What I survived
Jack Laurence
<p><strong>What I Survived</strong> explores the extraordinary true stories of people who survived the unthinkable. Each story takes you back to who these people were <em>before</em> 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.</p><br><p>Through first-hand accounts, we follow the ordeal as it happened, the decisions made under unimaginable pressure, and the will it took to survive.</p><br><p>Then what came after, the physical and psychological recovery, and the process of rebuilding a life forever altered.</p><br><p><strong>From the creator of award winning shows One Minute Remaining, Wanted and more. </strong></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Rank History (30 days)
Recent Episodes
20 episodes462 Days: Kidnapped in Somalia P2
In August 2008, Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan travelled to Somalia on assignment. It would be the last decision he made as a free man for nearly a year and a half.Within days of arriving, Nigel and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout were ambushed on the outskirts of Mogadishu and taken captive by members of a militant group. What followed was 462 days of unimaginable physical and psychological torment, starvation, isolation, beatings, and a desperate will to survive in conditions that would break most people within weeks.But this is not just a story about captivity. It is a story about what happens to a human being when everything is stripped away. The fear, the negotiation, the impossible decisions made by families on the other side of the world trying to bring their loved ones home. The moments of dark humour and unexpected humanity in the most inhuman of circumstances. And the daring escape attempt that changed everything.Then there is the question that haunts every survivor, who do you become on the other side? How do you rebuild a life, a sense of self, a relationship with the world, after 462 days in hell?In this series Jack Laurence sits down with Nigel Brennan for an extraordinarily candid conversation spanning the months before the kidnapping, the ordeal itself, and the long and difficult road to recovery. It is one of the most remarkable survival stories ever told.Image Credit: Nigel BrennanNigels book is avaliable here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
462 Days: Kidnapped in Somalia P1
In August 2008, Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan travelled to Somalia on assignment. It would be the last decision he made as a free man for nearly a year and a half.Within days of arriving, Nigel and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout were ambushed on the outskirts of Mogadishu and taken captive by members of a militant group. What followed was 462 days of unimaginable physical and psychological torment, starvation, isolation, beatings, and a desperate will to survive in conditions that would break most people within weeks.But this is not just a story about captivity. It is a story about what happens to a human being when everything is stripped away. The fear, the negotiation, the impossible decisions made by families on the other side of the world trying to bring their loved ones home. The moments of dark humour and unexpected humanity in the most inhuman of circumstances. And the daring escape attempt that changed everything.Then there is the question that haunts every survivor, who do you become on the other side? How do you rebuild a life, a sense of self, a relationship with the world, after 462 days in hell?In this series Jack Laurence sits down with Nigel Brennan for an extraordinarily candid conversation spanning the months before the kidnapping, the ordeal itself, and the long and difficult road to recovery. It is one of the most remarkable survival stories ever told.Nigels book is avaliable here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What I Survived - Season 2
Season 2 is coming.382,000 of you found What I Survived in its first 46 days. We are just getting started.What I Survived Season 2. May 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Running from Spies MI5 - P2
Born in 1968, the daughter of a former pilot who became a Gurnsey newspaper editor, Annie won a scholarship to a private school and would go on to study at Britain's elite Cambridge University.In 1990, Annie sat a Foreign Office examination in hopes of becoming a diplomat but instead would receive a rather obscure letter suggesting there might be other careers that would suit her better and that was the start of her recruitment into the infamous MI5, Britain's secret service. She was posted to their counter-subversion department, officially known as 'F2' and almost from day 1 found herself uncomfortable with what was happening behind the scenes. In 1996, she resigned from MI5 in order to help her then partner and MI5 officer David Shayler reveal a series of alleged crimes committed by the agency.In doing so they had broken the official secrets act, a crime punishable by imprisonment, David and Annie we're now Wanted and being hunted by their former employer.You can get a copy of Annie's book here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Running from Spies MI5 - P1
Born in 1968, the daughter of a former pilot who became a Gurnsey newspaper editor, Annie won a scholarship to a private school and would go on to study at Britain's elite Cambridge University.In 1990, Annie sat a Foreign Office examination in hopes of becoming a diplomat but instead would receive a rather obscure letter suggesting there might be other careers that would suit her better and that was the start of her recruitment into the infamous MI5, Britain's secret service. She was posted to their counter-subversion department, officially known as 'F2' and almost from day 1 found herself uncomfortable with what was happening behind the scenes. In 1996, she resigned from MI5 in order to help her then partner and MI5 officer David Shayler reveal a series of alleged crimes committed by the agency.In doing so they had broken the official secrets act, a crime punishable by imprisonment, David and Annie we're now Wanted and being hunted by their former employer.You can get a copy of Annie's book here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Escaping Thailands Death row - David McMillan p3
David McMillan has lead a life that is almost unbelievable, its like something out of a Hollywood crime thriller.Born in the UK to Australian parents David would travel back and forth between the two countries a few times until at the age of 10 his parents divorced and he, his sister and mother made the permanent move to Melbourne.David was always different as a kid, he was expelled from school for trying to make a batch of LSD, a sign of things to come?At eighteen David got a job at the city cinema and by chance would meet some retired safe crackers, safe crackers who were looking to invest their money in the drug business. With no one that could source it for them David jumped in head first and thus changing the course of his entire life.David made millions of dollars, before an Australian task force swooped and he would spend 10 years in maximum security prison in Victoria. Once he was out he decided he was done with Australia and left for the UK, with a stop off in Thailand, a decision that would see him arrested again and facing the death penalty.Just two weeks before he was to be killed by firing squad David did something that no western has ever achieved, he escaped. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Escaping Thailands Death row - David McMillan p2
David McMillan has lead a life that is almost unbelievable, its like something out of a Hollywood crime thriller.Born in the UK to Australian parents David would travel back and forth between the two countries a few times until at the age of 10 his parents divorced and he, his sister and mother made the permanent move to Melbourne.David was always different as a kid, he was expelled from school for trying to make a batch of LSD, a sign of things to come?At eighteen David got a job at the city cinema and by chance would meet some retired safe crackers, safe crackers who were looking to invest their money in the drug business. With no one that could source it for them David jumped in head first and thus changing the course of his entire life.David made millions of dollars, before an Australian task force swooped and he would spend 10 years in maximum security prison in Victoria. Once he was out he decided he was done with Australia and left for the UK, with a stop off in Thailand, a decision that would see him arrested again and facing the death penalty.Just two weeks before he was to be killed by firing squad David did something that no western has ever achieved, he escaped.Get a copy of David's book here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Escaping Thailands Death row - David McMillan p1
David McMillan has lead a life that is almost unbelievable, its like something out of a Hollywood crime thriller.Born in the UK to Australian parents David would travel back and forth between the two countries a few times until at the age of 10 his parents divorced and he, his sister and mother made the permanent move to Melbourne.David was always different as a kid, he was expelled from school for trying to make a batch of LSD, a sign of things to come?At eighteen David got a job at the city cinema and by chance would meet some retired safe crackers, safe crackers who were looking to invest their money in the drug business. With no one that could source it for them David jumped in head first and thus changing the course of his entire life.David made millions of dollars, before an Australian task force swooped and he would spend 10 years in maximum security prison in Victoria. Once he was out he decided he was done with Australia and left for the UK, with a stop off in Thailand, a decision that would see him arrested again and facing the death penalty.Just two weeks before he was to be killed by firing squad David did something that no western has ever achieved, he escaped.Get a copy of David's book here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
North Korean Crypto scam? P2
Christopher Douglas Emms is wanted for allegedly conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Specifically, conspiring to violate United States sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“DPRK” or “North Korea”) by working with an American citizen to illegally provide cryptocurrency and blockchain technology services to the DP, Its quite the mouthful.Chris is a British citizen who, due to his status of being Wanted, now calls Moscow home. He and I spoke via Zoom about the charges brough against and just how on earth he came to be accused of helping North Korea avoid global sanctions. He says this is a situation that has been completely blown out of proportion.None the less he has had his entire life turned upside down over the last few years, not only can he not return home to the UK for fear of extradition to the United States but he also had all of his UK accounts frozen and has never been able to recoup his money.This is the story of Christopher Emms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
North Korean Crypto scam? P1
Christopher Douglas Emms is wanted for allegedly conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Specifically, conspiring to violate United States sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“DPRK” or “North Korea”) by working with an American citizen to illegally provide cryptocurrency and blockchain technology services to the DP, Its quite the mouthful.Chris is a British citizen who, due to his status of being Wanted, now calls Moscow home. He and I spoke via Zoom about the charges brough against and just how on earth he came to be accused of helping North Korea avoid global sanctions. He says this is a situation that has been completely blown out of proportion.None the less he has had his entire life turned upside down over the last few years, not only can he not return home to the UK for fear of extradition to the United States but he also had all of his UK accounts frozen and has never been able to recoup his money.This is the story of Christopher Emms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wild Bill - The Cartel Hitman - P4
Once one of America's most wanted men, Wild Bill, as he's been called by authorities, was arrested as he attempted to make his way into Nicaragua via Costa Rica on July 26, 2010.Bill was accused of the murders of 5 people, murders that he would later confess to. Bill says he worked in Panama as a gun for hire, a hitman, for a cartel of sorts. He says he was driven by greed and a severe lack of any morals.Bill says he's not the man he once was, he does not speak of the murders that he has committed or even so much as mention their names, he says he is haunted by his crimes and he focuses on doing good in the world in which he now finds himself.Once arrested and convicted he was sentenced to over 40 years inside a Panamanian prison where he remains today. While incarcerated Bill has become the prisons Chaplin and holds regular services for the other incarcerated men. He's also written a book about his experiences inside one of the worlds worst and most violent prisons, the link to which is below. Not only has he written a book but he also does a daily audio diary which he posts on youtube and has a Facebook page 'Friends of Brother Bill' that he uses to stay in touch with people on the outside.But how did Bill become a killer, what happened in his life that would send him down this path? Bill tells me his story from his prison cell in Panama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wild Bill - The Cartel Hitman - P3
Once one of America's most wanted men, Wild Bill, as he's been called by authorities, was arrested as he attempted to make his way into Nicaragua via Costa Rica on July 26, 2010.Bill was accused of the murders of 5 people, murders that he would later confess to. Bill says he worked in Panama as a gun for hire, a hitman, for a cartel of sorts. He says he was driven by greed and a severe lack of any morals.Bill says he's not the man he once was, he does not speak of the murders that he has committed or even so much as mention their names, he says he is haunted by his crimes and he focuses on doing good in the world in which he now finds himself.Once arrested and convicted he was sentenced to over 40 years inside a Panamanian prison where he remains today. While incarcerated Bill has become the prisons Chaplin and holds regular services for the other incarcerated men. He's also written a book about his experiences inside one of the worlds worst and most violent prisons, the link to which is below. Not only has he written a book but he also does a daily audio diary which he posts on youtube and has a Facebook page 'Friends of Brother Bill' that he uses to stay in touch with people on the outside.But how did Bill become a killer, what happened in his life that would send him down this path? Bill tells me his story from his prison cell in Panama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wild Bill - The Cartel Hitman - P2
Once one of America's most wanted men, Wild Bill, as he's been called by authorities, was arrested as he attempted to make his way into Nicaragua via Costa Rica on July 26, 2010.Bill was accused of the murders of 5 people, murders that he would later confess to. Bill says he worked in Panama as a gun for hire, a hitman, for a cartel of sorts. He says he was driven by greed and a severe lack of any morals.Bill says he's not the man he once was, he does not speak of the murders that he has committed or even so much as mention their names, he says he is haunted by his crimes and he focuses on doing good in the world in which he now finds himself.Once arrested and convicted he was sentenced to over 40 years inside a Panamanian prison where he remains today. While incarcerated Bill has become the prisons Chaplin and holds regular services for the other incarcerated men. He's also written a book about his experiences inside one of the worlds worst and most violent prisons, the link to which is below. Not only has he written a book but he also does a daily audio diary which he posts on youtube and has a Facebook page 'Friends of Brother Bill' that he uses to stay in touch with people on the outside.But how did Bill become a killer, what happened in his life that would send him down this path? Bill tells me his story from his prison cell in Panama.Bills Bookhttps://www.amazon.com.au/Long-Live-King-Wild-Bill-ebook/dp/B09P8WNZXPLife inside Hellhttps://www.youtube.com/@lifeinsidehell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wild Bill - The Cartel Hitman - P1
Once one of America's most wanted men, Wild Bill, as he's been called by authorities, was arrested as he attempted to make his way into Nicaragua via Costa Rica on July 26, 2010.Bill was accused of the murders of 5 people, murders that he would later confess to. Bill says he worked in Panama as a gun for hire, a hitman, for a cartel of sorts. He says he was driven by greed and a severe lack of any morals.Bill says he's not the man he once was, he does not speak of the murders that he has committed or even so much as mention their names, he says he is haunted by his crimes and he focuses on doing good in the world in which he now finds himself.Once arrested and convicted he was sentenced to over 40 years inside a Panamanian prison where he remains today. While incarcerated Bill has become the prisons Chaplin and holds regular services for the other incarcerated men. He's also written a book about his experiences inside one of the worlds worst and most violent prisons, the link to which is below. Not only has he written a book but he also does a daily audio diary which he posts on youtube and has a Facebook page 'Friends of Brother Bill' that he uses to stay in touch with people on the outside.But how did Bill become a killer, what happened in his life that would send him down this path? Bill tells me his story from his prison cell in Panama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The tiktok Fugitive Part 3
This is part three of the TikTok fugitive.I was alerted to Chad's story when I was tagged in his TikTok, the TikTok fugitive. I was intrigued by his story and just had to know more, so after getting InTouch we arranged to sit down for an interview.Chad is a former high level Microsoft employee and a WANTED man, wanted by the FBI for apparent international kidnapping. He's accused of kidnapping his son and taking him overseas, this was a custody battle like no other. Chad and his former wife separated in early 2000's and so began a lengthy and strained legal battle that would go on for years, until eventually things would take an incredible turn. So out of control would it become that in 2009 Chad would be arrested in Bulgaria by agents acting on an Interpol red noticed sparked by the FBI and placed in a Bulgarian prison where he would have to fight against a US extradition order.Millions of dollars and countless government resources would be put into trying to get Chad back in to the Us, three failed extraditions and an apparent kidnap attempt but why?Chad's son, now 27, has always said he was never kidnapped, in fact he's been on many TV shows, as an adult to explain as much, yet Chad is STILL wanted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The tiktok Fugitive Part 2
This is part two of the TikTok fugitive.I was alerted to Chad's story when I was tagged in his TikTok, the TikTok fugitive. I was intrigued by his story and just had to know more, so after getting InTouch we arranged to sit down for an interview.Chad is a former high level Microsoft employee and a WANTED man, wanted by the FBI for apparent international kidnapping. He's accused of kidnapping his son and taking him overseas, this was a custody battle like no other. Chad and his former wife separated in early 2000's and so began a lengthy and strained legal battle that would go on for years, until eventually things would take an incredible turn. So out of control would it become that in 2009 Chad would be arrested in Bulgaria by agents acting on an Interpol red noticed sparked by the FBI and placed in a Bulgarian prison where he would have to fight against a US extradition order.Millions of dollars and countless government resources would be put into trying to get Chad back in to the Us, three failed extraditions and an apparent kidnap attempt but why?Chad's son, now 27, has always said he was never kidnapped, in fact he's been on many TV shows, as an adult to explain as much, yet Chad is STILL wanted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The tiktok Fugitive Part 1
First of all, thank you so much for the incredible support of the new series What I Survived. I'm currently working hard on Season 2 with some incredible survival stories on the way.For those of you who are new to my work, I thought I'd introduce you to another series I created a few years ago. 'Wanted' tells the stories of men and women who are, or who have been, wanted by authorities. From international kidnapping and FBI and Interpol watch lists, to cartel hitmen, MI5 and even a prison escape.Welcome to wanted!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is part one of the TikTok fugitive.I was alerted to Chad's story when I was tagged in his TikTok, the TikTok fugitive. I was intrigued by his story and just had to know more, so after getting InTouch we arranged to sit down for an interview.Chad is a former high level Microsoft employee and a WANTED man, wanted by the FBI for apparent international kidnapping. He's accused of kidnapping his son and taking him overseas, this was a custody battle like no other. Chad and his former wife separated in early 2000's and so began a lengthy and strained legal battle that would go on for years, until eventually things would take an incredible turn. So out of control would it become that in 2009 Chad would be arrested in Bulgaria by agents acting on an Interpol red noticed sparked by the FBI and placed in a Bulgarian prison where he would have to fight against a US extradition order.Millions of dollars and countless government resources would be put into trying to get Chad back in to the Us, three failed extraditions and an apparent kidnap attempt but why?Chad's son, now 27, has always said he was never kidnapped, in fact he's been on many TV shows, as an adult to explain as much, yet Chad is STILL wanted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sean Langan: Kidnapped by the Taliban | P4: The Release
"Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."After 12 weeks in Taliban captivity, Sean Langan had learned to manage hope. Ransom negotiations were happening—somewhere, with someone—but he had no control over them. Every day brought the possibility of release. Every day also brought the possibility of execution.This is the final chapter of Sean Langan's survival story: the chaotic last weeks of captivity when negotiations intensified, the psychological toll of not knowing how or when it would end, and the moment he was finally released after three months as a hostage of the Haqqani Network.But survival doesn't end when you walk free. We explore what happened after: the PTSD, the struggle to reintegrate into normal life, the haunting memories that don't fade. And remarkably, Sean's decision to return to war zones—this time covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Why would someone who survived Taliban captivity go back to conflict? What does captivity teach you about yourself? And can you ever truly leave it behind? Sean Langan answers all of this. From his darkest days in a Taliban prison to the frontlines of Ukraine, this is the complete story of what he survived—and what it cost him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sean Langan: Kidnapped by the Taliban | P3 Surviving Captivity
”Sean were dead!”Sean Langan and his fixer are no longer documentary subjects gathering footage. They're captives. Accused of espionage. Held by the Haqqani Network in Pakistan's tribal regions with no guarantee they'll make it out alive.This is where survival becomes psychological warfare. How do you prove you're not a spy when your captors are already convinced you are? How do you stay sane when every day could be your last? How do you create routine, find humanity, and hold onto hope in a situation designed to break you?In this episode, Sean describes what captivity does to the brain—how the prefrontal cortex shuts down, how your mind floods with random survival information, how you cling to small rituals just to maintain a sense of control. And most critically, how he learned to bond with the family his captors placed him with—the strange, complicated relationships that form when your survival depends on your ability to connect with the people holding you prisoner.This is the neuroscience of captivity. The psychology of hope. The brutal reality of spending weeks in the hands of terrorists, never knowing if the next knock on the door is freedom or execution.This is Part 3 of Sean Langan's survival story: how he endured. How he adapted. How he stayed alive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sean Langan: Kidnapped by the Taliban | P2: The Capture
He Went Back to Meet the Taliban. This Time, He Wouldn't Leave.It's 2008. The War on Terror is in full swing. Pakistan's tribal regions—the lawless frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan—have become one of the most dangerous places on earth for Westerners. And Sean Langan is heading straight into them.He'd met the Taliban before, years earlier, and walked away. But this time was different. Post-9/11, the stakes were higher. The risks were greater. And the Haqqani Network—one of the most sophisticated and deadly terrorist organizations in the region—was operating with impunity in the very areas Sean wanted to film.This episode chronicles Sean's return to northern Pakistan and the tribal areas along the Afghanistan border. We follow his journey as he arranges meetings with Taliban contacts, gets picked up by his fixer, and begins to notice something is off. The atmosphere is different. The questions are more pointed. The looks are harder.He doesn't realize it yet, but he's already being assessed. Already being watched. Already in the initial stages of his kidnapping.This is Part 2: the moments before everything falls apart. When a documentary filmmaker walks knowingly into danger—and the door closes behind him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.