“I cannot get over the fact that this actually happened. It felt strangely prophetic.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: Growing up with an unreliable mother, a woman develops severe OCD with multiple phobias, until she must confront the most improbable scenario Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Andrew Waits Website: andrdewwaits.com/ Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Engage w...
Apr 13, 2021•45 min•Season 10Ep. 186
“I was forced into being vulnerable, I was forced into being present, I was forced into existing suddenly with my lights turned on.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Episode Summary: Grappling with her identity and disruptive health anxiety, a woman reaches in adulthood with a dream job and strong community, when suddenly her worst-case scenario becomes a reality. Today's episode featured Natalia Provatas. Natalia is a Writer from Los Angeles. You can find out more about her on Instagr...
Apr 06, 2021•49 min•Season 10Ep. 185
“No matter how hard you fight against having no change in your life, it’s going to come anyway.” Producers: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: Growing up in an environment of constant change, a woman vows to find a different path to stability, only to have a shocking revelation turn her world upside down Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Engage with the Community: Join...
Mar 30, 2021•52 min•Season 10Ep. 184
“If you could imagine having thoughts that frightened you, then other times they made you believe things about your perception or what you were seeing weren’t real or distorted…you would do anything to stop it.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Matt Volla Episode Summary: After making a successful career and surviving several tumultuous relationships, a woman descends into the darkest depths of severe mental illness Today’s episode featured Melissa. You can find out more about her on her website, ifn...
Mar 23, 2021•50 min•Season 10Ep. 183
“I close my eyes even to this day reliving it over and over in my head like, ‘Did that really happen?’ I wasn’t for sure that it was really real.” Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: 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 Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com Website...
Mar 16, 2021•46 min•Season 10Ep. 182
“I just kept saying ‘I don’t know, I’m sorry, I don’t know, it’s all my fault. I can’t believe I just did that,’… I’m in disbelief.” Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: 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 Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com/ Support the Show: Supp...
Mar 09, 2021•56 min•Season 10Ep. 181
“Time just did not exist, the only thing that existed was decisions.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Episode Summary: A young woman’s first trip to reconnect with her homeland in Ethiopia takes a terrifying turn as hijackers take over an otherwise routine flight Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Jason Blalock: www.jasonblalock.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Engage with t...
Mar 02, 2021•39 min•Season 10Ep. 180
“I saw myself in the mirror, and it was like seeing a CGI character…I’m sitting here looking at this frail person that looks nothing like me.” Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: A horrific accident leaves a man severely disabled, but after hitting rock bottom in his recovery a new life opens he could never have imagined Today’s episode featured Dustin Reynolds. Since this interview, Dustin has made it down to Colombia, and is planning on heading to Panama, Galapagos, and Po...
Feb 23, 2021•51 min•Season 10Ep. 179
“Will I ever be able to be one of them ever again, or am I just like an alien now?” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman finally escapes the trauma of her mother’s mental illness only to find a new, more horrifying monster in the very place she finds respite Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Engage with the Community: Join the This Is Actually Happening...
Feb 16, 2021•57 min•Season 10Ep. 178
“I felt like my brain was in Saran Wrap…you’re just not all there.” Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: Having adapted to the challenges of growing up with cerebral palsy, a woman is sideswiped into a new life after a crash she can’t remember changes everything. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Andrew Waits: http://andrdewwaits.com/ Episode Sponsors: Candid - candidco.com/happening; Upstart - upstart.com/happening Support t...
Feb 09, 2021•39 min•Season 10Ep. 177
“I was asleep. Everything I was going through was not real, and it’s just this very convincing feeling that you’re right about this” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman develops a severe eating disorder that lands her in intensive psychiatric care, where an extreme treatment program traps her in an alternate reality from which she cannot escape. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https:...
Feb 02, 2021•45 min•Season 10Ep. 176
“They were there to remind me who I was in the world, and it hurt too much on the inside, being hurt on the outside didn’t matter as much.” Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: A man’s rage grows after growing up with racism and abuse, leading to transformative encounters with brutality, violence and ultimately, inner strength. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Andrew Waits: http://andrdewwaits.com/ Support the Show: Support ...
Jan 26, 2021•46 min•Season 10Ep. 175
“The hardest part about the whole thing is just not knowing; for a few hours that night I wasn’t me and that’s terrifying.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman answers a Craigslist ad for a job and ends up on a harrowing night that doesn’t add up Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Engage with the Community: Join the This Is Actually Happening Discussion...
Jan 19, 2021•53 min•Season 10Ep. 174
“You just think this is a nightmare, and then you realize nope this is my life, this is real.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: A mother faces the ultimate tragedy at the hands of those who are supposed to protect and serve. Today’s episode featured Taun Hall. To find out more about Taun and Miles and the Miles Hall Foundation, go to justiceformileshall.org . There you can see the video mentioned in the episode, donate to the campaign, learn more about the case or get in...
Jan 12, 2021•44 min•Season 10Ep. 173
“I did have a hard time ever really feeling safe anywhere, and the problem was just that inside of me it wasn’t safe so it didn’t matter where I was.” Producers: Whit Missildine Episode Summary : After a brutal rape at age 11, a woman keeps her secret, only to be haunted decades later by events that compel her to confront her deepest fears Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/hap...
Dec 15, 2020•57 min•Season 10Ep. 172
“Looking down the barrel of a gun is devastating….Although I was a kid it was very clear that there was lots of hate, and I was kind of frozen.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: Growing up surrounded by racism and police brutality, a man tries to understand and heal his past by seeing what’s really inside the belly of the beast. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Andrew Waits: http://andrdewwaits.com/ Today’s episode feat...
Dec 08, 2020•38 min•Season 10Ep. 171
“It felt like the earth had stopped rotating like I was trapped in this moment of just complete all-encompassing fear.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A young woman hungry to explore the world goes on a trip to Tanzania and unexpectedly finds herself caught in an endless cycle of impending doom. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Today’s episode featured Emily Caldwell. You can find out more about her on Instagram @emilycaldwell589 Su...
Dec 01, 2020•54 min•Season 10Ep. 170
“I would do everything I could that had to happen to engage with this object that I needed to do and then I would bury it….And I had to realize at a certain point that it was just not going to work.” Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: At a young age, a man develops a fetish for diapers that ends up reshaping the course of his adult life. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com Today’s episode featu...
Nov 24, 2020•40 min•Season 10Ep. 169
“It’s like you’ve lost yourself completely, and you’re basically left in a million different pieces.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman self-medicating for anxiety and depression spirals into an alternate reality after an other-worldly encounter Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Engage with the Community: Join the This Is Actually Happening Discussio...
Nov 17, 2020•55 min•Season 10Ep. 168
“Once I was able to be in control of what I decide is disgusting instead of having that placed on me, that’s what helped me become friends with the feeling.” Producer: Whit Missildine , Andrew Waits Episode Summary: After growing up in a rigid Christian community, a woman finds beauty in revolting behaviors. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Today’s Guest: Gwen Instagram @bidaily_ Email: bookingoffthecuffs@gmail.com Gwen was originally interview...
Nov 10, 2020•36 min•Season 10Ep. 167
“The mind almost has to find a way to prove that it’s not real. This cannot be happening.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After visiting a psychiatrist for mild anxiety, a young man embarks on a wild spree that will alter the course of his life forever. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com If you would like to be in direct contact with today’s storyteller for questions or comments, you can email him at aliveandwell11@gmail.com . Support...
Nov 03, 2020•56 min•Season 10Ep. 166
“In these spaces I, as a vulnerable person, am suddenly given the gift of somebody else’s vulnerability.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: Growing up blind and isolated from her peers in a strict upbringing, a woman finds empowerment in a kinky world where the power balance is reversed. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Today’s Guest: Mistress Blind. Twitter and Instagram @mistressblind. Email: mistressblind@protonmail.com Mistress Bli...
Oct 27, 2020•38 min•Season 10Ep. 165
“It’s truly such an indescribable feeling…kind of like the walls are closing in on you, like reality is just collapsing.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After a teenage girl begins dating her mom’s student, a shocking accusation leaves a small-town family in ruins. Today’s episode featured Catherine Cole. You can find out more about her on Instagram @catcole20 Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Pa...
Oct 20, 2020•53 min•Season 10Ep. 164
The uncanny, extraordinary, true stories of events that have dramatically altered the lives of ordinary people; a son is shot by his own father, a woman's sister develops multiple personalities, a man wakes up in the morgue. These are riveting, moving and often haunting stories that will stick with you long after you listen. All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are available ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ to access the full This is Actually Happening catalog, along with exclusive...
Oct 17, 2020•2 min
“Any sense of identity no matter how fake was better than no sense of identity, yet if I don’t have a sense of identity, then who am I as a person?” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After tragedy strikes a Vietnamese refugee family, a young man finds his new home in a violent gang, forever marking his life path through acts of destruction and redemption. Today’s episode featured Quan Huynh. You can read more about Quan’s story in his memoir, Sparrow in the Razorwire - www.sparrowinther...
Oct 06, 2020•51 min•Season 10Ep. 163
“I didn’t know what normal was, so everything looked so scary….Everything I was doing I was learning for the time it was like my birth into the world.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman puts the pieces of her life back together after a childhood spent inside an insidious religious cult in Los Angeles. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Engage with the...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr•Season 10Ep. 162
“That feeling…honestly I will never forget it, just your heart dropping into your stomach…it’s unreal.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After growing up in an abusive household, a man confronts a startling, ambiguous loss Today's episode featured Evan Pestona. If you have any information or resources you feel could help bring justice for Evan and his mother, you can email him at justiceforsteph@gmail.com Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening....
Sep 08, 2020•46 min•Season 10Ep. 161
Today we launch a new series of bonus content called “Happenings” with three stories of people facing their deepest fears in the unforgiving wilderness of the natural world. Part 1: What if the desert dried your sorrow? Part 2: What if the ocean tested your faith? Part 3: What if a boulder crushed your dreams? Producers: Andrew Waits, Whit Missildine Episode Summary: Stranded in a Mexican desert, the ocean waves of Guam, and the sandstone boulders of Utah, three people face their deepest fears i...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 14 min
“Right in the center of your body there’s this lead heavy ball, and inside of it is an immediate understanding of evil.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman walking to work in the early morning hours faces the ultimate terror. Today’s episode features Kira Knight. You can reach Kira at violentcrimesurvivors@gmail.com Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening E...
Aug 25, 2020•44 min•Season 10Ep. 160
“I could live with the nightmares. I could live with the panic attacks. But the thing that was tearing me apart was questioning if everything I know in my life was real at all.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A lifelong friendship filled with care, love and personal growth takes a shocking turn in the aftermath of a brutal act of violence. Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.pat...
Aug 11, 2020•19 sec•Season 10Ep. 159
