What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

Most of the time, childbirth happens in a hospital. But not always.Consider the pregnant woman in Payson, Utah, who went in to Walmart early on a Sunday morning just to pick up a few things. This was her third pregnancy, so she was familiar with what to expect.But by the time she finished shopping and was at the register, she was on her knees and holding her stomach in serious distress. The baby was not going to wait. The manager and other employees were trying to help her, to get her to a more comfortable place with a little bit of privacy. But they were surprised when the woman insisted on paying for her items first.The manager said, “She paid, and then she had the baby. You can’t make that up.” The employees have since named Register number 11 the “baby register”. Mother and baby were eventually brought to the hospital and were doing fine.But that’s the way it is sometimes with babies – when the time comes, they are going to make their appearance into the world. No matter when or where that might be.Karen knows all about that. And so does Alfred, her father in law.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/153Graphics 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: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

On the night of October 1, 2017, 64 year old Stephen Paddock opened fire from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas.He was able to fire over 1100 rounds in just 10 minutes time, from 10:05 pm to 10:15 pm. His target was the crowd of 22,000 people in the open field below his room. These people were attending the final night of the 3-day Route 91 Harvest Music festival. Country singer Jason Aldean was performing when the shooting began.In the end, 851 people were injured, and 58 people died. This incident is the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the history of the country. The shooter also shot and killed himself, so the motive for the killing will probably never be known.But this story isn’t about the cowardly killer. It’s about a young lady named Kami. Kami lives in California, about 4 hours away from Las Vegas, and she was at the Harvest Festival with her parents, and her husband Eli. She was there when the shooting began. She saw the terror on people’s faces as they ran for safety, and she saw the unfortunate ones that didn’t make it.And here’s another critical fact that will be an important part of Kami’s story. She was at the festival for all three days. Day 3 is when the shooting took place. On day 1, she learned that she was pregnant.This episode is the first one in a new series called Flashback episodes. Kami first came on the podcast and told this story 5 years ago. And I get requests from listeners sometimes to follow up with the past guests and see how they’re doing now. So today you’ll hear Kami’s story about escaping from the Las Vegas shooting, and after that, a brief conversation I had with her just recently about what’s new in her life and her family.My goal is to always bring you the content and stories you tell me you want to hear, and the Flashback episodes are a part of that. We’ll probably do one of these each month, in between the regular new episodes, so please, let me know what you think.Full show notes and pictures (including a recent picture of Kami and family) for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/152Graphics 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: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

If you’re a parent, you know – there is nothing more precious to you than your child. You would do anything for them, to keep them healthy, and happy, and safe.But sometimes, even the best parents with the best of intentions can have a brief lack of focus, and the results can be devastating.The subject we’re talking about today is hot car deaths. Outside of crashes, heatstroke is the leading cause of death in vehicles for children 14 and under. It happened 36 times in 2022, and so far in 2023 the total stands at 26. And that’s just in the US. For more than half of these, the person responsible unknowingly left the child in the vehicle. This is something that happens to loving, caring and protective parents.As you hear Laura talk about what happened, you’ll hear the pain in her voice. It’s a heartache that will never go away. But before this conversation is over, you’ll hear something else: determination. Because Laura is on a mission to make sure that what happened to her doesn’t happen to other parents.Content warning: this episode includes discussion of child death, and suicide.Laura’s website:https://AndersonsAlert.orgLaura’s podcast:Beck’s Backseat to Change - http://becksbackseat.com/Lots of information about car safety for children is at Kids and Cars:KidsAndCars.orgThe children’s book, Wherever You Go, by Pat Zietlow Miller –If you would like a signed copy, or you prefer to support an indie bookstore (and you should!), you can contact Mystery To Me Books in Madison Wisconsin:·        Email – info@mysterytomebooks.com·        Phone – 608-283-9332And they will ship a signed copy of the book directly to you.Or, you can order the book on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316400025/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_imageThe Amazon Wishlist we discussed:https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/17KQCVHDU4Y0E?ref_=wl_shareFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/151Graphics 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)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

Have you ever been in a situation and had the thought, “I actually might die here today”?We recently observed the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and I learned about a woman named Linda Gronlund, from New York. She was an attorney, an accomplished sailor and scuba diver, a certified EMT, and she held a brown belt in karate.On September 11, 2001, Linda was on United flight 93. The plane had been hijacked, and the passengers knew that two other planes had already been flown into the twin towers in New York. Before the plane went down, she called her younger sister, Elsa and left a message. Linda acknowledged that she was probably not going to live to see another day, and her primary message was to say “I love you” one last time.Sadly, none of the people on that flight survived when it crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.The average person alive today has probably not been in a situation like that, where death could happen at any moment. But in this episode, you’ll hear from someone who has.Tara was at home with her wife, Catherine, and their 6 year old daughter, Hazel. They also had 5 dogs. They all survived, including the dogs, but as it was happening they didn’t know what the outcome would be. What they feared was drowning. Because a category 5 hurricane was coming, and their home was on an island in the Bahamas.Tara’s website: TaraPyfrom.comTara on Instagram: @TarapyfromTara on LinkedIn: Tara PyfromFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:WhatWasThatLike.com/150Graphics 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)Deals: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

Dr. Robert Hadden was a trusted OB-GYN at Columbia University. Friendly, caring, unassuming... and behind the closed door of exam rooms, one of the most prolific sexual predators in New York City.During his 25-year career, he assaulted hundreds, perhaps thousands, of patients, under the guise of medical exams. Those who tried to warn Columbia were ignored or not believed. When it appeared that no one — not Hadden, not Columbia — would be held to account, it was the survivors who undertook a decade-long fight for justice.From Wondery, Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University is a story about power: who has it, who loses it, and what it takes to get it back.Follow Exposed on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app.Listen to Exposed: Wondery.fm/WWTL_EXPOSED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 11, 2001 was a tragic day in America.The terrorist attacks caused the deaths of 2,996 people in New York, the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Thousands more were injured. And many people since then have died from illnesses caused by exposure to toxic materials at the World Trade Center crash site.Here on the podcast, each year in September we dedicate an episode to hearing stories from people who were there and witnessed the tragedy. In this episode, you’ll hear from Lori Brody, who worked in the World Trade Center, and from Joe Falco, a New York City firefighter. Their stories were told a few years ago here, and we’re taking this opportunity to make sure their voices are heard again, so that we never forget that day.If you, or someone you know, personally experienced the terrorist attacks at any of the three locations, please contact me through the website at WhatWasThatLike.com.May we never forget.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/149Graphics 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).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 offCheck out the Calm History podcast at https://CalmHistory.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I live about 20 minutes from world-famous Clearwater Beach. I do bike around that area sometimes but that’s about the only time I go there, because I’m not much of a beach person. But people come from all over the world to sit in that sand, because that’s one of the things Clearwater is known for.But there’s something else that makes this city famous. Clearwater, Florida is also the worldwide spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology.Back in 1975, there was a Scientology-founded group that purchased the huge Ft Harrison Hotel in Clearwater for $2.3 million. On the paperwork, the tenant was listed as “United Churches of Florida”, so the City Council and the citizens of Clearwater didn’t realize that the new owners were actually the Church of Scientology – until after the purchase was finalized. Citizens groups and even the mayor of Clearwater at the time, protested against the church establishing a base there, and they repeatedly referred to the group as a cult. But the group stayed.And now, the Scientologists own 185 properties in downtown Clearwater. If you drive around the city, you’ll see these people walking from one place to another, doing their work or taking courses.My guest today is Kat, and she knows about the Church of Scientology from first-hand experience. When she was barely a teenager, Kat was given to the Scientologists – by her mother.If you’d like to contact Kat, you can email her at CanadianKat9@icloud.comFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/148Graphics 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)Fall asleep to the Calm History podcast – CalmHistory.comSponsor deals: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

This weekend edition of What Was That Like highlights a top true crime podcast called LISK: Long Island Serial Killer. Since 2017, the show has covered a decade-long cold case set in Long Island. The podcast recently went viral after a suspect was arrested in connection to the case.If you enjoyed this episode, listen to LISK: Long Island Serial Killer wherever you listen to podcasts or click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a phrase I find interesting. It’s often used to describe a person who seems to have an unusual power in different ways. The phrase I’m thinking of is “force of nature”.When I hear “that man, or that woman, is a force of nature”, it makes me think of someone who comes in like a whirlwind, with a clear objective, and nothing is going to stand in their way. And that description makes sense, because that’s how nature is sometimes.Here in Florida, we’re about to go into that magical time of year called Hurricane Season. A storm comes up out in the Atlantic, and they often make their way here. And they are literally a force of nature. Thankfully, we usually have lots of warning, so we have time to prepare. But if you’re in the path when a hurricane comes through, it’s loud, and scary, and terrifying. It doesn’t care about you. It’s just doing what nature does.But sometimes nature can be just as scary, and just as deadly, in complete silence. That’s what Gregg found out, when he found himself alone and wondering if he would survive.Gregg’s website:https://TheCompulsiveStoryteller.comFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/147Graphics 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)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/what Head 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

There are a lot of things we have that are amazing, but we take them for granted.Have you ever seen those videos online where the person being recorded is color blind? And their family gets them those specially-made sunglasses that actually allow a person to see colors, even though they have never been able to before. Of course, everyone in the family wants to see their reaction the first time they put on those glasses.So they all go outside, and there are usually some brightly colored balloons nearby, and the birthday person opens up this package to find a pair of sunglasses. Nice, thanks for the sunglasses. And of course everyone encourages them to try them on. And what happens when they put those glasses on, and they are now actually seeing colors instead of everything being black and white or just having shades of difference – their reaction is always amazing. In many cases, they are just so overwhelmed by the colors and overcome by emotion, they start to cry because of what they’re seeing. In that moment, everything has changed for them. They see everything differently, and they notice every single color.But for most of us, we walk around every day seeing all of these vibrant colors, and we never have a single thought about it. It’s just our normal. We often don’t understand or appreciate something until we are able to see the difference between having it, and not having it.My guest today, Chris, can attest to that. Like most of us, he grew up having hands – a left hand and a right hand. They were right there with him for more than 40 years, always doing what he needed them to do.But today, the hands that Chris uses are not the hands he was born with.If you’d like to contact Chris, you can email him at cpollock68@gmail.com.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/146Graphics 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)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/what Head 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