What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

If you’re a parent, you know that the birth of your first child is an incredible experience. For Steve and Camre, it didn’t happen at all the way they expected it to. Steve got the call at work that Camre was at the hospital and had already delivered the baby. He dropped everything and drove there frantically, and he was confused because the baby wasn’t due for another 7 weeks. He ran into the hos...

Asian elephants are incredibly huge animals. An adult elephant can be roughly 9 to 11 feet tall. Just standing next to one is pretty intimidating. But imagine being on top of one of them. It would be like if you had an average size man, then another man was standing on the first man’s shoulders. Then you would be sitting on that second man’s shoulders. That’s pretty high up. For Leilani, it was a...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What made your neighbor so terrible? Links for this episode: Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussio...

Floyd loved exploring the caves of Kentucky, but one day things didn’t go as planned. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and c...

The thing about living in an apartment or renting a room is… you have to deal with other people. Depending on how the building is laid out, it’s almost like living with strangers. If your next door neighbor accidentally starts a fire, your home could burn too. If the person above you has a flood, it’s very likely that you’ll be dealing with that problem as well. Not to mention, what if your neighb...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve found in someone else’s home? Links for this episode: Using hollowed-out fruit for ice cream bowls: https://www.tastingtable.com/1616069/hollowed-out-fruit-ice-cream-bowls/ Dog...

Imagine you’re out in public, just going about your day. Let’s say you’re in the grocery store. And as you’re pushing your shopping cart down the aisle, you notice a tall man, maybe 10 feet ahead of you, looking at the items on the shelf. And suddenly, that man collapses to the floor. What would you do? Most people don’t really know what they would do, until a situation like that actually comes up...

I’ve had more than 200 people come on this podcast and share a story of something crazy that they’ve been through. If nothing else, I’ve learned one thing. Life can change in an instant. For Dan, he’s just enjoying the outdoors on a trail in Alaska, and suddenly he’s on his back with the snout of a grizzly bear in his face. Amy was just at work in her office in Oklahoma – then just seconds later s...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What always makes you laugh? Links for this episode: The poop knife story on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MuseumOfReddit/comments/ke8skw/the_poop_knife/ Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Intro...

Scott tells the story of Stephen Slevin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have a few scary moments in life that we’ll never forget. You know what I mean – a time when something is happening, or about to happen, and you know that the outcome could be really bad, and it’s happening so fast you don’t even have time to react. It’s almost like you’re watching a movie, and just waiting to see how it’s gonna end. One moment like that for me was several years ago, when w...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What overused word or phrase are you sick of? Links for this episode:   Corporate jargon: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDXnlVoRK9B/ Meredith’s episode about how cuss words become cuss words: https://www.meredithfor...

Today’s story takes place off the coast of Somalia, a country in Africa. If you look at Africa on a map, you’ll see Somalia on the east coast, right on the water of the Indian Ocean. In fact, of all the countries in Africa, Somalia is the one with the longest coastline. And for the Americans listening, to give you an idea of how big it is, Somalia is almost the same size as the US state of Texas....

Here in Florida, we know about hurricanes. My wife Jeanne and I will never forget Hurricane Elena back in 1985. That storm came into the Gulf of Mexico and just hovered offshore. There were instructions to evacuate because of the danger of high winds and flooding. What made it interesting for us is that Jeanne was pregnant with our first child, and she was at full term. So while everyone else was...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What's a situation or condition that no one understands, until they're in it? Links for this episode:   TheHotline.org LoveIsRespect.org Meredith’s episode about victims staying with their abusers: https://www.meredi...

Few things are sadder than seeing a loved one slip gradually into dementia. This is what happened to my grandmother – my mom’s mom. She got to the point where she couldn’t live on her own any more, but she didn’t really have other debilitating health issues. So she didn’t need to be in a hospital, or a nursing home. She just needed someone around to help her with daily living, because she would fo...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: You're in a middle seat at a movie - you need to pee - do you give your neighbors the butt or crotch while exiting? Why? Links for this episode: Progressive commercial about becoming your parents: https://youtu.be/Ef...

Lexington, Kentucky. 1 pm on a Friday, Labor Day weekend. Diana, a medical flight nurse, was sitting in a Lear jet. The pilot was unconscious. The co-pilot could not move because he had a broken back. Diana’s patient had died on impact. The plane was sitting on Versailles Rd in Lexington, after it had just slid across the road on its belly. The landing gear was gone. The right wing had been ripped...

For many parents, having a child in daycare is just part of the daily routine. And choosing a daycare provider for your child can be a pretty involved process. You obviously want to make sure the environment is safe and clean, with staff who are qualified, and that the ratio of caregivers to children is reasonable. And there are a ton of other things to consider, because you are trusting this plac...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given? Links for this episode:   Barbie and the Rockers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_and_the_Rockers Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: htt...

We are at the end of 2024. It’s been a great year for me, and I hope it has been for you too. As you probably know, every episode of What Was That Like ends with a Listener Story. This is just a 5-10 minute personal story, sent in by a listener. I’m always looking for new listener stories, so I’d love for YOU to send one in. Just record it on your phone in a quiet environment and email to me – Sco...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s your biggest pet peeve about listening to podcasts? Links for this episode: Meredith’s episode 256 about homelessness in California: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/7c8ceb56/ep-256-or-...

Have you ever seen stories of someone who was born with no arms? I’ve seen videos and I think maybe even a documentary like that. Usually they will profile one particular person, who is now an adult, and this person lives a full, happy life - with no arms. Which means, of course, that they do a lot of things with their feet. And these people are amazing – they have learned to do almost anything wi...

Content warning for today’s episode, which includes a brief discussion of suicidal thoughts. When you think of the word “addiction”, what comes to your mind? I think for most people, the most common thought would be drugs or alcohol. For some people, it’s very easy to fall into that. I’m always thankful that I never was interested in smoking, because tobacco addiction is a really difficult thing t...

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What is something from your childhood that now no longer exists? Links for this episode:   Telephone party lines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_line_(telephony) Jarts – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_darts...