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 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.
Episodes
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 Within
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 nearby national park, he could impress the other firefighters by being the first on the scene. In this ep, Steve explains how getting caught and charged with arson saved his life, and possibly countless others.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
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: @whatitwaslikepodcast
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: @whatitwas...
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: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
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: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
This is a Superreal production
In 2009, motivational speaker James Arthur Ray hosted a multi-day retreat in Arizona. On the final day, three participants died. In this episode, the property’s owner, Amayra Hamilton, tells us what happened and what she learned about the dark side of the wellness industry.
For more, please check out Amayra's book: Transformation at Angel Valley
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
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: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
As a child, April Balascio noticed that people would often vanish. One time it was a labourer working for her dad, another time it was a young couple in town. Then as an adult, April started googling cold cases in her childhood towns. In 2009 she got a match and called the police. In this episode, April shares the journey of realising (and accepting) her dad was a serial killer.
Check out April's incredible memoir, Rai...
In 1995, Carlos de Yarza spent 90 minutes remixing a catchy Spanish song without giving it much thought. That version became 'The Macarena' the world knows today. Carlos joins us to talk about how a quick remix changed his life and created a dance craze known everywhere.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
This is a Superreal...
In 1994, a luxurious ferry called the MS Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea, drowning most of its passengers. Landscape architect Paul Barney was one of the few who survived. In this nail-biting episode, he describes how decisiveness, yoga training, and sheer luck kept him alive.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
This is a Supe...
In 2019, two children vanished in Idaho, sparking an investigation that became one of America’s biggest true crime stories. At the centre were Chad and Lori Daybell, two religious fanatics with a fixation on the end times. In this episode, we speak with Lieutenant Ray Hermosillo, the detective who cracked the case and uncovered the kids' tragic end.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwas...
When Kevin Briggs joined the San Francisco Highway Patrol, he didn’t expect a key part of his job would be talking people down from the Golden Gate Bridge. In this episode, Kevin shares how he developed a method for these life-or-death conversations, and tells the stories of those he met and the words that brought them back.
Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbriggspivotalpoints/
In 1991, Shaun Attwood arrived from the UK to find American rave culture in its infancy. Spotting an opportunity, he began importing potent Dutch ecstasy and built a drug empire through his network of dealers and party organisers. In this episode, he tells the story of his rapid rise and hard fall.
Check out Shaun Attwood’s YouTube channel here. His books and social media accounts can be found here.
Find us on TikTok: @...
A new study gave psilocybin to religious leaders, just to see whether their faith would be affirmed or rattled. In this episode we hear from one participant, Islamic leader Sughra Ahmed, who describes how the trip brought her closer to God but uprooted her belief in organised religion.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: what...
Mary McGriff was 15 when she hitched a ride with a man named Lawrence Singleton. The next day, she lay at the bottom of a cliff, her arms severed with an axe. Somehow, she survived. In this episode, she shares how a voice in her head kept her going. It's a story about refusing to let the monster win.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikep...
This week, we're re-running a classic. When abandoned farm houses started catching fire in rural Virginia, police weren't sure what to think. It took five months and almost 80 fires for a couple to be arrested and the story to emerge. In this episode, convicted arsonist Charlie Smith explains how he and his ex-partner lit fires to relax when their relationship soured.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
In the early 90s, Paul Templer ran a business guiding clients down the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls. One afternoon, he was attacked by a hippo and found himself halfway down its throat. In this ep, Paul regales us with his wild story of survival, moment by moment.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
This is a Superreal&n...
In 2005, Malcolm Naden murdered two women and vanished into the Australian bush. For seven years he evaded police, until former detective Ricky Hennessy joined the case. In this episode, Hennessy shares how he helped track and capture one of Australia's most wanted men in remote wilderness.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast
This is a Superreal...
John DeLorean was a star auto designer in the 1960s, but his own car company—the DeLorean Motor Company—never took off. When a cocaine deal offered a last-ditch lifeline, it ended in a dramatic arrest. In this episode, his daughter Kat DeLorean recounts the rise and fall of the iconic car—and how it found immortality in Back to the Future.
Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast
Popular Podcasts
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.