Stay ConnectedConversations with people who have lived through extreme events. Some stories are dark and twisted, others are light and funny. In all cases, we get an intimate portrait of ‘what it was like’ to be there.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
Hosted by Julian Morgans
This is a Superreal production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Copyright: © Superreal Pty Ltd
Sophia Greenwood was adopted as a baby. She had no contact with her birth parents, until she met her biological dad in her 20s. They both experienced a sense of profound connection and fell into a relationship that ended in pregnancy. In this ep, Sophia talks about knowing she was in a relationship with her dad, yet unable to switch off the attraction, and why that’s more common than you'd think among adoptees.
Sophia's book, Forbidden Love, is on Amazon here.
This week’s episode was originally featured on our sister show Sex Confessions.
Watch it on Spotify or listen on Apple Podcasts
Instagram @sexconfessionspod
Tiktok @xconfessionspod
Youtube @SexConfessionsPod
Host Laura Roscioli @lauraroscioli
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week’s story will likely be hard for many listeners to wrap their heads around, which is why we're unpacking the science behind it in this week’s subscriber episode.This is an excerpt from Julian’s discussion with Dianne Mathes, a Canadian therapist who specialises in the phenomenon of adoptees feeling attracted to biological family members. By her estimate, it's actually the majority of her cases, and she shares her own experience as an adoptee.
Subscribe to WIWL PLUS+ to hear the full episode and get access to loads more exclusive content.
Join our membership on Spotify here or on Apple Podcasts here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
At 15, Maggie Malloy was abducted at gunpoint during running practice near her home in Galion, Ohio. A few hours later, she was found with multiple gun shots to the head, but alive. This week, Maggie shares how she survived and how faith and facing her past helped her to heal.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week we are revisiting one of our favourite stories. In 2015, Hurricane Joaquin roared over the Bahamas and sank a cargo ship called the El Faro, drowning all 33 people onboard. It was a mystery how a modern US-flagged ship could sail into a hurricane until its black box was found. In this episode, Julian examines the black box transcript to discover a crew that ignored all their own instincts.
Transcript from the El Faro's black box is here.
The US Coast Guard's report is here.
And here is an article and a book that was hugely helpful in researching this case:
“The Clock Is Ticking”: Inside the Worst U.S. Maritime Disaster in Decades by William Langewiesche
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When Alice Weaver Flaherty’s twins died at birth, she developed an overwhelming compulsion to write about the experience. Soon, Alice had developed hypergraphia, a rare condition that causes sufferers to write morning and night. She explains what happened to her and what it reveals about the brain and creativity.
Check out Alice’s book, The Midnight Disease
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 1990, 14-year-old Tyler Pelke was home alone in Altona, Canada, watching a movie with a friend. Then the local bully, Earl Giesbrecht, showed up at the door. Hours later, Tyler’s friend was dead and his house was on fire. Years later, Tyler confronted Earl in prison to ask “why?”.
Get Tyler to speak at your next event: tylerpelke.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 2010, fraudster Larry Ray got out of prison and started sleeping on a couch in his daughter’s college dorm. Within weeks, he was mentoring her friends. A year later, he’d recruited most of them into what would later be described as a “sex-cult.” Felicia Rosario was one of them. Introduced to Larry by her brother, she spent 10 years under his spell. She unpacks his incredible aptitude for mind control and how she rebuilt her life after his arrest.
Contact Felicia Rosario via her website here: feliciarosario.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
"Bring me their ears." That was the order from cult leader Yahweh ben Yahweh, who admitted new members of the Nation of Yahweh into his inner circle only after they'd killed someone and had an ear to prove it. Our guest, Khalil Amani, never killed anyone, but this instruction was a step too far. This week, Khalil tells us how he became an FBI informant and put the group's leader behind bars.
Find us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/whatitwaslikepodcast/
This is a Superreal production: https://superreal.com.au/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 2019, David and Ina Steiner began receiving mysterious packages at their Massachusetts home. Local police sergeant Jason Sutherland was called in to investigate, and eventually traced the harassment back to executives at eBay. In this episode, Sergeant Sutherland explains how one of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies came to target a suburban couple.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
This is a Superreal production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, "urbex" (urban exploration) is a global phenomenon with millions of videos online. But few people know it all traces back to a group of teenagers in Melbourne. In the mid-1980s, they founded the Cave Clan, formalising the exploration of storm drains and abandoned buildings. In this ep, founding member Dougo explains how the group began, the tragedy that changed everything, and how they’re hoping to bring the Cave Clan back to life.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
This is a Superreal production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
