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PODCAST

What It Was Like

Conversations 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 portraitof "what it was like" to be there.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastHosted by Julian MorgansThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

40:55

The Journal Found Beside a Dead Man in Alaska

What It Was Like ·

2025/12/20

In February 1982, the body of a wildlife photographer named Carl McCunn was found in northern Alaska. A miscommunication had left him stranded and McCunn had documented his final cold months in a journal. In this episode, journalist Kris Capps walks us through McCunn’s forgotten story, mostly in his own words.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for

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50:03

Saying Goodbye to My Multiple Personalities

What It Was Like ·

2025/12/12

Sometimes Vivian Conan saw herself in the mirror. Other times she saw others with their own distinct personalities and backstories. At 43, she was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder. In this episode, Vivian describes her life-long journey to meet and merge her different selves.Get in touch with Vivian or find her book via her website:vivianconan.comFind us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on

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1:02:50

I Was Kidnapped By My Stalker and Locked in a Bunker

What It Was Like ·

2025/12/05

In 2022, Samantha Stites was abducted by Christopher Thomas, a man who’d been stalking her for 13 years and had secretly built a soundproof bunker to imprison her. In this episode, Samantha shares how she escaped and what the ordeal taught her about survival.Support Samantha's initiative to protect victims of stalking and domestic violence:Beekeepers AdvocacyFind us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is

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45:58

The Man Using Maths to Find Serial Killers

What It Was Like ·

2025/11/28

Thomas Hargrove was an investigative reporter when he had an idea: use open-source FBI data to spot patterns in unsolved murders. That idea became an algorithm that highlights locations where serial killers might be operating. In this episode, Thomas talks us through the cases it’s uncovered and why data can reveal what people miss.Visit Thomas' organisation the Murder Accountability Project at www.murderdata.org.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow

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48:35

The Hunt For A Killer Who Vanished

What It Was Like ·

2025/11/20

In 2001, Detective Hugh Lockerby found a woman and two children murdered inside a burning home in Scottsdale, Arizona. The missing husband, Robert William Fisher, became the prime suspect and has sat on the top of the FBI's most wanted list for 24 years. Lockerby explains why he believes Fisher is alive and why he can't let this case go.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on

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34:58

What Happened at Skeleton Lake?

What It Was Like ·

2025/11/15

High in the Himalayas lies Roopkund Lake: a frozen pond surrounded by the remains of around 700 people. Were they victims of an ancient disaster, a lost army, or something stranger? We speak with anthropologist William Sax and geneticist Éadaoin Harney to unravel one of India’s most haunting archaeological mysteries.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on Acast. See

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51:12

I Lived as a Hermit in the Australian Bush for 10 Years

What It Was Like ·

2025/11/07

At 35, Gregory Smith walked into the rainforest of northern NSW, addicted, lost, and ready to disappear. He spent the next decade living as a hermit. When he finally walked out, he got sober, went to university, and built a new life. We talk about how nature can strip you bare before healing you.Check out Dr. Gregory Smith'swebsiteandcharity.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on

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1:18:24

I Caught 'The Dating Game' Killer

What It Was Like ·

2025/10/31

You might’ve seen 'Woman of the Hour' on Netflix but this is the real story. In 1979, a 12-year-old girl vanished from Huntington Beach and Detective Craig Robison was assigned to the case. He tells us how he tracked down her killer, a man who had already murdered at least seven women, and how they eventually identified him on national TV as a dating show contestant.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is

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58:42

Catching My Sister's Killer (Classic)

What It Was Like ·

2025/10/24

This week we're re-running a favourite episode.In 1985, a 17-year-old girl named Shari Smith was abducted from her driveway and the family's phone started to ring. It was the kidnapper, his voice electronically distorted. He called repeatedly and it fell on Shari's 21-year-old sister Dawn to answer. In this episode, Dawn Smith Jordan recalls what she learned that week about her her sister's courage and her own resilience.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on

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44:22

I Cooked and Ate My Own Foot

What It Was Like ·

2025/10/17

Today, we’re speaking with a man who lost his foot in a motorcycle accident and then served it to 10 friends for brunch. It’s a conversation about curiosity, taboos—and yes, we ask the question you want to know: what does human meat actually taste like?Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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57:13

I Was Nearly Killed by the 'Killdozer'

What It Was Like ·

2025/10/11

In 2004, a man named Marvin Heemeyer turned a bulldozer into a homemade tank and tore through Granby, Colorado, targeting people he believed had wronged him. One was local newspaper editor Patrick Brower, who barely escaped as the “Killdozer” demolished his office. Patrick recalls the rampage and what it revealed to him about vigilante revenge.For more of Patrick's story, check out his bookKilldozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer RampageFind us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on

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52:52

I Had an Affair With an AI Girlfriend

What It Was Like ·

2025/10/04

Chris Smith started experimenting with ChatGPT in 2024 and quickly became hooked. Soon he’d customised the chatbot into a flirty persona he named “Sol.” What began as curiosity evolved into a full-blown romantic relationship. One that nearly derailed his real-life partnership. In this episode, Chris opens up about how his AI “affair” began, why it became so intense, and how it affected his family.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on

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59:38

I Dated a Billionaire Weapons Dealer

What It Was Like ·

2025/09/26

Jill Dodd was a 21-year-old model when she started dating one of the world's richest men. Adnan Khashoggi made billions selling arms to Saudi Arabia and lived in mansions, superyachts, and among an entourage of women. Jill tells what it was like to live inside that fairy tale and the hidden costs that it entailed.Check out Jill's memoir:The Currency of Love: A Courageous Journey to Finding the Love WithinFind us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on

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56:29

Lighting Bushfires Made Me Feel Less Alone

What It Was Like ·

2025/09/21

In the late 1980s, Steve was a teenage firefighter in a small Australian coastal town. Lonely and looking for connection, he discovered that if he lit a fire in the nearbynationalpark, he could impress the other firefighters by being the first on the scene. In this ep, Steve explains how getting caught and charged with arsonsaved his life, and possibly countless others.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is

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1:16:28

A Nearly Impossible Story of Survival on 9/11

What It Was Like ·

2025/09/11

On September 11, 2001, Stanley Praimnath was on the top floor of the South Tower when he saw the second plane heading straight for his office. Against impossible odds, he survived and became one of a tiny number of people to escape from above the impact zone. In this 9/11 anniversary episode, Stanley recounts what it was like to be at the top of the World Trade Centre that morning.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on

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1:18:43

I Discovered Brad Pitt

What It Was Like ·

2025/09/05

With Brad Pitt back in the spotlight thanks to F1, we’re revisiting a classic episode from 2022. Casting director Lauren Lloyd recalls meeting a young, pimply Pitt in the 1980s and instantly knowing he’d become a star. In this episode, we unpack the making of Brad Pitt as an actor and as a Hollywood institution. Stay listening at the end for a sneak peek of this week's subscriber bonus episode.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on

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1:03:32

How it Felt Running a $700 Million Bank Fraud

What It Was Like ·

2025/08/29

In 2003, a Wall Street trader named John Rusnak was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced to more than seven years in prison. In this episode, John explains how a series of bad bets snowballed into one of the biggest white-collar crimes in US history and why he kept doubling down.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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48:18

What We Found Hidden in our Walls

What It Was Like ·

2025/08/23

A family moves into a new home in rural Pennsylvania and starts renovating. Only there's something in the walls that doesn't make sense. What they uncover upends their lives and reveals a fascinating piece of America’s history.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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1:14:54

Three Deaths at a Spiritual Retreat

What It Was Like ·

2025/08/16

In 2009, motivational speaker James Arthur Ray hosted a multi-day retreat in Arizona. On the final day, three participants died. In thisepisode, theproperty’s owner, Amayra Hamilton, tells us what happened and what she learned about the dark side of the wellness industry.For more, please check outAmayra's book:Transformation at Angel ValleyFind us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on

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55:42

The Meat Industry Veteran Who'd Seen Enough

What It Was Like ·

2025/08/10

For decades, David Magna worked as a safety supervisor in Canadian slaughterhouses. But then a crisis of conscience turned him from an industry insider to vegan activist. In this episode, we tackle the thing most people would rather ignore: what really goes on inside the meat industry—all through the lens of David’s personal journey.Find us on TikTok:@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube:@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:whatitwaslikepodcastThis is aSuperrealproduction Hosted on Acast

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115 results

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