New Season - Dr. Death: The Cowboy

Summary

Business Wars: Dr. Death – The Cowboy

Episode Date: June 4, 2026
Host: Laura Beale (as guest, promoting the new season of Dr. Death)
Series: Dr. Death: The Cowboy (Featured Clip)
Theme: Justice, Medical Ethics, and Trust in the Medical System

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Episode Overview

In this special crossover feature on Business Wars, Laura Beale introduces the latest season of Dr. Death, titled "The Cowboy." The episode explores the case of a charismatic neurosurgeon whose act of confidence charmed patients in various western towns—but ultimately, he left devastation in his wake. The narrative centers on both the broken medical system that enabled his behavior and the persistent quest for justice by those he harmed. This story will provoke listeners to examine the trust they place in those who wield life-altering authority.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Trust and Betrayal in Medicine (00:00–01:09)

• Host Introduction: Laura Beale describes the disorienting reality for patients who trusted a seemingly caring doctor and were betrayed:
  • "There are people you’re told to trust. Lawyers, teachers, especially doctors. But what happens when you put your life in someone’s hands and they betray you?"
    — Laura Beale [00:17]
• Central Figure: The “Cowboy” neurosurgeon, known for his trademark cowboy boots in the OR, becomes a symbol of false authority and unchecked confidence.
• Theme Highlight: The season will probe the system that failed to hold him accountable and the relentless retaliation from those seeking justice.

2. Patient Story: Christy’s Family and the Aftermath of Malpractice (01:10–05:53)

• Encounter with Medical Failure:

  • Christy and her mother consult with Dr. Nowadsky after failed surgeries performed by Dr. Schneider.
    • Dr. Nowadsky’s assessment: "None of the hardware has healed. None of it." — Dr. Nowadsky [01:34]
  • Christy’s shock: visualizing her mom’s back “with all these screws and bolts just floating around.” [01:37]

• Fear and Mistrust:

  • Continual uncertainty over whom they can trust—a refrain repeated throughout:
    • "My brain was just going in every which direction, like, do we trust this doctor? Does he know what he's doing?" — Christy [02:16]
  • Past surgeon Dr. Schneider had sown seeds of fear:
    • "I still believed that he was right. Dr. Schneider and anybody that touched her was going to paralyze her." — Christy [02:38]
  • Dr. Nowadsky, in contrast, empathetically reassures and gives the family space to decide:
    • "He wasn’t pushy at all. He said, ‘Think on it. Get back to me. Let me know what you think.’" — Christy [02:50]

• A Daughter’s Outcry:

  • Emotional crescendo as Christy calls Dr. Schneider’s office, venting her anger:
    • "I wanted to hear it from Schneider, that he lied to us all these years, that my mom had a broken back... I remember a few people in the parking lot looking at me because I was screaming on the phone, demanding him to get on the phone and talk to me..." — Christy [03:34]
  • Dr. Schneider refuses to take her call, sending only intermediaries and later a letter.

• Dr. Schneider’s Response:

  • His written reply is defensive and threatening:
    • "I was aghast that your daughter would intimate and accuse myself or my staff of medical error or ignoring your needs... I would encourage you to be very, very careful before believing or letting [Dr. Nowadsky] treat you." — Dr. Schneider (letter read by narrator) [04:35]
  • Christy’s reaction is raw and candid:
    • "What an asshole. At that point, you think he doesn’t want any other surgeon to see what he did to my mom inside her back." — Christy [05:17]

• Escalation and Uncertainty:

  • Despite Schneider’s warnings, Christy supports her mother’s new surgery.
  • A subsequent threatening letter from Schneider shakes her confidence:
    • "I panicked. Completely panicked." — Christy [05:53]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Medical Betrayal:
  • "But what happens when you put your life in someone's hands, and they betray you?" — Laura Beale [00:17]
• On Family Desperation:
  • "My mom had a broken back all this time?" — Christy [01:48]
• On Courage to Fight Back:
  • "I remember… screaming on the phone, demanding him to get on the phone and talk to me..." — Christy [03:34]
• On Institutional Gaslighting:
  • "I am very concerned you chose Dr. Nowadsky for your second opinion..." — Dr. Schneider (letter) [04:44]
• On the Persistence of Doubt and Fear:
  • "I panicked. Completely panicked." — Christy [05:53]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–01:09: Laura Beale introduces the season and lays out the stakes around medical trust.
• 01:10–03:00: Christy and her mother process the shocking diagnosis from Dr. Nowadsky.
• 03:01–04:34: Christy’s emotional confrontation with Dr. Schneider’s office.
• 04:35–05:53: Dr. Schneider’s defensive letter and Christy’s reaction.
• 05:54+: Christy’s fear and uncertainty intensify after a second warning letter.

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Overall Tone

The episode is urgent, emotional, and deeply personal—unapologetically revealing the pain and confusion experienced by families betrayed by those sworn to help them. Laura Beale’s framing is incisive and direct, while Christy’s storytelling is raw and relatable, heightening the central question: who can you trust when your life is on the line?

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Listeners are encouraged to follow the full season for more revelations about the “Cowboy” and the larger questions of accountability in American healthcare.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, I'm the host of Dr. Death, Laura Beale. In an all new season, I dig into the story of a surgeon who took advantage of a broken system and the fight to bring him to justice. There are people you're told to trust. Lawyers, teachers, especially doctors. But what happens when you put your life in someone's hands and they betray you? Dr. Death the Cowboy is the story of a charming neurosurgeon who rode into western towns selling a Persona of confidence and care. He wore cowboy boots in the operating room and became sought after by patients. He promised to heal them, to help them. Instead, he left a trail of broken bodies. This season is about a doctor who's never truly been held accountable for the patients whose lives he ruined. And a story of greed, betrayal, and a fight for justice that will leave you questioning who to trust. We're about to play a clip from Dr. Death the Cowboy. Listen to Dr. Death the Cowboy wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Dr. Death the Cowboy ad free right now. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible app or on Apple podcasts.

[B]

When they were called in, he sat at the edge of the exam table. He was in his 60s, tall and wiry. And he began to lay it out for them. I would go over the films with them and say, here's the problem. And then he told them what it meant.

[C]

We're going to have to do surgery. We just need to fix the fusions that never healed. None of them healed.

[B]

Christy was speechless, trying to take it all in.

[C]

I said, the first surgery from Dr. Schneider? He said, no, none of the hardware has healed. None of it. And I'm picturing it in my head, all these screws and bolts in my mom's back just floating around. And I asked him, I said, so my mom was walking around with a broken back all this time? He said, yeah, none of it's healed. My mom didn't say anything. She was just listening in shock.

[B]

Dr. Nowadsky was clear that there were no magic fixes. The best he could do was to remove the hardware and fuse her spine for a third time.

[C]

My brain was just going in every which direction, like, do we trust this doctor? Does he know what he's doing?

[B]

And there was one question in particular that was weighing on her mind. The thought that Dr. Schneider had planted in her head.

[C]

I asked him if this was going to paralyze my mom.

[D]

I still believed that he was right. Dr. Schneider and anybody that touched her was going to paralyze her. There was nothing to be done.

[B]

Dr. Nowadsky told her that wouldn't happen.

[C]

He wasn't pushy at all. He said, think on it. Get back to me. Let me know what you think.

[B]

Christy walked out of Dr. Nowadsky's office, relieved. Finally, she'd found someone willing to take on one of Dr. Schneider's patients. But as she took her mom and her two toddlers back out of the building and into the parking lot, Kristi could feel her emotions rising.

[C]

I got the kids and my mom in the truck and I walked around the parking lot so they wouldn't hear me.

[B]

She pulled out her cell phone and punched in the number for the office of Dr. Schneider.

[C]

I asked to speak to him. He wouldn't take the call. So I told the secretary to give him a message for me. I told her I wanted to hear it from Schneider, that he lied to us all these years, that my mom had a broken back, that she was walking around with hardware that's not even connected to her bones. And I wanted to hear it from him, what his thoughts are. Did he know all these years that my mom's fusion didn't heal? That he put her through so much pain and agony? And I remember a few of the people in the parking lot looking at me because I was screaming on the phone, demanding him to get on the phone and talk to me and tell me what he thinks of this. She just kept saying, he's too busy. He's with patients. He cannot come to the phone, but I'll be sure to tell him.

[B]

A week later, her mom got a letter. It was from Dr. Schneider. He wrote, I was aghast that your daughter would intimate and accuse myself or my staff of medical error or ignoring your needs. He went on with a warning for her. I am very concerned you chose Dr. Nowadsky for your second opinion and would encourage you to be very, very careful before believing or letting this doctor treat you. I would be happy to sit down with your family and review these issues. As she scanned through the words, Christy could only think one thing.

[C]

What an asshole. At that point, you think he's like he doesn't want any other surgeon to see what he did to my mom inside her back.

[B]

So Christy and her mom did not take up Dr. Schneider's offer of a follow up appointment. Nor did she pay any attention to his warnings about Dr. Nowadsky. Instead, she moved ahead with her mom's surgery. But then, not long later, a second letter arrived in the mail with the warning that made her wonder what and who she was really dealing with.

[C]

I panicked. Completely panicked.

[A]

Binge all seasons of Dr. Death the Cowboy ad free right now on Audible. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible app or on Apple Podcasts.