The Escape Pod
A traumedy about the trials and tribulations of people in their journeys of “escape”. Escape what, you ask? ALL the things! From trauma, crime, and unhealthy family cycles, to traffic and good deeds not going unpunished. Like we said—all the things! (Just tune in…you’ll understand.) Co-hosted by Julie Oberlander and Charity Doyle--the journalist and the rehabbed trainwreck--The Escape Pod aims to connect, educate, entertain, and humanize through the lens of lived experience.
Episodes
The saying goes: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me. Not so, Escape Artists, not so – as proven by today’s episode in which a teen girl’s text messages are used against her as she faces charges in her friend’s tragic death. What does this case tell us about the power of influence in the digital age? And where does the First Amendment fit in? The co-hosts debate and discuss it all in this edition of T...
In a recent Escape Bite, the ladies of The Escape Pod got a little freaked out by the use of AI deepfakes to con an employee at an international company out of millions of dollars. (Turns out, the “people” on the video conference call were not people at all.) In this mini-sode, the co-hosts take a turn toward the positive, offering up real examples of the use of artificial intelligence to actually fight crimes – not just commit the...
The Escape Pod travels back in time to delve into the fascinating and often perilous history of arsenic – not in the committing of crimes, but in the creation of artwork. This episode is a classic case of the human race “living and learning” from past mistakes, so tune in as we unravel the stories of beauty intertwined with toxicity, where the allure of brilliant colors comes at a dire price.
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Marke...
Artificial intelligence, like any technology, has its pros and cons. It can predict words before this writer even thinks of them. Helpful? Sometimes yes. But in this Escape Bite mini-sode, the co-hosts get down-right freaked out by a case of true crime in which AI deepfakes caused an international company to lose millions.
Resources & Links
He is proof that a person’s past does not have to define their future. Mayor Jason Salamun’s mother struggled with addiction. His parents divorced when he was young, and after that, the family’s housing ranged from none at all to crack houses and trailer parks. But his grandparents’ home was safe and loving, and with their encouragement he escaped his challenging childhood, moved to South Dakota to live with his father, and – event...
No “silver spoon” to speak of in this politician’s background. No – Jason Salamun, now Mayor Salamun, was born in West Texas to teen parents, including a mother who struggled with addiction. His childhood was fraught with instability. But his grandparents were a “lifeline,” and a combination of their love and a new life with his father in South Dakota changed everything. Mayor Salamun escaped a challenging childhood and eventually ...
Pie-scape (Escaping financial abuse)
Summary of Episode
Inspired by the fictional movie/musical “Waitress,” the co-hosts explore the very non-fictional issue of financial abuse and – more importantly – how to escape it.
Resources & Links
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He says “med school Stephen” had no interest in addiction and recovery services, but several years after earning his M.D., this doctor with a heart for humanity saw a need for expanded treatment options in Rapid City, SD, and he took action. The co-hosts welcome Dr. Stephen Tamang of Monument Health into The Escape Pod to discuss hard drugs, how they hijack the brain, and why escaping these addictions is so challenging.
Bullet Po...
In this Escape Bite, your co-hosts compete to come up with the best story that answers the question: Who stole the cheese?! Turns out, A LOT of people do. Cheese is actually the “most stolen food” in the world, according to a Yahoo News article published in April 2025.
Resources & Links
Summary of Episode
The conclusion of The Escape Pod’s “Blind Faith” series details the alleged whereabouts of John-Paul Miller on the day of his wife’s tragic death and digs into new allegations against the pastor, dating back to the 1990s.
BE ADVISED: This episode includes discussion of suicide and physical and sexual violence.
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:
Topic #1 :01 Recap of Parts 1-3
Topic #2...
Summary of Episode
A controller at a Texas bakery famous for its fruitcake steals a massive amount of “dough” from his employer over nine years. How did he do it, and – more importantly – how can trusting businesses escape such a fate themselves? The co-hosts answer those questions and more in an Escape Bite mini-sode that might leave you saying, “That’s a lot of fruitcake!”
Resources & Links
- “Fail” photo found on Pint...
Escape Pod Show Notes – Episode 69: Blind Faith, Pt. 3 (Mica Miller’s Story)
Date: 5/21/2025
Episode Title and Number: Blind Faith, Pt. 3 (Mica Miller’s Story) – Ep. 69
Summary of Episode
Our four-part series “Blind Faith” focuses on a Carolina pastor and his often-tumultuous relationships, particularly with his second wife, Mica, who – authorities ruled – took her own life in the spring of 2024. In this third installment, Th...
Bad (PTA) Moms
Summary of Episode
The movie “Bad Moms” portrayed PTA parents as crazy, controlling, and conniving – but all in good fun. (It is a movie, after all.) It wasn’t nearly as funny when three PTA moms in southern California scammed millions of dollars from real people, including fellow PTA members. They got away with it for a time but couldn’t escape the consequences of their scheme. Learn more about the case in this ...
The second installment of our four-part series, “Blind Faith,” delves deeper into the second marriage of a Carolina pastor to a young woman he may have wooed – or groomed – when she was just a teen and he was married with children. What initially appeared to be true love became truly terrifying. In this edition of The Escape Pod, the co-hosts examine the disturbing behaviors that characterized the marriage and may have led to Mica ...
When a common person uses the term “insane” or “incompetent” to describe someone, they’re rarely using the same standard as that of a lawyer or judge in a court of law. The Escape Pod’s own former news reporter-turned-podcast co-host can testify to this, using the example of a South Dakota kidnapping/murder case she first covered 20+ years ago.
Resources & Links
- https://rapi...
Call it love. Call it blind faith. Call it the result of a predator getting the best of his prey.
A young woman who appeared happily married claims to be trapped in a controlling, manipulative relationship. She begs for help, but no one listens. Instead, she's publicly shamed – painted as crazy and unhinged. Her pastor husband couldn’t be the bad guy, right? This isn’t a classic case of a respected position covering up a true crim...
A nature reserve and popular party place in the middle-of-nowhere becomes the scene of mass murder in the fall of 1973: four teens are killed; a fifth escapes death but is victimized in other ways – by her friends’ killers and, later, by small-town conspiracy theorists who suspect she was in on the crime. In time, though, this survivor gets to tell her own story of escape and finds healing in doing so. The co-hosts travel back more...
A familiar face on the streets of Grand Junction, Colorado, goes missing in February 2021. Known as “The Reading Man,” Warren Barnes is described as kind and helpful by those who saw him daily at his favorite place to read. Just days after the man's disappearance, a mom makes a gruesome discovery while cleaning her 19-year-old son’s bedroom. But it makes no sense: her son, diagnosed with autism as a child, had never been violent to...
“You can trust your kid all you want, but do you trust the world with your kid?”
Back by popular demand, Hollie Strand of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force returns to The Escape Pod to help us help our kids escape – or at least better navigate – the very real dangers of the digital world. Hollie offers tips to start these tough conversations with kids of all ages (FYI – if you’re waiting until they’re teens to talk a...
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