• 322: What if you kept hitting rock bottom?
    Jun 4 2024

    After a childhood feeling unworthy of love and belonging, a man finds his path to the Coast Guard and a solid marriage, but after a minor back injury, he’s prescribed painkillers that send him on a tragic spiral of addiction.


    Today’s episode featured Jamie. If you’d like to reach out to him, you can email at japo081@gmail.com.


    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits


    Content/Trigger Warnings: drug use, addiction, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, drunk driving, explicit language

    Social Media:

    Instagram: @actuallyhappening

    Twitter: @TIAHPodcast


    Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com


    Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening


    Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus

    Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.


    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Intro Music: "Illabye" – Tipper

    Music Bed: “Union Flow” - Spuntic

    Services

    If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:


    National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988

    National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

    National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    51 mins
  • Listen Now: Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy
    Jun 3 2024

    Nancy Brophy fills her novels with romantic betrayals and murder. It’s a far cry from her quiet life in the suburbs, where she and her chef husband, Dan, are living out their golden years. But when Dan is shot dead, Nancy finds herself at the center of a murder case that could be ripped from the pages of her novels.


    From Wondery, this is a story about what happens when the line blurs between fiction and reality.


    Listen to Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial by visiting Wondery.fm/HNA_DN now.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    5 mins
  • 321: What if they tried to erase you?
    May 28 2024

    Growing up in the remote Ozark mountains with a mother who believed she was God and a father with deeper abuses, a man paves his own rocky healing path to become a healer for others.


    Today’s episode featured Merle Yost. You can find out more about Merle on his website, merleyost.com , and about his workshop, Unspoken Boundaries, at unspokenboundaries.com. If you’d like to reach out to him, you can email him at merle@merleyost.com , and you can find him on Instagram @loveyost. Merle is a writer, speaker, and consultant. He also does Intensive trauma work as a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist In California, which you can also learn about on his website. He is also the author of six books, his last one Facing the Truth of Your Life, which you can find links to on his website, merleyost.com and Amazon.


    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz


    Content/Trigger Warnings: animal cruelty, animal death, sexual abuse of a minor, domestic violence, severe mental illness, explicit language

    Social Media:

    Instagram: @actuallyhappening

    Twitter: @TIAHPodcast


    Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com

    Website for Aviva Lipkowitz: avivalipkowitz.com


    Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening


    Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus

    Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.


    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Intro Music: "Illabye" – Tipper

    Music Bed: “Re-Entry” – Lee Rosevere

    Services

    If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:


    National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988

    National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

    National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    48 mins
  • 320: What if your mom believed she was the good witch?
    May 21 2024

    Growing up with a mother who used practiced an abusive form of spiritual voodoo, a man seeks to numb his pain, but after tragedy and a descent into crack addiction, he finally finds the cure he’d been looking for.


    Today’s episode featured Will Taylor.


    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli


    Content/Trigger Warnings: abuse of a minor, drug abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, death, graphic bodily injury, explicit language

    Social Media:

    Instagram: @actuallyhappening

    Twitter: @TIAHPodcast


    Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com

    Website for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com


    Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening


    Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus

    Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.


    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Intro Music: "Illabye" – Tipper

    Music Bed: Ambient Themes by Nigel Coutinho

    Services

    If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:


    National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988

    National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

    National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    50 mins
  • Listen Now: Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli
    May 20 2024

    When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power.


    So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power.


    From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales.


    Listen early and ad-free exclusively on Wondery+: Wondery.fm/BIOTF_MV

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    4 mins
  • 319: What if you couldn’t find your way home?
    May 14 2024

    Escaping her troubled past, a suburban mother finds stability in marriage and family, but when her reality suddenly begins to fall apart, she descends into an underworld of chaos.


    Today’s episode featured Billy Macy. If you’d like to reach out to her, you can email at bmacy78@gmail.com. This episode is the second of a two-part series featuring Billy and her sister, Misty Watterson. Misty’s story aired last week, as episode 318: What if your daughter went missing?


    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock


    Content/Trigger Warnings: abuse of a minor, drug use, suicide attempt, sexual assault, missing persons, death, graphic bodily injury, explicit language

    Social Media:

    Instagram: @actuallyhappening

    Twitter: @TIAHPodcast


    Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com

    Website for Jason Blalock: jasonblalock.com


    Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening


    Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus

    Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.


    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Intro Music: "Illabye" – Tipper

    Music Bed: “Uncertain Outcomes” – SkyeVoyager

    Services

    If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:


    National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988

    National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

    National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    58 mins
  • 318: What if your daughter went missing?
    May 7 2024

    A woman spirals into drug use, coping with an abusive childhood, a failing marriage and post-partum depression, but on the road to recovery, her daughter goes missing and a new realm of horror opens.


    Today’s episode featured Misty Watterson and the story of her daughter Allyson Watterson. If you’d like to reach out to her, you can email at mwatterson34@gmail.com. You can also find her on Instagram @wattersonmisty. This episode is the first of a two-part series featuring Misty and her sister Billy Macy.


    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits


    Content/Trigger Warnings: sexual assault of a minor, domestic violence, drug use, missing persons, death, graphic bodily injury, explicit language

    Social Media:

    Instagram: @actuallyhappening

    Twitter: @TIAHPodcast


    Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com


    Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening


    Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus

    Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.


    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Intro Music: "Illabye" – Tipper

    Music Bed: “Cylinder Four” – Chris Zabriskie

    Services

    If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:


    National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988

    National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

    National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    57 mins
  • 317: What if you found peace in the fog of war?
    Apr 30 2024

    A Thai-Filipino-American man fulfills his life-long dream of escaping his chaotic past and joining the Army, but after lingering scars from multiple deployments to Iraq threaten to destroy him, he finds an unexpected awakening.


    Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits


    Content/Trigger Warnings: war, graphic violence, murder, graphic bodily injury, suicidal ideation, domestic violence, explicit language

    Social Media:

    Instagram: @actuallyhappening

    Twitter: @TIAHPodcast


    Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com


    Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening


    Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus

    Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.


    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com


    Intro Music: "Illabye" – Tipper

    Music Bed: “Union Flow” – Spuntic

    Services

    If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:


    National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988

    National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

    National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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    1 hr