What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

132: Bonus - the Listener Stories from 2021

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a bonus episode of What Was That Like. If you’re new to the show, this is not normally what you’ll hear. What usually happens is I’ll h...

131: Jacqueline was attacked by dogs

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard for me to imagine not loving dogs. But that’s the way some people are, and it’s usually pretty easy to spot someone like that. I reme...

130: Anika's apartment was destroyed

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You know, there’s just something about Friday night. For a lot of people, it’s the end of the work week, and you can just sort of chill out. You...

129: Sally watched her house burning

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Content warning: this episode includes discussion of suicide. I had a scary experience with fire when I was a kid. I grew up in Ohio, in a little ...

128: Jayna's hotel was a crime scene

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jayna was excited – she was about to get married. She works in the wedding industry, so she knows how to handle every detail. She also hired a weddi...

127: Bonus - the Listener Stories from 2022

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is not a regular new episode Friday. And that’s because this is not a regular new episode. This is a BONUS episode. If you’re a regular liste...

126: Hayley witnessed two murders

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The concept of guilt is an interesting thing to ponder. Sometimes it’s justified and rational to feel guilty. If a young child breaks a rule but doe...

125: Kylie heard a gunshot

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode comes with a content warning. The story includes discussion of sexual assault, addiction, and suicide.  Stephen Covey is a popular autho...

124: Josh was struck by lightning

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Almost since the day I had the idea to start this podcast, I’ve wanted to talk to someone who has been struck by lightning. I mean, the thought that...

123: Alice's brother went missing

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Content warning – this episode includes discussion of self-harm, addiction, and suicide. Have you ever had to deal with the problem of someone you k...

122: Ella was trampled by an elephant

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I love all animals, but one of my favorites is the elephant. Couple of things you might not know about elephants: When you see a herd of elephants, th...

121: Bonus episode - Raw Audio WWTL 121

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time for a bonus episode! You’ve heard me talking about the Raw Audio episodes, and today you’ll hear a full, extra Raw Audio episode for y...

120: Todd was stranded in a snowstorm

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

No matter where you live, there’s the possibility of experiencing some kind of bad weather. We lived in Maine for about 13 years. And since I was se...

119: Ashley's baby couldn't breathe

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I want you to take a moment, and think about the concept of trust. Often, trust is based on experience. When you go to a restaurant you really like, a...

118: Fabiana won The Price Is Right showcase

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to television game shows, there are just a few that have been around for a very long time. A couple of those are Wheel of Fortune, and J...

117: Summer was stuck in Peru

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For a lot of Americans, the idea of traveling – being away from home – is just a routine part of life. Whether it’s a business trip or a vacatio...

116: Two New York City 9/11 stories

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend will mark the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks that happened on September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were when we first ...

115: ShaNae handled a 911 call

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Most people don’t go to work each day with the concern of going through something that traumatizes them. If your job is in the medical field, such a...

114: Martine witnessed horror at 16

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you remember the stress of being a teenager? As an adult, you might look back on that time in your life with fondness. You had no bills to pay, and...

113: Bonus episode - They Knew

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I know, you might be surprised to see What Was That Like show up in your podcast feed today. New podcast episodes come out on Fridays every two weeks,...

112: Courtney's mom chose when to die

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most difficult things we go through in life is when a close friend or a family member dies. We all know it’s gonna happen to a lot of the...

111: Margy's dad was a hoarder

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I’m really happy to bring you this episode today, but it comes with a content warning, because it includes discussion of suicide. For a long time, I...

110: Jen is a professional bridesmaid

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you know we’ve covered a lot of pretty horrifying stories. Mass shootings, animal attacks, plane c...

109: Evan was buried in an avalanche

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

These days, snowboarding is really popular in the colder climates, and of course everyone knows what it is. But it’s actually a relatively new sport...

108: Kennedy hung from a power line

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

EMTs and other first responders see a lot of things. Sometimes, they arrive on scene and find a situation that they never expected to see. In Port Ora...

107: Jill was kept in a basement

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Content warning - this episode includes descriptions of sexual violence and domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised. Here in the United States,...

106: Tessi heard a tree fall

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I live in a wonderful little town in Florida, called Safety Harbor. It’s in the Tampa Bay area. And one of the things that people love about this pl...

105: Jessica's kidnappers demanded $45 million

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I find it so interesting that sometimes we can take what seems to be a really small action, but it ends up being something really big. Back in 1998, I...

104: Jami was a juror in a murder trial

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Like a lot of people these days, I work from home. And I really enjoy that. But many years ago, I had a more traditional job where I worked in an offi...

103: Adam saw no way out

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you remember the movie called The Fugitive? It came out in 1993, and it starred Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, who was unjustly accused of ...

102: Dee's father crawled toward him

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Right now, I’d like you to take a minute, and imagine this scenario. I live in Florida, in the southeast area of the United States. I like it here. ...

101: Garrett was held hostage at knifepoint

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Deral Dean Ritter. Probably not a name you’ve heard before. In 1986, Ritter was 34 years old, and he was living in Waurika, Oklahoma. In fact, he wa...

100: Jeff's arm was torn off

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Remember back in the day, when everyone got up on Monday morning, and went to work? I’ve worked from home for a long time, but I do remember having ...

99: Bill got a dreaded phone call

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, you see a phone call coming in and you just know that something bad has happened. I remember back several years ago, when my dad was still ...

98: CQ was shot in an ambush

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I believe that people, for the most part, are good. When a tragedy happens, we want to help. That’s really the whole basis for the GoFundMe website....

97: Karen was attacked while hiking

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As human beings, one of the things we crave is community. We need social interaction, and we want to feel like we belong in a group. Whether it’s fa...

96: Danny found a baby in the subway

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The subway system in New York City is pretty impressive. It opened in 1904 so it’s one of the oldest subway systems in the world. And it is definite...

95: Amy's office was bombed

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On the morning of April 19, 1995, a former US Army soldier parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building, located in do...

94: Barbie's dog was stolen

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As I walk or bike through my neighborhood, one of the saddest things I often see is a flyer stuck to a telephone pole or electric pole, telling about ...

93: Brook lost a leg to a shark

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Few things are scarier than being attacked by a shark. Australian Mick Fanning was in a professional surfing competition, which was being broadcast li...

92: Andrew head-on crashed his snowmobile

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve lived in places where the winter is really cold. Personally, I can say I prefer to live here in Florida, where it’s usually relatively warm. ...

91: Bonus episode - Childbirth Stories

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is a bonus episode of What Was That Like. If this were a regular episode, you’d be hearing someone telling a story of how they survived a mass ...

90: Emily was a surrogate

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We live in a pretty amazing time. Private citizens are going to outer space, cars are able to drive themselves to places without a human, all kinds of...

89: Alex was trapped under an ATV

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have a best friend? I have a best friend. His name is Tim. He and I grew up together in Ohio. We went to the same school, same church, we would...

88: Tim lost friends on September 11

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most adults remember where they were on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. In New York City, there were some thunderstorms the night before, ...

87: Victoria's neighbors brought horrible news

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I was watching a video online recently. I don’t remember where it was, probably in a subreddit. It was recorded on a security camera in some busines...

86: Jen was robbed at gunpoint

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There’s something I find really fascinating, and that’s learning about the wildly different ways people react in a sudden emergency situation. Ima...

85: Bonus episode: Jessica's story

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is a bonus episode on an off-week Friday. Today you'll hear Jessica's story of what happened to her fiancé Mike. Jessica and Mike have been tog...

84: Robert was in a gunfight with pirates

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s story takes place off the coast of Somalia, a country in Africa. If you look at Africa on a map, you’ll see Somalia on the east coast, rig...

83: Shareen was rammed with her own car

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I remember the first time I was ever exposed to domestic violence. My home life growing up was very much non-violent. I was the oldest of 3 boys, and...

82: Michael was abused with a sewing machine

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a perfect world, a child should be able to trust an adult. Children are dependent on adults for healthy food, medical attention, an education, and ...

81: Monica discovered the family secret

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

DNA technology is pretty amazing, and it’s gone mainstream. I recently submitted a DNA kit with one of the companies called 23andme. I got the resul...

80: Ricky doesn't buy groceries

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Remember that Seinfeld episode where George is at his girlfriend’s mother’s house, and he sees a partially eaten éclair in the kitchen trash can,...

79: Emily was caught as a drug mule

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you travel internationally, do you ever get nervous when you come back to your own country and have to go through all the questions about where y...

78: Jeff was convicted of murder

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Peekskill, New York. Angela Correa was 15 years old. She was a student at Peekskill High School, with an interest in photography as a hobby and perhap...

77: Monica lost her boyfriend

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Monica was divorced, and now a single mom with two little kids. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Kevin was a nice guy, and he’d never been ...

76: Gil fell off a cliff

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When I was a kid and even as a young adult, I had no fear of heights. I was always climbing trees, climbing all over the roof of our house, never had ...

75: Woniya was alone in the Arctic

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking about the concept of being alone. Many people all around the world have been recently exposed to some form of loneliness or iso...

74: Daril was shot as a rookie policeman

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re a police officer, one of the things you learn as part of your training is that there’s no such thing as a routine encounter, or a “r...

73: Matt crashed his plane in the wilderness

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Personally, I’ve never had a fear of flying. In fact, I really like it. I’m not sure if it’s the flying itself, or maybe it’s the fact that th...

72: Bonus episode - Q&A

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If this is your first time discovering the What Was That Like podcast, you need to know that this is NOT a normal episode. On this show, each episode ...

71: Deneen dodged a derailing train

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trains are a big part of American culture, because they are really fascinating in so many ways. If you stand next to one, you realize – they are ju...

70: Aaron survived a tsunami

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

December 26, 2004. That was the day a huge earthquake happened. In fact, it’s the third-largest earthquake ever recorded, and it had the longest dur...

69: Kira was attacked by a serial rapist

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the most scared you have ever been? I’m not talking about being on a crazy roller coaster ride, or watching a scary movie. What we’re tal...

68: Dan was mauled by a grizzly bear

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alaska is home to a lot of wildlife, including bears. Dan loves the outdoors. You name just about any outdoor activity, and he has done it. Hiking, ca...

67: Steven was hit by a truck

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It was an early morning in Indiana. Steven, 18 years old, was on his way home from an overnight shift at work. Around 6:30 am, he got into the first c...

66: Mariah lost her brother

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

According to an article in Business Insider magazine, one of the most stressful jobs in the US is being a 911 dispatcher. Out of 600 listed occupation...

65: Brandon was dragged by a horse

20 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brandon spent 17 years working as an equestrian stuntman. But he didn’t grow up on a farm, and he didn’t spend his youth around horses. Back then,...

64: Monika's life was destroyed by a stranger

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Do you worry about your privacy on the internet? Do you ever think about how much someone could find out about you, if they wanted to? Have you wonder...

63: Liz discovered a suicide

23 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Very few things in life could be more traumatic or horrifying than discovering a suicide. Remember how shocked we all were back in August of 2014, whe...

62: Terri witnessed a murder

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Do you remember when you were young, and going through your teenage years? Didn’t time seem to go by a lot more slowly back then? All those years, w...

61: Robin drove the Wienermobile

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we have a really fun episode that is going to make you smile. My guest today is Robin, and Robin likes to have fun. She’s different. And she’...

60: Two first-hand stories from 9/11

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today is September 11. Today is the day we remember and honor those who lost their lives here in America on September 11, 2001. 246 innocent people ab...

59: Eric saved a crashed skydiver

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Every sporting activity involves some degree of risk. Risk of injury or even risk of death. I bike about 10 miles each morning and I’m pretty carefu...

58: James was crushed by a tree

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today you are going to hear from James. He’s a young man who lives in England, and he has quite a scary story about something that happened to him o...

57: Gael crashed into a river

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It gets pretty cold in Mason City, Iowa in the winter. Just ask Gael - he lives there. Gael is 18 years old. One day last December, on a particularly ...

56: Lesli's house exploded

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s something that you and I do every day, all day. We make decisions. That’s something that we literally do all day. In fact, some sources sa...

55: Michael survived an avalanche

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Katmandu, the capital city of Nepal. April 25, 2015. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck without warning. In the end, nearly 9,000 people lost their liv...

54: Bonus episode - Raw Audio

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is an off week for the What Was That Like podcast, but I’m here to introduce you to something new for the show that I’m pretty excited about....

53: Dave won $113k on a game show

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest for this episode is Dave, and Dave recently found himself $113,000 richer, and he attributes that to some practice, some luck, and a pretty ...

52: These 3 people died

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If this is your first time listening to this podcast, you need to know this is not a typical episode. Usually, each episode is a conversation with som...

51: Dan preps people for prison

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What’s your biggest fear? As humans, we have found that there are a lot of things we’re afraid of. Spiders, needles, flying in an airplane, thunde...

50: Deb suddenly stopped skiing

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever found yourself in some kind of weird situation or predicament, and you actually have no idea how you got there? And you’re asking your...

49: Struck by lightning

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s bonus podcast episode is being released in an “off week”, outside of the regular every-other-Friday schedule. This is being done to intr...

48: Kimberly got the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s guest is Kimberly. Recently, Kimberly tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, also known as Coronavirus. She is a doctor. Note: No informati...

47: William Hung was on American Idol

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve all experienced embarrassment at some point. It’s not something anyone enjoys or wants to go through. But there’s another level of embarra...

46: James spent 35 years in prison

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David Tyler lives here in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. David is the person who introduced me to James Bain. James was arrested at age 19 as a suspec...

45: Eric killed an intruder

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What would you do if you were asleep with your spouse, and it was the middle of the night, and suddenly you heard loud noises like someone banging on ...

44: Lynsey's mom stole her identity

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission processed 1.4 million reports of fraud. The total losses for all those fraud reports came to almost a billion an...

43: Matt proposed with a movie trailer

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today is February 14 and in most places around the world that means a special holiday – Valentine’s Day. If you didn’t realize that’s what tod...

42: Jami found a stranger in her bedroom

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re going to hear from Jami. Jami had something happen to her when she was a teenager, and it clearly had a huge effect because she still th...

41: Lauren was attacked by a monkey

17 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s conversation is with Lauren. A few years ago, Lauren worked at a private zoo here in the United States. And one of her jobs was to take care...

40: Spence is a lighthouse keeper

03 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Can you imagine having a job that required you to live on an island, and your primary purpose there was to make sure ships avoid running into the land...

39: Steve's wife lost all her memory

20 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a parent, you know that the birth of your first child is an incredible experience. For Steve and Camre, it didn’t happen at all the way ...

38: Henry was attacked by an alligator

06 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Henry is an educator in the field of marine science. And as you’ll hear when we’re talking, it’s not just his job. It’s his life work. It’s ...

37: Ray went from 500 pounds to ultrarunner

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

My conversation today is with Ray, who lives in St Augustine, Florida. Just a couple of years ago, Ray was on a downward spiral in terms of his health...

36: Acaimie rescued her husband

08 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Acaimie and her husband, Clay, have been through a pretty bizarre experience. When I heard this story, I knew I needed to talk to this young lady. She...

35: Ross was blinded by his father

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In an ideal world, children should be able to trust their parents. After all, it’s the grown-ups in the family who are responsible for the kids. No ...

34: Diana survived a plane crash

11 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lexington, Kentucky. 1 pm on a Friday, Labor Day weekend. Diana, a medical flight nurse, was sitting in a Lear jet. The pilot was unconscious. The co-...

33: Karen was shot on Interstate 95

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One summer day in Jacksonville, Florida, Karen got the surprise of her life. She was with her friend Sheryl. They were pulled over on the interstate, ...