What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

You and I make decisions, all day every day. But have you ever thought about being able to have a choice about how you die?

I mean, most people would probably prefer a method that’s quick and painless, so I guess we might want to have some say in the matter. But being put in that position of having to actually choose – in the moment – is not something that happens very often.

But that’s the situation Lesli was in. This is a Flashback episode, and Lesli told this story on the pod...

Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night because something terrible was happening?

It’s definitely not a pleasant way to wake up. This happened to a 27 year old man named Nick, and he wrote about it on social media –

I was sleeping at my girlfriend’s house last night. Usually we pass out around midnight, but last night we didn’t get to sleep until around 1:30 or so. It was around 3am when I woke up and swear I saw someone’s head peeking in & staring at us through t...

Every other 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 your favorite memory of your father?

Links for this episode:

Could AI Blackmail You? Meredith For Real episode

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DQJmHWDjtHqwMledP8BVd?si=Dn9t9Us3TuKzasu1t1FFdA

Shark Tank

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_Tank

When I started this podcast more than seven years ago, the primary factor was based on just one fundamental concept: the impact of a good story.

For each What Was That Like main episode, you hear a story. The guest is telling the story of what happened. Many of the stories are traumatic, many include loss and grief, and there are those that are happy as well. Even the heavy stories often end on a positive note. But the common factor is that they are all things that actually happened. The guest is talking about a...

How scary would it be, if you suddenly lost your ability to speak?

There was a story in the news about a man named Peter. When Peter was 73 years old, he had a stroke. He survived the stroke, but he found that he could no longer speak. And it looked like that condition was permanent, because after 4 years, he still had no voice.

But then, Peter was on vacation with his wife Carol, and their son Jonathan. And one day Peter just woke up, and he was able to speak again. He...

Every other 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 past job did you hate the most?

Links for this episode:

No-tie shoelaces:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTF79TGF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Travel French Press mug:

https://www.amazon.com/Integrated-Leakproof-Insulated-Stainless-Hammertone/dp/B07L6N6J...

I was traveling recently, and I got in this Uber and started talking to the driver, and when I heard his voice I said, “Kevin, you need to have a podcast!” I don’t know if he’ll do that, but he did graciously agree to record that quick opener for me, just before I got out of his car.

438 – keep  that number in your head and I’ll come back to it in a minute.

By now you have probably figured out, this episode is not going to be the typical type of...

Do you know, with certainty, how you would react in a time of extreme stress or crisis?

As a 22 year old woman in San Francisco, Betty had not yet decided on a career path. So, while she was figuring out what she wanted to do, she worked at the factory owned by her parents. The factory produced beef jerky. It wasn’t really her dream job, but it kept her busy at the time, and she also felt good about helping her parents in their business.

One day, Betty’s work...

Every other 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 under-$100 item has been the best thing you've bought?

Links for this episode:

Chris Moneymaker wins the 2003 World Series of Poker –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCkUImEGrMU

Meredith’s beach cruiser bike 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Huffy-Nel-Lusso-Cruiser-Bike-Adults-Ages-13-Years-Light-Blue/852840675?classType=VARIANT&from=%2Fsearch&s...

Geraldine was alone on a 6-month Appalachian Trail hike, with a poor sense of direction.

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Quite a few of the episodes here on What Was That Like involve emergencies. Today we’re talking about a different kind of emergency.

If you’re new to the podcast, this is definitely not a typical episode. You might want to look through some of the past episode titles and pick one out that looks interesting.

But today is a little different. I’m in Dallas this week, hanging out with a bunch of my podcasting friends, so for this episode we’re kind of taking a break from the n...

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:

Who was your celebrity crush when you were young?

Links for this episode:

How Deep Will You Go card game:

https://howdeepwillyougo.com/

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Taylor_Thomas

Valerie Bertinelli

https://en.wi...

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 alive. He was in pretty poor health. He could still walk around, sort of, but it was with a walker, and it was very slowly. I’m the oldest of three sons, and of the three, I live the closest. It’s only about a 5 or 6 minute drive for me to get to my parents’ place, so if something happened, I’d be the one to get that call...

My favorite author is Jack London. His style of writing paints a very vivid picture in my mind. As I read his stories, it feels like I’m right there in the middle of it. One of his most well-known works is titled To Build A Fire. This is the opening paragraph of that story.

Day had dawned cold and gray when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail. He climbed the high earth-bank where a little-traveled trail led east through the pine forest. It was a high bank, and he...

Every other 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:

Describe one of your most memorable birthdays

Links for this episode:

Big thanks to Kiona for filling in for Meredith on this episode! Kiona’s podcast is Birth As We Know It, and you can get all of her information here:

https://BirthAsWeKnowItPodcast.com

Airtag...

Marlene answered the door, and there was a clown holding a gun.

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:

If yo...

If you have children, you’ve probably thought at some point, “Am I a good parent?”

It’s natural to question our own abilities sometimes. Do I spend enough time with my kids? Do they feel safe? Do they feel loved? Are they comfortable talking with me about anything that’s going on in their life?

My kids are adults now. When I think back to when they were growing up, there are things I would have done differently if I knew back then what I know now. But that’s not really fai...

Every other 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 crazy thing have you seen happen at a wedding?

Links for this episode:

Purchasing an AED from the Red Cross:

https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/organizations/purchase-aeds

AED on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Defibrillator-Portable-Automatic-Emergency-Companies/dp/B0DZTPSLYF/ref=sr_1_6

Tab...

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 child should ever have to worry about safety when mom and dad are around for protection - in an ideal world.

That’s the world Ross thought he was living in when he was 8 years old, with his older brother Ryan, who was 10. They were happy kids with no reason to be afraid. Until one night at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, when his mother told his f...

As human beings, we are often very protective of our own sense of personal justice – and injustice.

When I was a child, I had a teacher who – to me – seemed very unfair. If one of the kids in the class did something like write a bad word on the chalkboard, she would ask the entire class who did it. She really did her best to find the culprit, and carry out punishment.

But sometimes she just couldn’t figure it out. No one would admit it, and there wasn’t enough evi...

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 movie traumatized you as a kid?

Links for this episode:

Costco figs:

https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/sunny-fruit-organic-sun-dried-figs%2C-40-oz.product.100362726.html

Blade Runner:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/

The Billings murders in Pensacola:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki...

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

Spons...

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 d...

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:

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 “deserving” Christian couples. Some girls will find the strength to fight back. Others will have no choic...

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 t...

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 t...

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 No...

Raw Audio 50 is now live!

In this episode:

1. A courthouse shooting

2. A father calls 911 for his son

3. Non-emergency calls

I really appreciate your support of the show!

Scott

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 sa...

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 resc...

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...

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

Spons...

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...

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:

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 a second fuse as backup.

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.

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/di...

George Pickering Sr heard his son’s medical prognosis, but

he wasn’t ready to accept it.

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Go to bluenile.com to

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy

a try...

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...