What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

Hey, this is Scott, and you’re listening to What Was That Like.But this is not a regular episode of What Was That Like. I’ve got a really cool BONUS episode for you today. What you’re about to hear is the first episode in a new podcast series called Dark Valley.This series is investigation-oriented, and it’s about as True-Crime as you can get. You’re gonna learn about America’s “unknown serial killer” – or by the name given to him by law enforcement and the media: The Connecticut River Valley Killer. And it’s all laid out from the perspective of that murderer’s only surviving victim, Jane Boroski.Can you imagine being attacked by a serial killer? And this was not a routine attack. Jane was stabbed 27 times by this man, whom she had never met. Oh, and when it happened, Jane was 7 months pregnant.In this first episode of the series, Jane talks about what happened. And I also had a conversation with Jane, and asked her a few questions of my own about this whole experience. You’ll hear that right after this episode plays, and of course we’ll have this week’s Listener Story as we do on every episode.The Dark Valley podcast series is produced by Crawlspace Media, and if you like this first episode, you can go and listen to the next one on Apple, Spotify, or whatever app you’re listening on right now.So I hope you enjoy this first episode of Dark Valley, followed by my conversation with Jane Boroski.Links:Dark Valley:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dark-valley/id1644915712Invisible Tears:https://invisible-tears.com/Jane’s social media:https://linktr.ee/invisibletearspodcastFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/144Transcription was done by James Lai.What Was That Like is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/whatwas for 10% off your first month. If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL 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

Do you ever think about the children in your state who are currently in foster care?Here in Florida, there are about 19,000 children living in foster care. That’s a lot of kids. And in that group, there are about 500 children who have no identified families. Can you imagine how scary and lonely that must be, to be a child with no family at all, and only the government to try to take care of you and keep you safe?There are a lot of different situations that can lead to that. But whatever happened, it’s no fault of the child. They didn’t ask to be born into a family of addicts, or criminals, or abusers, or maybe just someone who didn’t want them. They’re already starting off life with a disadvantage. It’s not fair.My guest today, Samantha, learned about the foster care system kind of by surprise. She and her husband, Jeremy, were living their lives and they had three young children of their own which kept them pretty busy. They were a happy family.They didn’t plan to suddenly be dealing with the foster care system – or more specifically, a process called “Family Placement”.And it all started with an unexpected phone call about a baby.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/143Graphics 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)If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL 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

Hey, this is Scott.This is just a short episode in between the regular episodes – I guess you could call it an In-Between-isode.What I have for you today is an announcement about the podcast, followed by a Listener Story – and the Listener Story is from someone you’ve heard from before.But first, I want to give you an update on a new feature that’s now available in the What Was That Like podcast.This is a new subscription program that allows you to get rid of the ads that get inserted into the podcast. Because who likes ads? Especially in a show like this, where we have guests who are telling really personal stories of something that may have been really traumatic or crazy. I mean, I try to make sure every episode is like that – something really unusual. So if you’re like me, you’re probably not a big fan of having the story interrupted by a few ads. The whole experience is just better without the interruptions. But it’s a catch-22 because the ads are part of what make the podcast possible.But now, you can enjoy the podcast without those interruptions with this new subscription program called What Was That Like Plus. And here’s my favorite part – you can get all the regular ad-free episodes, AND all the exclusive bonus Raw Audio episodes, right here in the podcast app you’re already using. I’ll explain that in just a minute.Okay, so what do you get when you sign up for What Was That Like Plus –First, you get every What Was That Like episode without any ads. And that doesn’t just mean starting now – that means all the past episodes as well. At the moment there are over 140 episodes of bizarre stories (you know the kinds of stories we love here). And you can go back and binge all of them, without any ad interruptions.And you also get all of the bonus episodes, called Raw Audio. I’ve put out more than 30 of these episodes now. These episodes are typically 3 different stories, and each one includes the actual 911 audio from a case, as well as the story that goes with that emergency call.So with What Was That Like Plus, you get all the regular podcast episodes without any ads, and you get all of the exclusive Raw Audio episodes. And as I mentioned earlier – you don’t have to get a different podcast app in order to listen. You’re going to get ALL of those episodes right here, in the podcast app you’re already using!These are the podcast apps that are supported – so if you listen to your podcasts on any of these, you’re already set up: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocketcasts, Podcast Addict (that’s the one I use), Castbox, BeyondPod, Downcast, PlayerFM, Breaker, and RadioPublic. If you heard me say the name of the app that you use, you’re golden. At the moment, there are a few apps that aren’t supported – Stitcher, Podbean, and NPR One. But for most people, you’re already set up with the app you’re using now.And of course, I want you to be able to try this out for free so you can see what it’s like. So there are a couple of ways to try it out free, depending on whether you’re on Apple, like an iPhone, or if you use an Android. If you use an iPhone and listen on Apple Podcasts, super easy – just click on “Try Free” right at the top of the list of episodes, and you’re in. If you use a different app, like on an Android device, just go to the website WhatWasThatLike.com/plus and sign up using the promo code PLUS – that gives you a whole month free to try it out.  And if you can’t subscribe to the PLUS subscription right now, no worries. I still love you! And of course you’ll continue to get all of the What Was That Like episodes for free, supported by ads. And anytime you decide to subscribe to the ad-free version, I’ll be waiting there to welcome you in with open arms! Unless you sign up at like 3 in the morning, then you’ll have to wait a bit for that virtual hug.So that’s the announcement, I hope to see you over in the PLUS feed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here on the podcast, I talk to people who have been through extremely unusual situations. Like witnessing a murder, or being attacked by a monkey, or winning the showcase on The Price Is Right. We get to hear those stories first hand, from the person who experienced it.In this bonus episode, I want to introduce you to another podcast that has a very similar format, which means you’re gonna want to subscribe. This podcast is called The Only One in the Room, and the host is Laura Cathcart Robbins along with her boyfriend Scott Slaughter. I’ve known them for years. Truly wonderful people.So today I’m bringing you an episode of The Only One in the Room, and in the opening Laura will explain where that title came from. In this particular episode, you’ll hear the guest, Traci, talking about her husband, Chris. Chris was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, and get this – he spent 3 years in jail just awaiting his trial. In the meantime, Traci is on the outside fighting to prove his innocence, while still maintaining an income and taking care of their 3 children, basically as a single parent. So much to talk about with a story like this.And keep in mind, this happened back in the early part of the Covid pandemic. Hang around after the conversation, and I’ll have an update about where the case is at today.I just have to say, Laura is one of the most compassionate people I know. You’ll hear it in this story, as she talks with Traci about what happened. And if you like this story, there are lots more that you’ll love. Just go to whatever podcast app you’re using right now, and search for The Only One in the Room and click Subscribe.I’d love to hear what you think about this story, and it will definitely generate some discussion in the Facebook group, so let’s hear your comments.So please enjoy this conversation with Laura Cathcart Robbins from the Only One in the Room, talking with Traci, whose husband Christopher was arrested.The Only One in the Room podcast:https://theonlyonepod.com/Traci Kearney on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/justiceforchristopherkearney/Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/142Graphics 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)If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL 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

(Content warning – this episode includes discussion of sex trafficking, and graphic depiction of sexual attack. If you’re in the car with the kids, you might want to save this one for later.)The situation that Jennifer found herself in is one that no one ever expects. She was away from home, and she didn’t really know anyone. On top of that, she was an American in Turkey and she didn’t speak much of the language.And her attacker was strong, and determined.But what came to her during this traumatic experience were things she had heard on a television show. Oprah Winfrey would sometimes have law enforcement specialists and self-defense experts on her show to give advice about what to do in certain situations. They said to always fight back – and NEVER let yourself be taken to a second location.That advice, along with some other tips she remembered, may have helped save Jennifer’s life.Because even though she was able to fight him off, he came back.If you’d like to contact Jennifer, or get two weeks of her brain and nervous system training for free, visit the website RewireTrial.com.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/141Graphics 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)Hear Virginia Prodan's full story about defending Christians in Communist Romania at CompelledPodcast.com/virginiaIf you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL Save $10 on your first 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’s a problem that’s becoming a bigger and bigger issue for anyone who owns a home. The problem is squatters.If you’re not familiar with the term, “squatting” is when a person – or even a group of people – figure out that a house is not being occupied. Maybe the owner is trying to sell it, or in some cases, the owner lives there but is just away from home on a vacation.When the squatter determines that no one is home, they just go in – usually by breaking in – and take up residence. They just act like its their house.This is happening all across the country. And the infuriating this is that in most cases, the police can’t just go and remove them. It becomes a civil matter, which means the homeowner has to spend money on lawyers and court filings, as well as paying for some other place to live in the meantime. And all the while, the squatter is living in the home without paying anything.My guest today is Flash. He didn’t expect it, but he was faced with a squatter problem. But he decided to handle this case on his own.Disclaimer – the process that Flash used may not work for everyone. It might not work in your case. It also might be dangerous. For advice on how to deal with squatters, consult your attorney.If you’d like to contact Flash by email: info@theuha.orgPetition to make squatting a crime:https://www.change.org/p/change-squatter-laws-help-make-squatting-illegalUnited Handyman Association websiteHTTPS://Unitedhandymanassociation.orgInstagram:@flashshelton@squatterremoverYouTube channel:https://youtube.com/@handymanassoc.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/140Graphics 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)If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL Save $10 on your first 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

Every tourist destination wants their guests to have a happy experience, but few places do that as well as Disney World in Orlando, Florida.When Disney World visitors were surveyed, 75% said they were very satisfied with their experience.Did you know, the Magic Kingdom Park at Disney World gets around 21 million visitors every year? And if you combine all of the Disney parks, it’s around 58 million people each year. And people keep coming back. And for anyone with kids, it’s a no-brainer – that’s where the kids want to go.My guest today is Tricia. She and her sister, Heather, and their mom and dad, would make trips to Disney World every year. It was a family tradition that they all looked forward to.They knew the layout of the Magic Kingdom by heart, and it didn’t matter that the rides and the attractions and the fireworks were the same as when they were there the year before. It was their place.But there was one family trip to Disney World that was not like any of the others.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are athttps://WhatWasThatLike.com/139Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.The Letter Your Teenager Can’t Write You was written by Gretchen Schmelzer:https://gretchenschmelzer.com/parents-corner/2015/6/23/the-letter-your-teenager-cant-write-youVoiceover for that piece was performed by Elle Ray James. If you need a voiceover artist, check out their work at https://www.castingcall.club/elle-ray-jamesWant 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)If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTL Save $10 on your first 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

You’re listening to the What Was That Like podcast, but this is not a regular episode. This is a bonus Raw Audio episode.Usually on this show I talk to a regular person who’s been through something really unusual. Like they got attacked by an alligator, or they were buried in an avalanche, or they witnessed a murder. That person comes on the show and tells the story of what happened, first hand.That’s not what we’re doing today. This bonus episode is called Raw Audio. The Raw Audio episodes are 3 real-life stories, and they include the 911 calls that were made when it was happening. You’ll hear that audio, as well as the story of what happened.These episodes are usually only available exclusively to listeners who support the podcast for $5 a month. You can sign up for that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. When you do that, you also get all the regular What Was That Like episodes without any ads. And you can binge all of the past Raw Audio episodes – right now there are a total of 32 of them.But today, we have a special one and it’s available to all listeners. Every once in a while I like to put out an extra episode like this, so if you’ve been thinking about it, you can see sort of a free sample of what you’ll be getting when you become a supporter. If you like real-life stories, and the feeling that you are right there as it happens, I think you’ll enjoy this content.And here’s the content warning for today’s episode – you’ll hear about a plane crash, a murder/suicide, and a home invasion.And of course, after these 3 stories, we’ll have our regular Listener Story like we do for every episode.To binge all 32 Raw Audio episodes and get all the new regular episodes ad-free, sign up here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/supportFull show notes for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/138Graphics 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)Go to HelloFresh.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free!If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTLSave $10 on your first 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

The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about seven great architectural structures. That list became known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.Of those seven achievements, four were destroyed by earthquake. Two were destroyed by fire. Only one is still standing – the Great Pyramid of Giza, in Egypt.This pyramid today has a height of 450 feet, or 137 meters. It was the tallest structure in the world for over 3800 years.And now, it’s a popular tourist destination. People from all over the world will travel to Cairo, and stand next to this enormous structure, and just wonder about all the manpower and materials and work that went into creating it.And there are others, like today’s guest, Alex, who look at the Great Pyramid and think “I’d like to climb to the top of that pyramid”. And Alex came up with a plan to do just that.What he didn’t plan on was getting caught.If you’d like to contact Alex:Email: brock.alex@gmail.comTwitter: @ABrockstar32Pyramid map:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giza_pyramid_complex_(map).svgFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/137Want 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)Go to HelloFresh.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free!If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTLSave $10 on your first 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

Content warning – this episode includes discussion of drug use and suicide.For anyone who creates online content, the big goal is to have your content go viral.Whether it’s a Tiktok or YouTube video, an Instagram reel, or a Facebook photo – when something goes viral, the person who posted it is kind of quasi-famous for a few days or a week.This happened to me once, several years ago. I posted a video on Facebook, and it just took off like crazy. It wasn’t even a video that I created personally. But people saw it and shared it, so it was seen by millions of people – right on my Facebook profile page. So I was getting hundreds of friends requests every day from people I didn’t know (and I declined all of them, of course). It was kind of fun, but also a little weird that suddenly my Facebook page was being viewed by so many people, all over the world.But for some people, having their photo go viral is not a good thing. That’s what happened with my guest today, Sarah. She got in trouble for selling drugs. This was her first time ever being arrested, and she made the mistake of smiling for her booking photo. That’s when things got crazy, and she was nicknamed in the press as the “Adorable Drug Kingpin”.The other reason this story went viral was because of where Sarah’s dad worked. His employer was the Drug Enforcement Agency. Sarah’s dad was a DEA agent.If you’d like to contact Sarah, her email is empathy.always1@gmail.comShow notes for this episode:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/136Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at https://WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well).Go to HelloFresh.com/wwtl50 and use code wwtl50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free!If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/WWTLSave $10 on your first 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