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What I survived: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Jack Laurence
What I Survived is a true survival podcast featuring extraordinary first-hand stories from people who survived kidnapping, hostage situations, disasters, accidents and other extreme life-or-death ordeals. 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 extraordinary fights for survival. Through intimate first-hand accounts, we follow the ordeal as it happened, the decisions made under unimaginable pressure, and the resilience and will it took to survive. Then we explore what came after — the physical and psychological recovery, the impact of trauma, and the process of rebuilding a life forever altered. What I Survived is hosted by Australian podcaster Jack Laurence, creator of the award-winning podcasts One Minute Remaining, Wanted and more.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 days agonarrative37 min5-min read
Zoya Phan: Refugee Camps, Exile and a Hit List (Part 2)
This episode tells the harrowing and inspiring story of Zoya Phan, a Karen human rights activist who survived multiple military attacks, displacement, and assassination attempts while growing up in war-torn Burma, ultimately becoming a powerful voice for her people in exile. Her journey from jungle survival to international advocacy underscores the enduring trauma of forced displacement and the resilience required to transform pain into purpose.
- 1 weeks agonarrative30 min5-min read
Zoya Phan: Surviving Ethnic Cleansing in Burma (Part 1)
The episode introduces Zoya Phan, a Karen woman who survived repeated attacks on her village in Burma by the military, and traces the roots of the country’s ethnic conflict back to colonialism and the broken promise of 'never again' after the Holocaust. It reveals how the world’s longest-running civil war has been largely ignored despite decades of violence.
- 2 weeks agonarrative46 min6-min read
Rob Langdon: Seven Years in an Afghan Prison P2
This episode of What I Survived tells the harrowing true story of Rob Langdon, an Australian former soldier and private security contractor who killed an Afghan colleague in self-defense during a high-stakes convoy operation in Afghanistan, only to be imprisoned for seven years under a death sentence that was later commuted. The episode explores the brutal realities of war-zone logistics, corruption, and survival in one of the world’s most notorious prisons.
- 3 weeks agonarrative31 min5-min read
Rob Langdon: Sentenced to Death in Afghanistan P1
Rob Langdon, a former Australian soldier and private contractor, recounts his harrowing seven-year ordeal in Afghanistan after being sentenced to death for killing an Afghan colleague in self-defense. His story exposes the moral ambiguity, cultural complexities, and institutional failures embedded in modern conflict zones.
- Sep 29, 2026narrative34 min6-min read
Benedict Allen: Becoming a Crocodile Man P3
Benedict Allen, a seasoned explorer, reflects on his near-death experiences and psychological motivations for repeatedly risking his life in extreme environments, culminating in a profound journey of self-understanding through ritual, survival, and connection with indigenous cultures. His story is not just about physical endurance but about confronting inner demons forged in isolation and trauma.
- Sep 22, 2026narrative29 min5-min read
Benedict Allen: He Ate His Dog to Survive P2
This episode of What I Survived recounts explorer Benedict Allen’s harrowing first expedition in the Amazon, where after losing all supplies and his dog, he faced starvation, cerebral malaria, and the agonizing decision to kill his dog for survival. The story is a visceral exploration of human fragility, moral collapse under duress, and the mind’s power to sustain life through imagination.
- Sep 15, 202631 min
Benedict Allen: Lost and Dying in the Amazon | Lost in the Amazon P1
At just 22 years old, British explorer Benedict Allen set out to travel 600 miles through the remote northeast Amazon. It was supposed to be an expedition. Instead, it became a fight for survival.Gold miners hunted him. His canoe capsized, swallowing his supplies. Malaria burned through his body — two types of it, including one that could kill him in 24 hours. Starving, feverish and alone, Benedict made a choice that would haunt him for decades.He eventually walked out of the jungle. But something inside him forced him to confront his near-death experience and a question he needed to answer: why had he lived?So he went back. Not to the Amazon, not yet, but to Papua New Guinea. There, he immersed himself in a culture that still held ancient rituals of manhood and underwent a secret ceremony alongside young tribal initiates — to be cut, scarred and beaten, and to try to understand what it meant to survive, to be tested and to be transformed.This is the story of a young man running towards the very thing that nearly killed him. Of unfinished business in the jungle. Of the price of seeking answers that only survival can provide.And of a man who has nearly died nine times.This is Part 1 of Benedict Allen's story on What I Survived. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Sep 8, 2026narrative40 min6-min read
Undercover in The Real Soprannos P4
This episode of What I Survived tells the harrowing true story of Giovanni Rocco, an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the highest levels of the American mafia, becoming so trusted he was tasked with carrying out a murder—only to have his entire life dismantled the moment his cover was blown. His journey reveals the psychological toll of living a double life and the irreversible trauma of leaving it behind.
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About What I survived
What I Survived is a true survival podcast featuring extraordinary first-hand stories from people who survived kidnapping, hostage situations, disasters, accidents and other extreme life-or-death ordeals. 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 extraordinary fights for survival. Through intimate first-hand accounts, we follow the ordeal as it happened, the decisions made under unimaginable pressure, and the resilience and will it took to survive. Then we explore what came after — the physical and psychological recovery, the impact of trauma, and the process of rebuilding a life forever altered. What I Survived is hosted by Australian podcaster Jack Laurence, creator of the award-winning podcasts One Minute Remaining, Wanted and more.
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What I survived covers topics including PTSD, Torture and imprisonment, Trauma and survival, Undercover operations. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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