Shirley, You Can't Be Serious.

The story of Shirley has never been simple, and it isn’t over. Amanda reflects on the journey that began years earlier with a simple desire to record one woman’s stories. What started as the beginnings of a memoir, slowly unfolded into something much bigger: a life filled with compassion, mystery, and unanswered questions. As the season closes, we look back at the woman who inspired it all: Shirle...

What happens when the person you’re searching for answers from may never give them? The visit with Dan continues as he unpacks his complicated relationship with his dad, an unsettling fishing trip, and the questions that still hang in the air. Dan reflects on seeing his father as “two different people”: the man he remembers from childhood and the feeble old man who may be carrying secrets to the g...

In this behind-the-scenes episode, Amanda  and Josh prompt Dan to trade case files for kitchen stories. He shares cooking disasters and teenage rebellion as they unpack the lighter and darker moments that didn’t always make it into the main narrative. What starts with a simple question about Shirley’s cooking, spirals into unforgettable stories: Hamburger Helper on repeat, Frosted Flakes for dinne...

In this deeply personal and wide-ranging episode, Josh and Amanda sit down with Dan Skaggs to unpack what it was really like growing up inside Shirley’s world, and in the orbit of his father, Stephen Skaggs. What begins as memories of adolescence in Alaska and Arizona quickly unfolds into a raw account of family dynamics, delinquency, survival, and the long tail of unanswered questions. Dan reflec...

This bonus episode marks a moment years in the making. We finally sit down with Dan Skaggs , Shirley’s stepson, to discuss his complicated journey toward closure with his father, Stephen Skaggs . Stephen was arrested in 1986 after attacking two women on Mt. Lemmon and is widely known as the prime suspect in the Joan Marie Archer cold case . Dan reflects on growing up with this reality, the unanswe...

Josh and Amanda discuss more of the forensics tied to the Alaska cases and how Shirley was able to exist within her reality. Parallels are discussed from the book Butcher Baker and more questions are raised about FBI involvement. The gang flies to St. Louis for a long awaited interview.

A deep dive into the wounds of the trail from Colorado to Alaska. Josh and Amanda discuss the day they sat with Eddie to hear his stories for the first time. It's an unforgettable visit that proves to be one of the most meaningful tell all moments of the Shirley You Can’t Be Serious Podcast.

The story, behind the backstory: In episode 2, Shirley's childhood is revealed and a few details emerge about her choices. Josh and Amanda share about uncovering clues, discovering new mysteries and a new twist that may keep Shirley even more in the family.

The pace is slowed down to uncover more parts of the Mt. Lemmon story. The layers are also peeled back to reveal how the six month production took place.

The time arrives to sit down with Skaggs. The conversation stays centered around Shirley and times in Alaska. Steve reveals more details about the stories he took part in. He solidifies the unanimous decision about wolf. Amanda faces her greatest fear to uncover the sweetest memories about her step mom. Steve reassures Steve. Does the meeting reveal any other clues to the past?

In present day Shirley lore, the story's players take inventory of the impact left behind by a legacy of Carrolls, Skaggs, and Kargels. Where has everyone landed in their quest for healing? Steve talks of life with Shirley and Amanda faces her ultimate fear.

Shirley's memoir brings healing and closure to so many stories. In this chapter of the story, we discuss all the loose ends and where the story settles them. Stories like cold cases that Shirley's life brings light to after being in the darkness for decades. This is the Joan Marie Archer case.

Eddie fights the law and the law wins. Shirley never asked to leave Alaska, but with Steve's follow-along orders they're forced to trade the frontier life in Alaska for the scorching heat of Arizona. The Desert offers a “new beginning” and as the family settles into their new home, old secrets begin to surface.

The gang heads to Alaska and Ed's not dead. ...for now. Eddie gains some new dogs, cars, and scars along the Alcan Highway. Will the family make it to the Last Frontier or will it cost them another arm and a leg?

A step back in time to uncover Shirley’s early years with all the joys, struggles, and family dynamics that shaped her. She revisits core memories and the pivotal moments that led her to her first love and ticket out of Catholic School Boresville. Her life is forever changed by the unexpected arrival of Eddie.

In the 80's Shirley is gaining Christian testimony while she's suddenly forced to navigate the world of witness testimony. High in the pine-covered peaks of southern Arizona, Mount Lemmon is known for its serene beauty and crisp mountain air. But on one fateful Summer day, the quiet is shattered by a single gunshot.

A prayer warrior's life and her larger than life stories that are filled with lessons, even long after her passing. The incredible  story of Shirley's brushes with fraud, death, prison, and Jesus. 

Season 1 is complete.