What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.
A storytelling podcast, with first-hand amazing stories presented by Scott Johnson and Meredith Hackwith Edwards. Each storyteller tells their own personal true story, with all the details of what happened. Animal attacks, plane crashes, mass shootings, and more – you'll hear what happened directly from the person who experienced it, and the inspirational outcome of how they came out on the other side.
Scott was locked up in a foreign jail
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...
TQ41: What movie traumatized you as a kid?
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...
STAS 5: Amanda Eller
Amanda just wanted to go for a short trail run. Life had something else in store for her.
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Brandon is a 911 dispatcher
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...
What did you throw away that you wish you had kept?
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:
Listen now: Liberty Lost
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...
Dan is a pre-prison consultant
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...
Maggie saved her dog
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...
TQ39: What's the most amazing coincidence you've experienced?
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
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
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When children scare parents
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...
Cesar was attacked
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...
TQ38: What did you say that caused you to think “I never thought I would say 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 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...
STAS4: Rachel Hoffman
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...
Rachel rescued her children
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...
TQ37: What's it like to have a panic attack?
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:
<...Amy's office exploded
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.
...Scott was an undercover FBI agent
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.
<...
TQ36: What's a common social etiquette rule that makes no sense?
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...
STAS3: George Pickering
George Pickering Sr heard his son’s medical prognosis, but
he wasn’t ready to accept it.
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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy
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Gwen's grandma fired one shot
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...
TQ35: What's the most difficult thing you've ever had to tell someone?
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
...
Steve's wife forgot it all
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...
Leilani fell off an elephant
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
w...
TQ34: What made your neighbor so terrible?
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.
<...
STAS 2: Floyd Collins
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.
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iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast
feed, click on “Try free”
Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PL...
Tiffany had a fake landlord
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 they pra...
TQ33: What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve found in someone else’s home?
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/
Kevin did CPR on the golf course
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 walki...
Carly saved her neighbor's life
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 w...
TQ32: What always makes you laugh?
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
Stephen Slevin
Scott tells the story of Stephen Slevin.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Marsha's diner was hit by a plane
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 i...
TQ31: What overused word or phrase are you sick of?
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 overused word or phrase are you sick of?
Links for this episode:
Corporate jargon:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDXnlVoRK9B/
Meredith’s episode about how cuss words become cuss words:
https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/78996692/ep-149-or-what-makes-a-curse-word-a-curse-word-swearing-science
...
Robert was shot at by pirates
Today’s story takes place off the coast of Somalia, a country in Africa.
If you look at Africa on a map, you’ll see Somalia on the east coast, right on the water of the Indian Ocean. In fact, of all the countries in Africa, Somalia is the one with the longest coastline. And for the Americans listening, to give you an idea of how big it is, Somalia is almost the same size as the US state of Texas.
But here’s the thing about Somalia. It’s considered to be one of the poor...
Ber was hit by a flying tree
Here in Florida, we know about hurricanes.
My wife Jeanne and I will never forget Hurricane Elena back in 1985. That storm came into the Gulf of Mexico and just hovered offshore. There were instructions to evacuate because of the danger of high winds and flooding.
What made it interesting for us is that Jeanne was pregnant with our first child, and she was at full term. So while everyone else was either leaving town or getting to a safe place, we evacuated to the hospital. That was on Saturday, August the 31st and that’s wh...
TQ30: What's a situation or condition that no one understands, until they're in it?
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 situation or condition that no one understands, until they're in it?
Links for this episode:
TheHotline.org
LoveIsRespect.org
Meredith’s episode about victims staying with their abusers:
https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/7b5045ab/ep-221-or...
Kari's dad had a dementia breakdown
Few things are sadder than seeing a loved one slip gradually into dementia.
This is what happened to my grandmother – my mom’s mom. She got to the point where she couldn’t live on her own any more, but she didn’t really have other debilitating health issues. So she didn’t need to be in a hospital, or a nursing home. She just needed someone around to help her with daily living, because she would forget things.
So my parents converted their garage into a small apartment so she could live there. And she loved...
TQ29: You're in a middle seat at a movie - you need to pee - do you give your neighbors the butt or crotch while exiting? Why?
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:
You're in a middle seat at a movie - you need to pee - do you give your neighbors the butt or crotch while exiting? Why?
Links for this episode:
Progressive commercial about becoming your parents:
https://youtu.be/EfdrZzF_RL0?si=iiO0taCS4_U8RxLy
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Re...
Diana's plane crashed
Lexington, Kentucky. 1 pm on a Friday, Labor Day weekend.
Diana, a medical flight nurse, was sitting in a Lear jet. The pilot was unconscious. The co-pilot could not move because he had a broken back. Diana’s patient had died on impact.
The plane was sitting on Versailles Rd in Lexington, after it had just slid across the road on its belly. The landing gear was gone. The right wing had been ripped off the plane. And now that it had come to a stop, Diana knew she had to get the door open and ge...
