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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, with ad-free episodes and exclusive past episodes available for Wondery+ subscribers.

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, with ad-free episodes and exclusive past episodes available for Wondery+ subscribers.

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, with ad-free episodes and exclusive past episodes available for Wondery+ subscribers.

Language:

English

Episodes

218: What if the family glue came undone?

1/18/2022
“Is this really happening? Like, is this really my reality? I’m questioning myself as to whether or not I was crazy and had I really seen what I just saw.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: Growing up in a strict, sheltered household, a woman must confront a new reality when her older sister, who was the glue of her family and her identity, begins to fall apart. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on...

Duration:00:57:05

Wondery Presents: Even the Rich - Kidnapping American Royalty: The Patty Hearst Story

1/18/2022
One night, 19-year-old college student Patty Hearst, who happened to be the heir to the Hearst newspaper fortune, was kidnapped from her apartment. She was kept in a closet for weeks, while her captors demanded millions from the Hearst family and the release of their imprisoned co-conspirators. But after she was released, she shocked the world when she robbed a bank with her captors and announced that her name was now Tania. In an all-new series of EVEN THE RICH, dive into the wild and...

Duration:00:04:44

217: What if you saw the face of death?

1/11/2022
“We are not necessarily who we think we are…There are more paradoxes in life than things that make sense.” Today’s episode featured Kim. You can find out more about her and her writings at her Myth and Medicine blog on Patreon: patreon.com/mythandmedicine Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: From the ashes of her own descent into severe mental illness, a nurse finds resilience to face her job’s gravest challenges. Social Media: Instagram:...

Duration:00:59:22

Introducing Families Who Kill: The Donut Shop Murders

1/5/2022
In the era of some of the most heinous serial killers of all time — one murderous family went curiously unnoticed: The McCrary’s. Led by a psychopathic patriarch and his cunning son-in-law, this Texas clan roamed the country robbing, kidnapping, and killing up to 20 people, most of them taken from donut shops. “Families who Kill: The Donut Shop Murders” recounts the wild and deeply disturbing story of an unhinged American family and the terrible brutality they unleashed. The podcast features...

Duration:00:05:16

What if the Devil was battling for your mind? [Rebroadcast - #116]

1/4/2022
“What I feared the most was that these episodes would continue to increase until that’s the world I was living in, in this other nonsensical world completely detached from reality.” Today’s episode featured Steve Kissing. You can find out more about Steve’s story in his story “Running from the Devil” which can be found in narrative and graphic formats on Amazon. Producers: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A man attempts to reconcile the sudden onset of psychotic symptoms with his...

Duration:00:48:18

What if everything turned to mayhem? [Rebroadcast - #110]

12/28/2021
"It was absolutely like a nightmare. At the same time you're realizing you're never going to wake up from this nightmare because this is real life." Producers: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman fights for survival during an infamous mass shooting in Las Vegas. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Content/Trigger...

Duration:00:55:12

What if you uncovered the family secret? [Rebroadcast - #118]

12/21/2021
“The first thing that I felt was invaded, like I physically wanted out of my skin. I didn’t know who the other half of me was….My whole body was crawling and I just wanted out.” Today’s episode is part of our 2021 holiday rebroadcast series. We begin the series with an unbelievable story of woman who, still reeling from an estrangement from own mother, digs into her past and unravels secrets that shake the family foundation. This episode originally aired on October 16th, 2018. This episode...

Duration:01:04:05

216: What if you opened Pandora's Box?

12/14/2021
“Time stopped while my brain was trying to catch up, and I was horrified I was confused I was bewildered I was panicked…just a wave of all of that came over me.” Today’s episode featured Kate Solberg. You can find out more about Kate on Instagram @ka.solberg03 Producers: Whit Missildine, Matt Volla Episode Summary: After her first marriage falls apart, a woman has a second chance at a dream family, but growing suspicions lead her to unimaginable revelations. Social...

Duration:01:02:34

215: What if you faced the monster in the mirror?

12/7/2021
“I was like a walking dead. I was just a shell, but I couldn’t stop…my soul was gone.” Producer: Whit Missildine Guest: Kenneth Ginlack Sr. Episode Summary: Growing up in the projects and a broken home, a man learns survive on the streets through dealing drugs and brutal violence, when a desperate moment leaves him with a choice that changes everything. Today’s episode featured Kenneth Ginlack, Sr. Kenneth has been the Director of Outpatient Programs for Milwaukee County Behavior...

Duration:01:07:58

214: What if you woke up in oblivion?

11/30/2021
“My life is so much more fragile than I thought it was, and my existence goes beyond this tiny little place that I live in.” Today’s episode featured Jenna. You can find out more about her on Instagram @jennajacqueline. Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Episode Summary: Breaking away from her childhood, a teenager buries a traumatic encounter in self harm, pushing her to the limits of life and death. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening This Is Actually Happening...

Duration:00:50:51

Introducing: Harsh Reality - The Story of Miriam Rivera

11/29/2021
It was supposed to be a reality show with a twist. In a sun-drenched villa in Ibiza, six hot guys compete for a cash prize and for the love of the beautiful and mysterious Miriam. It’s meant to be her big break: the moment she becomes the superstar she was born to be. But this is the era of “cruel reality TV” and the show producers have a different goal: they want to surprise the men with the fact that Miriam is trans. A new six-episode investigative series from Wondery, the makers of The...

Duration:00:04:31

213: What if they were murdered trying to protect you?

11/23/2021
“It just got too hurtful to think of him in the ground and me still alive…I couldn’t understand the meaning in it.” Today’s episode featured Hayley Ross. If you’d like to reach out to Hayley you can contact her at kattannie@yahoo.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: Growing up in an abusive household, a woman struggles to find meaning in her life, when one night, a sudden, unexpected, violent attack changes her life forever. Social Media: Instagram:...

Duration:00:56:35

212: What if everyone pretended you were dead?

11/16/2021
“I had no reference point of how to live or behave or anything….It was like this cocoon had been just ripped away from me, and I didn’t know what my beliefs really were.” Today’s episode featured Benjamin. If you’d like to reach out, you can email him at exjwbw@yahoo.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Episode Summary: A man searches to find love for himself and his family after facing the dark consequences of being disfellowshipped by the Jehovah’s Witness. Social...

Duration:00:53:57

211: What if you had to let her go to save yourself?

11/9/2021
“I honestly think that if the mom I grew up with hadn’t given me such a great sense of self-esteem, I don’t think I would have lasted as long under this current strange mother that I was now stuck with.” Today’s episode featured Wren Feeney. Wren lives her life surrounded by pets and people who love her, and yet spends her free time writing horror. If you'd like to read her work, or just reach out and say hi, visit wrenfeeney.com for stories and contact information. Producers: Whit...

Duration:00:58:56

Introducing: Operator

11/8/2021
During the 1-900 number craze of the Nineties, one company provided the vast majority of phone sex. American Telnet was an empire founded by the man who called himself “The Telephone Pimp.” He ran the company “like General Motors” and got filthy rich doing it. But for the (mostly) women who answered the calls and delivered fantasies 24-7, it was a different story. The powerful stigma against sex work was always lurking just beneath the surface, until it threatened to tear apart the whole...

Duration:00:05:47

210: What if you didn't know where they were taking you?

11/2/2021
“I kept thinking there’s no way that God is going to let this happen to me…What could I have done in my life to deserve what’s going on right now.” Today’s episode features Jessie Bains. If you’d like to contact her, you can reach out at jbains21@gmail.com. Producers: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman growing up in a sheltered life with conservative parents is taken from her driveway one night and led into a darkness she never could have fathomed. Social Media: Instagram:...

Duration:01:02:34

Introducing: Shadow of Truth

10/27/2021
It’s one of the most haunting murder cases you’ll ever hear about, and it takes place in a small town in Israel. Tair Rada was only 13-years-old when her body was found inside a locked bathroom stall. She was viciously murdered during a school day, and yet no one saw or heard a thing. The police arrested the janitor, Roman Zadorov, and he eventually confessed, but this was far from being the end of it. Based on the hit true-crime series from Netflix, the podcast "Shadow of Truth" will take...

Duration:00:05:31

209: What if she was dying at 30,000 feet?

10/26/2021
“It felt like the air itself was devoid of hope…It felt like I was in a tomb, and that I was dying alongside Anya with every breath that she was dying.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: A nurse begins shepherding disabled orphans from Eastern Europe to the US, but on one of the trips home, everything falls apart. Website for Andrew Waits: www.andrdewwaits.com Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website:...

Duration:00:59:18

208: What if you ran through the pain?

10/19/2021
“It was like I was in a whole other universe for like five to ten minutes just walking around, like I couldn’t function, I didn’t know what to do.” Today’s episode featured Miles. You can reach out to Miles by emailing him at Miles1357@yahoo.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Episode Summary: A man searches for healing after his father, a disgruntled post office worker, falls into a violent downward spiral. Website for Jason Blalock: jasonblalock.com Social Media:...

Duration:00:56:07

207: What if you faced the ultimate betrayal?

10/12/2021
“Your whole sense of reality has been shaken so much that you question what is even real any more.” Today's episode featured Melissa. You can find more about her on Instagram @littleredmeli or on Medium, https://medium.com/@littleredmeli Producers: Whit Missildine, Matt Volla Episode Summary: Growing up in the Mormon church, a woman follows a structured path to love and marriage, but what hides underneath threatens to unravel everything she’s built. Website for Matt Volla:...

Duration:00:57:04

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