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
Todd Maguire was happy-go-lucky Australian policeman until his girlfriend died by suicide and everything changed. From there, Todd became a heavy drinking undercover cop chasing life-and-death situations to bury his trauma. This is Todd’s story of going to hell but somehow finding his way back.
Check out Todd’s memoir: Donny: An undercover cop with a deathwish.
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In 2018, sci-fi writer Patrick Tomlinson posted a Tweet that attracted the attention of a group of far-right internet trolls. As their harassment escalated, Patrick called the police, who did nothing. Now, nearly eight years later, Patrick’s life has been upended via a campaign of doxing, swatting and relentless terrorising. On this ep, he explains how this nightmare can happen to anyone.
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In 2019, Matthew Thomas thought he was joining a Bible study group. Instead, he was sucked into Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive Korean cult known for coercive control and bankrupting its members. Over the next four years, Matt lost himself and eventually became a recruiter tasked with drawing others in.
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In 2004, Jon Romano brought a shotgun to school intending to take his own life. One person was injured before he was tackled to the ground. Today, Jon reflects on the path that led him there—and what he wishes he’d told the people around him sooner.
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In 2003, Jayson Blair was a rising star in journalism, until he got caught plagiarising stories and inventing details. What followed was one of the most high-profile downfalls in modern media. In this ep, Jayson reflects on why he lied, how he got away with it for so long, and how it felt when everything collapsed.
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After Brooke Knisley fell from a tree, she couldn’t walk, talk, or remember anything—or anyone. So when a man appeared claiming to be her boyfriend, she believed him. What followed was months of manipulation, as she slowly uncovered who he really was.
This is a recent episode from our other show, The Sex That Changed My Life. Find it wherever you get your podcasts.
The Cannonball Run is an illegal car race from New York to Los Angeles. In 1972, Judy Stropus entered with an all-women team sponsored by a bra company. They didn’t finish, but somehow became the most legendary team in Cannonball history. In this ep, Judy recounts the race and explains why she considers it the dumbest thing she ever did.
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Between 1974 and 1978, Ted Bundy confessed to killing 30 women. During that time, he was especially close with his cousin, Edna Cowell Martin. In this episode, Edna shares what it was like growing up with him. From small, unsettling moments, to the shock of discovering who he really was.
For more of Edna’s story, check out her memoir, Dark Tide: Growing Up with Ted Bundy.
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On August 9, 1996, the cast and crew of Titanic wrapped a long shoot with a seafood dinner. Within an hour, around 40 people (including director James Cameron) were ill. The cause: someone had spiked their chowder with a hallucinogenic drug called PCP. In this ep, camera operator Jamie Barber recounts how the night spiralled into a hospital trip… and a conga line.
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It's one of the weirdest mysteries we've encountered. On this week's episode, we speak to Brett Grimes, who was 19 when he a got a job digging a huge hole in the forested side of a volcano, with no explanation of what they were digging for. In this episode, Brett recounts the most dangerous job of his life and what they found at the bottom.
We found this story via the independent documentary The Hole Story. Stay across...
In 1973, a raft carrying five men and six women set off across the Atlantic to answer the age-old question: what causes human violence? The expedition’s leader, anthropologist Santiago Genovés, believed the answer lay in sexual tension, earning the mission the nickname "The Sex Raft." In this episode, crew member Fé Seymour looks back on a voyage marked by hurricanes, epiphanies, and one mutiny.
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Since 2020, orcas have been attacking sailing boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. Experts initially thought the behaviour was a passing fad, but six years later, it shows no sign of stopping. In this episode, British yachtsman Robert Powell describes the day a pod of orcas methodically disabled and sank his boat — and the surprising thing the coast guard told him after the rescue.
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When American millionaire John Bender moved to Costa Rica with his wife Ann, they set out to build a dream life in the jungle. Instead, their relationship spiralled into madness. When Bender died from a gunshot wound in 2010, the question remained: was it suicide or murder? Journalist Carol Vaughn takes us inside one of Costa Rica’s strangest cases.
Check out Carol's book on the case: Crazy Jungle Love: Murder, Madness, Money &...
In 1967, 14-year-old Connie Geldreich met a young man at a lake who called himself Ted. What began as a strange encounter escalated into something far more disturbing. In this episode, Connie recounts her memories of a man who would later become the world's most famous serial killer.
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Alice was in her late 30s when she reinvented her life. She left her marriage and started prioritising herself for the first time ever. That journey led her to open a happy ending massage parlour for women. This is the first episode of our new podcast: The Sex That Changed My Life. A show about the intimate moments that transform us.
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Douglas Robertson was a teenager when his family set out to sail the world on a yacht. Seventeen months into the voyage, orcas sank the boat in the Pacific. In this ep, Douglas describes 38 days adrift in a small dinghy, surviving on turtle blood and rainwater.
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Rick Hogg was a Melbourne accountant who specialised in minimising tax by fabricating expenses. In 2018, it all imploded and Rick got five years in prison. In this episode, he explains how the scheme worked, why he crossed the line, and what the ordeal taught him about greed.
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Robert Kerbeck was a broke actor when he stumbled into corporate espionage. His job was to trick low-level employees into divulging company secrets, which he sold for big money. In this episode, he explains what the work taught him about lying and the shortcomings of American capitalism.
Check out Robert's book: Ruse
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Vanessa Mitchell thought she was buying the home of her dreams. Sure, it was a medieval prison for English peasants accused of witchcraft, but it was cute and within her price range. But then her possessions started vanishing and she found a mysterious pool of blood on the floor and three years later she was out, fleeing with her son. This is Vanessa's story of what happened.
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Flor Edwards grew up in the Children of God, an authoritarian sect that taught its followers that the world would end in 1993. In this episode, she reflects on how it felt growing up expecting to die, and how the group responded when the apocalypse never came.
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