This week: Stories about people who ended up in relationships they didn't see coming— friends and lovers who weren't part of the plan.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Two friends went on a ski trip that went incredibly, horribly wrong. Almost a decade later, they came to StoryCorps to finally talk about it.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Howard Dully, who underwent a lobotomy at just 12 years old, shares his deeply personal quest for understanding his traumatic experience. He reflects on the chilling history of lobotomies, revealing the unsettling techniques and societal attitudes of the time. Dully recounts the difficult journey of unearthing his own medical records and the emotional toll on his family, marked by regret and complex relationships. Through poignant storytelling, he confronts the lasting shadows of his past, emphasizing the importance of healing and connection.

On the podcast this week: Stories about Black love, staying true to yourself, and remembering the loved ones who made us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After a 13-year-old girl fends off unwanted male attention for the first time, her mom convinces the girl's middle school to teach consent ed. It doesn't go as planned. This episode comes from The Longest Shortest Time, a podcast about parenthood and reproductive health that recently relaunched after a hiatus.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Army Sergeant Alex Ortiz served in Afghanistan and Iraq before injuries forced him to retire in 2013. His wife, Lixannie, had never been close to a veteran before they met... and some things about his past surprised her.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Anna Cherepnina fulfilled a long-held dream of serving in the military when she enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2009. But a string of personal tragedies brought her to the darkest moment of her life. At StoryCorps, she reflected on how an encounter with an insolent fox and a trip to the base of Mount Everest helped her see the light again.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Leah Bash is an avid runner, a dog mom, a wife – and there's a part of her family's history she can't stop thinking about. Both sides of her family were incarcerated alongside 125,000 other Japanese Americans during World War II. Her father and his six siblings spent more than three years behind barbed wire at isolated camps in Manzanar, California and Crystal City, Texas. After Leah learns about her father's struggles with panic attacks and is herself diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she starts to wonder: could those experiences at camp during World War II have far-reaching consequences a generation later? In this episode of Inheriting from LAist Studios and the NPR network, Leah has a candid conversation with her cousin Joya, for the very first time, about their family's mental health and the effects of the incarceration camp.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We're back with more listener voicemails. This week: Your stories about music boxes, family secrets, and the people who made a mark on you. Tell us your story at 702-706-TALK.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Navy veterans Windy Barton and Michael Davidson struggled to feel fulfilled after leaving the military. Then they discovered Team Rubicon: a special team of veterans who go into the fray when natural disasters strike. The two friends came to StoryCorps to reflect on what inspired their sense of duty.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy