As flames tore across the hills of Pacific Palisades, Kim Marshall did what she always vowed to do in an emergency — evacuate early. But this fire moved too fast. Then, like an angel in boots, a woman named Mel walked in. Trained in wildfire rescue and driven by compassion, Mel didn’t hesitate to help Kim get out. That act of courage not only saved Kim’s life…it sparked a movement.

Now, Kim is using her voice to share the stories of heroes like Mel — and so many others — through her powerful new podcast, #L.A. Rising: Stories of Healing, Help & Hope. What began with one moment of rescue has grown into a platform spreading hope throughout Los Angeles and beyond. Here, Kim and Mel share their January 7th story…

“My car is in traffic on the highway,” said Pacific Palisades resident Kim Marshall as she frantically ran into a nearby gas station along the  Pacific Coast Highway.

Remembering her friend who passed away in a fire just a few years prior, Kim trembled with fear. She usually took extra precautions and tried to be the first to evacuate the canyon anytime a fire was near. But on this day, the wind was too strong and the fire moved too quickly. She was stuck.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she explained to the other terrified folks huddled inside. “I have no way to get out of here.”

Overhearing the desperation in her voice, Mel Sobolewski came to her rescue.

“Do you want me to drive you to Santa Monica out of the danger zone?” she offered.

Mel, who works with partnerships and development with Butte Fire Safe Council and trained by FEMA in wildfire evacuation and rescue, had spent the entire day warning people to evacuate and helping folks to safety, and happened to walk in the gas station where Kim was seeking shelter to find a phone charger.

Something about the way she looked with her suitcase and two pups spoke to Mel’s heart, and she felt the urge to help.

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“I want to go get my car,” Kim told Mel. But Mel motioned for Kim to walk with her over to the window and pointed in the direction of where Kim had abandoned her car on the highway.

“See all that black smoke? That’s a school burning just a one-minute walk from where we’re standing now,” Mel explained. “If we’re getting you out, we’ve got to go now.”

Mel carried Kim’s smaller dog and rolled her suitcase, while Kim followed behind with her larger dog.

After walking a mile and a half to Mel’s car, Mel got Kim to safety at her church in Santa Monica where friends brought her food and gave her a place to stay so she could wash her pups.

Later that evening, Mel’s phone lit up with a message from Kim along with a photo of her and her dogs: You really saved my life today. I’ll never forget it. Thank you one million times. 

The start of the #L.A. Rising podcast

As days went on, Kim began hearing stories about other folks who were miraculously saved on that day in January, others who have stepped up to help and some who are doing all they can now to bring healing to L.A. — like an L.A. Rams announcer, the Poet Laureate of Altadena, author and activist Kathy Eldon and the co-founder of Equinox gyms Lavinia Errico.

I’ve got to find a way to get these stories out into the world, Kim thought one day. What if I start a podcast?

Before long, Kim began her podcast, #L.A. Rising: Stories of Healing, Help & Hope. 

This is it, Kim thought after recording several episodes and realizing that the heartfelt, powerful stories she was telling were indeed reaching thousands of listeners.

Then one day, Kim received a call from the L.A. County supervisor, Lindsey Horvath‘s office, “Can we be on your podcast to talk about what’s been accomplished since the fires?” 

As word spread of her inspiring podcast, Kim began receiving messages with feedback about how it had moved listeners. 

Listening to your podcast made me feel so much better, one listener wrote in. 

It was good to get a good cry out there, wrote another, whose heart had been touched. 

As for Kim and her family, they’ve been having to stay in multiple hotels and Airbnbs and spent over $5,000 on dry cleaning due to smoke damage in her home. But each time she sits down to record another episode of #L.A. Rising, she’s reminded of how far she’s come, and that she wouldn’t be here today without Mel’s kindness.

“On the podcast now, we make it our goal to say, ‘Okay, what can we hold onto? What’s our takeaway? What’s the goodness here?’ And we share it,” Kim says. 

“Everyone has a story and they need to be listened to. If we share it, it’s not so scary and we get understanding from other people that can then strengthen them to go help someone else. Sharing our experiences is a way to plug in and recharge your battery. We have to learn from each other. We have to hold hands and help each other heal. It is an honor and a pleasure to help. #L.A. Rising is just spreading healing sparks everywhere.”