Amanda just wanted to go for a short trail run. Life had something else in store for her. 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 app Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purc...
Jul 04, 2025•15 min
What do heart attacks, car accidents, and murder usually have in common? Most of the time, when any of these things happen, someone calls 911. It’s one of the most reliable things we have – whenever there’s any kind of emergency, here in the US, we know we can just pick up any phone and dial 911 and get help. Even if it’s a phone that has no service. This is an episode where I talk with someone who has an unusual job. My guest today is Brandon, and he’s been a 911 dispatcher in Nashville, Tennes...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 221
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: What did you throw away that you wish you had kept? Links for this episode: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1 The Mortified Podcast: https://getmortified.com/audio/podcast/ TQ39: https://WhatWasTh...
Jun 24, 2025•24 min
In Evangelical homes across the United States, sex outside of marriage is a sin against God. So, when Abbi becomes pregnant at 16, her devout parents hide her away at the Liberty Godparent Home, a little-known facility for pregnant teens on the campus of Liberty University. The Home says it helps girls decide what comes next – whether that’s parenting their babies or placing them for adoption. But inside the facility, the girls hear a different message: God wants their babies to go to more “dese...
Jun 23, 2025•6 min
There was a time in his life when Dan was in a pretty difficult situation. He was facing something that most people don’t ever have to go through. Even though he was not a violent person, and he certainly was not any kind of career criminal, he made a bad decision and accepted a job that, looking back, he never should have taken. But he did. And that lead him to the tough spot he found himself in. Dan was headed to prison. His plea deal meant he could get up to 60 months. 5 years of his life. On...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 220
When you live up north, where the winters are really cold, one of the best times of the year is the day when you feel spring coming. That first hint of warmer temperatures. With the time change, there’s longer sunlight at the end of each day, the birds start chirping, and everyone starts thinking about what they’re going to do with this warmer weather. And the lakes that have been frozen over solid for a few months? That ice starts to melt. And there’s a danger in walking out on the ice, because...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 219
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: What's the most amazing coincidence you've experienced? Links for this episode: YouTube channel Dating Beyond Borders: https://www.youtube.com/@DatingBeyondBorders Tim O’Brien: https://timobrien.net/ Tig Notaro: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tig_Notaro Tig Notaro podcast, “Handsome” – with Fortune Feimster and Mae ...
Jun 10, 2025•36 min
If there’s one thing children are good at, it’s their ability to give their parents a good scare. When our son David was about 2 years old, we were at home, just a regular day, not much going on. At some point, either my wife or I, I don’t remember which one of us saw it – but we noticed he had some kind of liquid all around his mouth. Like he had been drinking a smoothie or something. But there were no smoothies sitting around. So what was it? Then we saw the open bottle nearby – it was calamin...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 218
Have you ever had something bad happen, while you were actually trying to do something good? It’s kind of that old phrase – no good deed goes unpunished. There was a thread about this online. This is what one person wrote: “I ran in the middle of a busy road to rescue a kitten. I went door to door until I finally found the owner. The first thing she did when she saw me holding her kitten was accuse me of stealing it. Every single animal I've ever rescued I've either been ignored or yelled at for...
May 30, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 217
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: What did you say that caused you to think “I never thought I would say that”? Links for this episode: The music for the Benny Hill show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg Financial Peace University: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace Meredith for Real episode 214 – What are the rul...
May 27, 2025•33 min
To the Tallahassee Police, Rachel Hoffman was just a pawn to be used in their war on drugs. 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 app Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your pu...
May 23, 2025•18 min
Many years ago, I had a small pickup truck. It was kind of a junker. Mostly, I just used it for when I had some stuff to haul to the town dump. It wasn’t pretty but it mostly served my purposes. But this little truck had a problem. It would constantly overheat. Even in the cold Maine winter, I would have to keep an eye on that temperature gauge to be aware of when the engine got too hot. And sometimes when it showed that it was getting really hot, I’d have to just pull over, let it cool down, an...
May 16, 2025•56 min•Ep. 215
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: What’s it like to have a panic attack? Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Sign up...
May 13, 2025•27 min
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 downtown Oklahoma City. Inside the truck was everything he needed to carry out his plan of terrorism and mass murder. He had a large bomb, which he created using agricultural fertilizer and some chemicals, including diesel fuel. After parking the car, he got out and walked toward his getaway car, a yellow Mercury Marquis. He ignited a timed fuse, and...
May 09, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 215
Hey, this is Scott and you’re listening to What Was That Like. And the name of the podcast, What Was That Like, was chosen very specifically – because that’s what I ask people who are guests on the show. They’ve just been through something really unusual, like being attacked by a monkey, or saving the life of a stranger, or some other crazy situation. And I ask them to tell all of us – what was that like. All the details. So that’s what we do here, every other Friday. But sometimes I like to fin...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 214
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: What's a common social etiquette rule that makes no sense? Links for this episode: Meredith’s foot fetish episode: https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/7cc267d5/ep-274-whats-up-with-foot-fetishes Euphemisms for farting: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/different-words-for-fart_b_3498191 Meredith’s...
Apr 29, 2025•39 min
George Pickering Sr heard his son’s medical prognosis, but he wasn’t ready to accept it. Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. To get 15...
Apr 25, 2025•14 min
When you hear the word “grandparents”, what comes into your mind? For me, it’s someone who loves their grandchildren unconditionally. And they just want to GIVE all the time. There’s some truth to the phrase “If Mom and Dad say no, go ask Grandma!”. “Grandma” brings up an image of an older woman, in the kitchen baking cookies. “Grandpa” means the old man out in the garage, tinkering with the lawn mower and having me “help” by handing him a wrench or a screwdriver. But those are just stereotypes....
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 213
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: What's the most difficult thing you've ever had to tell someone? Links for this episode: Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Conversations-Achieving-Success-Conversation/dp/0425193373 Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check...
Apr 15, 2025•23 min
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 they expected it to. Steve got the call at work that Camre was at the hospital and had already delivered the baby. He dropped everything and drove there frantically, and he was confused because the baby wasn’t due for another 7 weeks. He ran into the hospital, and the first thing he saw was his newborn son, Gavin. He quickly scrubbed up and held him fo...
Apr 11, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 212
Asian elephants are incredibly huge animals. An adult elephant can be roughly 9 to 11 feet tall. Just standing next to one is pretty intimidating. But imagine being on top of one of them. It would be like if you had an average size man, then another man was standing on the first man’s shoulders. Then you would be sitting on that second man’s shoulders. That’s pretty high up. For Leilani, it was a dream from her childhood to interact with a full-size Asian elephant. And that’s where she found her...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 211
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: What made your neighbor so terrible? Links for this episode: Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off ...
Apr 01, 2025•32 min
Floyd loved exploring the caves of Kentucky, but one day things didn’t go as planned. 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 app Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase...
Mar 28, 2025•13 min
The thing about living in an apartment or renting a room is… you have to deal with other people. Depending on how the building is laid out, it’s almost like living with strangers. If your next door neighbor accidentally starts a fire, your home could burn too. If the person above you has a flood, it’s very likely that you’ll be dealing with that problem as well. Not to mention, what if your neighbors in this same building are jerks? Or they have 20 drunk people at their place for a party? Or the...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 210
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: What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve found in someone else’s home? Links for this episode: Using hollowed-out fruit for ice cream bowls: https://www.tastingtable.com/1616069/hollowed-out-fruit-ice-cream-bowls/ Dogs eating condoms: https://pawp.com/dog-ate-a-condom/ Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the C...
Mar 18, 2025•28 min
Imagine you’re out in public, just going about your day. Let’s say you’re in the grocery store. And as you’re pushing your shopping cart down the aisle, you notice a tall man, maybe 10 feet ahead of you, looking at the items on the shelf. And suddenly, that man collapses to the floor. What would you do? Most people don’t really know what they would do, until a situation like that actually comes up. Some people just freeze. If it happens in a busy place, some people will just keep walking. There’...
Mar 14, 2025•47 min•Ep. 209
I’ve had more than 200 people come on this podcast and share a story of something crazy that they’ve been through. If nothing else, I’ve learned one thing. Life can change in an instant. For Dan, he’s just enjoying the outdoors on a trail in Alaska, and suddenly he’s on his back with the snout of a grizzly bear in his face. Amy was just at work in her office in Oklahoma – then just seconds later she’s trapped under a pile of rubble and a bomb blew up her building. Kennedy was just driving her ca...
Mar 07, 2025•45 min•Ep. 208
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: What always makes you laugh? Links for this episode: The poop knife story on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MuseumOfReddit/comments/ke8skw/the_poop_knife/ Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, j...
Mar 04, 2025•28 min
Scott tells the story of Stephen Slevin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 28, 2025•10 min
We all have a few scary moments in life that we’ll never forget. You know what I mean – a time when something is happening, or about to happen, and you know that the outcome could be really bad, and it’s happening so fast you don’t even have time to react. It’s almost like you’re watching a movie, and just waiting to see how it’s gonna end. One moment like that for me was several years ago, when we lived up north. Winters in Maine can be pretty brutal, and part of that is that sometimes the road...
Feb 21, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 207
