
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 e... more
| Publishes | Twice weekly | Episodes | 485 | Founded | 14 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | DocumentarySociety & Culture | |||

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 being alive.
Today’s episode featured Joe Lynskey. Y... more
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 unra... more
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, leaving deep scars that haunt and transform his life.... more
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 forever.
Today’s storyteller asked to remain Anon... more
People also subscribe to these shows.





This woman should never have had kids! The unstable and abusive situations you put them through, not having custody, multiple marriages, and your daughter getting raped by your husband?? It’s not only your daughter that needs help!
Did you even try to get the daughter’s side? This “mother” is the worst. Nothing is her fault poor helpless waif allowed her brother and boyfriend to beat her son, not her fault, she agreed but she was in the other room when it happened so she was the real victim! Someone SA’d her daughter but she didn’t even believe it until years later then she cried about it? Nah. I don’t believe anything she says. She’s an unreliable narrator because she takes no responsibility for anything (literally ugh... more
I am so thankful for those who have shared their stories. I have learned so much about empathy, compassion and resilience. These stories make me see everyone with different eyes.
I have learned so much about the resiliency, endurance, ability to hope and recreation of meaning in life that humans are capable of from listening to this show.
As a former hospital chaplain, I have never been one to take the preciousness of life for granted. Yet the stories in this podcast teach more than just to “appreciate life”; that’s an understatement. These individuals have risen above unimaginable challenges and experiences, the likes of which I have never known. But I can make their ... more
This podcast is absolutely amazing. Every story is interesting. Amazing. Guess that keeps you relative to the story. I absolutely love this podcast. Referred to me by a friend and has been so therapeutic found so many parallels in my own life to many of the stories definitely a top three favorite podcast.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #8 | |
Apple Podcasts | #30 | |
Apple Podcasts | #210 | |
Apple Podcasts | #8 | |
Apple Podcasts | #22 | |
Apple Podcasts | #28 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
The content focuses on extraordinary true stories from individuals facing life-altering events. Listeners can expect gripping narratives that cover a wide range of harrowing experiences, such as surviving cult trafficking, violent assaults, natural disasters, and personal struggles with mental health and trauma. Each episode features firsthand accounts, allowing the audience to connect deeply with the participants and their unique journeys toward resilience and recovery. The format highlights both the psychological and physical challenges faced by the storytellers, offering profound insights into the human condition amid extreme circumstances.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for This Is Actually Happening. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to This Is Actually Happening and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for This Is Actually Happening, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for This Is Actually Happening, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
To see how many followers or subscribers This Is Actually Happening has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
These podcasts share a similar audience with This Is Actually Happening:
1. What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.
2. The Secret Room | True Stories
3. Something Was Wrong
4. What Came Next
5. I Survived
This Is Actually Happening launched 14 years ago and published 485 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for This Is Actually Happening from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of This Is Actually Happening. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on This Is Actually Happening include:
1. Lisa Phillips
2. Emily Caldwell
3. Azzah Ahmad
4. Katherine McElhinney
5. Dr. Amanda Eller
6. Gladden Rangel
7. Crystal Raye
8. Keeva Baxter
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.