This Is Actually Happening

Growing up in a volatile family, a woman finds comfort in her close bond with her younger sister, but when a devastating tragedy leaves her consumed by guilt and unanswered questions, she embarks on a journey halfway around the world in search of truth, forgiveness, and a way forward.

Today’s episode featured Jamy. If you’d like to reach out to Jamy, you can email her at jamy@jamybond.com. Jamy is on social media, Facebook: jamy.bond and IG: @jamy.bond

At jamybond.com, she’s written two books. The most recent is The Island of Ghost Ships with Finishing Line Press. It is about losing her sister. The other book is Combat Zones, a collection of flash fiction published with Boudin. Her website has her full bio and links for her books as well as stories she’s published.

Producers
Whit Missildine

Content/Trigger Warnings
Childhood abuse and neglect, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, emotional manipulation and narcissistic parenting, family dysfunction, fatal car accident, traumatic death of a loved one, graphic descriptions of injury and death, grief and survivor's guilt, suicidal ideation, anxiety and panic attacks, racism and medical discrimination, explicit language.

Social Media
Instagram: @actuallyhappening
Facebook: This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group
Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com

Substack - Beyond the Story
whitmissildine.substack.com

If you’d like to share an UNSAID short story from your life, you can find it on our website: thisisactuallyhappening.com/submittheendoftheknown or on the Substack at whitmissildine.substack.com.

Support the Show on Substack by becoming a Paid Subscriber

Free subscribers get access to Whit’s weekly episode reflections and some show updates.
Paid subscribers get access to AMAs with the team, follow up interviews with past guests, frequently asked questions, deeper insights into the creative process of the show and live events. A paid Substack subscription is also the best way to support the show.

You can also support on Patreon
patreon.com/happening

Website for Whit Missildine
whitmissildine.com

Subscribe on Audible to Listen Ad-Free
Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app or visit Audible.com.

Shop at the Store
Find This Is Actually Happening branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop:
thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop

Transcripts
Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website:
thisisactuallyhappening.com

Music

Intro Music:
"Sleep Paralysis" – Scott Velasquez

Music Bed:
Sparse_Reflections__a__APM

Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

©2026 Audible
℗2026 Audible



See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many listened to the Dirty John podcast, which introduced the world to John Meehan, a dangerous serial predator who infiltrates the life of Debra Newell and ultimately dies at the hand of her daughter, Terra. But there was an overlooked story that’s now being told, in full, for the first time.
In The First Wife: John Meehan’s Reign of Terror, Tonia Bales recounts her harrowing experiences as John’s wife of 10 years and the mother of their daughters, Emily and Abby. Highlighting new details and revelations, Tonia shares the abuse she suffered from the man she once believed to be her soulmate, but who ultimately revealed himself as a coercive and controlling terrorist. Through exclusive archival materials and all-new interviews with the people who knew her and John best, uncovering long-held secrets and including perspective from their daughters, Tonia embarks on a re-investigation of the man she thought she knew. The multiple bombshells she unearths include one that will change her and her daughters’ lives forever.
Listen now: HERE
Audible subscribers can binge all episodes right now ad-free. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Growing up in a family that prized achievement over vulnerability, a man’s troubled relationship with his older brother ends in devastating loss, sending him on a decades-long search to understand the guilt and shame he left behind.

Today’s episode featured Chad Herst. If you’d like to reach out to Chad, you can email him at chad@herstwellness.com. Chad is on LinkedIn @ linkedin.com/in/chad-herst-6040629

Chad Herst is an executive coach and acupuncturist in Sebastopol, California, and the author of The Performance Trap: The Ache No Success Will Ever Fix, out October 1, 2026. The book grew out of the story told in this episode. Website: herstwellness.com, where the opening chapter is available free.

Producers
Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz

Content/Trigger Warnings
Suicide, suicidal ideation, mental illness, substance abuse, bullying and hazing, physical abuse, family dysfunction, psychiatric hospitalization, grief and traumatic loss, explicit language.

Social Media
Instagram: @actuallyhappening
Facebook: This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group
Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com

Substack - Beyond the Story
whitmissildine.substack.com

If you’d like to share an UNSAID short story from your life, you can find it on our website: thisisactuallyhappening.com/submittheendoftheknown or on the Substack at whitmissildine.substack.com.

Support the Show on Substack by becoming a Paid Subscriber

Free subscribers get access to Whit’s weekly episode reflections and some show updates.
Paid subscribers get access to AMAs with the team, follow up interviews with past guests, frequently asked questions, deeper insights into the creative process of the show and live events. A paid Substack subscription is also the best way to support the show.

You can also support on Patreon
patreon.com/happening

Website for Whit Missildine
whitmissildine.com

Website for Andrew Waits
andrdewwaits.com

Website for Aviva Lipkowitz
avivalipkowitz.com

Subscribe on Audible to Listen Ad-Free
Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app or visit Audible.com.

Shop at the Store
Find This Is Actually Happening branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop:
thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop

Transcripts
Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website:
thisisactuallyhappening.com

Music

Intro Music:
"Sleep Paralysis" – Scott Velasquez

Music Bed:
Salib (SAL) - Tension Underscore 33A

Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After growing up with financial instability, a fiercely independent man builds the successful life he always dreamed of, but when his behavior begins to change in frightening and inexplicable ways, his mind, marriage, and everything he’s worked for begin to unravel.

Today’s episode featured Daniel Murphy. If you’d like to reach out to Daniel, you can email him at Peptidevictims@gmail.com.

Producers
Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz

Content/Trigger Warnings
Mental illness and psychosis, substance-induced behavioral changes, anabolic steroid use, emotional and psychological abuse, domestic conflict, suicidal ideation, hospitalization, and divorce/family breakdown, explicit language.

Social Media
Instagram: @actuallyhappening
Facebook: This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group
Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com

Substack - Beyond the Story
whitmissildine.substack.com

If you’d like to share an UNSAID short story from your life, you can find it on our website: thisisactuallyhappening.com/submittheendoftheknown or on the Substack at whitmissildine.substack.com.

Support the Show on Substack by becoming a Paid Subscriber

Free subscribers get access to Whit’s weekly episode reflections and some show updates.
Paid subscribers get access to AMAs with the team, follow up interviews with past guests, frequently asked questions, deeper insights into the creative process of the show and live events. A paid Substack subscription is also the best way to support the show.

You can also support on Patreon
patreon.com/happening

Website for Whit Missildine
whitmissildine.com

Website for Andrew Waits
andrdewwaits.com

Website for Aviva Lipkowitz
avivalipkowitz.com

Subscribe on Audible to Listen Ad-Free
Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app or visit Audible.com.

Shop at the Store
Find This Is Actually Happening branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop:
thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop

Transcripts
Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website:
thisisactuallyhappening.com

Music

Intro Music:
"Sleep Paralysis" – Scott Velasquez

Music Bed:
Pure_Ambience_APM

Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

©2026 Audible
℗2026 Audible


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Hollywood stuntwoman turned personal injury attorney. A handsome disbarred lawyer with a dark past. And an elaborate scheme that leads to murder.
Vanessa Motta gives up a career of fake car crashes for real ones. But her law career in New Orleans gets off to a rocky start — until she meets Sean Alfortish, a charming man who offers her the perfect space for her law office. Vanessa and Sean fall hard for each other, and as a former lawyer himself, Sean becomes her mentor. So, what if he's done some prison time for fraud?
When Sean introduces Vanessa to one of the city's most prolific case runners, Cornelius Garrison, the money starts rolling in. Cornelius brings her a steady stream of accident victims looking to sue. There's just one problem: the accidents aren't real. And once the secret gets out, someone will have to pay.
Reported and hosted by Mitch Moxley, Over My Dead Body: Operation Sideswipe is a six-part series about greed, betrayal, and who gets thrown under the bus when everything is on the line.
Audible subscribers can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible App or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. Listen now: HERESee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.