This Is Actually Happening

Growing up Black and queer in the South, a man finds an identity for himself through the arts and establishes a wonderful marriage with children, until one day, when his husband is late coming home, there’s a ring at the door and his entire life unravels. Content/Trigger Warnings:  use of a derogatory racial slur, use of a derogatory homophobic slur, mention of gun violence, mention of suicide, mental illness, drug use, drug overdose, explicit language Producers: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at&

Coming from a charmed, conservative, Catholic upbringing, a woman must confront her deepest beliefs as she struggles with the reality and implications of the most devastating news a mother can receive. Content/Trigger Warnings:  traumatic pregnancy, death of an infant, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plus Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/happening Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually

After surviving a chaotic and abusive upbringing, a woman develops an undiagnosable autoimmune disorder that threatens to take her vision and her livelihood, but when a friend brings a blow-up doll to play a practical joke one night, everything changes. Today’s episode featured Gina Hessburg. You can find out more about her and Rafael on Instagram @blowinguprafael or on her website, blowinguprafael.com. On the website, you can also buy Gina’s book, Blowing Up, featuring her journey with Rafael. Gina is offering listeners to This Is Actually Happening $10 off her book if you use the code HAPPENING. $5 of each sale goes towards organizations that provide patient support and research for treatments for people like Gina. Content/Trigger Warnings:  domestic abuse, mention of suicide, medical trauma, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https

Bill Mitchell built a successful career, marriage and family, but just as his bright and loving daughter graduates from college with big dreams, an unthinkable event irreversibly changes everything. Today’s episode featured Bill Mitchell. Bill has a book and podcast, both called When Dating Hurts. You can find out more about Bill, his book and his podcast, all at whendatinghurts.com. You can also find his book on Amazon.Bill was originally featured on Scott Johnson’s amazing podcast, What Was That Like. If you love This Is Actually Happening, check out What Was That Like, featuring stories from people who have been through something extremely unusual. You’ll hear people talking about being in a plane crash, a mass shooting, a grizzly bear attack, and many more. The guest comes on and tells the details of what happened, first hand. If you like This Is Actually Happening, I know you’ll want to subscribe to What Was That Like. It’s available on any podcast app, or at WhatWasThatLike.com.If you or someone yo

Always feeling she had failed the ideals of her strict Muslim, South Asian family and community, a woman struggles to navigate trauma, shame and self-expression, when unexpected news forces her into a powerful reckoning.Today‘s episode featured Azzah Ahmad. You can find out more about Azzah by visiting her Instagram page @Lifeazziknowit.Content/Trigger Warnings:  sexual abuse of a minor, suicidal ideation, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com  Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plus

A woman struggling to find herself finally discovers a place where she belongs and forms a deep friendship, but when she experiments with a powerful psychedelic the experience reveals more than she bargained for.Today's episode featured Ash Stryker. You can find out more about Ash and see her illustration and artwork by going to her website: ashstryker.com/ Content/Trigger Warnings:  eating disorder, drug use, drug overdose, hallucinations, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com/ Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at

A man struggles to free himself from his father’s iron grip on the family, but when an unsettling truth about his past is revealed, his entire life comes into focus.Today's storyteller was originally featured on the incredible podcast, The Secret Room, created and hosted by Ben Hamm. Ben's guests share stories they've never told before, giving you a front row seat to the hidden lives of people all around you. Ben and I have collaborated before on a previous episode, and if you love This Is Actually Happening, check out The Secret Room, wherever you get your podcasts. Content/Trigger Warnings:  domestic abuse, child abuse, childhood illness, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com 

After a woman’s Mormon family falls apart following the death of her father, her mother brings her to a Scientology Center where she leaves everything behind.Today’s episode featured Katherine Mcelhinny. If you’d like to reach out to her, you can email at canadiankat9@icloud.com. She also has a gofundme page. If you’d like to donate to her, you can do so here: https://gofund.me/3ab57d56 Content/Trigger Warnings:  abuse of a minor, parental neglect, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get al

After growing up queer with a complicated father in the 1960s, a man forges his own path, identity and career in the arts, but suddenly, after a routine surgery, he wakes up unable to move. .Today’s episode featured John Killacky. You can find out more about John by going to johnkillacky.com with links to his book, “because art: commentary, critique, & conversation” as well as links to some of his films."I was so used to being adaptive, resilient, always seeing the horizon ahead....The complexity for me in that hospital is that there wasn’t a horizon. I was so stuck in the now of nothing." Content/Trigger Warnings: graphic medical descriptions, paralysis, suicidal ideation, explicit language Producer: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for And

A woman falls deeply in love with a married man in her close friend’s circle, when suddenly an unthinkable event throws everything into question.   ..“Of all the cruel things for the universe to do…Why? Why on earth would the universe do this, and what is this supposed to teach me? What does it mean?”Today’s guest requested to remain anonymous, but if you’d like to reach out to her, you can email at tues228@gmail.comContent/Trigger Warnings: graphic bodily injury, explicit languageProducer: Whit Missildine Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcastThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plus Support the Show: Support Th

“It’s like trying to go into like a dark cave with a rope attached to you so that you can find your way back and then losing that the end of the rope.” Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: Following a tumultuous upbringing, a woman begins confronting the complexities of her identity and self-destructive tendencies, when all of a sudden, devastating bouts of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder begin to consume her life. Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/  Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Content/Trigger Warnings: suicidal ideation, domestic abuse, self-harm, mental illness, PMDD, explicit languageWondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plusSupport the Show: Support The

“My personhood had been shattered into a thousand pieces that I and my family were left to pick up one at a time.” Today's episode features Olivia Wilder. You can find out more about Olivia on Instagram @all.in.amputee Producer: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: After self-medicating for years to cope with the emotional aftermath of an abusive, religious upbringing, a woman goes in for a minor surgery, and when she emerges, everything has changed. Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Content/Trigger Warnings: medical trauma, drug use, amputation, explicit languageWondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plusSupport the Show: Support The Show

“These are open ended wounds that you have to patch up, but how do you patch them up? How do you make it okay.”Today’s episode featured Diamond Garrett. Diamond is currenting starting a small business to provide products, services, and resources for disabled individuals to make their lives easier as wheelchair users. If you’d like to donate to support her vision and her small business, go to gofund.me/444f5605. You can also find out more about Diamond by following her on Instagram @diamondsg_ and on TikTok @princessdimo. You can find all of her links on linktr.ee/diamondgarrett This episode is the last new episode of season 11. Over the next six weeks, we’ll be rebroadcasting episodes from the back catalog, and resuming with new episodes, starting August 9th. Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Episode Summary: Growing up with a single mother and a father in jail, a dancer’s life is forever changed when one night, while doing a favor for a friend, two unknown shooters

“Living in a constant state of anxiety does something to you…I’m not able to live, I’m not able to love, I’m not able to thrive.”Today's guest requested to remain anonymous, however, if you'd like to reach to him, you can email at: k.parker007@live.com. Producers: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A boy grows up in a household devastated by AIDS, opening a downward spiral of loss and a path of resilience. Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Content/Trigger Warnings: HIV/AIDS, death, death of a child, murder, graphic violence, drug use, explicit language Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plusSupport the Show: Support The Show on Patreo

“You were in this abyss of darkness and the hardest part was not knowing…not knowing at all if you’re going to live or die or when or how.” Today's episode featured Marina Nemat. You can find out more about Marina and her story by going to marinanemat.com. There you can find contact information and more about her two books, 'Prisoner of Tehran', and 'After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed.' Her books are also available on Amazon, Simon & Schuster and Bookshop.org. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Episode Summary: A teenage Russian immigrant in Iran is jailed and tortured during the Iranian Revolution of 1979, but when a prison guard falls in love with her, she’s forced to weigh the price of her freedom. Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/ Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Andrew Waits: www.andrdewwaits.com Content/Trigger

“We had such a sense of safety and comfort and then…it was like everything changes and you can’t go back.”Today's guest requested to remain anonymous. But if you'd like to reach out to her, you can email at ca.hummingbird.1970@gmail.com. Producers: Whit Missildine Episode Summary: A woman struggles to find herself among her mother’s multiplying crises that always seem to find a new rock bottom. Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/  Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comContent/Trigger Warnings: animal cruelty, animal death, alcoholism, domestic abuse, fatal car accident, post-partum depression, explicit language Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at https://wondery.com/plusSupport the S

“When there’s some trauma, you have a poison within you….If you leave it there it’s going to ferment and take over your life and your body….You need to take this out by speaking it.”Today's episode featured Sonia Acevedo. If you'd like to reach out to her, you can find her on LinkedIn Under Sonia Acevedo - AKA Sony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-acevedo-aka-sony-6352aa29/. If you'd like to contribute to help her get out of debt, you can find the GoFundMe campaign set up for her by Imelda Jimenez called "Help Sonia Acevedo Get Her Dream Home Back: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sonia-acevedo-get-her-dream-home-back. If you'd like to find out more details about Jamison Bachman, you can hear other victim's stories on the Netflix series, Worst Roommate Ever, episodes title "Roommate Wanted, Part 1 and 2. If you’d like to find out more about the Women’s Self Defense Group WESDA, you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/WESDA/. And you can read more about her story in NY Mag

“A family tree is not permanent…You’re allowed to trim some branches.”Today’s guest requested to remain anonymous. But if you’d like to reach out to her, you can email at thisisactuallyhappening235@gmail.com Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Episode Summary: After growing up with a patriarchal Christian family, a woman grapples with her father losing touch with reality when his delusions begin to dramatically unravel the family narratives Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/  Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Jason Blalock: jasonblalock.com Content/Trigger Warnings: domestic violence, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor, explicit language Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free

“To feel like at any moment something tragic could happen put me in a deep, deep cloud as far as who I am, what can I be, and what could I have been.” Today’s guest requested to remain anonymous. But if you’d like to reach out to him, you can email at njsfil1972@gmail.com Producers: Whit Missildine, Jason Blalock Episode Summary: Growing up Jewish and surviving the twin traumas of domestic abuse and antisemitic bullying, a man finally establishes a new life for himself, when devastating loss threatens to keep him locked in a cycle he can seemingly never escape. Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/  Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Jason Blalock: jasonblalock.com Content/Trigger Warnings: domestic violence, abuse, bullying, drug use, car accident, death, stroke, cancer, explicit language Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior t

“It honestly felt like my whole life had just gone from this amazing color filled motion picture to just going into something so black and white…just feeling so alone all of the time.” Today’s episode featured Evelyn. You can reach out to her through email at everetdev@gmail.com  Producers: Whit Missildine, Sara Marinelli Episode Summary: Growing up in a loving Mexican immigrant family in the US, everything changes in a young girl’s life when a home invasion, abandonment and unprocessed losses mount, leading to a dramatic wake up call. Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningThis Is Actually Happening Discussion Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201783687561039/  Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.comWebsite for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.comInstagram for Sara Marinelli: @saramarinelli1 Content/Trigger Warnings: graphic violence, mental illness, explicit language  Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #1