What if you were trafficked into a cult...or were mauled by a grizzly bear...or were stabbed 27 times by a serial killer - what would you do? This is Actually Happening brings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events told by the people who lived them. From a man who woke up in the morgue to a woman stranded in a Mexican desert fighting to survive, these stories will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what happens next. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of This Is Actually Happening ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

PodSkip has analyzed 3 episodes of This Is Actually Happening, averaging 3.0 ads per episode (6% of runtime).

Episodes

407: What if you found humanity in the depths of the criminal underworld?
May 19, 2026
After leaving Portugal to become a journalist, a woman is drawn into the world’s black markets, where dangerous encounters with criminals, extremists, and a military coup reveal the systems that…
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406: What if a terminal diagnosis set you free?
May 12, 2026
After a childhood shaped by violence and addiction leads him into years of self-destruction, a man begins to transform himself in prison, only to learn he has 90 days to live. Today’s episode…
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405: What if you were accused of murdering your mother?
May 05, 2026
After years of caring for her mother through a devastating decline, a woman helps ease her final suffering, only to be accused of murdering the person she loved most. Today’s episode featured Rachel…
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404: What if you were stricken with the flesh-eating disease?
Apr 28, 2026
After suffering from necrotizing fasciitis, a soccer coach sets out to rebuild his body, his identity, and the life he thought he had lost. Today’s episode featured Scott Martin. If you’d like to…
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403: What if your childhood bully actually apologized?
Apr 21, 2026
After growing up in a home shaped by violence, racism, and fear, a woman is stunned to receive an apology from the girl who bullied her in middle school, forcing her to reckon with the harm they both…
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402: What if a deadly tornado helped to heal old wounds?
Apr 14, 2026
After narrowly surviving one of the deadliest tornados in US history, a woman is driven to confront a long-buried harm, finding in the aftermath a deeper sense of purpose, forgiveness, and service…
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401: What if you were ambushed on a dark desert highway?
Apr 07, 2026
After spending much of his life trying to outrun the feeling of being trapped, a man’s violent kidnapping on a solo motorcycle trip through Mexico forces him to reckon with the fear, rage, and…
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400: What if you suspected your father was the infamous Tylenol Murderer?
Mar 31, 2026
A man grows up in a home defined by violence, secrecy, and fear, and decades later a deathbed confession confirms his belief that his father was responsible for the Chicago Tylenol murders, forcing…
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399: What if a hormonal disorder rewrote your identity?
Mar 24, 2026
After decades of stability, a woman’s experience of menopause brings back a lifetime of buried symptoms and reveals an unexpected truth about her identity, forcing her to reexamine everything she…
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398: What if you witnessed the best and the worst of humanity?
Mar 17, 2026
After years working as a humanitarian aid worker in war zones and disaster areas around the world, a man is forced to confront the psychological toll of witnessing a broken world he could never fix…
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397: What if you survived a terrorist attack in Paris?
Mar 10, 2026
After surviving the 2015 ISIS terrorist attacks at a Paris café, a woman begins the painful work of confronting buried childhood trauma and reclaiming a life she had never fully allowed herself to…
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396: What if you were held captive by child soldiers?
Mar 03, 2026
When a family sailing journey ends in capture by child soldiers during Mozambique’s civil war, a man must protect his children while confronting the unsettling truth that his captors are both…
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395: What if your son murdered your daughter?
Feb 24, 2026
After overcoming addiction and rebuilding her life around motherhood, a woman's world is shattered when her son kills her daughter, forcing her to grieve one child while fighting to protect the other…
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394: What if you found yourself naked, starving and surrounded by cops?
Feb 17, 2026
After the sudden death of his father leaves him drowning in guilt, a man unknowingly spirals into a manic break that strips him of his freedom, his relationships, and his grip on reality, forcing him…
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393: What if your doctors weren’t allowed to help you?
Feb 10, 2026
After a lifetime of striving for control, a woman is thrust into unimaginable loss when a potentially catastrophic twin pregnancy collides with restrictive laws, forcing her to rebuild her life from…
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392: What if you were a whistleblower against your own father?
Feb 03, 2026
When a son discovers that the man who raised him is capable of unimaginable harm, he is forced to become a whistleblower against his own father, risking his family, his identity, and everything he…
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391: What if you forgave the neo-Nazi who killed your father?
Jan 27, 2026
After a white supremecist killed his father at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, Pardeep Singh Kaleka pairs up with a former neo-Nazi to teach students about overcoming hate and finding…
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390: What if your unresolved grief led to a fatal decision?
Jan 20, 2026
After killing a cyclist while driving drunk, a woman confronts the consequences of her actions and begins the long, painful work of rebuilding a life shaped by guilt and accountability. Today’s…
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389: What if you were pushed into the path of an oncoming train?
Jan 13, 2026
After surviving a stranger’s shove into the path of a subway train, a man confronts his mortality and viral fame, and finds himself transformed by community, clarity, and the everyday poignancy of…
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What if a devastating truth only deepened the mystery? [Rebroadcast Ep250]
Jan 08, 2026
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…
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What if you survived the Bosnian genocide? [Rebroadcast Ep277]
Jan 06, 2026
From an idyllic childhood in communist Yugoslavia, as a teenager, Mirsad’s world becomes a living nightmare as the Bosnian War brings shelling, torture, murder and ethnic cleansing to his village…
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What if your daughter committed a seemingly unforgivable act? [Rebroadcast Ep182]
Jan 01, 2026
A mother struggles to raise her child through a series of chaotic relationships, when one day, as her daughter’s mental illness spirals out of control, an unthinkable decision will change their lives…
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What if your daughter committed a seemingly unforgivable act? [Rebroadcast Ep182]
Dec 30, 2025
After a traumatic childhood, a young woman spirals into mental illness and in her darkest moment makes an unthinkable decision that will change her family forever. Today’s episode featured Brittany…
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What if you found the antidote in the venom? [Rebroadcast Ep284]
Dec 25, 2025
Growing up Muslim in the Middle East, a woman juggles the chaotic expectations of a severely abusive mother with her desire for self-expression; but when she comes into a sexual awakening, a secret…
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What if you were crushed by 10000 pounds of stone? [Rebroadcast Ep274]
Dec 23, 2025
Struggling to prove himself and find his identity growing up, a man eventually builds a career and begins occasionally helping out a friend with his granite import business, when one day, the dangers…
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388: What if you woke up in a tsunami?
Dec 16, 2025
After narrowly surviving the devastating tsunami of 2004, a woman begins an unexpected journey through trauma, illness, and profound spiritual transformation to rebuild her life and sense of self…
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387: What if your partner accused you of attempted murder?
Dec 09, 2025
When a man is falsely accused of attempted murder by the woman he’s spent years trying to save, he’s forced to confront the lifelong patterns of self-abandonment that led him there. Today’s episode…
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386: What if you woke up with someone's hands around your neck?
Dec 02, 2025
The life of a promising actor takes a devastating turn when she is attacked in her home, sending her into an 18-year fight to reclaim her sense of safety, her career, and the date that haunts her…
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385: What if you found healing through saving abandoned dogs?
Nov 25, 2025
When a woman is brought to her knees by unimaginable grief, she finds her way forward by transforming her pain into a sanctuary for forgotten dogs. Today’s episode featured Tamara Corbitt. If you’d…
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384: What if you were run over three times?
Nov 18, 2025
After being run over three times and left pinned beneath a car, a woman emerges into a world she no longer recognizes and must piece together a new identity from the ruins of the old one. Today’s…
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