After a childhood shaped by violence and addiction leads him into years of self-destruction, a man begins to transform himself in prison, only to learn he has 90 days to live. Today’s episode featured Michael Mason. If you’d like to reach out to Michael, you can email him at mikemason2676@gmail.com . You can find him on X/Twitter @Maurice74. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: child abuse, domestic violence, sibling violence, alcoholism, addiction, violent crime, s...
May 12, 2026•1 hr 5 min•Season 15Ep. 406
After years of caring for her mother through a devastating decline, a woman helps ease her final suffering, only to be accused of murdering the person she loved most. Today’s episode featured Rachel Waters. If you’d like to reach out to Rachel, you email her at RFosterWaters@gmail.com . You can find Rachel on Instagram: @distinguishedheathen and TikTok: @distinguishedheathen, and on Reddit @notedheathen To read Rachel’s story in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/...
May 05, 2026•1 hr 13 min•Season 15Ep. 405
After suffering from necrotizing fasciitis, a soccer coach sets out to rebuild his body, his identity, and the life he thought he had lost. Today’s episode featured Scott Martin. If you’d like to email Scott, you can reach out to him at Reader.playfromyourheart@gmail.com . Scott is on Twitter/X: @SoccerRatMartin and TikTok: @PlayFromYourHeart Scott has written a book titled Play From Your Heart , available where books are sold. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz Content/Tr...
Apr 28, 2026•55 min•Season 15Ep. 404
After growing up in a home shaped by violence, racism, and fear, a woman is stunned to receive an apology from the girl who bullied her in middle school, forcing her to reckon with the harm they both carried and the possibility of repair. Today’s episode featured Christy Davis. If you’d like to contact Christy, you can email her at MsChristy_Creative@proton.me . Christy’s episode is part 2 of a 2 part series. Christy has recently started adding her writing to Substack: https://substack.com/@msch...
Apr 21, 2026•48 min•Season 15Ep. 403
After narrowly surviving one of the deadliest tornados in US history, a woman is driven to confront a long-buried harm, finding in the aftermath a deeper sense of purpose, forgiveness, and service. Today’s episode featured Nanda Nunnelly. If you’d like to contact Nanda, you can email her at Nandanunnelly@gmail.com. Nanda’s episode is part 1 of a 2 part series. Nanda’s cause and organization, Minnie Hackney Community Service Center of Joplin, is on Facebook, or you can visit the website at Minnie...
Apr 14, 2026•54 min•Season 15Ep. 402
After spending much of his life trying to outrun the feeling of being trapped, a man’s violent kidnapping on a solo motorcycle trip through Mexico forces him to reckon with the fear, rage, and longing for freedom that have shaped him since childhood. Today’s episode featured Gary Stauble. If you’d like to reach out to Gary, you can email him at ezinef@gmail.com . Gary is on Instagram @garystauble Gary is on Facebook @gstauble Producers: Whit Missildine Content/Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, viole...
Apr 07, 2026•59 min•Season 15Ep. 401
A man grows up in a home defined by violence, secrecy, and fear, and decades later a deathbed confession confirms his belief that his father was responsible for the Chicago Tylenol murders, forcing him to reckon with a lifetime shaped by trauma and silence. Today’s episode featured Joseph Cibelli. Joe is a former salon entrepreneur turned author, legal scholar, and forensic psychologist. He wrote The Tylenol Murders: A Father’s Confession to His Son , which investigates the 1982 Chicago Tylenol ...
Mar 31, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 15Ep. 400
After decades of stability, a woman’s experience of menopause brings back a lifetime of buried symptoms and reveals an unexpected truth about her identity, forcing her to reexamine everything she thought she knew about herself. Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. If you’d like to reach out to her, you can email her at SunflowerSpark44@gmail.com . Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Ellen (Elly) Westberg Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicidal ideation, mental illness, child abuse (m...
Mar 24, 2026•57 min•Season 15Ep. 399
After years working as a humanitarian aid worker in war zones and disaster areas around the world, a man is forced to confront the psychological toll of witnessing a broken world he could never fix. Today’s episode featured Gray Doyle. If you’d like to email Gray, you can reach him at graydoyle@meetmeinzanzibar.com . You can purchase Gray’s book on his website, https://meetmeinzanzibar.com/ . Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock Content/Trigger Warnings: War and armed conflict...
Mar 17, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 15Ep. 398
After surviving the 2015 ISIS terrorist attacks at a Paris café, a woman begins the painful work of confronting buried childhood trauma and reclaiming a life she had never fully allowed herself to live. Today’s episode featured Mandy Palmucci. You can email Mandy at mandypalmucci@gmail.com. Mandy is on Instagram @palmuccim Mandy is currently working on a book about her experience. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: Childhood sexual abuse, Terrorism / mass shooting...
Mar 10, 2026•55 min•Season 15Ep. 397
When a family sailing journey ends in capture by child soldiers during Mozambique’s civil war, a man must protect his children while confronting the unsettling truth that his captors are both perpetrators of violence and children shaped by it. Today’s episode featured Dave Muller. Dave has written about his experiences in a book entitled, “Not Child’s Play”, available where books are sold or at https://notchildsplay.co.uk/ You can email Dave at dave.muller@notchildsplay.co.za Dave is on Instagra...
Mar 03, 2026•1 hr 11 min•Season 15Ep. 396
After overcoming addiction and rebuilding her life around motherhood, a woman's world is shattered when her son kills her daughter, forcing her to grieve one child while fighting to protect the other and learning how to survive an unbearable moral and emotional divide. Today’s episode featured Charity Lee. If you’d like to email Charity, you can reach her at bawmedia@gmail.com . You can also find her on Facebook @IAmCharityLee Charity has authored a book entitled, How Now, Butterfly? A Memoir of...
Feb 24, 2026•1 hr 10 min•Season 15Ep. 395
After the sudden death of his father leaves him drowning in guilt, a man unknowingly spirals into a manic break that strips him of his freedom, his relationships, and his grip on reality, forcing him to confront bipolar disorder and rebuild his life from the ground up. Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. However, you can reach out to him at anytom2020.t@gmail.com . Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Jason Blalock Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicide and suicide by cop, Parental d...
Feb 17, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 15Ep. 394
After a lifetime of striving for control, a woman is thrust into unimaginable loss when a potentially catastrophic twin pregnancy collides with restrictive laws, forcing her to rebuild her life from the ground up. Today’s episode featured Helen. Helen and her husband, Zach, began The Marigold Foundation, whose mission is to lead the way in providing financial aid to families that are facing a complex medical diagnosis or the loss of an infant or neonate. To learn more or to donate, please visit ...
Feb 10, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Season 15Ep. 393
When a son discovers that the man who raised him is capable of unimaginable harm, he is forced to become a whistleblower against his own father, risking his family, his identity, and everything he once believed to be true. Today’s episode featured Kai Zen Bickle. To find out more about the legislation drafted with Child USA to close jurisdictional loopholes, specifically to ensure that evidence of sexual crimes committed against children on foreign soil can be brought back and used in U.S. court...
Feb 03, 2026•57 min•Season 15Ep. 392
After a white supremecist killed his father at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, Pardeep Singh Kaleka pairs up with a former neo-Nazi to teach students about overcoming hate and finding forgiveness. Today’s episode was produced in collaboration with Pauline Bartolone, and was funded in part by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center , as part of its "Spreading Love Through the Media" initiative, supported by the John Templeton Foundation . Pauline can be reached at paulinebartolone.org and o...
Jan 27, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 15Ep. 391
After killing a cyclist while driving drunk, a woman confronts the consequences of her actions and begins the long, painful work of rebuilding a life shaped by guilt and accountability. Today’s storyteller wishes to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli Content/Trigger Warnings: Drunk driving, Fatal accident, Death, Manslaughter, Substance abuse / alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Psychological trauma, Moral injury, Guilt and shame, Suicidal ideation, Incarceratio...
Jan 20, 2026•51 min•Season 15Ep. 390
After surviving a stranger’s shove into the path of a subway train, a man confronts his mortality and viral fame, and finds himself transformed by community, clarity, and the everyday poignancy of being alive. Today’s episode featured Joe Lynskey. You can email Joe at upfromthetracks@gmail.com . Joe is on Instagram @lynskey.joe. You can find news articles about Joe and his DJ career at his link tree: https://linktr.ee/lynskey.joe . Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warning...
Jan 13, 2026•52 min•Season 15Ep. 389
Growing up Black and queer in the South, a man finds an identity for himself through the arts and establishes a wonderful marriage with children, until one day, when his husband is late coming home, there’s a ring at the door and his entire life unravels. Today’s storyteller chose to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Content/Trigger Warnings: use of a derogatory racial slur, use of a derogatory homophobic slur, mention of gun violence, mention of suicide, mental illnes...
Jan 08, 2026•55 min•Season 15Ep. 394
From an idyllic childhood in communist Yugoslavia, as a teenager, Mirsad’s world becomes a living nightmare as the Bosnian War brings shelling, torture, murder and ethnic cleansing to his village, leaving deep scars that haunt and transform his life. Today's episode featured Mirsad Solakovic. If you would like to contribute to help the Solak Gym (a charitable organization) that Mirsad helped create, you can donate through PayPal at solakgym@hotmail.com. You can see and find out more about the gy...
Jan 06, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Season 15Ep. 393
A mother struggles to raise her child through a series of chaotic relationships, when one day, as her daughter’s mental illness spirals out of control, an unthinkable decision will change their lives forever. Today’s storyteller asked to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: mental illness, self-harm, sexual abuse, suicide attempt, car accident, near death experience, severe injury, explicit language Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitt...
Jan 01, 2026•47 min•Season 15Ep. 392
After a traumatic childhood, a young woman spirals into mental illness and in her darkest moment makes an unthinkable decision that will change her family forever. Today’s episode featured Brittany. You can read more about Brittany, and her current life updates on her blog at becomingB.com . Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: mental illness, alcoholism, self-harm, sexual abuse, rape, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, car accident, near death experience, severe i...
Dec 30, 2025•56 min•Season 15Ep. 391
Growing up Muslim in the Middle East, a woman juggles the chaotic expectations of a severely abusive mother with her desire for self-expression; but when she comes into a sexual awakening, a secret world opens where a deeper healing awaits. Today’s storyteller chose to remain Anonymous. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz Content/Trigger Warnings: domestic violence, domestic abuse of a minor, sexual fetish and kink, BDSM, explicit language Social Media: Instagram: @actually...
Dec 25, 2025•50 min•Season 15Ep. 390
Struggling to prove himself and find his identity growing up, a man eventually builds a career and begins occasionally helping out a friend with his granite import business, when one day, the dangers of the job become all too real. Today’s episode featured Mike Wolo. You can find him on Instagram @Titanium_Mike110. You can read more about his story, and see photos on his website TheOtherSideofTheRock.com , and you can email him at TitaniumMike110@gmail.com. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Wai...
Dec 23, 2025•49 min•Season 15Ep. 389
After narrowly surviving the devastating tsunami of 2004, a woman begins an unexpected journey through trauma, illness, and profound spiritual transformation to rebuild her life and sense of self. Today’s episode featured Ani Naqvi. You can email Ani at ani@ultimateresultsgroup.com . Ani’s website: ultimateresultsgroup.com She is on socials: Facebook @ani.naqvi.7 Instagram @ani.naqvi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ani-naqvi/ Ani’s book is entitled, Tsunami The Wave That Saved My Life And ...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 15Ep. 388
When a man is falsely accused of attempted murder by the woman he’s spent years trying to save, he’s forced to confront the lifelong patterns of self-abandonment that led him there. Today’s episode featured Anonymous. If you’d like to reach out to him, you can email him at griefandgracetiah@gmail.com . He is an anesthesia provider in California. His path has been shaped by loss, resilience, and the quiet work of rebuilding a life. He uses storytelling to make sense of what cannot be explained—an...
Dec 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 15Ep. 387
The life of a promising actor takes a devastating turn when she is attacked in her home, sending her into an 18-year fight to reclaim her sense of safety, her career, and the date that haunts her every year. Today’s episode featured Amy Benedict. You can find Amy on Instagram @amy.benedict and on TikTok @amybenbro. To find her acting credentials, you can find her on IMDB here: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0070749 Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Cathy Sitzes Content/Trigger Warnings: Sexua...
Dec 02, 2025•55 min•Season 15Ep. 386
When a woman is brought to her knees by unimaginable grief, she finds her way forward by transforming her pain into a sanctuary for forgotten dogs. Today’s episode featured Tamara Corbitt. If you’d like to reach out to Tamara, you can email her at tamara.corbitt@yahoo.com . You can find her and her rescue, Travieso Dog Sanctuary on Facebook and Instagram @Traviesodogsanctuary To see dogs available for adoption or to donate, please visit the website for Travieso Dog Sanctuary at http://traviesodo...
Nov 25, 2025•48 min•Season 15Ep. 385
After being run over three times and left pinned beneath a car, a woman emerges into a world she no longer recognizes and must piece together a new identity from the ruins of the old one. Today’s episode featured Naseem Rochette. You can email Naseem at nas@misfitblue.com . She is on Instagram @nasrocs. You can find out more about Naseem on her website at naseemrochette.com . Her book, The Unexpected Benefits of Being Run Over is available on Amazon here: https: //www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Benef...
Nov 18, 2025•50 min•Season 15Ep. 384
When a young model finally escapes Jeffrey Epstein’s world of coercion, gaslighting and abuse, her battle to reclaim her self-worth becomes a testament to resilience and truth. Today’s episode featured Lisa Phillips. If you’d like to reach out to Lisa, you can email her at lisa@lisaphillips.la . She is on Instagram @iamlisaphillips and @fromnowonpod Lisa is also on YouTube https://tr.ee/FLEx90p6Ss and TikTok https://tr.ee/P1oWtIWF9D You can visit Lisa’s website as well https://www.lisaphillips.l...
Nov 11, 2025•53 min•Season 15Ep. 383
