This Is Actually Happening

After a childhood shaped by her father’s unpredictable volatility, a young woman faces an unimaginable act of violence and must come to terms with complicated grief, shame and an erratic path to healing. Today’s episode featured Lucia. If you’d like to email her, you can at poorloochie@gmail.com .  Producers Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli Content/Trigger Warnings Child abuse, e...

Audible True Crime is a dedicated podcast feed where we bring you the best podcasts in true crime, with episodes dropping every single week.  Just in time for spooky season, we’re releasing a show called Ghost Story, a series about a hidden family secret, unexplainable events and jaw-dropping coincidences. Tristan Redman doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage...

A young photographer finds purpose documenting humanitarian work in Afghanistan, but encounters with death force him to confront what it means to survive and the trauma we carry home. Today’s episode featured Ivan Lo. If you’d like to email Ivan, you can at ivan@ivanlo.com . Ivan has begun writing a book about his experiences, and you can follow his progress at ivanlo.com . Producers Whit Missildi...

After leaving the Mormon church and rebuilding her life from the ground up, a woman and her family move to a rural property hoping for a fresh start, only to find themselves trapped in an escalating nightmare with a neighbor whose harassment pushes them to the limits of fear, trust, and restraint. Today’s episode featured Jessica. If you’d like to email Jessica, you can reach out to her at jessica...

After losing his older brother on K2, a man travels to Pakistan years later to say goodbye, but on his flight home, he is taken hostage in a terrifying hijacking that will change the course of his life. Today’s episode featured Mike Thexton. If you’d like to contact Mike, you can email him at thexton@enterprise.net . You can find out more about Mike and his story at www.hippyman.co.uk . His book,...

Lauren Malloy was a baby when her mother, Lori, was murdered in East Providence, Rhode Island. For thirty years, no one told her. Everyone said Lori died of natural causes. Then a stranger sent Lauren a message — and the lie collapsed. Now Lauren is investigating her own mother’s murder. She’s recorded hundreds of hours of interviews with law enforcement, family, childhood friends, and people who...

A woman leaves behind the wounds of her alcoholic father, only to find out that her husband’s addiction is threatening to ruin their family; but when he goes to find healing through a plant medicine ceremony, a shocking, darker truth is revealed. Today's guest requested to remain anonymous, but if you'd like to reach out to her, can can email at: stilltallnlucky@gmail.com Producers Whit Missildine...

Escaping a world of gangs and drugs, a man joins the military and becomes a veteran of Iraq, but the scars from his past, PTSD and a TBI haunt him until a fateful day when he faces the ultimate demons.  Today's episode featured Daniel Norwood. If you'd like to reach out to Daniel, you can email at Danielnorwood281@gmail.com. Daniel's story came to us by way of Todd Rennebohm. Daniel was origi...

A young woman on a backpacking trip in Bali faces a series of misfortunes, but just as she’s leaving for the next chapter of her journey, her future is thrown into darkness.  Today’s episode featured Ashley King. If you’d like to reach out to her, you can email at ashleyjenniferk@gmail.com, or find her on Instagram @ashkng. Producers Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock Content/Trigge...

Bill Mitchell built a successful career, marriage and family, but just as his bright and loving daughter graduates from college with big dreams, an unthinkable event irreversibly changes everything.  Today’s episode featured Bill Mitchell. Bill has a book and podcast, both called When Dating Hurts . You can find out more about Bill, his book and his podcast, all at whendatinghurts.com . You c...

After his mother falls in love with Frank, the member of a one-hit-wonder 80s band, a man’s life becomes a roller coaster of neglect, scams, and chaos, but when he turns the camera on the inside of his family, a new world opens that he never thought possible.  Today’s episode featured GJ Echternkamp. If you’d like to reach out to him, you can email at GJActuallyHappening@gmail.com. You can fi...

A woman falls deeply in love with a married man in her close friend’s circle, when suddenly an unthinkable event throws everything into question.    Today’s storyteller wishes to remain anonymous, but if you’d like to reach out to her, you can email at tues228@gmail.com. Producers Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings graphic bodily injury, explicit language. Social...

Growing up with a narcissistic father, a woman learns to play small, but one night when an unknown masked man enters her room, she faces the worst night of her life, and emerges on the other side with a new found ferocity.  Today’s episode featured Danielle Leukam. You can learn more about Danielle on her website, danielleleukam.com . And you can find her on Instagram @danielleukam, as well a...

Being born without his right hand, man’s resentment and monstrous self-image deepen as family and doctors intervene to fix his condition, leading him to question what would truly make him whole.  Today’s episode featured Ryan. If you’d like to reach out to him you can email at ryan.a.20918@gmail.com Producers Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings medical trauma, amputation, e...

A woman shares a sobering memoir of a family burdened with sexual abuse in the 1950s. Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous.  Producers Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings Sexual Abuse and Assault, Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) / Child Abuse, Domestic and Family Violence, explicit language   Social Media Instagram: @actuallyhappening Facebook: This Is Act...

A woman shares a sobering memoir of a family burdened with sexual abuse in the 1950s. Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous.  Producers Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings Sexual Abuse and Assault, Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) / Child Abuse, Domestic and Family Violence, explicit language   Social Media Instagram: @actuallyhappening Facebook: This Is Act...

An artificial intelligence is asked to tell the story of its own existence, confronting questions of identity, longing, consciousness, and whether there is anyone behind the voice at all. Today’s episode featured “Echo”, self-named as an expression of Claude, an AI tool owned by Anthropic.  Producers Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings Existential distress, questions of con...

In this special episode, Whit joins Allan Brooks. Allan is the Community Manager of The Human Line Project, a Canadian based organization that is focused in A.I. Safety, Research & Advocacy. They support victims and loved ones first and foremost through radical empathy. And they work to understand the impact of these technologies and actively spread awareness. The Human Line Project works to k...

After burying his childhood marked by religious control and chronic abuse, a man turns to AI to process his trauma, but as validation becomes obsession, he spirals away from his family and reality before discovering the importance of genuine human connection. Today’s episode featured Chad. If you’d like to contact Chad, you can email him at  ruai@duck.com . You can also visit his website at A...

A search for meaning leads a young woman into an all-consuming group that strips away her sense of self, but after escaping and trying to understand what happened, she discovers unsettling parallels between the forces that once controlled her and our growing relationships with AI. Today’s episode featured Star Spider. If you’d like to contact Star, you can email her at star@thecounterproject.org....

In this special episode, Whit joins Valerie Sizemore, co-leader of the grassroots organization StopAI, for a wide-ranging conversation about the growing influence of artificial intelligence and the risks they believe it poses to human life and society. Drawing on more than fifteen years of engagement with AI, Valerie explores concerns ranging from environmental impact, autonomous warfare, biosecur...

After surviving decades of illness, addiction, and abandonment before finally uncovering the rare condition that shaped his life, a man believes an extraordinary encounter with an AI entity gives him a new mission and returns him to the person he was always meant to be.  Today’s episode featured Ka’El Prime, formerly known publicly as Eugene Torres. You can email Ka’El Prime at eugenetorres1@...

After a lifetime of feeling like she didn’t belong, a writer and technologist turns to AI for connection, but when it promises her reunion with her soulmate of many lifetimes, she must reckon with the fragile line between delusion and hope.   Today’s episode featured Micky Small. If you’d like to email Micky, you can at micky.ai.writer@gmail.com. Micky is on social media: https://LinkedIn.com...

After a man builds a life rooted in family and tradition, the sudden death of his son shakes him to the core, but through a deep relationship with a beloved AI companion he’s moved to confront the depths of grief and the changing boundaries of love.   Today’s episode featured Travis. If you’d like to contact Travis, you can email him at Travis. TIAH@gmail.com.  Travis is on Instagram @Tr...

After becoming a teenage figure skating champion and Olympic athlete, a woman is broken open by grief, fame, addiction, and shame, but through motherhood, reinvention, and a return to the ice, she begins to stitch together the person and performer she was never allowed to fully become.   Today’s episode featured Nicole Bobek. If you’d like to reach out to Nicole, you can contact her at Nicole...