Amazing stories from real people
Adam lived in Newtown, Connecticut. He was 20 years old, and had no criminal record. One December morning, before 9:30 am, Adam shot and killed his own mother, Nancy, while she was still in her bed. Her body was later found with four gunshot wounds to the head.
Nancy was a gun enthusiast, and had quite a few rifles and handguns. After he killed her, Adam took some of those guns and drove his mother’s car to the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The front entrance doors were locked, but he shot his way through the glass panel. He then carried out one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.
26 people were murdered at the school that day. Six of those were adult staff and faculty. The other twenty fatalities were children. All of them were age 6 or 7.
One of those children was Emilie Parker, an amazing 6 year old girl.
Today you’re going to hear from Robbie Parker, Emilie’s dad, about what happened to their family that day and afterward. And the famous radio personality that made their grief so much worse.
Content warning: this episode includes discussion of child death as a result of a mass shooting
If you’d like to contact Robbie, you can do that through his website:
Robbie’s book:
https://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Fight-Taking-Jones-Reclaiming/dp/1635769833
Alissa’s book:
https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Angel-Mothers-Story-Healing/dp/1629722790
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/198
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.
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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 your favorite family tradition?
Links for this episode:
Thousand Schnapsen:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Schnapsen
Scattergories:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scattergories
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:
To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
Sponsor deals:
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% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS
Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
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In 1988, Phil had just moved to Los Angeles. And he was in a tough spot.
At the time he had no job and very little money. So he was trying to come up with some kind of plan that could save him from being homeless. Since he had pretty vast knowledge in lots of different subject areas, he decided that he would try his hand at going on the TV game show, Jeopardy!
He had to pass an initial test, which he did, then he went to the contestant interview, and he passed that as well. And he actually got on the show. It didn’t solve his money problems though – even though he did well, he lost to a 5-time champion – by two dollars. Rather than earning any actual money, his parting gift was a bedroom set which forever became known as the Jeopardy! bed.
But twelve years later, he decided to try again, on a different show. In the year 2000, he was able to get on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which at the time was hosted by Regis Philbin. This game show experience was very different.
Phil’s appearances on Who Wants to be a Millionaire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEPMGv0S9Hc&t=2257s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QLq2Hq8_Dk
Phil’s wrote a detailed account of his experience:
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/197
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:
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% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS
Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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:
When you were a child, what did you get the most excited about?
Links for this episode:
The Five Love Languages:
Meredith’s episode 247 – Is your food causing your depression?
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:
To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
Sponsor deals:
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% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS
Sign up today at butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code WHATWAS to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code WHAT before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Here in America, we’re gaining weight.
In 1990, the average weight of a US citizen was 161 pounds. By 2020, just 30 years later, the AVERAGE weight went up to 181 – a 20 pound increase.
The rate of obesity varies by state. The state with the most obesity has almost 41% of residents falling into that category – and that is Mississippi. The state with the lowest obesity rate, around 24%, is Colorado.
Today you’ll hear from Ray. At one point in his life, Ray was way above average in a category that no one wants to be above average in. He weighed over 500 pounds. He knew his weight was way up there, but it was when they weighed him at the doctor’s office that he realized how high it was. So he made the decision to do something about it, and his turnaround has been amazing. He now runs ultramarathons – these are footraces from around 30 miles to even 100 miles.
This is a Flashback episode. Ray came on the podcast and told his story about 5 years ago, so I wanted to bring him back on and ask the question that everyone wants to know – has he kept the weight off? You’ll hear the answer to that, right after our conversation.
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/196
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:
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelpc.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self.
To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS
Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Having your first baby is exciting.
Your life is changing because you’re gonna be bringing this new little human into your home and into your family. The whole dynamic will change. Your focus will change.
But having that first baby can also be a little scary. You’ve never done this before. You don’t really know what to expect exactly. You might even wonder if you’re doing it right.
Today you’re going to hear from Jessica. She and Cody were looking forward to the birth of their first child, their little girl named Hayden. But things didn’t happen as they expected.
Content warning – this episode includes discussion of stillbirth.
If you’d like to contact Jessica, you can do that through her Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/j3ssbb/
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/195
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:
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% off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com/WHATWAS
Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 something that most people have done, but you’ve never done?
Links for this episode:
You Probably Think This Story’s About You podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-probably-think-this-storys-about-you/id1747985859
The movie I was trying to think of starting Paul Newman and Kevin Costner (that was filmed in Maine) is Message in a Bottle:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message_in_a_Bottle_(film)
Mountain Dew Mouth:
Ep 251Meredith’s Food Addiction episode:
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:
To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
Sponsor deals:
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% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS
Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For many people, being at home should be where you feel the safest from the outside world.
I mean, we have doors with locks, sometimes multiple locks. Our windows can have locks. We have alarm systems that not only notify us if someone is trying to break it, but also makes loud noises to scare them away. The alarm can even call the police for you, if you’re not able to.
We have a roof to protect from the weather, we have a heater or air conditioning to control the indoor temperature, and we can even control the temperature of our bed.
So when we’re in our home, we shouldn’t have to worry about bad things happening.
That’s what Chris thought too. But then a stranger came into his home with a gun. And toward the end of our conversation, you’ll hear where that stranger had been just 10 days earlier.
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/194
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:
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.
Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 something that people do, that’s normal, that grosses you out?
Links for this episode:
Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans:
https://www.amazon.com/Bite-Incisive-History-Hagfish-Humans/dp/1643751786
Meredith’s episode with Dr Bill Schutt – Teeth: the Ultimate Status Symbol?
Accidental Swingers? Part 1:
Dr Bukk fake teeth:
https://www.drbukk.com/p/bukk-teeth/
Abby and Brittany Hensel, conjoined twins –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abby_and_Brittany_Hensel
Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:
To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
Sponsor deals:
Sign up today at https://butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Over the years, I’ve come to realize – the way I navigate the world day to day, as a man, is very different from what a woman has to think about.
I mean, when I go out somewhere, like to the grocery store, or the bank, or whatever, the thought that someone might be secretly watching me never even enters my mind. If I happen to have an encounter with someone I don’t know, I don’t immediately get suspicious. In fact, I often actually look forward to having a meaningful conversation with a stranger.
But for women, it’s very different. If a man holds a door open for you, and you smile at him, that guy could suddenly think you could be his new girlfriend. Or, it might not even be an actual encounter – someone could be watching you and even following you without you even knowing it.
When Jami was 18 years old, she had an encounter like that. But this incident ended up with the creepy man inside her house.
This is a Flashback episode. Jami told this story on the podcast more than four years ago. So after you hear it today, we’ll have a brief update chat to see what she’s up to now. And we’ll find out that the most recent excitement in her life has nothing to do with podcasting or true crime.
If you’d like to contact Jami:
Instagram: @JamiOnAir
TikTok: @JamiOnAir
YouTube: @JamiOnAir
Jami’s website: Murderish.com
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/193
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:
Sign up today at https://butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When you’re early in life, growing up, whatever you experience is what you consider to be normal.
For example, when I was a kid, our family would go to church every Sunday. We knew everyone there, I had lots of friends there, and there was always a big crowd of people. So naturally, I just kind of assumed that everyone, on Sunday mornings, would be in a church somewhere.
But it was kind of a disconnect when we’d be in the car on Sunday, and we might drive past a park or a boat marina, and I’d see people getting their boat ready to go out on the water. And I’d think, how does that work? Maybe they go to a different church that meets later, or something? I couldn’t put those pieces together, because what I thought was the norm wasn’t the norm for everyone.
My guest today, Mayson, also had a childhood that was different from many other kids. From the time she was a baby, she and her mother would go and visit her dad on weekends – in prison. And since that was all she had ever know, she assumed that’s what everyone did.
Her eyes were opened on her 12th birthday, and you’re about to hear that story.
And toward the end of our conversation, Mayson revealed something that she only just discovered as a result of coming on this podcast.
If you’d like to ask Mayson a question, or leave her a comment about her story, she’s in the WWTL podcast Facebook group (along with about 8000 other listeners, and many of the previous guests of the show) - WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.
Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:
https://WhatWasThatLike.com/192
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:
Sign up today at https://butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order.
To get your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com/WHAT
Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!
Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.
Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.
Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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