What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

James had a childhood that would have indicated future success. He grew up in southern California, and his father is a scientist. His mother is a registered nurse. They lived in an affluent neighborhood in San Diego.But by the time he was in middle school, James began to display some mental health issues. He tried to take his own life at age 11.But he did graduate from high school, and also completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of California Riverside. He then decided to move to Colorado and work toward a graduate degree in neuroscience. By outward appearances, he seemed to be on the right track.But he continued to battle depression, and for several years, he was obsessed with the idea of killing. One day, he acted on that obsession. He walked into a movie theater with multiple guns and started firing into the crowd of people watching a movie.My guest today is Hali. She knows exactly what it’s like to be in that situation, to be the target of an active shooter. On that day, in Aurora, Colorado, Hali was in that theater.If you’d like to contact Hali, her email is HaliandBear@gmail.com.The Silent Retreat that Hali talked about is at dhamma.org.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/165Graphics 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 appSponsor deals:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What would YOU do in this situation?Imagine you just got off an international flight, and you’re in a Subway restaurant, in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. You feel terribly sick. In fact, you have reason to believe that your condition could be fatal if you don’t get medical help quickly. Do you call 911?That’s the situation Luke was in, on a January day back in 2016. But he was hesitant to call for help, because he knew why he was sick. That terrible feeling he had in his stomach was from a little rubber balloon that had unexpectedly broken, and he was feeling the effects of some very high-quality cocaine saturating his internal organs.This is a Flashback episode. The Flashback episodes always come in between the regular new episodes, so we always have a new story every other Friday. Luke originally told this story in 2018 here on the podcast, so after we hear what happened, I have a little update conversation from when I connected with Luke again, just recently. You’ll never guess what he’s doing today.If you’d like to contact Luke, his email is LukeHimes@gmail.com.If you’re in Austin, Texas and need some remodeling work done, Luke’s company is Himes Remodeling and Renovation (https://mrhaustin.com/) – 330-749-5662.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/164Graphics 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 appSponsor deals:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second season of PROOF: Murder at the Warehouse takes Susan Simpson and Jacinda Davis to Manteca, CA where they reinvestigate the murder of 18-year-old Renee Ramos.On June 5, 2000, Ramos’ body was found buried under a pile of debris inside the shell of a new Home Depot building. Despite tips hinting at alternate suspects - tips that were ignored until now - Renee’s boyfriend, 18-year-old skateboarder Jake Silva, and Ty Lopes, the 33-year-old uncle of one of Jake's close friends were arrested for her murder. The questionable testimony of a 14-year-old boy was the key evidence used to convict them both to life in prison.Ty Lopes was killed in prison in 2011. Twenty-three years after Renee Ramos was murdered, Jake Silva remains in prison and maintains he is innocent. In season two of PROOF: Murder at the Warehouse, Susan and Jacinda travel the streets of Manteca, reinvestigating the case against Jake and Ty – and in the process uncover long-overlooked evidence about what really happened to Renee.Follow the case as Susan and Jacinda uncover long overlooked evidence about what really happened to Renee by listening to PROOF: Murder at the Warehouse wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s amazing how quickly things can change.Michael lives with his wife, Mu, in New York City. He works for HP, and his job is to visit various locations around the city and do equipment repair. So he often finds himself on public transportation.One afternoon he was on the city bus, headed to his next job. He expected it to be a routine trip. But without any warning, he found himself trying desperately to get away from a man with a knife.And here’s something you need to know as you listen to Michael’s story. This conversation was recorded about 3 years ago. We weren’t able to go live with it until now, because we had to wait until the case had made it’s way through the courts and was resolved. That has now happened, so at the end I’ll give you an update on how it turned out.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/163Graphics 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:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’re listening to What Was That Like, and this is the last episode for 2023 – which means it’s our year-end Listener Stories episode.For each episode of the show, we have a guest come on and tell their story. It might be someone who survived an alligator attack, or a person who was shot multiple times, or maybe someone who went on The Price is Right and won the showcase – those are just a few examples of the over 160 past episodes.And then, at the very end of each episode, we have a Listener Story. This is a 5-10 minute short story that was sent in by a listener, just like you. It can be something sad, or amazing, or funny – just something that people find interesting. If you have a story like that, I’d love to have you send it in, and you might hear it on a future episode. You can email it to me at Scott@WhatWasThatLike.com.And for the final episode of the year, we hear all of those stories played back to back – which is what we’re doing today.And I wanted to mention this - one of these stories sort of toward the end has a discussion of suicide – so just before that story plays, you’ll hear a little warning alert – when you hear that, if you want to, you can fast forward about 4 ½ minutes to the next story.So let’s get on with it – and please enjoy the Listener Stories of 2023.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:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Very few people have seen someone get hit by a car.There’s a movie from 1998 called Meet Joe Black. Kind of a weird film that combines romance and fantasy. I don’t remember being particularly impressed by the movie itself, but there’s one scene that’s stuck in my head forever. If you’ve seen it, you probably know the scene I’m talking about.Two young people, played by Brad Pitt and Claire Forlani, meet by chance at a coffee shop and there seems to be a rare connection between them. They leave the shop, and have a few awkward words on the sidewalk before they go their separate ways. The scene is quiet, the sound track is calm, and both of them are walking away, even though it’s obvious that they have thoughts and feelings that they want to express. As Brad Pitt stands in the street and watches her disappear around the corner, he wonders about what could have been, and suddenly we hear the blast of a horn, and a car hits him, causing him to fly into the air. Before he hits the ground, another car coming from the opposite direction hits him again. I just remember that scene because it goes from being so calm to such a horrific, jarring accident.My guess is that’s what it’s like for most people who witness an accident such as this, when a vehicle strikes a pedestrian. It’s often completely unexpected. Rosie, my guest today, can attest to this. She witnessed someone being hit by a car, and she was there afterward – trying to do whatever she could to help.But her story offers a different perspective about seeing this type of accident, because Rosie was in the car.If you’d like to contact Rosie, her email is franklynandted@gmail.comFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/161Graphics 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 appSponsor deals:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code WHAT to get 25% off your first month.Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWASHead to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off!For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 24, 2015, Sue was with her daughter Jessica, who was 14 years old at the time, and her friend Elise. Sue and Elise were skydiving buddies, and they were doing what they often did on a beautiful Saturday morning – they were going to go jump out of a plane. Since she was 14, Jessica wasn’t yet old enough to jump – but she just liked being with her mom and hanging out at the drop zone.The weather was beautiful, and everything was going fine, until Sue got to about 5000 feet. She tried to make a quick turn just before landing, and things went terribly wrong.Obviously, Sue made it through that ordeal. But to say she “survived” is a huge understatement. She came back stronger than ever.This is a Flashback episode. Sue originally told her story on the podcast back in 2019. After you hear about her skydiving crash, I’ll play a recent conversation I had with her about what’s going on with her now. Spoiler alert – she’s still doing some amazing things.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/160Graphics 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:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code WHAT to get 25% off your first month.Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWASHead to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off!For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the things I really try hard to avoid is any flying, stinging insect.When I was a little kid, we lived in a pretty rural area in central Ohio. We had a big yard so my brothers and I were outside playing all summer. And of course there were bees. I was old enough to know not to mess with them, but my next youngest brother, Steve, hadn’t really learned that yet. So sometimes I would show him that nice little flying thing – a regular honey bee – and encourage him to go and catch it in his bare hands. And he did. The funny thing is, I don’t remember him ever getting stung when he caught them. And whenever I saw something like that flying around, like a wasp or a hornet, I quickly left the area and found someplace else to play.Steve did get stung in a few places once when we were camping though. He happened to step on a bumblebee nest in the ground, and they weren’t too happy about that. He got stung a couple of times on his face so he was swollen up for a few hours. No allergic reaction though.My guest today is Danna. She can tell you about getting stung. And it wasn’t just her – her two kids, and their large dog were the targets of some pretty angry yellow jackets.They’re all okay now, but it was an afternoon of chaos.You can see pictures of Danna and her family – and Rocket – here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/159Graphics 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 it 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 appSponsor deals:This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code WHAT to get 25% off your first month.Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWASHead to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off!For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/what Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m Scott, the host of What Was That Like. And this is a bonus episode.Normally, on this podcast you would hear someone talking about the time they witnessed a murder, or when they escaped a cult, or when they were swimming and they lost their leg to a shark attack. Those are all actual past episodes, and there are currently over 150 of them to binge.But we’re doing something a little different in this episode.You’ve heard me talk about the private Facebook group. That’s where we discuss each new episode, as well as past episodes, but we talk about a LOT of other things in there. Every Tuesday I post a new question – something that makes you think. And with almost 6000 people in that group, we get a lot of answers. The discussions we have in there are amazing. You can join for free at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.Well, not too long ago, I posted this question: What’s something that happened at work that you’ll never forget?And wow, did the work stories come pouring in. Turns out, a lot of weird stuff happens on the job! So I asked some of the people who answered that question to record their answer and send it to me. What you’re about to hear are those work stories.And a content warning about the first story – it involves a dog who has a seizure and doesn’t survive. I put that one at the beginning, so when you hear that story start, you can fast forward about 3 minutes to the start of the next story if you want to.So I hope you enjoy listening in on what happened at work.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/158Graphics 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)Sponsor deals:Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWASHead to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off!What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month.For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/whatHead to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony is a husband and a father. He lives in Canada. His kidneys were failing, and he was in desperate need of a donor. He was even on the local news with his wife and daughter, hoping to find someone who was a match, and willing to give up a kidney.Almost anyone can donate a kidney, but to donate to a specific recipient, you have to be tested to find out if you’re a match – to see if your kidney is likely to work when it’s in the other person’s body.My guest today is Stacy. She also lives in Canada, and she wanted to give Anthony one of her kidneys. Even though they had never met.Living Kidney Donor Support Group on FB:https://www.facebook.com/groups/2246296390Kidney Donor Athletes group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/210668570157027If you’d like to contact Stacy, she is in the FB group – WhatWasThatLike.com/facebookFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/157Graphics 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)Sponsor deals:Go to rakuten.com or get the Rakuten app to start saving today!To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS.Head to factormeals.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 to get 50% off!What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month.For a limited time, save $10 on your first StoryWorth purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/whatHead to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code WHAT and receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices