What It Was Like

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What It Was Like

Superreal

39 episodes

3 days ago

Conversations with people who have lived through extreme events. Some stories are dark and twisted, others are light and funny. In all cases, we get an intimate portrait of 'what it was like' to be there.

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Hosted by Julian Morgans

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Documentary

Society & Culture

RSS

All content for What It Was Like is the property of Superreal and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast

Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast

Hosted by Julian Morgans

This is a Superreal production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Documentary

Society & Culture

Episodes (20/39)

What It Was Like

How it Felt Running a $700 Million Bank Fraud

In 2003, a Wall Street trader named John Rusnak was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced to more than seven years in prison. In this episode, John explains how a series of bad bets snowballed into one of the biggest white-collar crimes in US history and why he kept doubling down.

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3 days ago

1 hour 3 minutes 32 seconds

What It Was Like

What We Found Hidden in our Walls

A family moves into a new home in rural Pennsylvania and starts renovating. Only there's something in the walls that doesn't make sense. What they uncover upends their lives and reveals a fascinating piece of America’s history.

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1 week ago

53 minutes 6 seconds

What It Was Like

Three Deaths at a Spiritual Retreat

In 2009, motivational speaker James Arthur Ray hosted a multi-day retreat in Arizona. On the final day, three participants died. In this episode, the property’s owner, Amayra Hamilton, tells us what happened and what she learned about the dark side of the wellness industry.

For more, please check out Amayra's book: Transformation at Angel Valley

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2 weeks ago

1 hour 14 minutes 54 seconds

What It Was Like

The Meat Industry Veteran Who'd Seen Enough

For decades, David Magna worked as a safety supervisor in Canadian slaughterhouses. But then a crisis of conscience turned him from an industry insider to vegan activist. In this episode, we tackle the thing most people would rather ignore: what really goes on inside the meat industry—all through the lens of David’s personal journey.

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3 weeks ago

55 minutes 42 seconds

What It Was Like

I Called the Police on My Serial Killer Dad

As a child, April Balascio noticed that people would often vanish. One time it was a labourer working for her dad, another time it was a young couple in town. Then as an adult, April started googling cold cases in her childhood towns. In 2009 she got a match and called the police. In this episode, April shares the journey of realising (and accepting) her dad was a serial killer.

Check out April's incredible memoir, Raised By a Serial Killer

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1 month ago

1 hour 10 minutes 34 seconds

What It Was Like

I Accidentally Turned ‘The Macarena’ Into a Global Phenomenon

In 1995, Carlos de Yarza spent 90 minutes remixing a catchy Spanish song without giving it much thought. That version became 'The Macarena' the world knows today. Carlos joins us to talk about how a quick remix changed his life and created a dance craze known everywhere.

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1 month ago

56 minutes 37 seconds

What It Was Like

One Night, 852 People Lost in the Ocean

In 1994, a luxurious ferry called the MS Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea, drowning most of its passengers. Landscape architect Paul Barney was one of the few who survived. In this nail-biting episode, he describes how decisiveness, yoga training, and sheer luck kept him alive.

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1 month ago

59 minutes 44 seconds

What It Was Like

I Solved the 'Doomsday Mum' Murders

In 2019, two children vanished in Idaho, sparking an investigation that became one of America’s biggest true crime stories. At the centre were Chad and Lori Daybell, two religious fanatics with a fixation on the end times. In this episode, we speak with Lieutenant Ray Hermosillo, the detective who cracked the case and uncovered the kids' tragic end.

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1 month ago

1 hour 38 seconds

What It Was Like

What I’ve Learned Stopping Suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge

When Kevin Briggs joined the San Francisco Highway Patrol, he didn’t expect a key part of his job would be talking people down from the Golden Gate Bridge. In this episode, Kevin shares how he developed a method for these life-or-death conversations, and tells the stories of those he met and the words that brought them back.

Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbriggspivotalpoints/

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2 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes 34 seconds

What It Was Like

I Imported Rave Culture (and Ecstasy) to America

In 1991, Shaun Attwood arrived from the UK to find American rave culture in its infancy. Spotting an opportunity, he began importing potent Dutch ecstasy and built a drug empire through his network of dealers and party organisers. In this episode, he tells the story of his rapid rise and hard fall.

Check out Shaun Attwood’s YouTube channel here. His books and social media accounts can be found here.

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2 months ago

1 hour 2 minutes 57 seconds

What It Was Like

What Happens When Religious Leaders Take Magic Mushrooms?

A new study gave psilocybin to religious leaders, just to see whether their faith would be affirmed or rattled. In this episode we hear from one participant, Islamic leader Sughra Ahmed, who describes how the trip brought her closer to God but uprooted her belief in organised religion.

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2 months ago

1 hour 8 minutes 56 seconds

What It Was Like

He Cut Off My Arms and Left Me to Die

Mary McGriff was 15 when she hitched a ride with a man named Lawrence Singleton. The next day, she lay at the bottom of a cliff, her arms severed with an axe. Somehow, she survived. In this episode, she shares how a voice in her head kept her going. It's a story about refusing to let the monster win.

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2 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes 40 seconds

What It Was Like

The Lovers That Burned Down 77 Houses

This week, we're re-running a classic. When abandoned farm houses started catching fire in rural Virginia, police weren't sure what to think. It took five months and almost 80 fires for a couple to be arrested and the story to emerge. In this episode, convicted arsonist Charlie Smith explains how he and his ex-partner lit fires to relax when their relationship soured.

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2 months ago

36 minutes 38 seconds

What It Was Like

I Got Eaten By a Hippopotamus

In the early 90s, Paul Templer ran a business guiding clients down the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls. One afternoon, he was attacked by a hippo and found himself halfway down its throat. In this ep, Paul regales us with his wild story of survival, moment by moment.

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3 months ago

1 hour 1 minute 1 second

What It Was Like

I Led the Manhunt for a Killer Who Lived Like a Hermit

In 2005, Malcolm Naden murdered two women and vanished into the Australian bush. For seven years he evaded police, until former detective Ricky Hennessy joined the case. In this episode, Hennessy shares how he helped track and capture one of Australia's most wanted men in remote wilderness.

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3 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes 2 seconds

What It Was Like

How Cocaine Killed the Car in 'Back to the Future'

John DeLorean was a star auto designer in the 1960s, but his own car company—the DeLorean Motor Company—never took off. When a cocaine deal offered a last-ditch lifeline, it ended in a dramatic arrest. In this episode, his daughter Kat DeLorean recounts the rise and fall of the iconic car—and how it found immortality in Back to the Future.

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3 months ago

42 minutes 55 seconds

What It Was Like

My School Was Kidnapped at Gunpoint

In 1976, 20-year-old Rob Hunter was a month into his first teaching job at a remote Australian school when an armed gunman abducted him and his nine students. In this episode, Rob recounts the harrowing night they spent as hostages—and their dramatic escape via a high-speed car chase.

Connect with Rob and book him to speak at your school at https://kidnappedteachertalks.com/.

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3 months ago

1 hour 17 minutes 3 seconds

What It Was Like

I Had Sex With 100 Men in One Day

Last year, 23-year-old British porn star Lily Phillips announced plans to break the world record for the most sexual partners in a day—starting with a “practice run” involving 100 men. In this episode, she tells us what's motivating her, how her first attempt affected her—and why she’s still determined to go the whole way.

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4 months ago

42 minutes 19 seconds

What It Was Like

Everyone Said 'Dirty Dancing' Would Flop. I Made It Anyway

In the mid-80s, producer Linda Gottlieb heard a friend’s story about “dirty dancing” at summer camp and urged her to write a script. Despite rejections, budget cuts, and on-set drama, the film became a surprise hit. In this episode, Linda shares why she believed in it from the start—and what she saw that others missed.

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4 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes 27 seconds

What It Was Like

I Got Pregnant to a Man Who Doesn't Exist

In 2024, Cass Taulaki fell pregnant to the man of her dreams—a 32-year-old engineer in the Australian Defence Force. Or so she thought. In reality, he was unemployed and wanted for impersonating military personnel and skipping out on multiple families. Cass' TikTok story went viral earlier this year—and now she's sharing the full saga.

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4 months ago

1 hour 44 minutes 30 seconds