What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

There’s a phrase that’s very common in certain situations.“Sorry for your loss”We hear it at funerals, we see it in sympathy cards, we might even read it in an email or a text message.It’s kind of just the standard line that people say to those who are grieving after a close friend or a loved one passes away. It doesn’t really take away any of the pain, but it let’s them know that they’re supported and loved.But when it’s a parent mourning the loss of a child, saying “sorry for your loss” seems terribly inadequate. The pain and the heartache is just too big. It’s overwhelming. Suffocating. That commonly used phrase just falls way short, when the pain of the parent is so massive.That’s how Travis felt when his teenage son, Brandon, passed away after having an asthma attack.We’ve had multiple episodes with a parent talking about the loss of a child, but Travis was the first one. This is a Flashback episode. And in the update conversation after the story, Travis told me that now they aren’t completely convinced that it was asthma that took Brandon.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/186Graphics 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:To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHATGo to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!For a limited time, our listeners will get an exclusive 15% off their first OneSkin purchase using the code WWTL when you checkout at oneskin.co.Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do if a crime was committed, and you know who did it?Here’s an example, think about this.You’re on your lunch break at work, but you’re at your desk. You’re just scrolling through Facebook, and you see that the local police are searching for someone who recently committed an armed robbery.When you read the details, you can see the name of the person they’re looking for – and it’s one of your co-workers. You look at the picture in the police bulletin, and yes – they are trying to find this person who works at the same place you do – in fact you can look up from your phone and see him sitting at his desk, just 30 feet away.This person is your friend. You’ve worked together for years. Your kids have played together. But you have a decision to make. Do you call the police, and tell them exactly where they can find this person? Would you consider that a betrayal of your friendship?My guest today is Justine. She found herself in a situation kind of like that. She knew what this person did, she knew police were looking for him, and she knew exactly where they could find him.Except in her case, the crime that was committed was murder. And the person being hunted by police was her brother.Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/185Graphics 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:Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpodCancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into a humorous exploration of scents that make us cringe, starting with the notorious Axe cologne. The hosts share funny anecdotes about microwave popcorn and childhood jelly beans, mixing nostalgia with laughter. They discuss the bittersweet nature of unpleasant odors and how they shape our memories. From restaurant antics to the social complexities of adolescence, this episode highlights how smell intertwines with personal experiences and community connections, all wrapped in relatable comedy.

After you’ve been parenting for more than a few years, there’s something you learn.The way you communicate with your child changes as the child gets older.When you say something to a toddler, you don’t usually need to provide all the logic and reasoning with it. At that stage they are absorbing information like a sponge, and you’re the primary source of all their new knowledge.But when they get to the teenage years, it’s a different story. At that point, they might question your advice. So a lot of times, as a parent of a teenager, you might find yourself walking that thin line – you don’t want to just tell them what to do with the “because I said so” logic, because that could just push them farther in the wrong direction. But you also don’t want to see them make a big mistake that could have serious consequences.That’s kind of the spot Heidi was in, with her daughter Emali.Emali was with a boy, and Heidi was trying to get her to understand that he was not the one for her. He was controlling and abusive. Emali did realize that eventually, but when she tried to leave, she sadly didn’t make it.So Heidi is telling the story of her daughter Emali – who she sometimes refers to by her middle name, Renee – so that others might recognize that situation earlier, and get away.If you have a question or comment for Heidi, she’s in the Facebook group. Come over and join over 7500 other listeners in our amazing discussions – WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.If you’re in an abusive situation, you can call or text for help:National Domestic Violence Hotline – thehotline.org – 1-800-799-7233 or text to 88788Heidi created this GoFundMe to help with expenses:https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-hands-for-elianna-rebuilding-life-after-tragedyFull show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/184Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.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:Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpodCancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every 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:If you and your spouse/partner had to switch jobs tomorrow morning with no training, which of you would get fired first?Links for this episode: Meredith’s episode about epistocracy:https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/7eccdbaa/ep-235-or-epistocracy-should-we-be-protected-from-uninformed-votersMeredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:https://MeredithForReal.comTo check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.Sponsor deals:To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpodCancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York. What is causing their sudden, often violent symptoms? Is there something in the water or inside the school? Or is it “all in their head?”The series examines the outbreak in LeRoy, NY, believed by some to be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials. In his search for answers, Dan Taberski (9/12, Missing Richard Simmons, Running from Cops) explores other seemingly inexplicable events of the last few years – CIA officers being crippled with nausea and vertigo; cops OD'ing from exposure to fentanyl – and discovers they’re far more connected than we realize.From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, this 7-part series forces us to grapple with the mysteries of our own minds, and reckon with a contagion that we thought was long dead, but may be the defining disorder of our time.Follow Hysterical on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ at Wondery.fm/Hysterical_WWTL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I think accidentally dialing a wrong number is probably the most random way for two human beings to get connected. Even if just for a few seconds.I mean, think about it. There’s you, and then there’s this other person who you don’t know, and because you dialed a number that was just one digit off, the two of you are now speaking to each other.Granted, those conversations are usually pretty short. It’s probably not the most effective way to meet new people and make new friends.But one time, a young man named Henry saw his phone buzz with a text message. The message he saw there was clearly not meant for him. It was from a woman named Kasey, who he didn’t even know. Today you’ll hear what happened after that life-changing text.Kasey told this story years ago here on the podcast. In today’s Flashback episode, you’ll hear our original conversation, and then an update from Kasey on what’s happened since then. And it’s a lot.The Winter Fireplace app:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/winter-fireplace/id1041703579Kasey’s website:https://kaseybergh.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/kasey.berghInstagram -https://www.instagram.com/kasey.bergh/LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasey-bergh-543a505/Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/183Graphics 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:To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpodCancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The science of medicine has come a long way in the area of how we manage pain.In the mid to late 1800s, there was a product called Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. It was sold to parents as a way to alleviate the constant crying of their babies, particularly when a baby is going through the painful teething process.And it definitely calmed down those infants – possibly because the main ingredient was morphine.Another medication, popular for treating coughing and diarrhea, was opium.And when Coca-Cola was first launched, it had two main ingredients: caffeine and cocaine. I guess it’s no wonder that one of their ad slogans was “a Coke and a smile”!Of course, now we know better. Doctors and scientists have realized that not everything that helps with pain is necessarily something that’s good for you. But even modern day pain medication, stuff that’s supposed to be safe to use, can cause big problems for some people.One of those people is my guest today, Frank. His experience with pain meds took him down a very dark path, and he didn’t see any way out. Until one day, when he got a surprise at work.You can contact Frank by email: francisskey.062588@gmail.comSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline: 800-662-4357National Drug Helpline: 844-289-0879Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/182Graphics 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:To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpodCancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every 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're playing the icebreaker game "Tell a fun or odd fact about yourself" - what do you say?Links for this episode: Meredith episode about curse words:https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/78996692/ep-149-or-what-makes-a-curse-word-a-curse-word-swearing-science Popping out your eyeball (don’t do this):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Yrppn-UXYMeredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:https://MeredithForReal.comTo check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.Sponsor deals:To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpodCancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I remember one of my first Airbnb experiences.I was traveling just here in Florida, and I had to stay one night on the other side of the state – in Delray Beach. I picked out a room, and reserved it, and waited for the host to approve it. Back then, I didn’t have much history so there weren’t many other hosts who could confirm that I was a good guest. But it got approved.And when I got there, I found out the host was an older woman – and I was her very first guest. And she was so nice! She actually cooked me a full meal, and I helped her out with some computer issues she was having, and we hit it off nicely.But still, I couldn’t help thinking – that night, I was sleeping in one room, and she was sleeping in the room right down the hallway from mine, and it just seemed like it was kind of a dangerous thing for her to do, since she didn't know me.And apparently her friends had some concerns too. The next morning, while we were eating breakfast, she said one of her friends called her first thing that morning and asked, “So he didn’t murder you or anything?”That was years ago, but now, it’s just a common thing – you rent a room in someone’s house, you get a place to sleep, they make some money, and everyone’s happy. At least that’s how it usually works.My guest today, Evi, was traveling as a young single woman, and ended up staying with a family in exchange for doing a little bit of work for them.And after staying there one night, she made a horrifying discovery.HelpX: https://www.helpx.net/Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:https://WhatWasThatLike.com/181Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.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:To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!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 storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpodCancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices