What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People. (Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media. )

If you were out in public somewhere, just going about your day, and you saw someone collapse – someone you don’t know – what would you do? Most people don’t really know what they would do, until they’re actually put in that situation. There are stories of people who witness something like this, and they just freeze. Or, if it’s a busy place like a public sidewalk and someone is on the ground, a lot of times everyone will just walk by. It’s an unfortunate psychology thing with humans called diffusion of responsibility – everyone thinks that someone else will help. And as a result, no one helps. Thankfully, not everyone is like that. There are some people who see a situation, maybe a person in distress, and their first thought is “What can I do to help this person?”. One of those people is Kevin Purcell, who you’ll meet in today’s episode. Kevin is the Executive Director of the New Jersey State Golf Association. One day about a year ago, Kevin was finishing up a round of golf, and he saw something was happening on the course. As he looked more closely, he could see that a man was on the ground. The man who had collapsed was Carlos Tapia, and he was having a heart attack. In today’s episode, we’ll hear from Kevin what happened. And I was also able to get a few comments from Carlos, to get his perspective on that day. Links to what we discussed in this episode: New Jersey State Golf Association Red Cross CPR training The Office episode, “CPR Training” And I also want to thank my friend Paul Kondo for connecting me with Kevin. If you’re looking for new podcasts to listen to, Paul publishes a weekly email newsletter that helps with that. Every Wednesday he highlights three podcast episodes that he has found interesting. Check it out at PaulKondo.com. I don’t know if he’s related to Marie Kondo or not, but his sense of humor does spark joy for me and maybe you’ll like it too. And if you’d like to join others who support this show for as little as $1 per month, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every sporting activity involves some degree of risk. Risk of injury or even risk of death. I bike about 10 miles each morning and I’m pretty careful. And I record video with a GoPro mounted on my helmet for every ride, which was inspired by my interview with William, episode 20 of this podcast if you want to check that out. But I know that no matter how careful I am, there is still the small possibility that something could happen. Same with almost anything else – running, playing tennis, swimming, you name it. But for most people, when you think of the question, “What is the most dangerous sport?”, the answer that comes to mind is skydiving. It just seems like common sense that jumping out of a plane is really dangerous, right? But in reality, just driving a car is a LOT more dangerous. In fact, statistics show that if you decide to go and do a skydive, you’re 24 times more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the drop zone than you are to die while you’re skydiving. But, the unexpected does happen. Today we’re going to hear from Eric. Eric lives here in Florida and he and I have known each other for years. We’re mostly connected through the ultrarunning community, even though I don’t think either of us actually runs ultramarathons currently. Eric is an avid skydiver. One day Eric was skydiving with about 10 other people. It was a fairly routine jump when they exited the plane, but one person had a serious problem with his main parachute. Then he had a serious problem with his reserve parachute. As you probably know, there isn’t a third parachute. Somehow, Eric was able to see what was happening from thousands of yards away. And he ended up saving someone’s life that day. He also got that whole thing on video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My conversation today is with Ray, who lives in St Augustine, Florida. Just a couple of years ago, Ray was on a downward spiral in terms of his health. Like a lot of people, his weight had gotten out of control. He didn’t realize how far off track he was until he visited a doctor one day. That doctor visit was his wake-up call. And he definitely woke up. I think you’re going to love this story. I also wanted to mention something right up front. Part of Ray’s amazing turnaround is the fact that he underwent gastric bypass surgery. And I want to be clear, and Ray will tell you this as well, this is not for everyone, and it’s not an easy quick fix. If you’re considering it, or really if you’re thinking about ANY change in your diet or exercise regimen, you should consult your doctor for advice. In this case, this surgery was just a tool that was available to Ray, and he used it to his advantage. And his transformation has been amazing. Calling this a “weight loss success story” is a huge understatement. He has plunged headfirst into the world of long distance running, which, as you might be aware, is also a personal interest of mine. Hopefully we didn’t geek out too much on the details of ultrarunning, and I hope you find his story and his progress as interesting and inspiring as I did. And if you like this podcast, I invite you to become a patron at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What's a situation or condition that no one understands, until they're in it? Links for this episode:   TheHotline.org LoveIsRespect.org Meredith’s episode about victims staying with their abusers: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/7b5045ab/ep-221-or-why-do-people-stay-with-their-abusers   Scott’s episode “Julie is a hospice nurse”, episode 168 – https://WhatWasThatLike.com/168 Vagus nerve: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22279-vagus-nerve Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy this special presentation of RISK!, a podcast where people tell jaw-dropping true stories they never thought they'd dare to share in public.   In this episode, Cory Byrom and Chris Lundy share stories about the best and worst times with their friends from childhood.   For more episodes of RISK!, be sure to check them out wherever you get your podcasts. Also: This is the video from the TODAY Show that you’ll hear about in this week’s Listener Story: https://www.today.com/video/like-mother-like-daughter-both-get-ambush-makeovers-610631747697 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a phrase that’s very common in certain situations. “Sorry for your loss” We hear it at funerals, we see it in sympathy cards, we might even read it in an email or a text message. It’s kind of just the standard line that people say to those who are grieving after a close friend or a loved one passes away. It doesn’t really take away any of the pain, but it let’s them know that they’re supported and loved. But when it’s a parent mourning the loss of a child, saying “sorry for your loss” seems terribly inadequate. The pain and the heartache is just too big. It’s overwhelming. Suffocating. That commonly used phrase just falls way short, when the pain of the parent is so massive. That’s how Travis felt when his teenage son, Brandon, passed away after having an asthma attack. We’ve had multiple episodes with a parent talking about the loss of a child, but Travis was the first one. This is a Flashback episode. And in the update conversation after the story, Travis told me that now they aren’t completely convinced that it was asthma that took Brandon. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/186 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! For a limited time, our listeners will get an exclusive 15% off their first OneSkin purchase using the code WWTL when you checkout at oneskin.co. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine you’re out in public, just going about your day. Let’s say you’re in the grocery store. And as you’re pushing your shopping cart down the aisle, you notice a tall man, maybe 10 feet ahead of you, looking at the items on the shelf. And suddenly, that man collapses to the floor. What would you do? Most people don’t really know what they would do, until a situation like that actually comes up. Some people just freeze. If it happens in a busy place, some people will just keep walking. There’s this interesting psychological effect called diffusion of responsibility – that just means that everyone who sees something like this happen just assumes someone else will help. But the end result is that no one takes action. But then there’s another type of reaction. There’s the person who sees an emergency like that, and their first thought is “what can I do to help that person?”. My guest in this episode is Kevin, and that was his reaction. He was just finishing up a round of golf and was walking back to the clubhouse. And he saw that someone was on the ground. This is a Flashback episode. Kevin told this story on the podcast 5 years ago. So afterward, you’ll hear what he’s been up to since then. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/209 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 24, 2015, Sue was with her daughter Jessica, who was 14 years old at the time, and her friend Elise. Sue and Elise were skydiving buddies, and they were doing what they often did on a beautiful Saturday morning – they were going to go jump out of a plane. Since she was 14, Jessica wasn’t yet old enough to jump – but she just liked being with her mom and hanging out at the drop zone. The weather was beautiful, and everything was going fine, until Sue got to about 5000 feet. She tried to make a quick turn just before landing, and things went terribly wrong. Obviously, Sue made it through that ordeal. But to say she “survived” is a huge understatement. She came back stronger than ever. This is a Flashback episode. Sue originally told her story on the podcast back in 2019. After you hear about her skydiving crash, I’ll play a recent conversation I had with her about what’s going on with her now. Spoiler alert – she’s still doing some amazing things. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/160 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app   Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off! For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Travis. He lives near Bismarck, North Dakota. Travis is a man in pain. You’ll hear it in his voice. He just lost his 16 year old son, Brandon. Brandon had asthma. That in itself is not really anything unusual. The CDC says that 1 in 13 people have asthma. Here in the US, that means more than 25 million Americans have it. And it’s actually been increasing for the past 40 years. Brandon had had asthma for almost his whole life. He knew what it was like and how to deal with it. He always had his inhaler handy for when his breathing felt restricted. On some occasions when it was bad, Travis would take Brandon to the ER for some special treatment. It was just a way of life, something they were all used to. But one evening it was different. Brandon was at home, and the only other person at home with him was his younger brother, Aaron. Aaron is 14. That night, Brandon’s asthma flared up worse than it ever had before. His inhaler didn’t help, and he ended up unconscious while Aaron performed CPR until the ambulance arrived. Brandon never woke up. But before he passed out, Brandon told Aaron something that Aaron kept secret until he told their dad a few days later. I’ll let Travis tell that part of it. And when did this all happen? Father’s Day weekend. At the time I had this conversation with Travis, Brandon had only passed away about 6 weeks earlier. I wondered if it might be too soon. But Travis wanted to tell this story, because he wants other parents to be aware of the limitations of the medical facilities that are near where you live. And he wants everyone to be aware of the importance of being an organ donor. Brandon was able to donate several of his organs, including his heart. And his liver saved the life of a 10 year old girl. That’s the part of this story that Travis hangs on to, knowing that Brandon’s death meant that others were able to have life. I’m a parent, and this story had an effect on me. If this episode affects you, whether it makes you think about life, or cry, or just give your kids an extra hug, then it’s a success. If you’d like, I invite you to support this podcast by becoming a patron for as little as $1 per month at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve lived in areas where it gets really cold, and I’ve lived where it’s warm most of the time. I’ve lived up north in Ohio and in Maine, and now I’m in sunny Florida. I definitely prefer the warmer climate. But today’s story is about being cold. Really, really cold. Dan Burton brought his fat tire bike to the coast of Antarctica, and he biked from there to the South Pole. That’s 750 miles, and it’s uphill, and it’s against the wind, and it’s in temperatures that are colder than just about anyone would be comfortable with. But he did it – and in fact, he was the first one to do it. And actually, it happened 5 years ago, and no one has done it again since then – at least not at the time we recorded this conversation, which is early 2019. And I learned something really interesting. The elevation at the South Pole is 9300 feet. But only 300 feet of that is actual land. The 9000 feet of elevation on top of that land is solid ice. So at the South Pole Dan was standing on ice that was almost 2 miles thick. In fact, during our conversation he mentions that he actually walked over some mountains but he wasn’t able to see them, because he was actually on top of them because of that thick layer of ice. I’m always intrigued by stories of human endurance like this, so I really loved hearing this story first hand from Dan. Here’s where you can learn more about his expedition: Blog: http://epicsouthpole.blogspot.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/EpicBiking Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthPoleEpic/ Book: https://amzn.to/2VVRrHR (Amazon aff link) Here’s the video Dan and I discuss, about the lady that fell into the crevasse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGbKLmEkKM And if you like this podcast, you’re welcome to buy me a coffee – WhatWasThatLike.com/coffee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If this is your first time listening to this podcast, you need to know this is not a typical episode. Usually, each episode is a conversation with someone who has been through some type of extremely unusual situation, and that person comes on the show and tells what happened, first hand. Not this week. This week our country is in turmoil because a black man in Minneapolis died at the hands of the police. The video of that happening in broad daylight has – again – shown that racism in America is alive and well. So I have to do something different here on this podcast, for this episode. Some people run for office to get elected and try to bring change from the inside. Some people hold signs. Some people go through police academy and become skilled police officers. I know that, because they are my close family members. Some people riot in the streets. I’m not here to comment on any of those things. For me, what I have is this podcast. It reaches a lot of people. So this is how I’m using it for this particular episode. When something like this happens, you see it on your TV or your computer or your phone and you read the story. But those are just words on the screen. There’s distance between you and what happened. With this episode, I want to put you at the scene. I’m going to present you with three true stories today. In each one of these stories, a person of color died at the hands of the police. What puts us at the scene is the phone call that was made when it happened. My hope today is that what you hear makes it more real. These are not just names in the newspaper or on the evening news. These are people, and what happened to them needs to be known. We need to be aware of this reality, and we need to find a solution to this problem. Because what we’ve been doing so far isn’t working. For more information about these three people: Atatiana Jefferson - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Atatiana_Jefferson Botham Jean - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Botham_Jean Breonna Taylor - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Breonna_Taylor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’re listening to the What Was That Like podcast, but this is not a regular episode. This is a bonus Raw Audio episode. Usually on this show I talk to a regular person who’s been through something really unusual. Like they got attacked by an alligator, or they were buried in an avalanche, or they witnessed a murder. That person comes on the show and tells the story of what happened, first hand. That’s not what we’re doing today. This bonus episode is called Raw Audio. The Raw Audio episodes are 3 real-life stories, and they include the 911 calls that were made when it was happening. You’ll hear that audio, as well as the story of what happened. These episodes are usually only available exclusively to listeners who support the podcast for $5 a month. You can sign up for that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. When you do that, you also get all the regular What Was That Like episodes without any ads. And you can binge all of the past Raw Audio episodes – right now there are a total of 32 of them. But today, we have a special one and it’s available to all listeners. Every once in a while I like to put out an extra episode like this, so if you’ve been thinking about it, you can see sort of a free sample of what you’ll be getting when you become a supporter. If you like real-life stories, and the feeling that you are right there as it happens, I think you’ll enjoy this content. And here’s the content warning for today’s episode – you’ll hear about a plane crash, a murder/suicide, and a home invasion. And of course, after these 3 stories, we’ll have our regular Listener Story like we do for every episode. To binge all 32 Raw Audio episodes and get all the new regular episodes ad-free, sign up here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/support Full show notes for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/138 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Go to HelloFresh.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free! If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL Save $10 on your first purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the night of October 1, 2017, 64 year old Stephen Paddock opened fire from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. He was able to fire over 1100 rounds in just 10 minutes time, from 10:05 pm to 10:15 pm. His target was the crowd of 22,000 people in the open field below his room. These people were attending the final night of the 3-day Route 91 Harvest Music festival. Country singer Jason Aldean was performing when the shooting began. In the end, 851 people were injured, and 58 people died. This incident is the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the history of the country. The shooter also shot and killed himself, so the motive for the killing will probably never be known. But this story isn’t about the cowardly killer. It’s about a young lady named Kami. Kami lives in California, about 4 hours away from Las Vegas, and she was at the Harvest Festival with her parents, and her husband Eli. She was there when the shooting began. She saw the terror on people’s faces as they ran for safety, and she saw the unfortunate ones that didn’t make it. And here’s another critical fact that will be an important part of Kami’s story. She was at the festival for all three days. Day 3 is when the shooting took place. On day 1, she learned that she was pregnant. This episode is the first one in a new series called Flashback episodes. Kami first came on the podcast and told this story 5 years ago. And I get requests from listeners sometimes to follow up with the past guests and see how they’re doing now. So today you’ll hear Kami’s story about escaping from the Las Vegas shooting, and after that, a brief conversation I had with her just recently about what’s new in her life and her family. My goal is to always bring you the content and stories you tell me you want to hear, and the Flashback episodes are a part of that. We’ll probably do one of these each month, in between the regular new episodes, so please, let me know what you think. Full show notes and pictures (including a recent picture of Kami and family) for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/152 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Sponsor deals: Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off! What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month. For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given? Links for this episode:   Barbie and the Rockers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_and_the_Rockers Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second season of PROOF: Murder at the Warehouse takes Susan Simpson and Jacinda Davis to Manteca, CA where they reinvestigate the murder of 18-year-old Renee Ramos. On June 5, 2000, Ramos’ body was found buried under a pile of debris inside the shell of a new Home Depot building. Despite tips hinting at alternate suspects - tips that were ignored until now - Renee’s boyfriend, 18-year-old skateboarder Jake Silva, and Ty Lopes, the 33-year-old uncle of one of Jake's close friends were arrested for her murder. The questionable testimony of a 14-year-old boy was the key evidence used to convict them both to life in prison. Ty Lopes was killed in prison in 2011. Twenty-three years after Renee Ramos was murdered, Jake Silva remains in prison and maintains he is innocent. In season two of PROOF: Murder at the Warehouse, Susan and Jacinda travel the streets of Manteca, reinvestigating the case against Jake and Ty – and in the process uncover long-overlooked evidence about what really happened to Renee. Follow the case as Susan and Jacinda uncover long overlooked evidence about what really happened to Renee by listening to PROOF: Murder at the Warehouse wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 4, 2016. For Jennifer and her husband Chris, and their 4 children, it was just a regular Tuesday. Up until around 8 pm that evening. Jen was driving home and she had their two young daughters in the car. Jen stopped at a stop sign, and then proceeded into the intersection without seeing the motorcycle that was approaching on her left. The motorcycle hit her car, and with that collision, the lives of two families were forever changed. David, the driver of the motorcycle, was taken to the hospital, where he died two days later. With a story like this, there are a lot of different aspects to talk about. The feelings of guilt, her overwhelming sadness, her fear of possible criminal charges, and what happened when she had a chance encounter with one of David’s friends. She also talked about what she’s doing now to help others who have found themselves in similar situations. This is a Flashback episode. Jen came on and told this story over 5 years ago, on the very first episode of this podcast. In a minute you’ll hear that, and afterward I’ll play a conversation I just had with Jen recently, to catch up on what’s going on with her lately. It’s a lot! One of the takeaways from this conversation is that it’s good to see things from a different perspective. You know we hear about accidents like this almost every day, and it’s really easy to assume that the person is just some selfish jerk who was talking on their phone, or texting, or just not paying attention, even though we really don’t know what actually happened. Sometimes those assumptions are true, but not always. Today we get to hear the other side of that story. The Safe 2 Save app that Jen mentioned: https://www.safe2save.org/ Jen’s appearance on Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith – https://www.facebook.com/redtabletalk/videos/481244670021721/ Jen’s podcast, Accidental Hope: https://accidentalhope.com/ Jen’s book, Left Turn, life unimagined: https://www.amazon.com/Left-Turn-life-unimagined-Eikenhorst/dp/B09Y9G9MS3/ref=mp_s_a_1_1 Jennifer is in the podcast Facebook group – come on over and say hi, or post a question for her that I didn’t ask – WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/156 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Sponsor deals: To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS. Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off! What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month. For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What would YOU do in this situation? Imagine you just got off an international flight, and you’re in a Subway restaurant, in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. You feel terribly sick. In fact, you have reason to believe that your condition could be fatal if you don’t get medical help quickly. Do you call 911? That’s the situation Luke was in, on a January day back in 2016. But he was hesitant to call for help, because he knew why he was sick. That terrible feeling he had in his stomach was from a little rubber balloon that had unexpectedly broken, and he was feeling the effects of some very high-quality cocaine saturating his internal organs. This is a Flashback episode. The Flashback episodes always come in between the regular new episodes, so we always have a new story every other Friday. Luke originally told this story in 2018 here on the podcast, so after we hear what happened, I have a little update conversation from when I connected with Luke again, just recently. You’ll never guess what he’s doing today. If you’d like to contact Luke, his email is LukeHimes@gmail.com. If you’re in Austin, Texas and need some remodeling work done, Luke’s company is Himes Remodeling and Renovation (https://mrhaustin.com/) – 330-749-5662. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/164 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s conversation is one I’ve been looking forward to, ever since I first came across the story. As you might know, I’ve said in the past that one of my goals for this show is to never be boring. And today’s topic fits in perfectly with that goal. My guest’s name is Shiny. Not his real name of course. Shiny was presented with a rare situation. Some might even call it an opportunity. How would you respond, if you were given the opportunity to actually eat meat that came from a human being? For most people, the reaction would be “Absolutely not! That’s disgusting.” But what if it could be done in a way that was legal and ethical? And in addition, what if it were done in a way that was healthy, so you wouldn’t have any worries about disease, or infection, or any of that? Well, honestly, for most people, I think the reaction would STILL be “No way!” But Shiny is not like most people. He and a bunch of his friends are pretty open-minded, and they seem to be willing to try just about anything. And they did. Usually when you hear stories about cannibalism, it involves a serial killer like Jeffrey Dahmer. Or it might be about a group of people who are stranded somewhere for an extended period of time, and they end up eating the weakest in the group just to be able to stay alive. Shiny’s story does not involve murder, or survival. It’s really just a story about a brunch that none of them will ever forget. We’ll definitely be talking about this one over in the Facebook group, and you’re welcome to join us there, at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: When you're playing the icebreaker game "Tell a fun or odd fact about yourself" - what do you say? Links for this episode:   Meredith episode about curse words: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/78996692/ep-149-or-what-makes-a-curse-word-a-curse-word-swearing-science   Popping out your eyeball (don’t do this): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Yrppn-UXY Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s story happened last summer – July of 2018. William was out riding his bike. He came up to an intersection where he had a stop sign, and had to turn either left or right. While he was stopped at that intersection, a car approached from his right, and turned left – coming straight at him. What makes this story interesting is that the driver of that car didn’t see William sitting on his bike at that intersection, because the driver was looking down at his phone. He didn’t look up in time, and he drove right into William and his bike. William was knocked to the ground, and his bike was destroyed. Oh, and there’s another part of this story that makes it even more interesting. The driver of that car was a police officer, and he was on duty driving his police cruiser. Like a lot of cyclists, William has an action cam mounted on his helmet. So when this crash happened, the camera was rolling so the whole thing is on video. This video has been viewed over 11 million times: https://youtu.be/QoSOEtzWPlU This was a pretty interesting conversation. We talked about William’s high-end bike that was destroyed, the camera he uses when he’s biking, what happened when he got hit, who paid for his bike, as well as the coverage for his injuries. You’ll see in the video, the police officer that crashed into him two different times told him, “You’re fine”. But he wasn’t actually fine. This is the other video we discussed, with his interaction with one of the EMTs: https://youtu.be/YvdlZCYrVvE Now, William has a new bike and a new camera. And that police officer is no longer an officer with that police department. William’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXdapW5go7Jof99qzXcHFxw I hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, and you’d like to support this podcast, you can buy me a coffee at WhatWasThatLike.com/coffee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tristan Redman is a journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage bedroom – weirder than normal. When, years later, he discovers subsequent occupants of his family home say they have been visited by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. It just so happens that the house Tristan grew up in is right next door to the house where his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered – killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself where no son-in-law should ever be: delving deep into his wife’s family history asking questions no-one wants answered. Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios present Ghost Story — a seven-part podcast series about family secrets, overwhelming coincidence, and the things that come back to haunt us. Follow Ghost Story on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Ghost Story ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Listen now: Wondery.fm/GS_WWTL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Asian elephants are incredibly huge animals. An adult elephant can be roughly 9 to 11 feet tall. Just standing next to one is pretty intimidating. But imagine being on top of one of them. It would be like if you had an average size man, then another man was standing on the first man’s shoulders. Then you would be sitting on that second man’s shoulders. That’s pretty high up. For Leilani, it was a dream from her childhood to interact with a full-size Asian elephant. And that’s where she found herself – in Thailand, on a mountain trail, on top of one of those huge animals. And then things went wrong. Leilani socials – https://www.instagram.com/rowoffire/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilani-otuafi-558a77b9/ Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/211 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of human endurance. What are we actually capable of doing? It’s almost always a lot more than we think. At some point, I want to do a long distance bike ride. So far, the longest I’ve biked in a day is about 50 or 60 miles. And that was right here in this area, so afterward I went home and slept in my own bed. But I’d really like to bike from here in the Tampa Bay area, across to the other side of Florida, the east coast. It would probably take me like 3 days. I love the idea of that kind of adventure. But my guest today, Daniel, had a much bigger idea. His plan was to ride his bike across the entire US - from San Francisco all the way to New York City. And – he started this ride without carrying any money or any food. He was going to depend on the kindness of strangers all along the way. And that’s exactly what he did. But that’s not all – he recorded video all along the way. And he turned that into a documentary that’s won a ton of awards. So we get to see him struggling to bike up mountains, and across long stretches where he saw no one, and through some scary neighborhoods. But my favorite part, and what made Daniel’s journey so magical, are the people he encountered along the way. Daniel’s website: https://www.weareallinthistogethermovie.com/ Contact Daniel by email: WeAreAllInThisTogetherMovie@gmail.com Daniel is also in our podcast Facebook group: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook Documentary We Are All In This Together on Amazon Prime - https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-All-This-Together/dp/B0CLBBN833/ref=sr_1_1 Daniel on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/the_travelin_dude/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TravelinDudeProductions/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheTravelinDude Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/174 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many parents, having a child in daycare is just part of the daily routine. And choosing a daycare provider for your child can be a pretty involved process. You obviously want to make sure the environment is safe and clean, with staff who are qualified, and that the ratio of caregivers to children is reasonable. And there are a ton of other things to consider, because you are trusting this place with your baby or your toddler – you have to be able to trust that they will make good decisions while caring for your child. Kelli had two children in daycare, and she didn’t have any reason to not fully trust that they were both safe. Until one day when she was at work, and she got a phone call. Also, partway through our conversation, I had a surprise for Kelli. She never saw it coming. Note: This episode includes discussion about the death of a child. Resources: https://www.aap.org/?srsltid=AfmBOoqyf7QNutD7mPa639vbew7TtRqdp2YIUK9ml_DHxvYHASW41Hth https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/ https://www.cpsc.gov/ If you’d like to contact Kelli, her email is Kalm032524@gmail.com  Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a phrase I find interesting. It’s often used to describe a person who seems to have an unusual power in different ways. The phrase I’m thinking of is “force of nature”. When I hear “that man, or that woman, is a force of nature”, it makes me think of someone who comes in like a whirlwind, with a clear objective, and nothing is going to stand in their way. And that description makes sense, because that’s how nature is sometimes. Here in Florida, we’re about to go into that magical time of year called Hurricane Season. A storm comes up out in the Atlantic, and they often make their way here. And they are literally a force of nature. Thankfully, we usually have lots of warning, so we have time to prepare. But if you’re in the path when a hurricane comes through, it’s loud, and scary, and terrifying. It doesn’t care about you. It’s just doing what nature does. But sometimes nature can be just as scary, and just as deadly, in complete silence. That’s what Gregg found out, when he found himself alone and wondering if he would survive. Gregg’s website: https://TheCompulsiveStoryteller.com Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/147 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month.  For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what  Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What was that time when you thought you might actually die? Links for this episode: The DARE program – effective, or not? https://youtu.be/6WMHuWMVNY0?si=t5arFWeg0ZAEW58p Sober Powered podcast with Jill Tietz: https://www.soberpowered.com/episodes Heimlich Maneuver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CgtIgSyAiU Jane Boroski and the Connecticut River Valley Killer – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_River_Valley_Killer List of fatal crowd crushes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_crowd_crushes The DOOM video game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(1993_video_game) Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! For a limited time, our listeners will get an exclusive 15% off their first OneSkin purchase using the code WWTL when you checkout at oneskin.co. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What's something that happened at work that you'll never forget? Links for this episode:   Watch what a Mento does when put in Coke (warning – grandma’s language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVQbTpsPR0Q  Meredith’s episode 152 about the Psychic Marine: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/794702c5/ep-152-or-psychic-marines Meredith’s episode about homelessness and incarceration is not live yet, but it will be linked here: Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! For a limited time, our listeners will get an exclusive 15% off their first OneSkin purchase using the code WWTL when you checkout at oneskin.co. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve found in someone else’s home? Links for this episode: Using hollowed-out fruit for ice cream bowls: https://www.tastingtable.com/1616069/hollowed-out-fruit-ice-cream-bowls/ Dogs eating condoms: https://pawp.com/dog-ate-a-condom/   Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend edition of What Was That Like highlights a top true crime podcast called LISK: Long Island Serial Killer. Since 2017, the show has covered a decade-long cold case set in Long Island. The podcast recently went viral after a suspect was arrested in connection to the case. If you enjoyed this episode, listen to LISK: Long Island Serial Killer wherever you listen to podcasts or click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in Florida, we know about hurricanes. My wife Jeanne and I will never forget Hurricane Elena back in 1985. That storm came into the Gulf of Mexico and just hovered offshore. There were instructions to evacuate because of the danger of high winds and flooding. What made it interesting for us is that Jeanne was pregnant with our first child, and she was at full term. So while everyone else was either leaving town or getting to a safe place, we evacuated to the hospital. That was on Saturday, August the 31st and that’s when our baby was born. Everyone said if it was a girl we should choose the name Elena, after the hurricane. Instead, our son’s name is David. A few months ago, in the hurricane season of 2024, we had Hurricane Milton to deal with. Since it was headed directly for where we live, we left town with our dogs and spent the week up in Jacksonville. We came back and discovered that, unlike some other people, we had no damage and no flooding. But not everyone fared that well. My guest today is Ber. She lives about an hour or so from me, in a rural part of Florida called Dade City. She’s been through lots of hurricanes. But after what happened to her with Hurricane Milton, she probably won’t go venturing outdoors at the height of the storm any more. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/205 (for the pictures of Ber’s injuries, you will need to go to that URL and scroll all the way down – past the transcript – to see them. They are graphic.) Ber’s GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ambers-recovery-and-farm-restoration Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s conversation is with Lauren. A few years ago, Lauren worked at a private zoo here in the United States. And one of her jobs was to take care of the monkeys. But these weren’t just any monkeys – these were howler monkeys. You want to guess how howler monkeys earned that name? You got it, because they howl. But it’s probably not the kind of sound you expect to hear when you think of howling. You know, you kind of think of a dog with that kind of high-pitched noise, that’s kind of charming because it seems like they’re trying to sing. Nope, this is something very different. It sounds more like something from The Exorcist. But that’s just what they do. Part of Lauren’s job was giving the howler monkeys their food and water. But there was one howler in particular that didn’t like Lauren. And one day, he had a brief opportunity to act on it, and he took it. This experience led Lauren to actually leave her career with animals. She went to graduate school and his now a high school science teacher, teaching Earth Science and Biology. And that knowledge plays a part in the podcast she co-hosts with her fiancé Nick, called Just Na Science. You can check that out at JustNaScience.com. Right now, What Was That Like is supported only by the listeners. If you like this show, I invite you to join the others who help out with a dollar or a few dollars each month, and you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Links: Howler monkeys Wikipedia Just Na Science podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest for this episode is Dave, and Dave recently found himself $113,000 richer, and he attributes that to some practice, some luck, and a pretty good talent for solving word puzzles. He won that money by being a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. We discussed: How he prepared for the game How he actually got on the show as a contestant The special instructions he was given What Pat Sajak and Vanna White are REALLY like How he’s handling taxes on his winnings And there’s a bonus story toward the end of our conversation about how Dave actually saved someone’s life (unrelated to his game show appearance). Here’s Dave winning cash, a trip to Barbados, and a new BMW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf80KRDaKaQ And if you’d like to join the other listeners who support this podcast, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Music credit: Scheming Weasel (faster version) Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Very few people have seen someone get hit by a car. There’s a movie from 1998 called Meet Joe Black. Kind of a weird film that combines romance and fantasy. I don’t remember being particularly impressed by the movie itself, but there’s one scene that’s stuck in my head forever. If you’ve seen it, you probably know the scene I’m talking about. Two young people, played by Brad Pitt and Claire Forlani, meet by chance at a coffee shop and there seems to be a rare connection between them. They leave the shop, and have a few awkward words on the sidewalk before they go their separate ways. The scene is quiet, the sound track is calm, and both of them are walking away, even though it’s obvious that they have thoughts and feelings that they want to express. As Brad Pitt stands in the street and watches her disappear around the corner, he wonders about what could have been, and suddenly we hear the blast of a horn, and a car hits him, causing him to fly into the air. Before he hits the ground, another car coming from the opposite direction hits him again. I just remember that scene because it goes from being so calm to such a horrific, jarring accident. My guess is that’s what it’s like for most people who witness an accident such as this, when a vehicle strikes a pedestrian. It’s often completely unexpected. Rosie, my guest today, can attest to this. She witnessed someone being hit by a car, and she was there afterward – trying to do whatever she could to help. But her story offers a different perspective about seeing this type of accident, because Rosie was in the car. If you’d like to contact Rosie, her email is franklynandted@gmail.com Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/161 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off! For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How would you handle it if you ended up having a medical condition that suddenly made you different from everyone else, in the most embarrassing way possible? That’s what happened to Mike. Today you’ll hear about when Mike got the news from his doctor – sorry, you won’t be able to poop the normal way any more. From now on, for the rest of your life, you’ll use a bag, actually called a pouch, and you’re gonna poop directly from your stomach into that. And when Mike got that news, he was just a kid – not even a teenager yet. So today, Mike’s gonna tell us what that was like, and how he handled it, and what it’s like today, as an adult with an ostomy. I asked Mike all the questions that normally you’d never be comfortable asking someone in this situation. This conversation with Mike is so real. That’s what we do here – real life. You’ll hear it all, because Mike is open to talking about everything. And you know what else he is? He’s happy and he loves life. Because he wants people to know – if you get the diagnosis he got, it’s not the end of the world. If you’d like to contact Mike, his email is mikegmoffat@yahoo.ca Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/175 Resources: The r/ostomy subreddit – 8000 members - https://www.reddit.com/r/ostomy/ Meet an OstoMate – large ostomy community - https://www.meetanostomate.org/ Facebook groups: The Real Ostomy Support Group – 23k members - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1160120857334266 Stoma and Ostomy Support Group – 14k members – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1442544766001622 Colostomy and Stoma Support Group – 13k members – https://www.facebook.com/groups/607387186088212 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The science of medicine has come a long way in the area of how we manage pain. In the mid to late 1800s, there was a product called Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. It was sold to parents as a way to alleviate the constant crying of their babies, particularly when a baby is going through the painful teething process. And it definitely calmed down those infants – possibly because the main ingredient was morphine. Another medication, popular for treating coughing and diarrhea, was opium. And when Coca-Cola was first launched, it had two main ingredients: caffeine and cocaine. I guess it’s no wonder that one of their ad slogans was “a Coke and a smile”! Of course, now we know better. Doctors and scientists have realized that not everything that helps with pain is necessarily something that’s good for you. But even modern day pain medication, stuff that’s supposed to be safe to use, can cause big problems for some people. One of those people is my guest today, Frank. His experience with pain meds took him down a very dark path, and he didn’t see any way out. Until one day, when he got a surprise at work. You can contact Frank by email: francisskey.062588@gmail.com Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline: 800-662-4357 National Drug Helpline: 844-289-0879 Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/182 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of the time, childbirth happens in a hospital. But not always. Consider the pregnant woman in Payson, Utah, who went in to Walmart early on a Sunday morning just to pick up a few things. This was her third pregnancy, so she was familiar with what to expect. But by the time she finished shopping and was at the register, she was on her knees and holding her stomach in serious distress. The baby was not going to wait. The manager and other employees were trying to help her, to get her to a more comfortable place with a little bit of privacy. But they were surprised when the woman insisted on paying for her items first. The manager said, “She paid, and then she had the baby. You can’t make that up.” The employees have since named Register number 11 the “baby register”. Mother and baby were eventually brought to the hospital and were doing fine. But that’s the way it is sometimes with babies – when the time comes, they are going to make their appearance into the world. No matter when or where that might be. Karen knows all about that. And so does Alfred, her father in law. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/153 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Sponsor deals: Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off! What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month. For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is a little different. I’d like to know what you think about it. My guest today is Chloe. Chloe is a university student in New York, and in the last couple of months, she has gone through a pretty radical change. Two months ago, Chloe was in a desperate state. She was unemployed, having lost her job with no notice. After losing her job, she had gone through her savings. She was 48 hours away from having her electricity disconnected. She was a week away from losing her apartment. And she had 33 cents in her bank account. She was in a panic. Fast forward 30 days. Her rent is now paid up. Her electric bill is current. And she is working, from home, 70 hours a week. And here’s the funny part – she didn’t find a job. She created one. How she did that is what we’re gonna talk about today. You can check out her website at advicebychloe.com. From my point of view, I’m an entrepreneur myself, and I’ve been running my computer business for over 20 years. If you’re not aware of it, you can see my website at ComputerTutorFlorida.com. So I am always pretty fascinated with a business success story. But, like I said, this is not really the type of story I usually do on this podcast. That’s why I’d like to hear what you think of it. You can email me at Scott@whatwasthatlike.com. And if you’d like to join the others who support this show, for as little as a dollar a month, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It gets pretty cold in Mason City, Iowa in the winter. Just ask Gael - he lives there. Gael is 18 years old. One day last December, on a particularly freezing day, he was on his way to a class. Just a routine day, driving along, and he’s approaching a bridge that goes over a big river. Except he doesn’t make it to the bridge. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of the river, and the water is rising in the car. And somehow, during the crash, his phone got lost. But a young lady named Siri was still listening. This episode includes the 911 call that Gael made, while trapped in his car in the river. A warning about this episode, if you use an iPhone – during the story, Gael will use that lady’s name. You know, the lady in the iPhone whose name starts with “S” and he tells her to call the police. So be aware of this, so that YOUR phone doesn’t hear that instruction and make a phone call to your local police department. And after today’s story, we’ll get a sneak preview of Raw Audio 3, as well as some of the reviews that have come in recently. Bridge photo courtesy Amy Fleming/KIMT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story you’re about to hear, I love it and I think you will too. It’s about two people. One of them is Tiffany, who is a probation officer. That means she sometimes works in a courtroom. The other person is Brett. Brett and Tiffany started dating a couple of years ago and ended up falling in love with each other. So recently, it came time for Brett to pop that all-important question. And even though they had talked about marriage, so it was already on both of their minds, Brett wanted to propose in such a way that it would take Tiffany completely by surprise. I think it’s safe to say he succeeded. Brett conspired with some of Tiffany’s co-workers from the courthouse, including the judge, and came up with a plan. He would be dressed in a prisoner jumpsuit, handcuffed, and brought in to the courtroom by deputies to appear before the judge. And Tiffany would have a front-row seat to see it all happen. And the nice thing is, the whole thing was recorded so YOU can see how it happened too. A couple of videos are below. I love a great prank, and to me, a great prank has to have a couple of elements. First, it has to be something that is planned out in detail. And second, it has to be one that has everyone feeling good about it afterward. This one definitely is both. I talked with Brett about how he planned this, how he worked with the people at the courthouse, how he felt when it was actually happening, and the publicity it has received. People really love this story. And I also got some insight from Tiffany about what was going through her mind as the whole thing played out right in front of her. If you want to contact Brett, he can be reached at brettedwards81@hotmail.com. Video #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btVOMXooNT4 Video #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ruKBfNpyM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s something that you and I do every day, all day. We make decisions. That’s something that we literally do all day. In fact, some sources say the average person makes 35,000 decisions every day. I don’t know how accurate that number is, but I’m sure it’s a lot. Most of them we don’t really even think about consciously. Which shoe to put on first, how much toothpaste to put on the toothbrush, which checkout line at the grocery store – those are all kind of subconscious. The bigger decisions we do think about – what to have for lunch, what kind of car do I buy, those are more deliberate. You even make a choice about what podcast you want to listen to – and I’m happy to tell you right now, when you choose this podcast, you have made the right choice! But what if you were suddenly in an emergency situation, and you didn’t know if you were going to make it out alive, and you were faced with making the decision of how you prefer to die? That’s the spot Lesli found herself in one day. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and she’s been through a pretty incredible experience. She survived, thanks to a couple of men named Bill – one was her friend, and the other was a stranger. And you’re about to hear her tell me what happened. It was crazy enough that she was invited to Ellen’s show to talk about it. And be sure to hang around til the end, because after our conversation I’ll have a sneak preview of the new bonus episode, Raw Audio #2, which are 911 audio stories and exclusive content, and it’s live and available right now for patrons of the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lexington, Kentucky. 1 pm on a Friday, Labor Day weekend. Diana, a medical flight nurse, was sitting in a Lear jet. The pilot was unconscious. The co-pilot could not move because he had a broken back. Diana’s patient had died on impact. The plane was sitting on Versailles Rd in Lexington, after it had just slid across the road on its belly. The landing gear was gone. The right wing had been ripped off the plane. And now that it had come to a stop, Diana knew she had to get the door open and get people out, because she could hear the crackling of fire, and the cabin was filling with smoke. Except she couldn’t stand up, because she had a broken back and two broken legs. This is a Flashback episode. Diana told this story on the podcast more than 5 years ago. So after you hear her amazing story, I’ll play a recent conversation we had so you can see what’s happened with her since then. If you’d like to contact Diana, her email is: flydi21@hotmail.com. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/203 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s the most scared you have ever been? I’m not talking about being on a crazy roller coaster ride, or watching a scary movie. What we’re talking about on this episode is the kind of fear that just grips you, and controls you, and won’t let you think about anything else. I asked some of the listeners of this podcast that very question recently, in our private Facebook group. And at the end of this episode, you’ll be able to hear some of their answers – and there’s quite a variety. Turns out being scared can show up in our lives in a lot of different ways. And our guest today, Kira, has experienced that kind of gut-wrenching fear. She was on a downtown street, alone. It was dark, because it was 3:30 am. She was walking to work, and thought everything was okay. But she suddenly realized, she was not alone. Mentioned in this episode: the Noonlight app. It’s free for both iOS and Android, at Noonlight.com (there are paid versions with additional features). You can contact Kira at violentcrimesurvivors@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all experienced embarrassment at some point. It’s not something anyone enjoys or wants to go through. But there’s another level of embarrassment: humiliation. I think it’s safe to say to say that very few people have experienced the level of embarrassment or humiliation that William has. Imagine being on the most popular talent show in the country – American Idol – and failing badly. The judges laugh at you and send you home. One of them even calls your singing “grotesque”. Then the video of that terrible audition gets broadcast on television, and ends up going viral worldwide. So your huge failure is seen by millions of people everywhere, and your name becomes synonymous with that bad performance. That’s what happened to William. What I just described is what most people know about William Hung. But there’s a lot more to his story, which you’re about to find out. If you’d like to join the other listeners who support this podcast, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support, and I thank you.   William Hung links: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Champion by Choice (Amazon affiliate link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re married, you know that there will inevitably be some disagreements between you and your spouse. Could be about the most common things, like finances. Or sometimes you might have a big fight about something really minor, like choosing a restaurant. Usually, these things get resolved. Reasonable adults can figure out a solution or a compromise, and life goes on. For Ramon, that’s not how it worked out. He and his wife Lulu had gotten to the point where their marriage could not be saved, and a divorce was coming up. But then Lulu decided to take things to a whole new level, and hire someone to murder Ramon. That’s when things got a little crazy. This is a Flashback episode. Ramon told this story 5 years ago here on the podcast, so after our conversation you’ll hear a chat the he and I had just recently about what he’s doing today, and the latest news about Lulu. Ramon’s book: https://www.amazon.com/I-Walked-My-Own-Grave/dp/0578217651/ref=sr_1_1 Ramon interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afxOgtRFJWw Ramon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealramonsosa Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/180 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today you are going to hear from James. He’s a young man who lives in England, and he has quite a scary story about something that happened to him one day at work, in 2019. He and his partner were cutting down a huge tree, and things did not go as planned. I’ll let James fill in the details. And at the end of today’s episode: A new podcast for you to check out – Minds of Madness You can sign up for my email newsletter Raw Audio episode 4 is live Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s your best find at a yard sale or thrift store? Links for this episode:   eBay: https://ebay.com   Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Sign up today at https://butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott tells the story of Stephen Slevin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The thing about living in an apartment or renting a room is… you have to deal with other people. Depending on how the building is laid out, it’s almost like living with strangers. If your next door neighbor accidentally starts a fire, your home could burn too. If the person above you has a flood, it’s very likely that you’ll be dealing with that problem as well. Not to mention, what if your neighbors in this same building are jerks? Or they have 20 drunk people at their place for a party? Or they practice their drums at 3 am? These are all things to consider, and you might not even be able to research all of this before moving in. My guest today is Tiffany. She was in a different country, and she rented a room to live in. There were other rooms, and other people living in those rooms, and they were mostly nice. But there was one guy who was not so nice. And he was pretending to be the landlord. Tiffany’s socials: Her podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bittersweetlifepodcast/ Her podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebittersweetlifepodcast Tiffany’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyparksrome Tiffany’s book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071HD869D Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/210 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS  Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having your first baby is exciting. Your life is changing because you’re gonna be bringing this new little human into your home and into your family. The whole dynamic will change. Your focus will change. But having that first baby can also be a little scary. You’ve never done this before. You don’t really know what to expect exactly. You might even wonder if you’re doing it right. Today you’re going to hear from Jessica. She and Cody were looking forward to the birth of their first child, their little girl named Hayden. But things didn’t happen as they expected. Content warning – this episode includes discussion of stillbirth. If you’d like to contact Jessica, you can do that through her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j3ssbb/ Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/195 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James had a childhood that would have indicated future success. He grew up in southern California, and his father is a scientist. His mother is a registered nurse. They lived in an affluent neighborhood in San Diego. But by the time he was in middle school, James began to display some mental health issues. He tried to take his own life at age 11. But he did graduate from high school, and also completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of California Riverside. He then decided to move to Colorado and work toward a graduate degree in neuroscience. By outward appearances, he seemed to be on the right track. But he continued to battle depression, and for several years, he was obsessed with the idea of killing. One day, he acted on that obsession. He walked into a movie theater with multiple guns and started firing into the crowd of people watching a movie. My guest today is Hali. She knows exactly what it’s like to be in that situation, to be the target of an active shooter. On that day, in Aurora, Colorado, Hali was in that theater. If you’d like to contact Hali, her email is HaliandBear@gmail.com. The Silent Retreat that Hali talked about is at dhamma.org. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/165 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know when people are asked about what their biggest fear is, a lot of the answers are what you’d expect – fear of heights, fear of spiders, and so forth. Humans are afraid of a lot of things. But when people are asked what their single BIGGEST fear is – the big one that usually comes out as number one is fear of public speaking. For a lot of people it even ranks higher than their fear of death. When Jerry Seinfeld heard about that, he correctly observed that that means if that person is at a funeral, they’d rather be the dead person in the casket than the one giving the eulogy. But there are some situations where we have to speak in public – and one of those is in a courtroom. For me, that would be the worst place to be nervous about speaking. When I’m in an uncomfortable situation, I’ll usually try to use humor to sort of ease the tension. But when you’re on the witness stand answering questions, with a judge and a whole room full of people watching you, that’s not really the time for a stand-up routine. My guest today is Collier, and he knows all about that situation. He was only 12 years old when he had to testify at a murder trial, to talk about what happened at his house one night. And the person he was testifying against was his own father. Collier’s YouTube: https://YouTube.com/collierlandry Collier’s links: https://CollierLandry.com/links Collier’s website: https://CollierLandry.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@collierlandry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collierlandry Twitter: https://twitter.com/collierlandry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collierlandry Collier’s TEDx Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/collier_landry_what_happens_when_the_answers_we_seek_are_not_what_we_find?language=en Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/145   Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month.  For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what  Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off At the tender age of 19, Ron Adkins was sentenced to 500 years in prison. Listen to his unbelievable story at https://CompelledPodcast.com/ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On November 29, 2018, 50 year old Andrew Bush of College Station, Texas was driving his white Dodge Charger. Up ahead was a red light. Cars were stopped, waiting for the light to change, and one of those vehicles was a Ford pickup truck in the left turn lane. Witnesses say Bush didn’t even brake before slamming into the back of that truck. The driver of the pickup truck was 20 year old Zane Wallace, a Texas A&M college student, who was with his girlfriend Mackenzie. They were shaken up but not seriously injured. Zane got out of the truck to check on the driver of the car that just hit them. And that’s where our story today really begins. Zane had a day he’ll never forget. As you listen to my conversation with Zane, I think you’ll get the same impression I did when we were talking. He’s a good kid, very polite and respectful. And throughout this whole ordeal, his concern was not for himself, even though it was his life that was in danger that day. Instead, he was concerned for the safety of his girlfriend, and the welfare of the driver of the car that hit them. I like Zane and I think he has a great future ahead of him. The incident that Zane told me about was caught on video by someone nearby who happened to think quickly and hit “record” on his phone. This is his video: https://youtu.be/qTpd4_kjofk Also, at the beginning of the episode, I mentioned a Saturday Night Live parody sketch that poked fun at the old TJ Hooker show, which starred William Shatner. Here’s that video: https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/tj-hooker/n9514 And if you don’t already follow me on Instagram, you really should. I post something new there every day, @WhatWasThatLike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are some people whose dream is to live on a boat and just spend their life sailing around the world. In fact, there’s a company called Villa Vie that’s hoping a LOT of people want to do that. They have a cruise ship that holds 924 passengers, and they’re offering a never-ending cruise that goes around the world every 3 ½ years. You can actually buy one of the cabins – starting for as little as $100k. And you own that cabin! Kind of like a floating time share I guess. But you also have monthly maintenance fees – that’s $3500 per month. So far, more than 30 people have put down a deposit to purchase a cabin. I’ve gone on a few cruises, and it can be a great way to vacation. But I don’t think I’d want to spend years living on a cruise ship. Like most things, spending time at sea is wonderful, but in moderation. Today you’ll hear from my guest, Suzanne. When she was just 7 years old, she and her family got on a large sailboat and sailed away from their home in England. What she didn’t expect was to spend the rest of her childhood there. Suzanne told me about growing up on a boat, the good and the bad, and how she finally escaped. Suzanne’s book: Wavewalker: A Memoir of Breaking Free Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/166 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don’t go to the local mall very often. But when I need something that’s only sold at one of those stores there, I make a trip to the mall. And there’s something that happens almost every time. Since the store I need to visit is usually at the other end, I have to walk down the main aisle. As I make my way through the mall, there are stores on my left and right of course. But there are also now the kiosks in the middle, from one end of the mall to the other. These set-ups are cheaper than having a full retail walk-in store. And every time I’m walking, there’s a perfume dealer. And there will be one or two salespeople trying to flag people down and check out a free sample of some kind of perfume and get you to buy some. They’re usually going after the female shoppers and you can see that women try to walk by and not make eye contact. No one wants to be approached by a sales person. Whenever I see someone like that, I always think, “Wow, that has to be the worst job in the world. Nothing but rejection for 40 hours a week.” But there are people who do that same kind of thing – and they aren’t in the mall. In fact, they aren’t even getting paid. It’s the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I see them all the time, with their bookshelf and their literature, set up on street corners, in a public park, on the side of a bike or walking trail. Just standing there trying to get someone to stop and talk to them, so they can hopefully recruit them into joining. Some of them still go out knocking on doors even. Stephan was one of those people. But today you’ll hear how he finally was able to get away from that group, and what he lost – and gained - as a result of that decision. Also – Stephan is part of the team that creates a podcast that I subscribe to, and we’ll talk about that toward the end of our conversation. If you’d like to contact Stephan, his email is: StephanTheBlackSheep@gmail.com Check out the Multispective podcast at Multispective.org. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/187 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! For a limited time, our listeners will get an exclusive 15% off their first OneSkin purchase using the code WWTL when you checkout at oneskin.co. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every September, here on the podcast we feature a guest who has a personal experience with 9/11. Most people remember exactly where they were on the morning of September 11, 2001, when terrorists struck the US using hijacked airplanes. It was a dark day for this country. This month, What Was That Like is publishing a 3-part series titled one September morning. In each episode, you’ll hear someone telling their personal story about what they experienced on that day. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to subscribe and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. Today, in the first episode of the series, we’ll hear from Joan. She and her husband lived in lower Manhattan. On the morning of 9/11, Joan was at work a few miles away from the disaster. But her husband was still at home, just a block from the Twin Towers, and he had no idea what had just happened. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/188 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! For a limited time, our listeners will get an exclusive 15% off their first OneSkin purchase using the code WWTL when you checkout at oneskin.co. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a little different from the norm. Usually we talk to someone who has experienced something really unusual. But every once in a while, I like to have a guest on who has an unusual job – a job that I find really interesting and have lots of questions about. So that’s what we’re doing here today. My guest is Julie – she works as a hospice nurse. She’s been doing this for many years, so she has lots of information, and lots of stories. Every one of us is unique as an individual, but we all have something in common – we are all going to die eventually. And in some cases, we might get a medical diagnosis that says we have a certain number of weeks or months left before that happens. Of course, it’s usually just a rough guess and not always accurate. But still, it’s a sobering thing to have a medical professional tell you that there are no more treatment options, and you’re probably approaching the end of your life. That’s often when hospice care enters the picture. So Julie told me all about that and what she does as a hospice nurse. And there was something I also found very interesting that Julie told me, about herself. She has a very specific fear – and it’s not one that I would have guessed, based on the type of work she does. Julie has a fear of dead people. If you’d like to contact Julie, her email is: justjulie63@gmail.com. She’s also in the Facebook group, where you should be too! Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/168 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app   Sponsor deals: Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year, thousands of people all over the world go hang gliding. Some people are experienced and pretty serious about the sport, and they own their own gliders and other equipment. And there are others who are just kind of curious about what it feels like to soar through the air silently, with the only sound being the wind in your face. Chris was in that second category. He and his wife Gail live here in Florida, and they were vacationing in Switzerland recently, and they booked a hang gliding adventure. And since neither of them had ever done any hang gliding, they would each have their own pilot who would be handling the glider. So two hang gliders – Gail and her pilot in one, and Chris with his pilot in the other one. They climb to the top of a big hill, and Christ gets his harness on just as instructed. When the wind is just right, he and his pilot go running down the hill and within seconds they are airborne and gaining altitude quickly. Only one problem – Chris was not attached in any way to the hang glider. The pilot had somehow forgotten that critical part of the process. So Chris is literally hanging by his hands while they’re thousands of feet in the air, as the pilot tries desperately to land as quickly as he can. Makes you want to go hang gliding, right? Chris had his GoPro camera attached to the back of the glider so you can see the whole thing as it happens, in this video: https://youtu.be/dLBJA8SlH2w In our conversation for the podcast, Chris told me the whole story. He’s really lucky to be alive. And he answered my big question – does he want to hang gliding again? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, this is Scott. This is just a short episode in between the regular episodes – I guess you could call it an In-Between-isode. What I have for you today is an announcement about the podcast, followed by a Listener Story – and the Listener Story is from someone you’ve heard from before. But first, I want to give you an update on a new feature that’s now available in the What Was That Like podcast. This is a new subscription program that allows you to get rid of the ads that get inserted into the podcast. Because who likes ads? Especially in a show like this, where we have guests who are telling really personal stories of something that may have been really traumatic or crazy. I mean, I try to make sure every episode is like that – something really unusual. So if you’re like me, you’re probably not a big fan of having the story interrupted by a few ads. The whole experience is just better without the interruptions. But it’s a catch-22 because the ads are part of what make the podcast possible. But now, you can enjoy the podcast without those interruptions with this new subscription program called What Was That Like Plus. And here’s my favorite part – you can get all the regular ad-free episodes, AND all the exclusive bonus Raw Audio episodes, right here in the podcast app you’re already using. I’ll explain that in just a minute. Okay, so what do you get when you sign up for What Was That Like Plus – First, you get every What Was That Like episode without any ads. And that doesn’t just mean starting now – that means all the past episodes as well. At the moment there are over 140 episodes of bizarre stories (you know the kinds of stories we love here). And you can go back and binge all of them, without any ad interruptions. And you also get all of the bonus episodes, called Raw Audio. I’ve put out more than 30 of these episodes now. These episodes are typically 3 different stories, and each one includes the actual 911 audio from a case, as well as the story that goes with that emergency call. So with What Was That Like Plus, you get all the regular podcast episodes without any ads, and you get all of the exclusive Raw Audio episodes. And as I mentioned earlier – you don’t have to get a different podcast app in order to listen. You’re going to get ALL of those episodes right here, in the podcast app you’re already using! These are the podcast apps that are supported – so if you listen to your podcasts on any of these, you’re already set up: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocketcasts, Podcast Addict (that’s the one I use), Castbox, BeyondPod, Downcast, PlayerFM, Breaker, and RadioPublic. If you heard me say the name of the app that you use, you’re golden. At the moment, there are a few apps that aren’t supported – Stitcher, Podbean, and NPR One. But for most people, you’re already set up with the app you’re using now. And of course, I want you to be able to try this out for free so you can see what it’s like. So there are a couple of ways to try it out free, depending on whether you’re on Apple, like an iPhone, or if you use an Android. If you use an iPhone and listen on Apple Podcasts, super easy – just click on “Try Free” right at the top of the list of episodes, and you’re in. If you use a different app, like on an Android device, just go to the website WhatWasThatLike.com/plus and sign up using the promo code PLUS – that gives you a whole month free to try it out.   And if you can’t subscribe to the PLUS subscription right now, no worries. I still love you! And of course you’ll continue to get all of the What Was That Like episodes for free, supported by ads. And anytime you decide to subscribe to the ad-free version, I’ll be waiting there to welcome you in with open arms! Unless you sign up at like 3 in the morning, then you’ll have to wait a bit for that virtual hug. So that’s the announcement, I hope to see you over in the PLUS feed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I think accidentally dialing a wrong number is probably the most random way for two human beings to get connected. Even if just for a few seconds. I mean, think about it. There’s you, and then there’s this other person who you don’t know, and because you dialed a number that was just one digit off, the two of you are now speaking to each other. Granted, those conversations are usually pretty short. It’s probably not the most effective way to meet new people and make new friends. But one time, a young man named Henry saw his phone buzz with a text message. The message he saw there was clearly not meant for him. It was from a woman named Kasey, who he didn’t even know. Today you’ll hear what happened after that life-changing text. Kasey told this story years ago here on the podcast. In today’s Flashback episode, you’ll hear our original conversation, and then an update from Kasey on what’s happened since then. And it’s a lot. The Winter Fireplace app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/winter-fireplace/id1041703579 Kasey’s website: https://kaseybergh.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kasey.bergh Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kasey.bergh/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasey-bergh-543a505/ Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/183 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I remember one of my first Airbnb experiences. I was traveling just here in Florida, and I had to stay one night on the other side of the state – in Delray Beach. I picked out a room, and reserved it, and waited for the host to approve it. Back then, I didn’t have much history so there weren’t many other hosts who could confirm that I was a good guest. But it got approved. And when I got there, I found out the host was an older woman – and I was her very first guest. And she was so nice! She actually cooked me a full meal, and I helped her out with some computer issues she was having, and we hit it off nicely. But still, I couldn’t help thinking – that night, I was sleeping in one room, and she was sleeping in the room right down the hallway from mine, and it just seemed like it was kind of a dangerous thing for her to do, since she didn't know me. And apparently her friends had some concerns too. The next morning, while we were eating breakfast, she said one of her friends called her first thing that morning and asked, “So he didn’t murder you or anything?” That was years ago, but now, it’s just a common thing – you rent a room in someone’s house, you get a place to sleep, they make some money, and everyone’s happy. At least that’s how it usually works. My guest today, Evi, was traveling as a young single woman, and ended up staying with a family in exchange for doing a little bit of work for them. And after staying there one night, she made a horrifying discovery. HelpX: https://www.helpx.net/ Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/181 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lexington, Kentucky. 1 pm on a Friday, Labor Day weekend. Diana, a medical flight nurse, was sitting in a Lear jet. The pilot was unconscious. The co-pilot could not move because he had a broken back. Diana’s patient had died on impact. The plane was sitting on Versailles Rd in Lexington, after it had just slid across the road on it’s belly. The landing gear was gone. The right wing had been ripped off the plane. And now that it had come to a stop, Diana knew she had to get the door open and get people out, because she could hear the crackling of fire, and the cabin was filling with smoke. Except she couldn’t stand up, because she had a broken back and two broken legs. I think you’ll hear from our conversation that Diana is pretty incredible. She’s the type of person who arrives and takes charge. She’s a natural-born leader who was born to help people who are in a bad situation. But for this story, that was turned around – she was the one in desperate need of help. I want to thank our mutual friend Sandi for connecting me with Diana. Really, I continue to be surprised at the people and stories that are right in my own network. And hang around after the conversation for a couple more things that might be of interest. I now have bumper stickers available, if you’d like to let everyone know about your favorite podcast. And, I recently appeared on another podcast hosted by my friends Glenn and Jamie, where we talked about this show and other podcasting-related stuff. That’s about a 15-minute interview that will play in full if you want to listen to it. If you’d like to contact Diana with questions or to have her speak to your group or organization, you can contact her by email at flydi21@hotmail.com. And if you’d like to be a supporter of this show, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: You're in a middle seat at a movie - you need to pee - do you give your neighbors the butt or crotch while exiting? Why? Links for this episode: Progressive commercial about becoming your parents: https://youtu.be/EfdrZzF_RL0?si=iiO0taCS4_U8RxLy Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luke remembers that day in January of 2016 pretty vividly. He was 23 years old, recently graduated from college with a degree in engineering, had his whole life ahead of him. On that particular day, he was in Ft Lauderdale, Florida and he went into a Subway fast food restaurant and bought a couple of bottles of water. He was feeling very sick, and he knew exactly why he was sick, and it wasn’t food poisoning. He knew that the awful feeling in his gut was because a little rubber packet had burst inside his stomach, and some very high quality cocaine was now flooding into his insides. Shortly after this happened, he would be in a coma, and he was in that comatose state for 10 days. As you might imagine, Luke has a pretty interesting story to tell. And we talked about every detail. He told me about why he made the decision to travel to Panama in order to smuggle cocaine into the US. How he researched it and planned the whole process, even though he had never done anything like this before. What it was like to be in a coma, and what it was like to come OUT of a coma. And then, the next sort of chapter in his big adventure – going to prison, and how he was able to get through that. What you’re going to notice about Luke is that he’s no dummy. He’s very intelligent and well spoken, and he has a really positive outlook on life. He also has a lot of confidence in himself and his abilities, and although usually self confidence is a GOOD character trait, in this case it was partly to blame for him making the bad decision to make some quick money. He figured, high risk, high reward, but he also did as much as he could to minimize his risk. But… it just didn’t work out the way he expected it to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’re listening to What Was That Like, and this is the last episode for 2023 – which means it’s our year-end Listener Stories episode. For each episode of the show, we have a guest come on and tell their story. It might be someone who survived an alligator attack, or a person who was shot multiple times, or maybe someone who went on The Price is Right and won the showcase – those are just a few examples of the over 160 past episodes. And then, at the very end of each episode, we have a Listener Story. This is a 5-10 minute short story that was sent in by a listener, just like you. It can be something sad, or amazing, or funny – just something that people find interesting. If you have a story like that, I’d love to have you send it in, and you might hear it on a future episode. You can email it to me at Scott@WhatWasThatLike.com. And for the final episode of the year, we hear all of those stories played back to back – which is what we’re doing today. And I wanted to mention this - one of these stories sort of toward the end has a discussion of suicide – so just before that story plays, you’ll hear a little warning alert – when you hear that, if you want to, you can fast forward about 4 ½ minutes to the next story. So let’s get on with it – and please enjoy the Listener Stories of 2023. Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app   Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nancy Brophy fills her novels with romantic betrayals and murder. It’s a far cry from her quiet life in the suburbs, where she and her chef husband, Dan, are living out their golden years. But when Dan is shot dead, Nancy finds herself at the center of a murder case that could be ripped from the pages of her novels. From Wondery, this is a story about what happens when the line blurs between fiction and reality. Listen to Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s story takes place off the coast of Somalia, a country in Africa. If you look at Africa on a map, you’ll see Somalia on the east coast, right on the water of the Indian Ocean. In fact, of all the countries in Africa, Somalia is the one with the longest coastline. And for the Americans listening, to give you an idea of how big it is, Somalia is almost the same size as the US state of Texas. But here’s the thing about Somalia. It’s considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world. I mean, here in Florida, we have homeless people. Some of you know, I work with a group here to help the homeless population get the things they need. But in Somalia, literally half of the people in that country don’t have a home or any kind of permanent residence. This means there are millions of people who are desperate, and hungry, and they’re vulnerable to abuse. And just on the north side of Somalia is the Gulf of Aden. This is a very popular water route for large ships carrying lots of cargo, headed either to or from the Suez Canal. In fact, each year there are around 20,000 of these ships passing by. That’s more than 50 ships every single day. So there’s a certain sector of the Somali population who sees all this valuable cargo going by each day, and they see an opportunity to make money. These are modern day pirates. They see many of these big ships as easy targets. I mean if there’s a large cargo ship carrying manufactured goods, they just want to get from point A to point B. They typically aren’t equipped to fight off or defend their ship from being hijacked and held for ransom. But today we’re going to hear a story from Robert. There was a time he was on one of those big ships, off the coast of Somalia. The pirates saw it as easy money. What they didn’t see was that Robert’s ship, the one being attacked, was a warship in the US Navy. This is a flashback episode – Robert told this story on the podcast a few years ago. So hang around to hear what’s going on with him more recently. Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS  Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Very few things in life could be more traumatic or horrifying than discovering a suicide. Remember how shocked we all were back in August of 2014, when police announced that legendary actor and comedian Robin Williams was found by his personal assistant, having committed suicide. There are so many factors to consider in that case, but I remember that when this happened, I kept thinking about how that person, his assistant, felt as she entered that room and discovered him on that Monday morning. She had worked with him for over 20 years, and it was more than just an employer – employee relationship. They were also close personal friends. It’s hard to imagine going through something like that. Our guest today is Liz. She has experienced this as well. But the suicide she discovered was not her boss, or just a close friend. It was her husband. Going through that would be bad enough. But for this podcast episode, Liz has even another story that is almost completely unrelated to her husband’s suicide. She’s been through a lot, and now she works trying to help people who have gone through similar tragedies. Check the links below for information on her book, and the work she’s doing. A warning: this episode contains descriptions of graphic violence against a child. It’s definitely not suitable for everyone. If you’d like to support this podcast and get access to all of the exclusive bonus episodes, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Special thanks to J.T. Tschirhart for doing the voiceover for the message from Levi Aron. Episode links: Dr Liz website: https://DrLizLifeLaunch.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/yGFm6oiUdFg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizette.bataille.3 Dr Liz’s book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V3N3YL5/ Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund info:  https://patch.com/new-york/ditmaspark/leiby-kletzky-memorial-fund-b8221f9f Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255 – available 24 hours a day, every day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not too long ago, I went on Hulu, and I found the TV show Shark Tank, and I went all the way back and watched every episode starting at Season 1. I’ve always had that entrepreneurial spirit, wanting to start businesses and make money by working for myself. And that’s what I’ve pretty much done – I’ve been self-employed for more than 20 years. And now, I’m self-employed as a podcaster. But one thing I’ve never done – I’ve never been on Shark Tank. But Max has – and he did it as a teenager. Max told me the whole story of the product he developed, and how he pitched it on TV and ended up getting a deal with Mark Cuban. This is a Flashback episode. Max originally told this story here on the podcast, back on episode 18. So after he tells about his adventures on Shark Tank, you’ll hear a new conversation I had with Max recently, about what he’s up to today. Surprise – he’s started a new company. To contact Max: Email: mbfeber@gmail.com Instagram: @maxbfeber LinkedIn: Max Feber Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/176 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: You earn a million dollars (tax free) for every full year you spend in a maximum security prison. How long would you stay? To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever had one of those moments in your life where your life just changed dramatically? Like, your life is suddenly divided into two chapters – before that moment, and after that moment. Well, that’s the kind of moment Justin had recently. Justin was adopted the day after he was born. So he never knew his birth mother. He was adopted immediately into a loving family who gave him a wonderful childhood and a great start in life. And now he’s 26 years old and making a life of his own, but he always wondered about his birth mother, and he searched and searched for her. And at the same time, she was wondering about him, and hoping they would eventually connect again. Then, just a couple of months ago, they finally found each other. This is the story of how that happened. I’m not really gonna tell you a lot here ahead of time, because Justin tells the story himself so wonderfully. But I do want to let you know a couple of things. Just to keep the names straight, Justin’s birth mother’s name is Heather. His adoptive mother’s name is Sandy. So birth mother Heather, adoptive mother Sandy. And the other thing is this. Partway through the interview, I kind of surprised Justin with something. Before he and I talked, I got in touch with Heather, his birth mom, and she recorded an audio message to him for me to play during our conversation. Justin wasn’t aware of that until I told him, while we were talking. You’re gonna love it. A big part of the reason Justin wanted to come on the podcast is to encourage other people who have been adopted to try to find their birth parents or other biological family members. It’s true it might be a little scary because you don’t really know what’s gonna happen, but Justin says you should still take that step and make the effort to do it. If you want to get in touch with Justin, I’ll have his email in the show notes for today’s episode, which is at whatwasthatlike.com/04. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special episode. Most of the time here on What Was That Like, I talk to a regular person who has been through some type of extremely unusual situation. If you’ve just discovered this podcast, you can just scroll through the episode titles and see that we’ve heard a lot of REALLY big and unusual stories – and all of them are told first-hand, by the person who went through it. But a lot of times a listener will contact me and say, “Scott – I’ve just binged ALL of your past episodes and I need more! What’s another podcast where I can hear more stories like this?”. And my recommendation is this: The Secret Room. The tag line for The Secret Room is “a podcast about the stories no one ever tells”. If you like really interesting and unusual stories – and I know you do, because you’re listening to this show – you’ll definitely want to check out The Secret Room. The host is my friend Ben, and I think he and I have a lot in common. He has a lot of empathy for his guests, and he has a knack for finding stories that just make you sit back and think. And then you go and binge all the past episodes. So today, I’m playing for you one of my favorite episodes of The Secret Room. It’s called Daughters. I really liked this story for a bunch of different reasons, and I think you’ll enjoy it too. And this episode is ad-free for everyone. And of course at the end we’ll have a new Listener Story like we do on every episode here. You can find The Secret Room on the podcast app you’re using right now, or you can learn more about the show at the website – TheSecretRoomPodcast.com. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/154 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, it’s an off week for the podcast, but here I am anyway. This is Scott Johnson, and you’re listening to What Was That Like. Usually I have a guest on to talk about something really unusual that they experienced – like having their arm torn off, or being buried in an avalanche, or witnessing a murder. The guest comes on and tells the details of what happened. And there are more than 190 episode to binge with those amazing stories. But today is a different kind of amazing story! Today’s a bonus episode. As you might know, the last three Fridays have been personal stories of people who survived the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Those are really important stories to share, to make sure we never forget what happened on that day. But after three weeks of tragedy and trauma, I thought it would be nice to have a FUN episode. And this one fits that bill perfectly. Today you’re going to hear from a mother, Kiona, and her oldest daughter, Kavina. Kiona is a birth worker, and she’s been involved with or witnessed more than 140 births. She has a podcast called Birth As We Know It, where guests come on and tell their stories about birth. Well – in one of her episodes, Kiona interviewed her daughter Kavina, who was just 9 years old at the time of their conversation. When she was 4, Kavina was present for the birth of her younger brother, Kairo. And when she was 8, Kavina actually caught her little sister, Katana, as she was born. So today, you’ll hear Kiona’s podcast episode where she talked with little Kavina about what it was like for each of those experiences. I can tell you up front, this conversation will make you smile. In the show notes I’ll have pictures of Kiona with her husband Kumar and all their children (yes, everyone in their family has a name that starts with K – including their dogs Kobe and Koko). So I hope you enjoy this adorable mother-daughter conversation. And afterward, I spoke with each of them briefly because you know I always have some questions. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/191 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well). Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Sign up today at https://butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you hear the word “lost”, what comes to your mind? Honestly, it seems like these days I don’t really worry too much about getting lost. Most of that is because of the amazing technology called GPS. I mean, I’m here in my office in Safety Harbor Florida, in the Tampa Bay area. I could get in my car, look at my phone, and enter some random house address in Los Angeles, California, 2500 miles away, and within seconds Google will be ready to direct me turn by turn to get to that address. Even though it will take me 37 hours to make that drive. But that’s only because I have a phone that can stay fully charged for the whole trip. And I have a car to keep the air a cool temperature, and I’ll have places to stop and get food along the way, not to mention snacks while I’m driving. And I’ll have my bottle of water right there in the console for whenever I get thirsty. And when I get tired of driving all day, I’ll have a hotel to spend the night and get the sleep I’ll need to keep going the next day. Well, today we’re talking to John. John had none of those things. He was on foot, his phone was dead, he had no water, and he had no food. Even though the weather included rain and snow, he was only wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. He was alone. And the only place he could sleep at night was on the ground. John was in a remote area of southern Utah, in a place called the Bryce Canyon National Park. This is a huge place, mainly full of rocks and trees and thorny bushes. It’s 56 square miles, or 145 square kilometers. And that’s where John was lost. His plan was to spend a few hours there. He was still there after a few days – exhausted, dehydrated, dejected, hallucinating - and he still had no idea how to get out. How did he get in this situation? What did he do each day? What did he end up drinking, out of desperation? And how did he finally get rescued? You’re about to find out. And partway through John’s story, we’ll hear from Cody Sherriffs, one of the Garfield County Search and Rescue workers who ended up finding John and getting him to safety. On this podcast, you hear stories from people first hand – true stories you just can’t get on other podcasts. If you like this show and would like to support it, you can do that by going to WhatWasThatLike.com/support and signing up to be a patron. This show takes a lot of time to put together, and it’s all done by me, so your support really means a lot. And I thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our story today takes place on the west coast of Finland. January 5, 2017 was a sunny winter day. And it was also very cold: -4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is -20 degrees Celsius. That day, there was a woman who was at home, but outside. She was looking west, out over the Gulf of Bothnia – the body of water that separates Finland’s west coast from Sweden’s east coast. It’s about 60-70 miles across, and the surface is frozen in the winter. As she is looking out over that ice-covered body of water, she sees a person skiing across the ice – about 500 yards away from land. And during that brief time that she’s looking that direction, she sees that person drop right through the ice into the water. The person she saw go through the ice was an 18-year-old man named Matt. That was a pretty scary day for Matt. He could have died that day, but he didn’t. Thankfully he survived, and he told me exactly what happened that day. I hope you enjoy it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re talking with Samantha. And that’s not her real name, by the way. She has an interesting story, and it has to do with a medical condition that she’s had since childhood. Samantha has hyper insomnia. I’m sure you already know about insomnia. Maybe you actually experience it from time to time. But what Samantha has is HYPER insomnia. That’s more than just trouble sleeping sometimes. For her, it means that she typically goes about 8 days at a time without having any sleep. Can you imagine going more than a week with no sleep? In this conversation, we talked about the medical aspect of it and what’s actually going on. She also has some other medical issues that kind of complicate things. I also asked her the question she probably gets asked more than any other – what do you do with all that extra awake time? We talked about the advantages, and the disadvantages, of this particular condition. And I also asked her, “If there were a cure for this, would you accept it?” There are some online resources available to learn more about hyper insomnia, and Samantha also has a blog where she talks about it in detail. I’ll have those links in the show notes for this episode, which is at whatwasthatlike.com/03. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every September, here on the podcast we feature a guest who has a personal experience with 9/11. Most people remember exactly where they were on the morning of September 11, 2001, when terrorists struck the US using hijacked airplanes. It was a dark day for this country. This month, What Was That Like is publishing a 3-part series titled one September morning. In each episode, you’ll hear someone telling their personal story about what they experienced on that day. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to subscribe and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. Today, in the second episode of the series, we’ll hear from Tim. Tim was a New York City firefighter for 18 years, and when 9/11 happened, he was working for Mayor Giuliani, handling major emergencies. So when those planes hit the towers, Tim wasn’t just someone who happened to be on the scene. He was one of those actually in charge. The things he saw that day make his story one of the most compelling ones I’ve had on this podcast. He originally told this story here a few years ago, and it’s one of the most popular episodes on the show. And after you listen, I’d love to hear what YOU think of it. 9/11 video – escaping debris: https://youtu.be/TlBTyI71FMw Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/189 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Scott, and this podcast is What Was That Like. This is the show where I usually have a guest come on and talk about something they experienced, that was extremely unusual. Like crashing a skydive, or getting shot in a mass shooting, or finding a baby in the New York City subway, or winning a showcase on The Price Is Right. The guest comes on the podcast, and tells the details of what happened, first hand. This episode is different. In this one, I’m going to talk about a man who lived in Texas, whose name was James Bigby. You’ll learn about his horrific crimes, his bizarre behavior in court, and what eventually happened to him. This is not a case that you’ve ever heard about on any other podcast. But after you’ve heard his story, stick around and I’ll tell you exactly why I’m bringing it to you today. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/135 If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL. Go to HelloFresh.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free! Save $10 on your first purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Voiceover work for this episode by Kiyana Morgan. Graphics by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we have a really fun episode that is going to make you smile. My guest today is Robin, and Robin likes to have fun. She’s different. And she’s on today’s show to tell us about an experience she had – she was hired by the Oscar Mayer hot dog company to drive the Wienermobile. And I realize some people might not be familiar with the Wienermobile, especially those outside the US. What we’re talking about here is a large vehicle that is designed to look like a giant hot dog. Yes, this is an actual street-legal vehicle, 27 feet long (about 9 meters). If you’re in the US, you might be surprised some day and see one traveling on a street, right there in your city. And while this kind of vehicle seems like it would be unique, there are actually SIX of them traveling the country at any given time. They show up at grocery store grand openings, theme parks, pickle festivals, all kinds of events. And the drivers give out merch such as Wienie Beanies, Wienermobile Hot Wheels cars, and the ever popular Wiener Whistles. Well, my friend Robin decided that she wanted to be a Wienermobile driver. So today she’s going to talk about how she made herself stand out from the other ONE THOUSAND applicants and got the job, and what the job is actually like. And a couple of other things – Robin lives in New York City. You’ve heard of The Moth, right? Really popular podcast. In New York, they regularly do storytelling competitions, and Robin has competed in these. They’re called Story Slams. And she has actually won! And at the end of this episode, I asked her to tell me about the time she was able to meet the comedy legend, Jerry Stiller. Great story. So I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. If you’d like to support the show, and get access to all the bonus exclusive content, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/YumsTheWordShow Robin’s blog – https://www.robingelfenbien.com/blog Robin’s website – https://www.robingelfenbien.com/ Recess with Auntie Robin - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2579481095698218 Is the Wienermobile in your area? https://khcmobiletour.com/wienermobile Podcast - http://www.yumsthewordshow.com/ Instagram – https://instagram.com/robin.gelfenbien Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few things are sadder than seeing a loved one slip gradually into dementia. This is what happened to my grandmother – my mom’s mom. She got to the point where she couldn’t live on her own any more, but she didn’t really have other debilitating health issues. So she didn’t need to be in a hospital, or a nursing home. She just needed someone around to help her with daily living, because she would forget things. So my parents converted their garage into a small apartment so she could live there. And she loved this. At the time our two kids were young, maybe 6 and 8, and we’d go over and visit pretty often. We’d be in the main part of the house, and Grandma would ask, “Hey, have you seen my new apartment? Come on, I’ll give you the tour!” So we would all go over and she’d show us all around – this is my bed, and this is my chair where I like to sit and read, all the stuff. And then we’d all come back to the main house. And then maybe five minutes later, Grandma would look up like she just thought of something, and ask, “Have you all seen my new apartment? Come on and let me show you!” and we’d just go and take another tour of the apartment. Our kids understood the basics of what was happening, and they just thought it was hilarious. We all just played along each time, because that’s what made Grandma happy. But it was also sad to see her gradual decline. My guest today, Kari, could tell that her dad was slipping into dementia. And she wanted to help. But she never expected to see him decline so rapidly. And there was really nothing she could do, because it happened on a 1700 mile road trip. If you’d like to contact Kari, she is in the WWTL podcast Facebook group - https://WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/204 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s amazing how quickly things can change. Michael lives with his wife, Mu, in New York City. He works for HP, and his job is to visit various locations around the city and do equipment repair. So he often finds himself on public transportation. One afternoon he was on the city bus, headed to his next job. He expected it to be a routine trip. But without any warning, he found himself trying desperately to get away from a man with a knife. And here’s something you need to know as you listen to Michael’s story. This conversation was recorded about 3 years ago. We weren’t able to go live with it until now, because we had to wait until the case had made it’s way through the courts and was resolved. That has now happened, so at the end I’ll give you an update on how it turned out. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/163 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app   Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today! To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 11, 2001 was a tragic day in America. The terrorist attacks caused the deaths of 2,996 people in New York, the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Thousands more were injured. And many people since then have died from illnesses caused by exposure to toxic materials at the World Trade Center crash site. Here on the podcast, each year in September we dedicate an episode to hearing stories from people who were there and witnessed the tragedy. In this episode, you’ll hear from Lori Brody, who worked in the World Trade Center, and from Joe Falco, a New York City firefighter. Their stories were told a few years ago here, and we’re taking this opportunity to make sure their voices are heard again, so that we never forget that day. If you, or someone you know, personally experienced the terrorist attacks at any of the three locations, please contact me through the website at WhatWasThatLike.com. May we never forget. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/149 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well). Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off! What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month. For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Check out the Calm History podcast at https://CalmHistory.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content warning – this episode includes discussion of drug use and suicide. For anyone who creates online content, the big goal is to have your content go viral. Whether it’s a Tiktok or YouTube video, an Instagram reel, or a Facebook photo – when something goes viral, the person who posted it is kind of quasi-famous for a few days or a week. This happened to me once, several years ago. I posted a video on Facebook, and it just took off like crazy. It wasn’t even a video that I created personally. But people saw it and shared it, so it was seen by millions of people – right on my Facebook profile page. So I was getting hundreds of friends requests every day from people I didn’t know (and I declined all of them, of course). It was kind of fun, but also a little weird that suddenly my Facebook page was being viewed by so many people, all over the world. But for some people, having their photo go viral is not a good thing. That’s what happened with my guest today, Sarah. She got in trouble for selling drugs. This was her first time ever being arrested, and she made the mistake of smiling for her booking photo. That’s when things got crazy, and she was nicknamed in the press as the “Adorable Drug Kingpin”. The other reason this story went viral was because of where Sarah’s dad worked. His employer was the Drug Enforcement Agency. Sarah’s dad was a DEA agent. If you’d like to contact Sarah, her email is empathy.always1@gmail.com Show notes for this episode: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/136 Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at https://WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well). Go to HelloFresh.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free! If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL Save $10 on your first purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: If you and your spouse/partner had to switch jobs tomorrow morning with no training, which of you would get fired first? Links for this episode:   Meredith’s episode about epistocracy: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/7eccdbaa/ep-235-or-epistocracy-should-we-be-protected-from-uninformed-voters Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Content warning – this episode includes discussion of sex trafficking, and graphic depiction of sexual attack. If you’re in the car with the kids, you might want to save this one for later.) The situation that Jennifer found herself in is one that no one ever expects. She was away from home, and she didn’t really know anyone. On top of that, she was an American in Turkey and she didn’t speak much of the language. And her attacker was strong, and determined. But what came to her during this traumatic experience were things she had heard on a television show. Oprah Winfrey would sometimes have law enforcement specialists and self-defense experts on her show to give advice about what to do in certain situations. They said to always fight back – and NEVER let yourself be taken to a second location. That advice, along with some other tips she remembered, may have helped save Jennifer’s life. Because even though she was able to fight him off, he came back. If you’d like to contact Jennifer, or get two weeks of her brain and nervous system training for free, visit the website RewireTrial.com. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/141 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Hear Virginia Prodan's full story about defending Christians in Communist Romania at CompelledPodcast.com/virginia If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL  Save $10 on your first purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what  Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you worry about your privacy on the internet? Do you ever think about how much someone could find out about you, if they wanted to? Have you wondered if your life could be destroyed, over the internet, by a stranger? Maybe you should. Monika was happy. She was a successful real estate agent. She used social media to connect with friends, and family, and clients. Just like everyone else does. But one day, without realizing it, she made a mistake. And she had no idea what was about to happen.   Photo courtesy of Margo Gray, WAFF 48 in Huntsville, Alabama Mechanolith by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4031-mechanolith License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What overused word or phrase are you sick of? Links for this episode:   Corporate jargon: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDXnlVoRK9B/ Meredith’s episode about how cuss words become cuss words: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/78996692/ep-149-or-what-makes-a-curse-word-a-curse-word-swearing-science George Carlin – the 7 words you can’t say on TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyBH5oNQOS0 Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a problem that’s becoming a bigger and bigger issue for anyone who owns a home. The problem is squatters. If you’re not familiar with the term, “squatting” is when a person – or even a group of people – figure out that a house is not being occupied. Maybe the owner is trying to sell it, or in some cases, the owner lives there but is just away from home on a vacation. When the squatter determines that no one is home, they just go in – usually by breaking in – and take up residence. They just act like its their house. This is happening all across the country. And the infuriating this is that in most cases, the police can’t just go and remove them. It becomes a civil matter, which means the homeowner has to spend money on lawyers and court filings, as well as paying for some other place to live in the meantime. And all the while, the squatter is living in the home without paying anything. My guest today is Flash. He didn’t expect it, but he was faced with a squatter problem. But he decided to handle this case on his own. Disclaimer – the process that Flash used may not work for everyone. It might not work in your case. It also might be dangerous. For advice on how to deal with squatters, consult your attorney. If you’d like to contact Flash by email: info@theuha.org Petition to make squatting a crime: https://www.change.org/p/change-squatter-laws-help-make-squatting-illegal United Handyman Association website HTTPS://Unitedhandymanassociation.org Instagram: @flashshelton @squatterremover YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@handymanassoc. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/140 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL  Save $10 on your first purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what  Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the night of October 1, 2017, 64 year old Stephen Paddock opened fire from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. He was able to fire over 1100 rounds in just 10 minutes time, from 10:05 pm to 10:15 pm. His target was the crowd of 22,000 people in the open field below his room. These people were attending the final night of the 3-day Route 91 Harvest Music festival. Country singer Jason Aldean was performing when the shooting began. The end result was that 851 people were injured, and 58 people died. This incident is the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the history of the country. The shooter also shot and killed himself, so the motive for the killing will probably never be known. But this story isn’t about the cowardly killer. It’s about a young lady named Kami. Kami lives in California, about 4 hours away from Las Vegas, and she was at the Harvest Festival with her parents, and her husband Eli. She was there when the shooting began. She saw the terror on people’s faces as they ran for safety, and she saw the unfortunate ones that didn’t make it. And here’s another critical fact that will be an important part of Kami’s story. She was at the festival for all three days. Day 3 is when the shooting took place. On day 1, she learned that she was pregnant. Route 91 Harvest Festival (Wikipedia) To contact Kami: KMBroute91@yahoo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

December 26, 2004. That was the day a huge earthquake happened. In fact, it’s the third-largest earthquake ever recorded, and it had the longest duration of faulting that has ever been observed – between eight and ten minutes. But there was something different about this earthquake. It happened underwater. It took place in the Indian Ocean. The epicenter was off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The result of this enormous earthquake happening under the ocean was that it created massive waves of water, up to 100 feet, or about 30 meters, high. These waves arrived without warning. More than 227,000 people woke up that morning and went through their normal routine, not realizing it was their last day to be alive. I remember when it happened. It was a Sunday, the day after Christmas. Of course it was the leading news story all over the world. I heard how the story unfolded, how the underwater earthquake happened, and the unbelievable numbers as the death toll kept rising. It was an incredible tragedy. But I was in the US, and that horrific scene was on the other side of the world. It didn’t seem real. But for my guest today, Aaron, that scene was very real. He was there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in America, we’re gaining weight. In 1990, the average weight of a US citizen was 161 pounds. By 2020, just 30 years later, the AVERAGE weight went up to 181 – a 20 pound increase. The rate of obesity varies by state. The state with the most obesity has almost 41% of residents falling into that category – and that is Mississippi. The state with the lowest obesity rate, around 24%, is Colorado. Today you’ll hear from Ray. At one point in his life, Ray was way above average in a category that no one wants to be above average in. He weighed over 500 pounds. He knew his weight was way up there, but it was when they weighed him at the doctor’s office that he realized how high it was. So he made the decision to do something about it, and his turnaround has been amazing. He now runs ultramarathons – these are footraces from around 30 miles to even 100 miles. This is a Flashback episode. Ray came on the podcast and told his story about 5 years ago, so I wanted to bring him back on and ask the question that everyone wants to know – has he kept the weight off? You’ll hear the answer to that, right after our conversation. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/196 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelpc.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katmandu, the capital city of Nepal. April 25, 2015. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck without warning. In the end, nearly 9,000 people lost their lives, and close to 22,000 were injured. Entire villages were destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. And not far from the epicenter was Mt Everest. There were a lot of people on the mountain that day, and 19 climbers were killed. Michael Churton is an adventure filmmaker based out of New York City. He’s done work for National Geographic, NBC, ABC, Discovery, and the Science Channel. He’s been doing this for more than 20 years. Michael was at Mt Everest Base Camp when the earthquake happened. And he was right in the path of the deadly avalanche that was triggered immediately after. And even though he survived, not all of his teammates came back. Michael was on the mountain to document an adventure. But what happened that morning has turned that project into a documentary that he’s currently working on, to tell what happened on Mt Everest’s deadliest day on record. This film is called Bound To Everest, and you can see the trailer on his website. And if you want to support this podcast, and get exclusive access to bonus episodes, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Website – https://BoundToEverest.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/michael.churton Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/michaelchurton/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/churtz Email - michael.churton@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: Have you ever gone back to visit your childhood home? How would you describe that experience? To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re early in life, growing up, whatever you experience is what you consider to be normal. For example, when I was a kid, our family would go to church every Sunday. We knew everyone there, I had lots of friends there, and there was always a big crowd of people. So naturally, I just kind of assumed that everyone, on Sunday mornings, would be in a church somewhere. But it was kind of a disconnect when we’d be in the car on Sunday, and we might drive past a park or a boat marina, and I’d see people getting their boat ready to go out on the water. And I’d think, how does that work? Maybe they go to a different church that meets later, or something? I couldn’t put those pieces together, because what I thought was the norm wasn’t the norm for everyone. My guest today, Mayson, also had a childhood that was different from many other kids. From the time she was a baby, she and her mother would go and visit her dad on weekends – in prison. And since that was all she had ever know, she assumed that’s what everyone did. Her eyes were opened on her 12th birthday, and you’re about to hear that story. And toward the end of our conversation, Mayson revealed something that she only just discovered as a result of coming on this podcast. If you’d like to ask Mayson a question, or leave her a comment about her story, she’s in the WWTL podcast Facebook group (along with about 8000 other listeners, and many of the previous guests of the show) - WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/192 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Sign up today at https://butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I live about 20 minutes from world-famous Clearwater Beach. I do bike around that area sometimes but that’s about the only time I go there, because I’m not much of a beach person. But people come from all over the world to sit in that sand, because that’s one of the things Clearwater is known for. But there’s something else that makes this city famous. Clearwater, Florida is also the worldwide spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology. Back in 1975, there was a Scientology-founded group that purchased the huge Ft Harrison Hotel in Clearwater for $2.3 million. On the paperwork, the tenant was listed as “United Churches of Florida”, so the City Council and the citizens of Clearwater didn’t realize that the new owners were actually the Church of Scientology – until after the purchase was finalized. Citizens groups and even the mayor of Clearwater at the time, protested against the church establishing a base there, and they repeatedly referred to the group as a cult. But the group stayed. And now, the Scientologists own 185 properties in downtown Clearwater. If you drive around the city, you’ll see these people walking from one place to another, doing their work or taking courses. My guest today is Kat, and she knows about the Church of Scientology from first-hand experience. When she was barely a teenager, Kat was given to the Scientologists – by her mother. If you’d like to contact Kat, you can email her at CanadianKat9@icloud.com Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/148 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Fall asleep to the Calm History podcast – CalmHistory.com Sponsor deals: Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off! What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month. For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our story today has to do with making decisions. As a child, most of the time, life is pretty easy because you don’t have to make any decisions. Everything in your life is decided for you – what clothes you wear each day, where you sleep, what you eat, everything. But as an adult, all of that changes. You take on responsibilities, and you have to make decisions. What to do for work, who you want to spend the rest of your life with (if anyone), which house to buy – it seems like we spend much of our life trying to make the right choices. And sometimes, that can be really difficult. My guest today is Laura. She and her husband, Dan, were parents to their little boy, Louie. Then, they found out they were pregnant again – this time, with twins. And Laura was soon faced with making a decision that she never would have imagined having to make. Content warning: this episode includes discussion of pregnancy and loss. Listener discretion is advised. Resources: Laura has a friend who creates the Good Grief Podcast – hosted by Kristen Carrier and Sarah Holveck https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-grief-podcast/id1707022810 Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss Support Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/427172118636668/ Vanishing Twin Syndrome Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1520655841487780/ Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/177 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self. Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are a lot of things we have that are amazing, but we take them for granted. Have you ever seen those videos online where the person being recorded is color blind? And their family gets them those specially-made sunglasses that actually allow a person to see colors, even though they have never been able to before. Of course, everyone in the family wants to see their reaction the first time they put on those glasses. So they all go outside, and there are usually some brightly colored balloons nearby, and the birthday person opens up this package to find a pair of sunglasses. Nice, thanks for the sunglasses. And of course everyone encourages them to try them on. And what happens when they put those glasses on, and they are now actually seeing colors instead of everything being black and white or just having shades of difference – their reaction is always amazing. In many cases, they are just so overwhelmed by the colors and overcome by emotion, they start to cry because of what they’re seeing. In that moment, everything has changed for them. They see everything differently, and they notice every single color. But for most of us, we walk around every day seeing all of these vibrant colors, and we never have a single thought about it. It’s just our normal. We often don’t understand or appreciate something until we are able to see the difference between having it, and not having it. My guest today, Chris, can attest to that. Like most of us, he grew up having hands – a left hand and a right hand. They were right there with him for more than 40 years, always doing what he needed them to do. But today, the hands that Chris uses are not the hands he was born with. If you’d like to contact Chris, you can email him at cpollock68@gmail.com. Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/146 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month. For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what  Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s the most useless thing you still have memorized? Links for this episode: Meredith’s episode with Jehovah’s Witness: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/79a56504/ep-228-or-confessions-of-a-teenage-jesus-jerk-purity-culture-and-finding-your-weirdos-remastered Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5634962/ The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren: https://www.amazon.com/Language-Schoolchildren-Review-Books-Classics/dp/0940322692 Mechanized Death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XquWdKBz2H0 Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals:   To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After you’ve been parenting for more than a few years, there’s something you learn. The way you communicate with your child changes as the child gets older. When you say something to a toddler, you don’t usually need to provide all the logic and reasoning with it. At that stage they are absorbing information like a sponge, and you’re the primary source of all their new knowledge. But when they get to the teenage years, it’s a different story. At that point, they might question your advice. So a lot of times, as a parent of a teenager, you might find yourself walking that thin line – you don’t want to just tell them what to do with the “because I said so” logic, because that could just push them farther in the wrong direction. But you also don’t want to see them make a big mistake that could have serious consequences. That’s kind of the spot Heidi was in, with her daughter Emali. Emali was with a boy, and Heidi was trying to get her to understand that he was not the one for her. He was controlling and abusive. Emali did realize that eventually, but when she tried to leave, she sadly didn’t make it. So Heidi is telling the story of her daughter Emali – who she sometimes refers to by her middle name, Renee – so that others might recognize that situation earlier, and get away. If you have a question or comment for Heidi, she’s in the Facebook group. Come over and join over 7500 other listeners in our amazing discussions – WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. If you’re in an abusive situation, you can call or text for help: National Domestic Violence Hotline – thehotline.org – 1-800-799-7233 or text to 88788 Heidi created this GoFundMe to help with expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-hands-for-elianna-rebuilding-life-after-tragedy Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/184 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a summary of what to expect for the What Was That Like podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, this is Scott, and you’re listening to What Was That Like. But this is not a regular episode of What Was That Like. I’ve got a really cool BONUS episode for you today. What you’re about to hear is the first episode in a new podcast series called Dark Valley. This series is investigation-oriented, and it’s about as True-Crime as you can get. You’re gonna learn about America’s “unknown serial killer” – or by the name given to him by law enforcement and the media: The Connecticut River Valley Killer. And it’s all laid out from the perspective of that murderer’s only surviving victim, Jane Boroski. Can you imagine being attacked by a serial killer? And this was not a routine attack. Jane was stabbed 27 times by this man, whom she had never met. Oh, and when it happened, Jane was 7 months pregnant. In this first episode of the series, Jane talks about what happened. And I also had a conversation with Jane, and asked her a few questions of my own about this whole experience. You’ll hear that right after this episode plays, and of course we’ll have this week’s Listener Story as we do on every episode. The Dark Valley podcast series is produced by Crawlspace Media, and if you like this first episode, you can go and listen to the next one on Apple, Spotify, or whatever app you’re listening on right now. So I hope you enjoy this first episode of Dark Valley, followed by my conversation with Jane Boroski. Links: Dark Valley: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dark-valley/id1644915712 Invisible Tears: https://invisible-tears.com/ Jane’s social media: https://linktr.ee/invisibletearspodcast Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/144 Transcription was done by James Lai. What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month.  If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL  For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what  Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices