x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

This Is Actually Happening

What if you were trafficked into a cult...or were mauled by a grizzly bear...or were stabbed 27 times by a serial killer - what would you do?This is Actually Happeningbrings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events told by the people who lived them. From a man who woke up in the morgue 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.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

00:57:27

399: What if a hormonal disorder rewrote your identity?

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/03/24

After decades of stability, a woman’s experience of menopause brings back a lifetime of buried symptoms and reveals an unexpected truth about her identity, forcing her to reexamine everything she thought she knew about herself.Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. If you’d like to reach out to her, you can email her at SunflowerSpark44@gmail.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Ellen (Elly) Westberg Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicidal ideation, mental illness,

en

01:00:31

398: What if you witnessed the best and the worst of...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/03/17

After years working as a humanitarian aid worker in war zones and disaster areas around the world, a man is forced to confront the psychological toll of witnessing a broken world he could never fix. Today’s episode featured Gray Doyle. If you’d like to email Gray, you can reach him at graydoyle@meetmeinzanzibar.com. You can purchase Gray’s book on his website, https://meetmeinzanzibar.com/. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock Content/Trigger Warnings: War

en

00:54:48

397: What if you survived a terrorist attack in Paris?

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/03/10

After surviving the 2015 ISIS terrorist attacks at a Paris café, a woman begins the painful work of confronting buried childhood trauma and reclaiming a life she had never fully allowed herself to live.Today’s episode featured Mandy Palmucci. You can email Mandy at mandypalmucci@gmail.com. Mandy is on Instagram @palmuccim Mandy is currently working on a book about her experience. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: Childhood sexual abuse,

en

01:10:59

396: What if you were held captive by child soldiers?

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/03/03

When a family sailing journey ends in capture by child soldiers during Mozambique’s civil war, a man must protect his children while confronting the unsettling truth that his captors are both perpetrators of violence and children shaped by it.Today’s episode featured Dave Muller. Dave has written about his experiences in a book entitled, “Not Child’s Play”, available where books are sold or at https://notchildsplay.co.uk/ You can email Dave at dave.muller@notchildsplay.co.za Dave is on

en

01:10:10

401: What if your son murdered your daughter?

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/02/24

After overcoming addiction and rebuilding her life around motherhood, a woman's world is shattered when her son kills her daughter, forcing her to grieve one child while fighting to protect the other and learning how to survive an unbearable moral and emotional divide.Today’s episode featured Charity Lee. If you’d like to email Charity, you can reach her at bawmedia@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook @IAmCharityLee Charity has authored a book entitled, How Now, Butterfly? A

en

01:02:17

400: What if you found yourself naked, starving and...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/02/17

After the sudden death of his father leaves him drowning in guilt, a man unknowingly spirals into a manic break that strips him of his freedom, his relationships, and his grip on reality, forcing him to confront bipolar disorder and rebuild his life from the ground up.Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. However, you can reach out to him at anytom2020.t@gmail.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicide and suicide by cop,

en

01:07:25

399: What if your doctors weren’t allowed to help you?

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/02/10

After a lifetime of striving for control, a woman is thrust into unimaginable loss when a potentially catastrophic twin pregnancy collides with restrictive laws, forcing her to rebuild her life from the ground up.Today’s episode featured Helen. Helen and her husband, Zach, began The Marigold Foundation, whose mission is to lead the way in providing financial aid to families that are facing a complex medical diagnosis or the loss of an infant or neonate. To learn more or to donate, please visit

en

00:56:42

398: What if you were a whistleblower against your...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/02/03

When a son discovers that the man who raised him is capable of unimaginable harm, he is forced to become a whistleblower against his own father, risking his family, his identity, and everything he once believed to be true. Today’s episode featured Kai Zen Bickle. To find out more about the legislation drafted with Child USA to close jurisdictional loopholes, specifically to ensure that evidence of sexual crimes committed against children on foreign soil can be brought back and used in U.S

en

01:02:14

397: What if you forgave the neo-Nazi who killed your...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/01/27

After a white supremecist killed his father at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, Pardeep Singh Kaleka pairs up with a former neo-Nazi to teach students about overcoming hate and finding forgiveness. Today’s episode was produced in collaboration with Pauline Bartolone, and was funded in part by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, as part of its "Spreading Love Through the Media" initiative, supported by the John Templeton Foundation. Pauline can be reached at paulinebartolone.org

en

00:51:00

396: What if your unresolved grief led to a fatal...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/01/20

After killing a cyclist while driving drunk, a woman confronts the consequences of her actions and begins the long, painful work of rebuilding a life shaped by guilt and accountability. Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli Content/Trigger Warnings: Drunk driving, Fatal accident, Death, Manslaughter, Substance abuse / alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Psychological trauma, Moral injury, Guilt and shame, Suicidal ideation,

en

00:51:40

395: What if you were pushed into the path of an...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/01/13

After surviving a stranger’s shove into the path of a subway train, a man confronts his mortality and viral fame, and finds himself transformed by community, clarity, and the everyday poignancy of being alive.Today’s episode featured Joe Lynskey. You can email Joe at upfromthetracks@gmail.com. Joe is on Instagram @lynskey.joe. You can find news articles about Joe and his DJ career at his link tree: https://linktr.ee/lynskey.joe. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew

en

00:54:56

394: What if a devastating truth only deepened the...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/01/08

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.Today’s storyteller chose to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Content/Trigger Warnings: use of a derogatory racial slur, use of a derogatory homophobic slur, mention of gun violence, mention of suicide,

en

01:03:35

393: What if you survived the Bosnian genocide?...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/01/06

From an idyllic childhood in communist Yugoslavia, as a teenager, Mirsad’s world becomes a living nightmare as the Bosnian War brings shelling, torture, murder and ethnic cleansing to his village, leaving deep scars that haunt and transform his life. Today's episode featured Mirsad Solakovic. If you would like to contribute to help the Solak Gym (a charitable organization) that Mirsad helped create, you can donate through PayPal at solakgym@hotmail.com. You can see and find out more about the

en

00:46:30

392: What if your daughter committed a seemingly...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2026/01/01

A mother struggles to raise her child through a series of chaotic relationships, when one day, as her daughter’s mental illness spirals out of control, an unthinkable decision will change their lives forever. Today’s storyteller asked to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: mental illness, self-harm, sexual abuse, suicide attempt, car accident, near death experience, severe injury, explicit language Social Media: Instagram:

en

00:56:14

391: What if you committed a seemingly unforgivable act?

This Is Actually Happening ·

2025/12/30

After a traumatic childhood, a young woman spirals into mental illness and in her darkest moment makes an unthinkable decision that will change her family forever. Today’s episode featured Brittany. You can read more about Brittany, and her current life updates on her blog at becomingB.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: mental illness, alcoholism, self-harm, sexual abuse, rape, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, car accident, near death

en

00:49:46

390: What if you found the antidote in the venom?...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2025/12/25

Growing up Muslim in the Middle East, a woman juggles the chaotic expectations of a severely abusive mother with her desire for self-expression; but when she comes into a sexual awakening, a secret world opens where a deeper healing awaits. Today’s storyteller chose to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz Content/Trigger Warnings: domestic violence, domestic abuse of a minor, sexual fetish and kink, BDSM, explicit language Social

en

00:48:49

389: What if you were crushed by 10000 pounds of...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2025/12/23

Struggling to prove himself and find his identity growing up, a man eventually builds a career and begins occasionally helping out a friend with his granite import business, when one day, the dangers of the job become all too real.Today’s episode featured Mike Wolo. You can find him on Instagram @Titanium_Mike110. You can read more about his story, and see photos on his website TheOtherSideofTheRock.com, and you can email him at TitaniumMike110@gmail.com. Producers: Whit Missildine,

en

01:02:03

388: What if you woke up in a tsunami?

This Is Actually Happening ·

2025/12/16

After narrowly surviving the devastating tsunami of 2004, a woman begins an unexpected journey through trauma, illness, and profound spiritual transformation to rebuild her life and sense of self.Today’s episode featured Ani Naqvi. You can email Ani at ani@ultimateresultsgroup.com. Ani’s website: ultimateresultsgroup.com She is on socials: Facebook @ani.naqvi.7 Instagram @ani.naqvi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ani-naqvi/ Ani’s book is entitled, Tsunami The Wave That Saved

en

01:00:45

387: What if your partner accused you of attempted...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2025/12/09

When a man is falsely accused of attempted murder by the woman he’s spent years trying to save, he’s forced to confront the lifelong patterns of self-abandonment that led him there. Today’s episode featured Anonymous. If you’d like to reach out to him, you can email him at griefandgracetiah@gmail.com. He is an anesthesia provider in California. His path has been shaped by loss, resilience, and the quiet work of rebuilding a life. He uses storytelling to make sense of what cannot be

en

00:55:26

386: What if you woke up with someone's hands around...

This Is Actually Happening ·

2025/12/02

The life of a promising actor takes a devastating turn when she is attacked in her home, sending her into an 18-year fight to reclaim her sense of safety, her career, and the date that haunts her every year.Today’s episode featured Amy Benedict. You can find Amy on Instagram @amy.benedict and on TikTok @amybenbro. To find her acting credentials, you can find her on IMDB here: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0070749 Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Cathy Sitzes Content/Trigger

en

344 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger