After the Fall - Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Science and Survival
After the Fall explores post-apocalyptic fiction, real-world collapse scenarios, and the science behind how systems fail—and what comes next.
Hosted by author John Michael Layne (Seasons of Ash), the show blends storytelling, expert interviews, and practical survival insights to examine the fragile systems that shape our world.
From grid failures and pandemics to super volcanoes and societal breakdown, each episode asks the same question:
What happens after everything falls apart—and who are we when it does?
Rooted in Appalachian perspective and grounded in realism, After the Fall is where fiction, science, and survival meet.
Episodes
9 episodes
Writing the End of the World
What does military service teach you about leadership, survival, and the decisions people make when the world falls apart?In this episode of After the Fall, I sit down with U.S. Army Reserve veteran and author Eric Smith, creato...
Preparedness Starts With Training
What does real preparedness actually look like when things go wrong?In this episode of After the Fall, I sit down with firefighter, EMS responder, rescue instructor, and TacMed1 founder Jon Bajek to talk about the reality behind emergenc...
The Last Generation That Knew How to Survive
Before “prepping” became a trend, survival was simply part of everyday life.In this episode of After the Fall, John Michael Layne sits down for a conversation about growing up in rural West Virginia during the Great Depression and the pr...
"We Thought We'd Be Fine": Surviving Hurricane Katrina | Wes Gabb
What does real collapse actually look like?In 2005, Hurricane Katrina turned New Orleans into something unrecognizable. Power failed. Communication broke down. And for a period of time, people were left to figure things out on their own....
The Shackleton Mindset: How to Stay Calm When Everything Falls Apart
When things go wrong, most people don’t rise to the occasion—they fall to the level of their mindset.In this episode, I break down what I call The Shackleton Mindset—a way of thinking built on clarity, responsibility, discipline, ...
Garrett Holt: From Navy Intelligence to Post-Apocalyptic Author
In this episode of After the Fall, I sit down with Garrett Holt—an indie author and U.S. Navy professional whose background in intelligence, history, and political science brings a unique level of realism to his writing.Garrett ...
Top 10 Ways the World Might Actually End (No Zombies)
Everyone talks about the end of the world—but what are the real risks?In this episode, we break down the ten most likely ways civilization could collapse based on science, history, and the systems we rely on every day. From glob...
What Survival Training Really Teaches You (with Stuart Buchanan)
What does real survival training actually teach you?In this episode of After the Fall, I sit down with Stuart Buchanan—former Australian Army infantryman, SERE instructor, and author of Dragon Rising—to explore what sur...
What Does “Apocalypse” Really Mean? (It Doesn’t Mean What You Think)
What does the word apocalypse actually mean?Most of us associate it with destruction—collapse, catastrophe, the end of the world. But the original meaning of the word tells a very different story.In this first episode of ...