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What I survived: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Jack Laurence
What I Survived explores the extraordinary true stories of people who survived the unthinkable. Each story takes you back to who these people were before everything changed, then inside the moment their lives were pushed to the edge, shipwrecked at sea for weeks, held captive by terrorists, falling 15,000 feet from a plane after a parachute failure, and other extreme, life-or-death situations.Through first-hand accounts, we follow the ordeal as it happened, the decisions made under unimaginable pressure, and the will it took to survive.Then what came after, the physical and psychological recovery, and the process of rebuilding a life forever altered.From the creator of award winning shows One Minute Remaining, Wanted and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 days agonarrative46 min5-min read
Hollys Hell P2
Holly Deane-Johns' harrowing account of her seven-and-a-half-year imprisonment in Thailand’s La Diao Women’s Prison—known as the 'Bangkok Hilton'—reveals the brutal realities of foreign incarceration, systemic overcrowding, and the psychological toll of long-term confinement. Despite facing a potential death sentence for drug trafficking, she survived through resilience, self-reinvention, and a transformative post-release journey that led her to work within the justice system she once endured.
- 3 days agonarrative32 min5-min read
Hollys Hell P1
This episode tells the harrowing true story of Holly Deane-Johns, a woman whose life spiraled from a chaotic childhood into heroin addiction, international drug trafficking, and an 18-year prison sentence — all framed by the unbreakable criminal code of silence. Her journey reveals how trauma, family dysfunction, and addiction can converge to push someone into a life of crime, even when they know the stakes.
- 1 weeks agonarrative36 min6-min read
The Night Mumbai Burned - Will Pike p3
Will Pike's survival of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks—and a 50-foot fall while escaping—left him permanently paralyzed, launching a harrowing journey of physical and emotional recovery, systemic neglect, and eventual advocacy that reshaped UK policy for victims of overseas terrorism. His story is a powerful testament to resilience, the cost of bureaucratic indifference, and the transformative potential of lived experience in driving social change.
- 2 weeks agonarrative30 min4-min read
The Night Mumbai Burned - Will Pike p2
This episode recounts the harrowing real-life survival story of Will Pike during the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where Hollywood-inspired survival instincts clashed with brutal reality. Unlike fictional heroes, Pike faced chaos, fire, and a near-fatal fall with no script to follow — only raw human resilience and sheer luck.
- 2 weeks agonarrative29 min4-min read
The Night Mumbai Burned - Will Pike p1
This episode tells the harrowing story of Will Pike, a man whose life was irrevocably altered during the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. What begins as a carefree holiday becomes a life-or-death ordeal that strips him of his physical autonomy and forces a profound reckoning with disability, privilege, and the fragility of ordinary life.
- 3 weeks agonarrative39 min5-min read
Becoming Mr James: Undercover Inside North Korea P2
This episode tells the astonishing true story of Jim Latrache, a former cocaine dealer and ex-convict, who infiltrated North Korea under the guise of a billionaire investor to expose the regime’s illicit arms and drug trade, alongside a retired chef turned undercover operative, all orchestrated by Danish filmmaker Mads Brügger. What unfolds is a high-stakes, real-life espionage thriller that defies belief, revealing how two untrained civilians outmaneuvered one of the world’s most repressive regimes.
- 3 weeks agonarrative32 min5-min read
Becoming Mr James: Undercover Inside North Korea
This episode profiles Jim Latrache, a Danish man whose life reads like a thriller: from a troubled youth and time in the French Foreign Legion, to cocaine trafficking and prison, culminating in an undercover mission to North Korea as a fake arms dealer. The story lands not just for its audacity, but for its raw exploration of fear, institutionalization, and the systems that fail to rehabilitate.
- May 5, 2026narrative31 min4-min read
On Fire: The Jamie Hull Story p2
Jamie Hull survived jumping from a burning aircraft, enduring catastrophic injuries including 63% third- and fourth-degree burns, multiple fractures, and internal damage. His survival hinged not only on physical endurance but on a profound mental transformation, turning trauma into purpose through resilience and determination.
About What I survived
What I Survived explores the extraordinary true stories of people who survived the unthinkable. Each story takes you back to who these people were before everything changed, then inside the moment their lives were pushed to the edge, shipwrecked at sea for weeks, held captive by terrorists, falling 15,000 feet from a plane after a parachute failure, and other extreme, life-or-death situations.Through first-hand accounts, we follow the ordeal as it happened, the decisions made under unimaginable pressure, and the will it took to survive.Then what came after, the physical and psychological recovery, and the process of rebuilding a life forever altered.From the creator of award winning shows One Minute Remaining, Wanted and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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