Carman’s Muesli founder opens up on near-death choking ordeal and the ‘calm’ feeling as she slipped away: ‘Off you float’

The founder of one of Australia’s most recognisable breakfast brands has revealed the chilling details of a near-fatal choking incident that left her with basically no memory of the moment she almost died.

Carolyn Creswell, who bought a small Melbourne muesli business at just 18 and turned it into Carman’s Muesli, was placed in intensive care after choking on a piece of steak in 2024.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: From food empire to ICU

Appearing on The Morning Show on Tuesday, Creswell said she has no recollection of the incident or even the day it happened.

She said the only thing she remembers is a strange “peaceful feeling of dying” as her life started to slip away.

“When you don’t get enough oxygen, your body floods with feel-good hormones, everything’s going to be OK. Off you float,” she said.

Footage from the moment shows her suddenly losing consciousness and collapsing to the ground after the food became lodged in her airway.

The situation quickly turned critical, with Creswell requiring CPR for 30 minutes before paramedics were able to remove the obstruction.

While her family celebrated the moment she began breathing again, paramedics warned the danger was far from over, with no immediate way of knowing how long her brain had been deprived of oxygen.

Creswell spent a week in intensive care, suffering nine broken ribs and a fractured sternum as a result of the life-saving CPR.

Doctors later told her that steak is one of the most common causes of severe choking incidents.

In the aftermath, she has since reunited with the paramedics who saved her life, describing the experience as “beautiful,” given first responders rarely learn what happens to patients after they leave the scene.

Now, she is using her story to urge others to take choking risks seriously.

She stressed the importance of cutting steak properly and never leaving someone alone if they are choking, warning people should follow them and encourage them to cough up the obstruction rather than letting them walk away.