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 Happening brings 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. Listen to exclusive episodes of This is Actually Happening ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/this-is-actually-happening/ now.
Episodes
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, us...
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 dona...
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...
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, sexua...
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 o...
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 ...
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.linkedi...
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...
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
Pr...
When a woman is brought to her knees by unimaginable grief, she finds her way forward by transforming her pain into a sanctuary for forgotten dogs.
Today’s episode featured Tamara Corbitt. If you’d like to reach out to Tamara, you can email her at tamara.corbitt@yahoo.com. You can find her and her rescue, Travieso Dog Sanctuary on Facebook and Instagram @Traviesodogsanctuary
After being run over three times and left pinned beneath a car, a woman emerges into a world she no longer recognizes and must piece together a new identity from the ruins of the old one.
Today’s episode featured Naseem Rochette. You can email Naseem at nas@misfitblue.com. She is on Instagram @nasrocs. You can find out more about Naseem on her website at naseemrochette.com.
Her book, The Unexpected Benefi...
When a young model finally escapes Jeffrey Epstein’s world of coercion, gaslighting and abuse, her battle to reclaim her self-worth becomes a testament to resilience and truth.
Today’s episode featured Lisa Phillips. If you’d like to reach out to Lisa, you can email her at lisa@lisaphillips.la. She is on Instagram @iamlisaphillips and @fromnowonpod
Lisa is also on YouTube https://tr.ee/FLEx90p6Ss and TikTok https...
A humanitarian aid doctor enters Gaza at the height of the conflict, and emerges with a sobering reality that shatters everything he believed about medicine, morality, and human nature.
Today’s episode featured Travis Meleen. If you’d like to email Travis, you can reach him at melin.trav@gmail.com, You can also find him on Instagram @ravenilem
Travis is available for sharing his experiences in a speakin...
When a woman begins waking up to a supernatural entity crawling behind her, she realizes the door she opened as a child was never closed.
Today’s episode featured Emilie Lemire. If you’d like to reach out to Emilie, you can find her on Instagram @fitnurse_em
Producers: Whit Missildine, PRX and Echoverse, a next-generation studio that creates premium sci-fi, supernatural and fantasy audio content. If you’d like to find ...
Growing up in the notorious commune of Rajneeshpuram, and haunted by abandonment and addiction, a woman’s spontaneous awakening reveals that every wound was a doorway to remembering who she truly is.
Today’s episode featured Anonymous. If you’d like to reach out to her, you can email her at RosesLifeBook@gmail.com.
To learn more about the Rajneeshee movement and the events at Rajneeshpuram, check out the Rajn...
A man shaped by cruelty devotes his life to defending the condemned, discovering that real courage lies not in victory, but in standing beside the most despised.
Today’s episode featured Clive Stafford Smith. If you’d like to reach out to Clive, you can email him at clive@justiceleague.org.uk. You can find Clive on X/Twitter @CliveSS and on Instagram @clivestaffordsmith
A woman, who ignores her instincts, enters a marriage that soon spirals into betrayal and control. When the truth finally comes to light, she must choose between devastation and the chance to reclaim her life.
Today’s episode featured Amy Irvine. If you’d like to reach out to Amy, you can email her at pinkishfx@gmail.com.
You can find Amy on social media @pinkish_7 and/or @pinkish_77 on Instagram
A s...
After losing himself to meth and a double life as a federal informant, a man’s world collapses after one of his buyer’s overdoses, and recovery begins as he confronts the child within.
Today’s episode featured Sean Hemeon. His forthcoming memoir, The Good Little Drug Lord, does not yet have a set publication date, but you can follow him for updates.
You can email Sean at hemeonauthor@gmail.com. Sean is on Instagram...
When a sudden car crash shatters her world, a woman’s grief and struggle to keep living leads her to an unexpected rebirth of love.
Today’s episode featured Polly Vickery. If you’d like to contact Polly, you can email her at pollyvickery81@gmail.com.
Polly is on Instagram and Facebook @PollyVickery
Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Ellen (Elly) Westberg, Aviva Lipkowitz
Content/Trigger War...
After a prominent life filled with passion and adventure ends with the death of her brilliant but volatile husband, a woman journeys to Guatemala to heal, only to be captured, and her fight to survive transforms her life forever.
Today’s episode featured Brenda Coffee. You can email Brenda at bcoffee@1010parkplace.com. She is on Instagram @1010ParkPlace. Visit her website at brenda-coffee.com.
Brenda is ...
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