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
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 ...
While hunting in the Canadian wilderness, a man accidentally comes between a grizzly bear cub and its mother, and a terrifying fight for his life ensues that will change him forever.
Today we bring you the final episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series. We will return with all new episodes starting next Tuesday, September 16, 2025 . Today’s rebroadcast episode “What if you were mauled by a grizzly bear?” o...
A young woman hungry to explore the world goes on a trip to Tanzania and unexpectedly finds herself caught in an endless cycle of impending doom.
Today we bring you the ninth episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16, 2025 . Today’s rebroadcast episode “What if you didn’t sleep for 120 hours?” originally aired as ...
Always feeling she had failed the ideals of her strict Muslim, South Asian family and community, a woman struggles to navigate trauma, shame and self-expression, when unexpected news forces her into a powerful reckoning.
Today we bring you the seventh episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16, 2025 . Today’s rebro...
After a woman’s Mormon family falls apart following the death of her father, her mother brings her to a Scientology Center where she leaves everything behind.
Today we bring you the sixth episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16, 2025 . Today’s rebroadcast episode “What if you signed a billion-year contract?” ori...
After growing up queer with a complicated father in the 1960s, a man forges his own path, identity and career in the arts, but suddenly, after a routine surgery, he wakes up unable to move.
Today we bring you the fifth episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16, 2025 . Today’s rebroadcast episode “What if you...
A woman who seeks awakening through myriad healing practices finds her ultimate challenge when she goes missing in a Maui forest.
Today we bring you the fourth episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16, 2025 . Today’s rebroadcast episode “What if you went missing?” originally aired as episode 196 on June 22, 2021....
Decades after her brother disappeared in the early 1980s, a woman becomes deeply involved in the search for a missing friend.
Today we bring you the third episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Today’s rebroadcast episode “What if you never stopped searching?” originally aired as episode 195 ...
A man searches for healing after his father, a disgruntled post office worker, falls into a violent downward spiral.
Today we bring you the second episode of our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16, 2025 . Today’s rebroadcast episode “What if you ran through the pain?” originally aired as episode 208 on October 19, 2021.&n...
Escaping the tumult and abuses of his childhood through music, a young man lands a dream gig at a premiere nightclub in Mexico, but when the party’s over, he finds himself inside the underbelly that lurks beneath the glamour.
Today we begin our annual 5-week summer rebroadcast series, airing 2 episodes a week. We will be on hiatus starting today and will return with all new episodes starting Tuesday, September 16,...
After being violently attacked outside a bar, a man who spent his life motivated by loneliness and rage, begins forging a new path to peace and healing through Buddhism and awakening to the thread that connects us all.
Today’s episode featured Cesar Cardona. If you’d like to reach out to Cesar, you can email him at cesarspeak6@gmail.com.
Cesar’s socials: IG- @beautyinthebreakpod // @TikTok - Beautyinthebreak&...
Still reeling from an abusive relationship and the loss of her mother, a single woman travels to Mexico, plunging into a whirlwind situationship where nothing is as it seems.
Today’s episode featured Aly. If you’d like to reach out to Aly, you can email her at hello@AlyRice.com. Aly is on Instagram @AlySpeaksUp.
Aly is a certified coach, and host of Sex, Lies & Tacos & This Could Get Messy podcasts.&n...
A young woman grows up in chaos and instability but finds strength through education and a deep connection to the outdoors—until a harrowing solo trek on the Pacific Crest Trail challenges her sense of self and reaffirms her bond with others.
Today’s episode featured Betty Nickerson. If you’d like to email Betty, you can reach her at Nickerson.betty@yahoo.com.
You can find Betty on Instagram @mustang___betty....
Born and raised on a remote Bahamian island, a woman who has weathered countless storms must fight to keep herself and her family alive as the unprecedented Category 5 Hurricane Dorian consumes everything.
Today’s episode featured Tara Pyfrom. You can contact her here: tarapyfrom.com/contact
Find her on social media:
On Instagram @tarapyfrom
On Facebook @tarapyfromwriter
On Linkedin.com @tara-pyfrom
A young father who rose up from the streets to achieve his musical dream is gunned down by a stranger during a trivial altercation, but as he rebuilds his life in the aftermath, a new, deeper dream emerges.
Today’s episode featured Jason Miller, AKA Stone-Face. If you’d like to reach out to Jason, you can email him here: Stonefaceini@gmail.com.
Jason’s Socials:
Facebook @AshtonMiller
Facebook Page @Stonefac...
Suffering a life of struggle and addiction in the wake of early childhood abuse, a woman desperate for a dramatic change dowses herself in gasoline and strikes a lighter.
Today’s episode featured Crystal Raye. Please find her contact and socials in her link tree here: https://linktr.ee/crhmedia. There, she also includes several links to Burn Survivor Resources and support.
Find Crystal on Instagram @the...
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