jesus.

I had seen God work in our family's life, provide for us, and be present through all kinds of hard things. I had a clarity and peace in that moment that I don't know if I even have today. I think God gives us what we need when we need it. We prayed, talked about it, and said, "Okay, we're going to trust God with this outcome. There's nothing we can do anyway."

Within a few hours, they ran blood work and came back saying, "Hey, your body is kicking in and doing what it's supposed to do."

We had the boys on Wednesday, Thursday was the DIC crisis, and then they transferred me to a bigger hospital to remove the balloon. Once the balloon came out, everything was remarkably anticlimactic. I was able to go home by Saturday!

It's crazy to think that on Thursday it was, "You might die," and by Saturday it was, "Go home and parent those children!"

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[12:14] — Contentment in the Storm

Erin Mashaw:
It reminds me of what the Apostle Paul talks about in Philippians 4:11–13. He says, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry..." and goes on to say, "I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength."

We sometimes use that verse for sports or achievements—like winning a game or making a team—but Paul was writing from prison. He had been stoned, attacked, and persecuted, yet he wrote that he was content because he learned the secret.

That secret is that God is with us in our most devastating moments. In the moments when we don't know what's going to happen or when we could be wrapped up in fear, God leans in in a way that is so unique and powerful. Even on the scariest day, we had peace. We were confident that we could trust God with the outcome, even if it meant I didn't survive, because no matter what happened, God is trustworthy.

Jason Scott Montoya:
How did your mom pass away? Was it related?

Erin Mashaw:
No, she had cancer—a tumor at the base of her esophagus. She started experiencing symptoms when she was pregnant with my younger brother, but she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize the pregnancy. After he was born, they did surgery and discovered it had spread. She passed away about five months after her diagnosis.

Jason Scott Montoya:
Wow. While going through your own experience, were the emotions hitting you in the moment, or did they come later?

Erin Mashaw:
A lot of them didn't come until later. In the moment, you're just focused on the next decision. We felt an awareness that people were watching and walking through the story with us, and we felt like, "Either our faith is real, or it isn't. This is the moment where we either truly trust God with our lives or it's been a sham all along."

When we got home from the hospital, we got into bed that night and just held each other and cried. It had been such a whirlwind, but there was a lot of emotion on the other side of it.

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[15:25] — God's Presence vs. Removing Suffering

Jason Scott Montoya:
Talk to us more about that idea—God being with us in tragedy as opposed to stopping the tragedy altogether. When Jesus was arrested and crucified, God didn't stop it from happening. Jesus even told Peter, "Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail." Jesus didn't pray to remove the trial; He prayed for Peter to sustain it. How do you view that dynamic?

Erin Mashaw:
It's so much easier in hindsight. Looking back at losing my mom, my dad remarried, and they had my half-sister, whom I love. God taught us so much. I grew up with a loving mother figure even after losing my mom.

With the situation with the boys, my relationship with God is so much stronger after experiencing His nearness in that moment. God uses our hardships to draw us to Him or to show the world His strength.

Someone once said that the testimony of a Christian living an easy life is easy to miss, but the testimony of a Jesus follower when everything is falling apart is immensely powerful.

God is looking at a bigger picture than we are. We are in a tiny slice of time, and it's easy to feel like, "Why would You allow this? Why wouldn't You fix this?" But on the back end, we can often look back and see how God worked through it.

The doctors we had when the boys were born didn't seem to have a strong faith component in their lives at the time. They shared with us later that walking through that process with us was a game-changer for them. We've heard many stories of people who followed our story and felt God used it to grow their faith. We see a tiny piece of the puzzle, but God is looking at the big picture of how He is redeeming the world.

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[18:21] — What to Say to Someone in the Pit

Jason Scott Montoya:
What would you tell someone who is right in the middle of a terrible situation where it doesn't feel like what you're talking about?

Erin Mashaw:
I would tell them that the end of the story isn't written yet. People going through hard times need to feel seen. Sometimes we need to sit with them in the pit rather than trying to tie a neat bow on it or saying, "It's going to be okay." We need to sit with them in the pain and say, "This is really terrible. I am so sorry this is happening."

We also have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus by showing up in tangible ways that remind people they are loved and seen. The current chapter isn't the end of the story.

Jason Scott Montoya:
Talk to us about letting go of the outcome. True faith isn't based on getting the outcome we want, but trusting God regardless of what happens.

Erin Mashaw:
Steve Cuss wrote a great book called Managing Leadership Anxiety. He started his career as a hospital chaplain, which brought him into all kinds of intense situations. He talks about understanding differentiation—knowing what is mine to carry, what is someone else's to carry, and what is God's to carry.

With parenting my kids, for example, I have a responsibility to invest in them. I am responsible for my input, but I am not responsible for the ultimate outcome because I can't control it—that is God's to carry. I also can't carry other people's feelings about what I do. What's mine to carry are my own decisions and actions. We have to trust the rest to God.

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[22:38] — The Aftermath & The "Balloon Release" Tradition

Jason Scott Montoya:
What was the aftermath of this event? How did things unfold once you got home?

Erin Mashaw:
Once DIC is resolved, it's resolved—I didn't have long-term blood issues from it. Going home with four kids aged five and under was an exhausting season, but it was marked by immense gratitude that we were both there to do it together.

It became a dear part of our family story. Every year on the boys' birthday, we release a balloon to pray together and remember what God did and how He showed up for our family.

Jason Scott Montoya:
How did going through that crucible change you as a person?

Erin Mashaw:
It showed me how important community is. We've been in small groups through our church our whole married life. Experiencing the way people showed up for us—helping with medical bills, bringing meals, giving anonymous financial gifts—changed how I love and serve others. It made me realize how powerful it is to feel seen, and it motivated me to show up for others in their times of need.

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[25:38] — Learning to Slow Down

Jason Scott Montoya:
You have a passion for helping people slow down. Did this experience play a role in that?

Erin Mashaw:
Yes. On the Enneagram, I'm a 3 [The Achiever].

Jason Scott Montoya:
I'm a 2 with a 3 wing! We're mirrors—I'm a 3 with a 2 wing.

Erin Mashaw:
I love anticipating things, planning, and looking forward, which means I can struggle to stay in the present. With both amazing and painful experiences, it's easy for me to breeze past them to get to the next thing.

This experience taught me that I need to slow down and be present. I lost my dad in 2021, which was a huge, unexpected loss. I don't like sitting in discomfort, so when emotions would bubble up at work, I used to try to shove them down and keep moving. But the more you shove emotions down, the bigger they get.

I found that if I closed my office door and let myself sit in the grief for a minute, it would pass. The driving, pushing version of me misses out on freedom. When we slow down and pause, God can meet us in those moments.

Jason Scott Montoya:
There's a strong cultural push in America toward high performance and speed. Embracing rest and Sabbath is wonderful if you allow yourself to do it.

Erin Mashaw:
It's hard to shift your perspective if you don't slow down to look around. When you pause, you can ask, "Where is God in this situation?"

Jason Scott Montoya:
When we're in survival mode, we operate like robots just reacting to things. Stopping allows us to evaluate whether we're on the right track.

Erin Mashaw:
Exactly. In parenting and work, you can get so caught up in the weeds that you forget your overall trajectory and where you want to arrive in 10 years.

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[29:32] — Transition to Ministry & Birds on a Wire

Jason Scott Montoya:
You transitioned from that season into helping moms and families. How did that unfold?

Erin Mashaw:
When we had the twins, I was a children's ministry director at a church in Florida, where we lived for 13 years. In 2018, we moved to the Atlanta area to be closer to family as our fathers were experiencing health issues.

My heartbeat has always been partnering with parents. Parents have far more hours of influence with their kids than the church does. I eventually stepped into a role at North Point Community Church focused on parent strategy and engagement.

In 2025, I came on staff as the COO at Birds on a Wire Moms, a non-profit ministry equipping and encouraging moms to grow in faith and parent with confidence. We host a weekly podcast called Wire Talk, create Bible studies, devotionals, and hold events and conferences to support moms in every stage of mothering.

Jason Scott Montoya:
As COO, what does your role look like?

Erin Mashaw:
My role is keeping the ball moving! I lead our amazing staff and contractors, write curriculum, plan events, and handle budgeting and fundraising.

Jason Scott Montoya:
What does "working smarter" mean to you?

Erin Mashaw:
Working smarter means recognizing your highest and best use, and finding people who are great at the things you aren't. It's about equipping and trusting others to do what God made them to do. It makes us much stronger as a team.

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[34:20] — Public Speaking & Mentorship

Jason Scott Montoya:
People say public speaking is feared more than death, yet you step onto stage regularly. How do you approach it?

Erin Mashaw:
My husband Reese loves the preparation phase of speaking, but I hate the prep work! However, I have a history of winging things, which proved to me that I do need to prepare. Once I've prepared, I enjoy the experience of sharing ideas, taking complex concepts, and presenting them in fresh ways to help people.

Jason Scott Montoya:
Talk to us about the importance of mentoring.

Erin Mashaw:
I was the recipient of great mentoring throughout my life—from college roommates to older moms when my kids were young. That created a desire in me to give back. In almost every job I've had, I've brought along a high school or college student to do life alongside me. Reese and I also do premarital mentoring for engaged couples.

Mentoring isn't about passing on expertise; it's about sharing authenticity and wisdom.

Jason Scott Montoya:
What would you say to someone who could be a great mentor but hesitates to step up?

Erin Mashaw:
We never have "enough" time, but investing in someone whose life and influence will outlive yours is profoundly rewarding. It's part of the legacy you leave. If nobody mentored you, think about how different your life might have been if someone had—and realize you can be that person for someone else.

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[39:35] — The Power of Storytelling

Jason Scott Montoya:
You are a great storyteller. What stories—fictional or real—have deeply shaped or resonated with you?

Erin Mashaw:
Stories are far more memorable than a bulleted outline. They give us the why. They evoke emotion and compel us to act much faster than a well-crafted argument can.

For instance, I love the Harry Potter series. It's about a kid who feels forgotten, yet consistently chooses friendship, integrity, and love over self-seeking arrogance. Good ultimately conquers evil through love.

I also love the movie Mean Girls! It paints an accurate picture of internal competitiveness and jealousy, reminding us that we need to give ourselves and others grace, meet people where they are, and choose kindness.

Jason Scott Montoya:
How can people cultivate grace when they are feeling pressure or failure?

Erin Mashaw:
We live in a culture that lies to us, telling us we can "do it all"—crush it at work, be perfect at home, and have endless personal time. The truth is, we have limited capacity. If I'm giving 100% at work, I'm not giving 100% at home at that moment.

We have to give ourselves permission to fail and focus on the most important "big rocks." When dealing with difficult people, give the most generous explanation possible. You don't know what hidden struggles or tragedies they are walking through.

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[48:45] — Trends in Modern Parenting

Jason Scott Montoya:
Through Birds on a Wire, you interact with many mothers. What unique challenges or trends are you seeing in the younger generation of moms?

Erin Mashaw:
Younger moms today are incredibly attentive and deeply care about getting parenting right. However, that high attention creates unprecedented levels of exhaustion.

Previous generations experienced "latchkey" independence, whereas modern parents maintain constant oversight. Experts like David Thomas and Sissy Goff point out that when we constantly remove obstacles for our kids, we prioritize protection over preparation. Our job as parents is to prepare kids for adulthood, which requires letting them experience setbacks, fail assignments, and build resilience.

Another dynamic we see is a rise in estrangement between adult children and their parents, particularly when grandchildren arrive. While firm boundaries are necessary in abusive or toxic situations, there is a growing tendency to cut off communication entirely rather than having hard, face-to-face conversations. Because younger generations grew up communicating through screens, having uncomfortable, direct conversations can feel daunting. We need to foster open dialogue, curiosity, and grace rather than resorting to relational isolation.

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[56:01] — Facing Fear: The Brain Tumor Experience

Jason Scott Montoya:
What other key stories in your life have taught you deep spiritual lessons?

Erin Mashaw:
At the end of 2020, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I am terrified of medical procedures—I procrastinated getting my wisdom teeth out for 30 years!

While the tumor wasn't cancerous, it required brain surgery that resulted in complete hearing loss in my left ear and the removal of my balance nerve on that side. I had to relearn how to walk during recovery.

When I first found out, I was overwhelmed with fear. I saw my counselor, thinking my goal was to "conquer" my fear so I wouldn't be afraid on surgery day. Reese asked me, "Why do you feel the need to set a goal for brain surgery that might make you feel like a failure?"

I realized that the goal isn't to conquer fear; it's to trust God in spite of the fear. God made us complex enough to hold fear and trust at the same time. He isn't angry at us for feeling afraid.

The surgery was successful, and they removed the whole tumor. Adjusting to single-sided hearing and balance loss has its moments—if I'm tired, the world can feel wobbly—but it was a profound journey of learning to trust God in a new way.

Jason Scott Montoya:
That dynamic of holding fear and trust simultaneously is powerful. Instead of trying to eliminate the tension, you sat in it, which is where transformation happens.

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[1:01:56] — Final Thoughts & Closing

Jason Scott Montoya:
What final words of wisdom would you like to leave with us?

Erin Mashaw:
We are all going to go through hard things. We can get caught up in "what ifs," worst-case scenarios, or guilt over how we think we should be handling it. But those hard moments are invitations to reach out to God and experience Him in fresh ways.

One of my favorite quotes from Angela Thomas is: "God knew before the foundation of the world that we would need a Savior, and He's not mad at us for proving once again that we do." When we fall short, we simply prove why we need Him, and He lovingly meets us right where we are.

Jason Scott Montoya:
Where can people connect with you and find Birds on a Wire?

Erin Mashaw:

• Birds on a Wire Moms: Instagram and Facebook (@birdsonawiremoms) or birdsonawiremoms.com
• Personal Website & Socials: ErinMashaw.com and @erinmashaw on Instagram
• Books: A Student's Guide to Sexual Integrity (available now) and Awkward Conversations: How to Talk with Your Kids About Sex, Gender, and Relationships (releasing next May).

Jason Scott Montoya:
Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your life, story, and wisdom with us today on the Share Life Podcast!

Erin Mashaw:
Thank you, Jason! This was a great conversation.

Tagged: Podcast - Inspirational People