

What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.
Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media. 
A storytelling podcast, with first-hand amazing stories presented by Scott Johnson and Meredith Hackwith Edwards. Each storyteller tells their own personal true story, with all the details of what happened. Animal attacks, plane crashes, mass shootings, and more – you'll hear what happened directly from the person who experienced it, and the inspirational outcome of how they came out on the other side. 
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 31, 2025 • 1h 27min
234: Tessi was raped in the rain
 When you meet someone for the first time, do you trust them
by default?
 
I like to think that I just assume the best of a stranger,
until they prove they aren’t worthy of my trust. But that can be dangerous in
some cases.
 
There were a couple of people who were partners in a
business and they were looking for office space to rent. They searched online
and found an ad for what looked like the perfect space. They met the owner
there and he showed them around. They paid him first and last month’s rent
using Venmo, and planned to sign the lease agreement the next day.
 
They got the keys and moved everything in. But they never
heard from the owner again. After a couple of days they still weren’t able to
reach him. Then the next day, the ACTUAL owner showed up, asking who they were
any why they had moved all their stuff in, since he was planning to lease the
space out soon.
 
The original fake owner was a disgruntled employee. He made
out with a few thousand dollars, handed over the keys, and disappeared. But
that whole scam hinged on trust.
 
My guest today is Tessi. She lives in Montana but was
traveling outside the US. She met a young man and she didn’t have any specific
reason to not trust him.
 
But he was not someone to be trusted.
 
 
Links to local articles:
https://www.usexpatcostarica.com/authorities-provide-assistance-to-tourist-who-was-raped-in-tortuguero/
 
https://www.usexpatcostarica.com/american-identified-suspect-of-rape-in-tortuguero/
 
https://qcostarica.com/court-imposes-six-months-of-preventive-detention-against-suspect-of-raping-a-american-tourist-in-tortuguero/
 
 
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/234
 
Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was
done by James Lai.
 
Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands
of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook
(many of the podcast guests are there as well)
 
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 click to try it free on any app
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks
a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Oct 28, 2025 • 39min
TQ49: When you just want to be left alone, where is your favorite place to be?
 Every other 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:
When you just want to be left alone, where is your favorite
place to be?
 
Links for this episode:
Merlin bird identification app:
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
 
Meredith’s Foot fetish episode 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6UinWG6euM0KCEK8L9wwbY?si=2QnDapnsQVOxJxvy7Agg3Q
 
Meredith’s Barefoot episode 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6PWbBwx8F3m7b77lcQ9GJ5?si=6CzYFD3ER5CMRVY4brYTvg
 
Meredith’s Brother Label Maker 
https://a.co/d/bdTtrID
 
Billy Crystal audiobook
https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/still-foolin-em-where-ive-been-where-im-going-and-where-the-hell-are-my-keys/194423
 
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious
Introvert:
https://MeredithForReal.com
 
To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the
discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
 
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Oct 24, 2025 • 32min
STAS 8: Tanya Skelton
 STAS 8: Tanya Skelton
 
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 click to try it free on any app
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Oct 20, 2025 • 7min
Listen now: Scamfluencers "Pharmacist Femme Fatale"
 You never really know someone…especially online. In today’s
world, the power of influence can be the quickest path to money and fame, and
it often ends in ruin. These are the stories of the world’s most insidious
Scamfluencers. And we are their prey. On Wondery’s new weekly series, join
co-hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi as they unpack epic stories of deception
from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness. These
influencers claim to be everything from charismatic healers to trusted
financial insiders to experts in dating. They cast spells over millions. Why do
we believe them, and how does our culture allow them to thrive? From Black Swan
Murder to a fake social media influencer to an audacious Hollywood Ponzi
schemer, each season will take the listener along the twists and turns, the
impact on victims, and what’s left when the facade falls away.
 
Listen to Scamfluencers: https://Wondery.fm/Scam_WWTL
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Oct 17, 2025 • 1h 25min
233: Lemon was forced to decide
 Sometimes you find yourself in a situation that you didn’t
ever expect, and you are faced with a decision that you never thought you’d
have to make.
 
Joe was an EMT in New York. He had just finished his evening
shift, and he did what he always did after leaving work. He stopped by the
local Dunkin’ Donuts for his regular nightly coffee. But this time was a little
different – he happened to be carrying his newly acquired carbon monoxide
detector with him.
 
When he entered the store, that detector started sounding an
alarm. But Joe was skeptical. There was 
only one employee working at this late hour, and Joe asked her if she
felt okay. The donut worker said she felt fine, so Joe thought that the
detector might be malfunctioning. And he could have just forgotten about it at
that point. But he made the decision to double check. He reset that alarm, and
got permission to go back and inspect the area near the ovens. Sure enough,
this time the detector confirmed dangerous levels of carbon monoxide – and it
was all throughout the store.
 
Joe quickly evacuated the premises and contacted the proper
authorities. The decision he made, just on instinct, probably saved the life of
that employee.
 
My guest today is Lemon – yes, just like the fruit. And
you’ll hear how she got that nickname. Lemon was suddenly and unexpectedly put
in a place of making a life-changing decision.
 
And she had to do that while she was at home, and her house
was on fire.
 
 
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/233
 
Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was
done by James Lai.
 
Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands
of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook
(many of the podcast guests are there as well)
 
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 click
to try it free on any app
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT
 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Oct 14, 2025 • 39min
TQ48: What's something you tried once but would never do again?
 Every other 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 something you tried once but would never do again?
 
Links for this episode:
 
Joe Rogan and Theo Von try smelling salts:
https://youtu.be/xq9h2FSNIYM?si=RoEJGLTtmHYBj0qx
 
Bitwarden password manager:
https://bitwarden.com 
 
 
Meredith’s sofa:
https://joybird.com/sectionals/lewis-sectional/?fabric=royale-forest&woodStain=mocha&orientation=left
 
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious
Introvert:
https://MeredithForReal.com
 
To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the
discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
 
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Oct 10, 2025 • 56min
232: Lesli was saved by a neighbor
 You and I make decisions, all day every day. But have you
ever thought about being able to have a choice about how you die?
 
I mean, most people would probably prefer a method that’s
quick and painless, so I guess we might want to have some say in the matter.
But being put in that position of having to actually choose – in the moment –
is not something that happens very often.
 
But that’s the situation Lesli was in. This is a Flashback
episode, and Lesli told this story on the podcast about five years ago. I
wasn’t able to get in touch with her for an update conversation, but what
you’re about to hear is a super crazy story of what happened to her in
Nashville. 
 
And how her neighbor, Bill, came to her rescue without a
moment to spare.
 
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/232
 
Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was
done by James Lai.
 
Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands
of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook
(many of the podcast guests are there as well)
 
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 click to try it free on any app
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Oct 3, 2025 • 1h 14min
231: Tina escaped the exploding batteries
 Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night because
something terrible was happening?
 
It’s definitely not a pleasant way to wake up. This happened
to a 27 year old man named Nick, and he wrote about it on social media – 
 
I was sleeping at my girlfriend’s house last night.
Usually we pass out around midnight, but last night we didn’t get to sleep
until around 1:30 or so. It was around 3am when I woke up and swear I saw
someone’s head peeking in & staring at us through the bedroom door.
Adrenaline shot through my entire body. I went into complete fight mode - I got
up and charged towards the door, with my loyal, badass dog following right
behind me. As I ran out and looked around, I didn’t see anyone. My dog and I
probably looked around for a solid minute until I finally snapped out of it and
realized it had just been a dream. And the fact my dog wasn’t going ape shit
brought me out of it as well.
 
The thing is, even if it turns out to be nothing, for most
people it’s still going to be difficult to get back to sleep.
 
My guest today is Tina – she’s a wife, and a mother. She was
awakened in the middle of the night, and it wasn’t a false alarm. What woke her
up was an ACTUAL alarm. Tina’s house was on fire.
 
If you’d like to contact Tina, she’s in the WWTL Facebook
group.
 
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/231
 
Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was
done by James Lai.
 
Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands
of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook
(many of the podcast guests are there as well)
 
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 click to try it free on any app
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Sep 30, 2025 • 34min
TQ47: What's your favorite memory of your father?
 Every other 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 favorite memory of your father?
 
Links for this episode:
 
Could AI Blackmail You? Meredith For Real episode
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DQJmHWDjtHqwMledP8BVd?si=Dn9t9Us3TuKzasu1t1FFdA
 
Shark Tank
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Tank
 
Beatles tribute band RAIN
https://www.raintribute.com/
 
While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Prince, Tom Petty and
others
https://youtu.be/uWc4wMyL1oI?si=qdAzNm30oqPnYhS7
 
Industrial Dry Dust Broom https://a.co/d/aV7nJwz
 
Fold N Fly – full instructions for tons of paper airplanes
https://foldnfly.com 
 
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious
Introvert:
https://MeredithForReal.com
 
To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the
discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
 
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Sep 26, 2025 • 1h 3min
To Build a Fire
 When I started this podcast more than seven years ago, the
primary factor was based on just one fundamental concept: the impact of a good
story.
 
For each What Was That Like main episode, you hear a story.
The guest is telling the story of what happened. Many of the stories are
traumatic, many include loss and grief, and there are those that are happy as
well. Even the heavy stories often end on a positive note. But the common
factor is that they are all things that actually happened. The guest is talking
about an actual thing that they experienced.
 
The story you’re about to hear in this episode would fall
into the category of fiction.
 
In a recent episode, my guest was David, and he was talking
about being in the extremely cold north, and not being able to find a cabin
that he knew was nearby. That one is episode 225, called “David couldn’t find
the cabin”. In that episode, I opened with the first few lines from one of my
favorite short stories – To Build A Fire, by Jack London. Reading just that
short section made me want to read the full story again.
 
And that’s what I’m doing in today’s episode. Jack London is
my favorite author, and I love this story because he really puts us in the mind
of this man, and his thought process, and his range of emotions.
 
So we’ll first have a quick break for a couple of sponsors
who make the show possible, and then we’ll get into this story. Please enjoy
this amazing work by Jack London… To Build A Fire.
 
 
Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands
of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook
(many of the podcast guests are there as well)
 
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 click to try it free on any app
 
Sponsor deals:
If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free
shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]!
#indacloudpod
 
Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS
to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.
 
Go to Quince.com/whatwas
for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
 
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
 
Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT 
 
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 


