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This Is Actually Happening

Wondery

What if your mother left to follow a cult… or you woke up in a morgue… or if your boat got caught in a storm and began to sink -- what would you do? This is Actually Happening brings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events told by the people who lived them. From a man who finds out a celebrity crush isn’t who she seems to a woman stranded in a Mexican desert fighting to survive, these stories will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what happens next. New episodes come out every Tuesday for free. Listen 1-week early and to exclusive past episodes - all ad-free - with Wondery+ or Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.

What if your mother left to follow a cult… or you woke up in a morgue… or if your boat got caught in a storm and began to sink -- what would you do? This is Actually Happening brings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events told by the people who lived them. From a man who finds out a celebrity crush isn’t who she seems to a woman stranded in a Mexican desert fighting to survive, these stories will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what happens next. New episodes come out every Tuesday for free. Listen 1-week early and to exclusive past episodes - all ad-free - with Wondery+ or Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.
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Location:

Oakland, CA

Networks:

Wondery

Description:

What if your mother left to follow a cult… or you woke up in a morgue… or if your boat got caught in a storm and began to sink -- what would you do? This is Actually Happening brings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events told by the people who lived them. From a man who finds out a celebrity crush isn’t who she seems to a woman stranded in a Mexican desert fighting to survive, these stories will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what happens next. New episodes come out every Tuesday for free. Listen 1-week early and to exclusive past episodes - all ad-free - with Wondery+ or Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.

Language:

English

Episodes

257: What if you didn't know who to believe?

11/29/2022
After leaving the Jehovah’s Witness faith of her childhood, a woman redefines her life with her husband and child and becomes a loving foster parent for many, but as one of her foster children comes of age, the chaos threatens to unravel the entire family. Today's guest requested to remain anonymous. But if you'd like to reach out to her, you can email at Friends13459@gmail.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Content/Trigger Warnings: child endangerment, sexual assault...

Duration:00:59:52

Introducing: I Hear Fear

11/28/2022
Nothing is as terrifying as the sounds we hear in the dark. The slow creak of a door opening late at night... or a whisper in a room when you thought you were alone... or a distant scream in the wind. One noise at the wrong time or place can scare us for days. Each episode of I HEAR FEAR plunges the listener into a tale inspired by real events, from a deadly dance party to a cursed film set. Join host and two-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan for six immersive stories designed to jangle...

Duration:00:05:52

256: What if you prepared your boyfriend's body?

11/22/2022
After losing her father at a young age, a woman begins apprenticing as a funeral director, but when tragedy strikes again, the loss takes an exponential toll. Today’s episode featured Kelsie. You can find out more about her on Instagram and Twitch: @HumanPterodactyl Content/Trigger Warnings: mental illness, suicidal ideation, suicide, graphic medical descriptions, explicit language Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter:...

Duration:00:57:43

255: What if they didn't ask and you couldn't tell?

11/15/2022
A man growing up in the closet joins the military under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and numbs his identity with alcohol, but after becoming a nurse and after COVID wreaks havoc, his downward spiral hits a new rock bottom that will decide his life or death. Today’s guest requested to remain anonymous, but if you’d like to contact him, you can email at M2980737@gmail.com. Content/Trigger Warnings: murder of an animal, domestic abuse, miscarriage, bullying, alcoholism, addiction, self-harm,...

Duration:00:54:51

Amazon Music Presents COLD: The Search for Sheree

11/14/2022
Sheree Warren left her job in Salt Lake City on a mild October evening in 1985. She told a coworker she was headed to meet her estranged husband, Charles Warren, at a car dealership. But she never made it, Sheree vanished. When a young mother disappears under unexplained circumstances, police always turn suspicious eyes towards the husband. And although there was distrust around Charles Warren, he wasn’t the only suspect when Sheree went missing. She also had a boyfriend, a former cop named...

Duration:00:10:03

254: What if your father annihilated the family?

11/8/2022
A woman grows up in a home chronically terrified by her father’s abuse, but when her parents split and he starts another family, she learns of the true, horrifying danger she was in her entire life. Today's episode featured Lisa Nikolidakis. You can read much more about this story in her incredible memoir, No One Crosses the Wolf. You can also find out more about Lisa on Instagram @lisanik or on Twitter @lisanikol, and check out her other award-winning essays, at...

Duration:01:12:16

Wondery Presents: The Vanished

11/2/2022
The Vanished is a true crime podcast that explores the stories of those who have gone missing. The Vanished goes beyond conventional news reports to take a deep dive into the story of a different missing person each week. Host Marissa Jones brings you exclusive interviews with family members, friends, law enforcement and experts on mainstream cases, as well as little known ones. Listen in, to hear what The Vanished will uncover next: wondery.fm/TIAH_TheVanished See Privacy Policy at...

Duration:00:05:52

253: What if you couldn't even remember the crash?

11/1/2022
As a teenager struggling with severe depression and anxiety, a woman finds dance as her only outlet, but on a night that is lost to memory, a horrific accident transforms her body, her brain and her identity. Today's episode featured Desiree Ford. You can find out more about her on Instagram @fesireedord. Out of their experience of the accident, Desiree and her mother have also begun holding workshops and speaking engagements for resilience training to help others adapting to major life...

Duration:00:44:29

252: What if you watched your mother disappear?

10/25/2022
A man tries to put the pieces of his life back together after growing up with a mother who suffered from severe OCD and anorexia. Today’s guest requested to remain anonymous, but if you’d like to reach out to him directly you can email him at viking0531@gmail.com. Content/Trigger Warnings: severe eating disorder, anorexia, OCD, sexually explicit material, mention of suicide, explicit language Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Social Media: Instagram:...

Duration:00:45:41

251: What if a false allegation stole what you valued most?

10/18/2022
A woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder experiences a roller coaster of destroyed relationships and mental storm, but after stabilizing through therapy and medication her mentally compromised mother makes an accusation that cannot be revoked. Content/Trigger Warnings: mental illness, domestic abuse, explicit language Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook:...

Duration:00:42:22

Wondery Presents: The Generation Why Podcast

10/17/2022
The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Two friends, Aaron & Justin, break down theories and give their opinions on unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries and conspiracies. One of the longest running true crime podcasts out there, Generation Why has a little something for every true crime listener. Follow The Generation Why Podcast on Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or you can listen...

Duration:00:05:49

250: What if a devastating truth only deepened the mystery?

10/11/2022
Growing up Black and queer in the South, a man finds an identity for himself through the arts and establishes a wonderful marriage with children, until one day, when his husband is late coming home, there’s a ring at the door and his entire life unravels. Content/Trigger Warnings: use of a derogatory racial slur, use of a derogatory homophobic slur, mention of gun violence, mention of suicide, mental illness, drug use, drug overdose, explicit language Producers: Whit Missildine, Sara...

Duration:00:54:37

249: What if you knew your baby was going to die?

10/4/2022
Coming from a charmed, conservative, Catholic upbringing, a woman must confront her deepest beliefs as she struggles with the reality and implications of the most devastating news a mother can receive. Content/Trigger Warnings: traumatic pregnancy, death of an infant, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook:...

Wondery Presents - The Rewatcher: Buffy The Vampire Slayer

10/3/2022
Welcome to the Hellmouth Weirdos! Your favorite Morbid hosts Ash and Alaina are branching out from true crime and heading to Sunnydale for the ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rewatch podcast! Alaina is a Buffy superfan and Ash has never watched a single episode, so whether you’re Team Angel, Team Spike, or have no clue who those people are…they’ve got you covered! Join them each week as they slay their way through the series, episode by episode, re-watching, and watching for the very first...

Duration:00:04:30

248: What if an invisible disease blew up your life?

9/27/2022
After surviving a chaotic and abusive upbringing, a woman develops an undiagnosable autoimmune disorder that threatens to take her vision and her livelihood, but when a friend brings a blow-up doll to play a practical joke one night, everything changes. Today’s episode featured Gina Hessburg. You can find out more about her and Rafael on Instagram @blowinguprafael or on her website, blowinguprafael.com. On the website, you can also buy Gina’s book, Blowing Up, featuring her journey with...

Duration:00:52:55

247: What if you didn't see the signs?

9/20/2022
Bill Mitchell built a successful career, marriage and family, but just as his bright and loving daughter graduates from college with big dreams, an unthinkable event irreversibly changes everything. Today’s episode featured Bill Mitchell. Bill has a book and podcast, both called When Dating Hurts. You can find out more about Bill, his book and his podcast, all at whendatinghurts.com. You can also find his book on Amazon. Bill was originally featured on Scott Johnson’s amazing podcast, What...

Duration:00:56:50

246: What if you could never be what they wanted?

9/13/2022
Always feeling she had failed the ideals of her strict Muslim, South Asian family and community, a woman struggles to navigate trauma, shame and self-expression, when unexpected news forces her into a powerful reckoning. Today‘s episode featured Azzah Ahmad. You can find out more about Azzah by visiting her Instagram page @Lifeazziknowit. Content/Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse of a minor, suicidal ideation, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Social...

Duration:00:51:58

245: What if you were taken to the dark side?

9/6/2022
A woman struggling to find herself finally discovers a place where she belongs and forms a deep friendship, but when she experiments with a powerful psychedelic the experience reveals more than she bargained for. Today's episode featured Ash Stryker. You can find out more about Ash and see her illustration and artwork by going to her website: ashstryker.com/ Content/Trigger Warnings: eating disorder, drug use, drug overdose, hallucinations, explicit language Producer: Whit...

Duration:00:53:48

244: What if you could never make him proud?

8/30/2022
A man struggles to free himself from his father’s iron grip on the family, but when an unsettling truth about his past is revealed, his entire life comes into focus. Today's storyteller was originally featured on the incredible podcast, The Secret Room, created and hosted by Ben Hamm. Ben's guests share stories they've never told before, giving you a front row seat to the hidden lives of people all around you. Ben and I have collaborated before on a previous episode, and if you love This Is...

Duration:00:46:04

Wondery Presents: Blood Ties S3: Strange Days

8/29/2022
Our family members are not always who we think. When Eleonore Richland exposed her father’s dark legacy, she vowed to clean up the family business – and hired her half-brother, Santino Reyes, to help her do it. But old habits die hard. In the shocking new third season, Eleonore reckons with what her father always taught her growing up: medicine is a bloody business. From Wondery, the makers of “The Shrink Next Door” and “Dr. Death,” Blood Ties stars Gillian Jacobs (Community, Love),...

Duration:00:05:33

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