What It Was Like
Wild stories unpacked.
Superreal · Rachel Tuffery
Show overview
What It Was Like has been publishing since 2024, and across the 2 years since has built a catalogue of 82 episodes. That works out to roughly 75 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 46 min and 1h 4m — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. Roughly 55% of episodes carry an explicit flag from the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Society & Culture show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 days ago, with 26 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 52 episodes published. Published by Rachel Tuffery.
From the publisher
Conversations with people who have lived through extreme events. Some stories are dark and twisted, others are light and funny. In all cases, we get an intimate portrait of 'what it was like' to be there.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastHosted by Julian MorgansThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest Episodes
View all 82 episodesI Escaped an Abusive Polygamist Cult… and Became a Millionaire
A Fatal Search for a Lost City of Gold in the Amazon
My Terrifying (and Oddly Funny) 25 Hours Kidnapped in New York
I Discovered Snowtown's Bodies in Barrels (Classic)
I Was an Undercover Cop With a Death Wish
How Do You Survive a Cyber-Stalking Cult?
How I Became a Cult Recruiter
I Committed a School Shooting
I Got Caught Fabricating Stories for the New York Times
I Woke From a Coma to a Man Claiming to Be My Boyfriend
Pink Jumpsuits, a Limo, and the Wildest Race in America
Growing Up With My Cousin, Ted Bundy
S1 Ep 129Filming 'Titanic' and Someone Drugged Our Soup (Classic)
EOn August 9, 1996, the cast and crew of Titanic wrapped a long shoot with a seafood dinner. Within an hour, around 40 people (including director James Cameron) were ill. The cause: someone had spiked their chowder with a hallucinogenic drug called PCP. In this ep, camera operator Jamie Barber recounts how the night spiralled into a hospital trip… and a conga line.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Ep 128Dig a Secret Hole on a Volcano and Don't Ask Questions. That Was the Job
It's one of the weirdest mysteries we've encountered. On this week's episode, we speak to Brett Grimes, who was 19 when he a got a job digging a huge hole in the forested side of a volcano, with no explanation of what they were digging for. In this episode, Brett recounts the most dangerous job of his life and what they found at the bottom.We found this story via the independent documentary The Hole Story. Stay across screenings via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheHoleStoryMovie/Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Ep 127Mutiny on the Sex Raft
In 1973, a raft carrying five men and six women set off across the Atlantic to answer the age-old question: what causes human violence? The expedition’s leader, anthropologist Santiago Genovés, believed the answer lay in sexual tension, earning the mission the nickname "The Sex Raft." In this episode, crew member Fé Seymour looks back on a voyage marked by hurricanes, epiphanies, and one mutiny.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Ep 126Whales Are Sinking Boats and No One Knows Why
ESince 2020, orcas have been attacking sailing boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. Experts initially thought the behaviour was a passing fad, but six years later, it shows no sign of stopping. In this episode, British yachtsman Robert Powell describes the day a pod of orcas methodically disabled and sank his boat — and the surprising thing the coast guard told him after the rescue.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Ep 125The Millionaires Who Went Mad in Their Jungle Fortress
When American millionaire John Bender moved to Costa Rica with his wife Ann, they set out to build a dream life in the jungle. Instead, their relationship spiralled into madness. When Bender died from a gunshot wound in 2010, the question remained: was it suicide or murder? Journalist Carol Vaughn takes us inside one of Costa Rica’s strangest cases.Check out Carol's book on the case: Crazy Jungle Love: Murder, Madness, Money & MonkeysFind us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Ep 124Ted Bundy Tried to Kill Me
In 1967, 14-year-old Connie Geldreich met a young man at a lake who called himself Ted. What began as a strange encounter escalated into something far more disturbing. In this episode, Connie recounts her memories of a man who would later become the world's most famous serial killer.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Ep 123How I Ended Up Running a Happy Endings Parlour for Women
EAlice was in her late 30s when she reinvented her life. She left her marriage and started prioritising herself for the first time ever. That journey led her to open a happy ending massage parlour for women. This is the first episode of our new podcast: The Sex That Changed My Life. A show about the intimate moments that transform us.Find us on Instagram @changedmylifepodFind us on Tiktok @changedmylifepodFind us on Youtube @changedmylifepodFollow Laura @lauraroscioliA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Ep 122Sunk by Killer Whales, Adrift for 38 Days
Douglas Robertson was a teenager when his family set out to sail the world on a yacht. Seventeen months into the voyage, orcas sank the boat in the Pacific. In this ep, Douglas describes 38 days adrift in a small dinghy, surviving on turtle blood and rainwater.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.