For a lot of people, flying is a really scary thing.

And that fear can come from a few different factors. You’ve heard stories about planes that have crashed (even though it’s rare). You’re gonna be in this metal tube a few miles above the ground. And you’re putting your life in the hands of people you don’t even know.

Part of flight attendant training is learning how to handle a passenger who has anxiety about flying. If someone steps on to the plane and tells them, “Hey, I’m pretty nervous about this”, they have ways to deal with it. They need to keep that passenger comfortable, and everyone on the plane safe.

One thing a fearful passenger can do is ask to meet the pilot. This might not always be possible, but in many cases the pilot is happy to meet a nervous flier and provide some reassurance. Then, a few minutes later when the plane is taking off, you can think “this feels a little scary, but I met the person who’s flying the plane, and they seemed to know what they’re doing”.

But takeoff is just the first part – you still have to get back to earth. What if the plane is landing, and no one – not even the pilot – knows that anything is wrong...

Until you hit the ground.

Full show notes for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/249

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

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credit toward your membership.

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If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

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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 irrational fear?

Links for this episode:

Ear Hustle podcast:

https://www.earhustlesq.com/

Inside True Crime Podcast with Matt Cox:

https://insidetruecrime.com/

Dan prepares people for prison:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/51

Meredith’s episode with RDAP Dan:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/780fdeea/ep-220-or-prison-consultant-a-pill-mill-walkie-talkies-and-youtube

Meredith’s episode with Eric about drunk driving:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/48be1403/ep-37-or-from-eagle-scout-to-inmate

Scott’s dumbbell workout:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnZyBg5cjUk&t=24s

Netflix show, Animal Control:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21376524/

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:

Visit www.functionhealth.com/WHATWAS or use gift code WHATWAS25 for a $25

credit toward your membership.

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

The MS Estonia sank, and many people died. But what really happened that night?

Sponsor deals:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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Sometimes, technology can almost seem like magic. That’s how I think sometimes about cell phones.

I mean, you can just pull a little device out of your pocket, tap a couple of things on the screen, and suddenly you’re talking in real time to some other person, who can be anywhere in the world? I know we take this for granted now, but it’s pretty amazing.

There was a little trick I used to do sometimes, with Skype. Remember Skype? Back in the day, it was pretty cool to be able to use your computer to actually make a phone call. Of course, now we do it all the time with Google Voice. But Skype used to be pretty cutting edge.

Anyway, one of the features of having a Skype account was 3-way calling. You could have a 3-way conversation really easily.

So what I would do is pull up the Skype app on my computer, and have my list of contacts on the screen. I would click on my dad’s name, so it would start dialing his phone number. Then I would click my brother’s name, and it would start dialing HIS phone number. They would both answer the phone, like “Hello?” and I would just stay silent and enjoy the confusion. They each knew their phone rang, and of course they recognized each other’s voices, but neither of them had made the call so they had no idea why their phones rang. It was always good for a laugh.

But sometimes, a phone call can be traumatic.

My guest today is Adam. He was enjoying some solo rock-climbing one day, and was on the phone with his roommate, Rachel. That phone call became one that neither of them will ever forget.

Adam is on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aaiaiaaoui/

This is Adam’s band, Birdnest - https://www.instagram.com/birdnest.music/

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/248

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

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:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

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 one of the stupidest things you've ever done?

Links for this episode:

Meredith’s plant identification app – Picture This -
https://picturethisai.com

Scott’s recommendation for installing software quickly and safely:
https://Ninite.com

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:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

If you’re in the Austin, Texas area – let’s meet up. I’ll be in Austin the second week of March – and this is 2026, for you listeners of the future – we’ll have another in-person Listener Meetup on March 11. This is where you can come and hang out with me and other podcast listeners, have a drink, ask a question, whatever. I’d love to get to know you! All of the details can be found in the What Was That Like Facebook group, at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

And now, on with today’s episode, which needs a content warning for discussion of suicide.

Here in the US, 1 out of every 3 women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. My guest in this episode is Alyssa. She WAS that 1 out of 3.

This is a Flashback episode. Alyssa told this story on the podcast way back in episode 16, more than 7 years ago. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, I was not able to get in touch with her recently for an update.

Alyssa lives in Tennessee and she’s really into music. She’s a musician, a songwriter, and an audio engineer. Her boyfriend, Jared, was abusive to her - emotionally and physically – and police were actively planning to arrest him. But before that could happen, Jared decided he would take his own life. And he wanted to do it in a way that would be disturbing and traumatic for anyone nearby.

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/247

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

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:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

As parents, you want your child to be healthy and happy. And you’ll do anything to make that happen.

But that’s not always easy when your child is autistic.

Science and medicine has learned a lot about autism, but there’s still a lot of mystery around it as well. What causes it (if anything), how to treat it… there are lots of questions that are still unanswered. And a successful treatment protocol for one person might not work as well for another one.

My guest today is Sarah. She and her husband, Brian, have a son named Devon, who has severe autism. Devon would have sudden behavior incidents that often turned violent, and he could hurt himself, or his parents, or his siblings. Of course, as his mother, Sarah wanted desperately to help him. But it got to the point where she didn’t know what to do.

Then she found out about a hospital that could possibly help Devon. After years of frustration and exhaustion, there was maybe some hope. And with an adjustment in medication, she saw some progress with Devon.

What horrified her was finding out what was actually happening at that hospital.

This is the organization that Sarah mentioned as a resource:

https://collaborateaba.com

The Little Soul and the Sun:

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Soul-Neale-Donald-Walsch/dp/1571740872/ref=sr_1_1

If you’d like to contact Sarah, she’s in the Facebook group:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/246

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

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:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

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 did your boss do that made him/her the worst boss ever?

Links for this episode:

Meredith webcam privacy screen:
https://a.co/d/0hMs0zQF

Scott’s recommended app called Pizza Compass:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pizza-compass/id642652985

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:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

The case of William Moldt shows us that sometimes a mystery has to wait for technology to catch up.

Sponsor deals:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

Here on the podcast we’ve several episodes with guests who have told the story of being attacked by an animal.

These include a grizzly bear, a monkey, a shark, a rattlesnake, a tiger, a pair of dogs, an alligator, and a swarm of yellow jackets. But we haven’t yet had a story about a hippo attack.

Until today.

My guest today is Honor. She was traveling throughout Africa and she learned about the list of animals in Africa that cause the most fatalities. Hippos are number TWO on that list, and number one may surprise you. She told me what it was in our conversation.

Hippos look like they would just want to roll over and scratch their belly. But don’t be fooled. They are extremely territorial, and can get very angry. And, as Honor saw first-hand, they are also quite fast.

If you’d like to contact Honor, she’s in the Facebook group -

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/245

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

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:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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

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 are you starting to hate as you get older?

Links for this episode:

Planes, Trains and Automobiles airplane scene -

https://youtu.be/Kw-f9B7FAdQ?si=3V9qMhG1KqQ4cDPj

Children International -
https://children.org

Meredith’s OtO sprinkler system -

https://www.amazon.com/OTO-Lawn-Smart-Sprinkler-Solar-Powered/dp/B0C78GV866/ref=sr_1_6

Scott’s carry-on suitcase -

https://www.briggs-riley.com/products/global-carry-on-spinner

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:

Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off.

If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod

Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.

Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT

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