This Is Actually Happening

Dedicated to eradicating human trafficking, a purpose-driven young man's world is shattered by a politician's unwarranted lawsuit, destroying his reputation and forcing him to find a new path forward.   Today’s episode featured Raymond Brechard. If you’d like to reach out to Ray, please email him at RaymondBechard@gmail.com [RaymondBechard@gmail.com]. You can also find him here: Contact Raymond [http://www.contactraymond.com/] For Raymond’s Socials & a link to his book: https://linktr.ee/daggerwingmedia [https://linktr.ee/daggerwingmedia] His book: "The Berlin Turnpike: A True Story of Human Trafficking in America"   Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli   Content/Trigger Warnings: divorce, depression, suicide, human trafficking, sex trafficking, sex work, poverty, disease/childhood death, lawsuit, explicit language   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast   Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com [http://www.andrdewwaits.com/] Website for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com [http://saramarinelli.com/]   Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening [https://www.patreon.com/happening]   Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus [https://wondery.com/plus]   Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop [https://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop] to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com [http://www.thisisactuallyhappening.com/]   Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Union Flow   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 and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Cultivating rage as a solution to inherited trauma, a young man commits murder over a five-dollar dispute, but once in prison, he devotes his life to liberation from systems of oppression and the jailor within himself.   Today’s episode featured Emile Suotonye DeWeaver. If you’d like to contact Emile, please email him at emiledwriter@gmail.com or find him on social media:  Substack: @reframeconsults   Instagram: @emilesuotonyedeweaver  Bluesky: Bluesky  LinkedIn: LinkedIn Emile’s first book, Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future, comes out today, May 13, 2025, from The New Press.  Per Emile, “I wrote this book for many reasons. I’d been organizing for a decade in prison, and I witnessed the ways we in justice work have beautiful, courageous intentions and yet we often exacerbate the problems we fight against. Back then I felt like I didn’t have the right frameworks to have this conversation. I dedicated the next ten years to thinking them through. I wrote Ghost in the Criminal Justice System not as a solutions book. I wrote it as an offering of these frameworks in the hopes that you will share them in your communities, so that we can come up with solutions together.” Confirmed Book tour dates in Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Chicago: https://www.reframeconsults.com/events - please RSVP! Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future is also a great teaching tool. A perfect fit for classrooms, movement organizing, book clubs. Get it for your community, then invite Emile to come talk to you! His goal is to take this conversation to all the corners of this country so we all can build a better future. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz   Content/Trigger Warnings: drug use and dealing, murder, bodily injury from attack, attempted murder, injury from gunshot, prison, white supremacy, racism, explicit language   Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast   Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com   Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com Website for Aviva Lipkowitz: avivalipkowitz.com   Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening   Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus   Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.    Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com   Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Re-Entry   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 and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to exclusive episodes of This is Actually Happening ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/this-is-actually-happening/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Driven by her sister's mysterious death, a woman's life transforms into a struggle for understanding and justice, as the truth remains elusive. Today’s episode featured Jana Guyewski-Lautigar. If you’d like to reach out to Jana, please email her at jglautigar@gmail.com.  You can find Jana and her sister’s cause on social media: Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram @JusticeforCrystalMcCroryJones. Jana’s Instagram @jana_marie_1989 Jana has written a book that is waiting to be published titled ""Justice Denied- A Sister's Fight for Justice- The True Story of Crystal McCrory Jones"".  Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli Content/Trigger Warnings: divorce, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, suicide, homicide, guns, death by gun, violence, blood, death, cremation, mental illness, explicit language Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com Website for Sara Marinelli: saramarinelli.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.  Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez Music Bed: Cylinder Four 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 and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter [https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter] Listen to exclusive episodes of This is Actually Happening ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/this-is-actually-happening/ [http://wondery.com/links/this-is-actually-happening/] now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

A man’s elective amputation sets him free to be the adventurer he’s always wanted to be, but the trip of a lifetime to the Canadian Arctic profoundly tests the limits of his new body. Today’s episode featured Stephen Evans. If you’d like to reach out to Stephen, you can email him at gotevans@gmail.com.  You can also find him on social media: Instagram: @stephenandevans & @peglegstudio  Facebook: Stephen Evans Find out more about what Stephen makes at www.peglegstudio.com.  Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Forrest Chiras  Content/Trigger Warnings: divorce, bodily injury, amputation, elective amputation, chronic pain, descriptions of pain, extreme weather, hypothermia, suffering, explicit language Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening Twitter: @TIAHPodcast Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com Contacts for Forrest Chiras: On Instagram & Spotify @Stegoforrest Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.  Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com Intro Music: ""Illabye"" – Tipper Music Bed: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez 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 and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988  National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter [https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter] Listen to exclusive episodes of This is Actually Happening ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/this-is-actually-happening/ [http://wondery.com/links/this-is-actually-happening/] now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Lamont Jones leaves Dauphin County Prison for the last time, a free man ready to move on with his life. But when his young cousin dies in that same jail, he learns that this is not the only mysterious death that has plagued Dauphin County Prison. The search for the truth will put him at odds with a reality TV show coroner who claims to speak for the dead and people in power who all have something to hide.  Listen to Death County, PA: Wondery.fm/DCPA_FD [http://wondery.fm/DCPA_FD] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].