What It Was Like

This week’s story will likely be hard for many listeners to wrap their heads around, which is why we're unpacking the science behind it in this week’s subscriber episode.This is an excerpt from Julian’s discussion with Dianne Mathes, a Canadian therapist who specialises in the phenomenon of adoptees feeling attracted to biological family members. By her estimate, it's actually the majority of her cases, and she shares her own experience as an adoptee.Subscribe to WIWL PLUS+ to hear the full episode and get access to loads more exclusive content.Join our membership on Spotify here or on Apple Podcasts here.

At 15, Maggie Malloy was abducted at gunpoint during running practice near her home in Galion, Ohio. A few hours later, she was found with multiple gun shots to the head, but alive. This week, Maggie shares how she survived and how faith and facing her past helped her to heal.

This week we are revisiting one of our favourite stories. In 2015, Hurricane Joaquin roared over the Bahamas and sank a cargo ship called the El Faro, drowning all 33 people onboard. It was a mystery how a modern US-flagged ship could sail into a hurricane until its black box was found. In this episode, Julian examines the black box transcript to discover a crew that ignored all their own instincts.Transcript from the El Faro's black box is here.The US Coast Guard's report is here.And here is an article and a book that was hugely helpful in researching this case:“The Clock Is Ticking”: Inside the Worst U.S. Maritime Disaster in Decades by William LangewiescheInto the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro by Rachel Slade

When Alice Weaver Flaherty’s twins died at birth, she developed an overwhelming compulsion to write about the experience. Soon, Alice had developed hypergraphia, a rare condition that causes sufferers to write morning and night. She explains what happened to her and what it reveals about the brain and creativity.Check out Alice’s book, The Midnight Disease

In 1990, 14-year-old Tyler Pelke was home alone in Altona, Canada, watching a movie with a friend. Then the local bully, Earl Giesbrecht, showed up at the door. Hours later, Tyler’s friend was dead and his house was on fire. Years later, Tyler confronted Earl in prison to ask “why?”.Get Tyler to speak at your next event: tylerpelke.com

In 2010, fraudster Larry Ray got out of prison and started sleeping on a couch in his daughter’s college dorm. Within weeks, he was mentoring her friends. A year later, he’d recruited most of them into what would later be described as a “sex-cult.” Felicia Rosario was one of them. Introduced to Larry by her brother, she spent 10 years under his spell. She unpacks his incredible aptitude for mind control and how she rebuilt her life after his arrest.Contact Felicia Rosario via her website here: feliciarosario.com

"Bring me their ears." That was the order from cult leader Yahweh ben Yahweh, who admitted new members of the Nation of Yahweh into his inner circle only after they'd killed someone and had an ear to prove it. Our guest, Khalil Amani, never killed anyone, but this instruction was a step too far. This week, Khalil tells us how he became an FBI informant and put the group's leader behind bars.Find us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/whatitwaslikepodcast/This is a Superreal production: https://superreal.com.au/

In 2019, David and Ina Steiner began receiving mysterious packages at their Massachusetts home. Local police sergeant Jason Sutherland was called in to investigate, and eventually traced the harassment back to executives at eBay. In this episode, Sergeant Sutherland explains how one of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies came to target a suburban couple.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production