Stories from a Stranger

Hunter talks to three strangers who had moments in their youth that changed the shape of their lives going forwards. Even though they’re adults now, they still feel their young selves inside. 

Meet this weeks strangers:

- Mia shares how being called “weird” and told she couldn’t sing deeply hurt her as a child, especially as a quirky, ADHD kid who once went to school dressed as a clown. She describes a traumatic recess incident where popular kids staged a fake breakup to humiliate her, chasing her and throwing papers, which shattered her sense of safety but later fueled her compassion and artistic philosophy of creating non‑judgmental, welcoming spaces. She talks about processing these memories through EMDR therapy, learning that childhood experiences lodge in the body and that working through them can be painful but ultimately liberating. Mia reflects on how bullying made her abandon her authentic, “weird” self to fit in as a teen, leading to a sense of “lost time” and a long journey back to self‑trust and self‑expression. 

- Jon recalls being a disruptive class clown in ninth grade and having a teacher physically slam him against a wall and call him a “loser” who would “never amount to be anything,” a moment whose full hurt surfaced only later. Johnny also describes a long, hostile relationship with a principal from junior high through high school, and how decades later that principal followed him on Facebook, praised his art, and moved Johnny to tears, feeling freed from the old “prison‑like” school dynamic. Asked about his greatest love, Johnny says it is the creative process itself, which sustains him spiritually and emotionally, serves as meditation and escape, and has been more enduring than his past marriage or romantic relationships. Reflecting on those educators, Johnny says he would now apologize to the teacher he tormented, acknowledging he disrupted what might have been the teacher’s passion and that the teacher had reason to try to stop the source of his pain. 

- Amit still thinks often about her fourth‑grade English teacher who taught her after she immigrated from Israel to the United States in 2008 without knowing English. Thrown into public school with almost no English beyond “yes” and “no,” she initially communicated with peers through sounds, he took her under his wing, teaching her one‑on‑one during and after school, and even weekly at the library over the summer, so that by fifth grade she could speak English fluently, if imperfectly. Amit describes how his care made her feel loved and seen, stabilizing an otherwise frightening and destabilizing childhood immigration experience where she initially felt unsafe and unable to express herself. Now a teacher and tutor herself, Amit hasn’t yet reconnected with her former teacher, but wants to tell him she’s doing the same work he did—teaching kids to read, write, and speak English—and that she thinks of him almost every time she teaches. 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Why our teenage years still shape us

00:04:17 Mia shares a devastating high school prank 

00:08:12 Reclaiming lost time and your true identity

00:12:14 Learning to hold compassion for the bully

00:14:54 Why every stranger has a story to tell

00:17:13 Jon and overcoming the loser label

00:21:00 Finding closure with a past principal on social media

00:24:44 The creative process as a spiritual bride

00:28:42 Turning the right pain into artistic success

00:32:42 Amit and finding a voice after immigrating

00:37:45 The teacher who became her greatest cheerleader

00:43:03 Why adult words become a child's inner voice

Topics:

Healing through EMDR therapy

Impact of childhood bullying

Reclaiming your inner child

Overcoming the teenage labels

Art as a spiritual meditation

Reconciling with past enemies

Immigrating without English

The power of patient mentors

Changing your inner narrative

Why adult words stick forever

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Hunter talks to three people who were raised by parents suffering from addiction, and how that changed them.

Meet this episode’s strangers:

-Troy was raised from age two to seventeen by his stepdad, who is an ex-NFL player. Troy looked up to him, but as his stepdad’s alcoholism spiraled out of control, he drifted out of Troy’s life. Troy describes watching him slide into depression and isolation, and the heartbreak he felt discovering that his “superhero” stepdad was deeply flawed. Despite long absences, Troy continues to reach out to his stepfather and hopes one day he will find the help he needs.

-Taylor’s father fell into drug addiction when she was 10 years old. The addiction changed him drastically. He became abusive and struggled to maintain a job and home, forcing the family to become unhoused. She describes celebrating her 16th birthday living in a shelter. Now, as an adult, Taylor is working to heal her relationships with her mother and her father, who has found sobriety.

-Jeffery describes growing up with a mother who became addicted to opioids. Even after repeatedly confronting her about her addiction, she continued to use. He describes living in fear that she would die, and the anticipatory grief he felt. Sadly his fears were realized when she passed away from an overdose. Even through all the pain, Jeffery recognizes that his traumatic experience shaped him into the man he is today.

Chapters:

00:00:00 The impact of addiction on children

00:03:30 Troy - witnessing my dad's alcoholism and depression

00:07:15 Learning lessons from a parent's mistakes

00:11:00 Overcoming self-sabotage and finding peace

00:14:45 Taylor - Growing up in an unstable home environment

00:18:30 Navigating teenage homelessness and hardship

00:22:15 Breaking generational cycles of family trauma

00:26:00 Rebuilding self-worth and emotional stability

00:29:45 Jeffrey - Coping with my mother's death and complex grief

00:33:30 Healing from emotional neglect and abandonment

00:37:15 Processing the slow loss of an addicted parent

00:41:00 Choosing forgiveness and reparenting yourself

Topics: 

Growing up with parental addiction

Overcoming childhood trauma & grief

Breaking generational toxic cycles

Reparenting your inner child safety

Navigating parent alcoholism & drugs

Moving past self sabotage to peace

Coping with parental abandonment

Healing emotional unpredictability

Overcoming teen homelessness strain

Choosing forgiveness & self grace

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Hunter interviews three individuals who were sent reeling after the losses of their fathers. 

Meet this episode’s strangers:

-Koi’s describes her father as “the perfect person”. Tragically he was taken one day in a freak hit and run accident while riding his bicycle through Los Angeles. She recounts finding out about his death and the emotional toll it took on her. While she initially turned to substances to cope with his loss, she has since found religion and has pulled herself back onto her feet.

-Brittany’s father died of a heart attack. She describes the moment she felt his spirit leave this Earth. She wishes that she could still call her father everyday and share her life’s milestones with him, but after a period of darkness she realized that she can still speak with him anywhere and anytime. 

-Vanessa grew up without knowing who her father was. As an adult she did some internet sleuthing and found him in Mexico. Reconnecting with her father was a wonderful experience that they both appreciated. Sadly, after three years, he passed away, but she still cherishes the short amount of time they had together. 

Chapters:

00:00:12 Saying goodbye to your father

00:01:20 Koi: my father was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident

00:04:02 Why the stages of grief are a myth

00:07:23 Receiving the news "He's gone. It's final."

00:11:31 Brandon’s legacy: perfect memories and LA hidden gems

00:15:15 Finding faith and resilience after tragedy

00:18:08 A daughter’s final letter: "I get it now"

00:20:15 Angel Brittany: the hardest call of my life

00:22:46 Learning how to talk to your dad when you can’t call 

00:28:18 Vanessa: meeting my biological father at age 40

00:33:54 Hearing "I love you" for the first time, finding self-worth

00:41:35 The bittersweet honor of picking his final funeral suit

Topics:

Coping with the loss of a father

Navigating sudden parental tragedy

Healing after an unexpected death

Meeting your biological father at 40

Turning grief and anger into peace

Caring for a sick parent near the end

Remembering a parent's legacy daily

Preparing a loved one's final funeral

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Hunter talks to three people who are living with disabilities, and how it’s effected them.

Meet this episode's strangers:

-Gabriella was diagnosed with profound hearing loss when she was a baby. She received cochlear implants, and after attending a preschool for the deaf, she transitioned to “mainstream” schools where most people didn’t realize she was deaf. To this day, she takes her implants off when she wants to feel grounded and at peace. Now, as an adult, she wouldn’t choose to be any other way.

-Anthony was extremely offended when RFK Jr. made hurtful remarks towards people with autism. Anthony was diagnosed with autism at age three and has spent a lifetime learning to cope with it. He finds love and support from his mother, who has modeled behavior and advocated for him. Anthony emphasizes that no one can do life entirely alone, and people like his mother can help him push through challenges.

-Nathalia has visible scars on her face that made her feel like an outcast growing up. When she was young she experienced bullying and feelings of low self worth. But one day she was told by a boy she had a crush on that if it weren’t for her scars she wouldn’t be so pretty, and it changed the way she felt about herself. Today she lives a normal, fruitful life and accepts her scars as part of herself.

Learn more about Nathalia's story here 👉 https://www.instagram.com/lovingmydots

Chapters:

00:00:00 Embracing Physical and Mental Differences

00:00:52 Nathalia: My Scars are Essential to My Identity

00:07:53 Finding Love and Feeling Normal for the First Time

00:12:19 Overcoming the Trauma of School Bullying

00:15:13 Why I Refuse to Camouflage My Scars

00:19:49 Anthony: Reacting to Autism Misconceptions

00:23:41 Navigating Sensory Overload and Invisible Disabilities

00:25:41 The Life-Changing Power of a Mother’s Support

00:29:21 Why You Can't Do Anything Alone

00:33:14 Gabby: Growing Up Between the Deaf and Hearing Worlds

00:39:21 The Healing Peace of Total Silence

00:45:21 Radical Self-Acceptance: Choosing to Be Me

Topics:

Embracing physical differences

Growing up with deafness

Living with cochlear implants

Finding peace in silence

Debunking autism stereotypes

Power of maternal advocacy

Overcoming childhood bullying

Beauty beyond the scars

Rejecting societal standards

Choosing yourself every day

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Hunter interviews four powerful women about their relationships with their mothers and their experiences as mothers themselves.

Meet this episode's strangers:

- Rosabella was adopted from Ukraine by a single mother and raised in Los Angeles. Her adoptive mother located her biological mother through a private investigator. She reached out and traveled across the world to the war-torn Ukraine to meet her biological sister. She is so grateful for this experience, which gave her not one but two loving mothers.

- Michelle Obama chats with Hunter about how beautiful it has been to watch her daughters grow, and her own mother, who told her to "Come home, we'll love you here", which has always helped ground her.

- Brenda is the single mother of an autistic son. Through him, she's learned how fulfilling it is to be a mother and is doing whatever she can to make his dreams come true. She's even started a quesadilla cart in order to give him a job and make ends meet. 

- Sharron tells the story of her late mother, who was her best friend. Sharron herself is the mother of 10 children, fulfilling her lifelong dream of having lots and lots of kids. She wishes her mother were alive to see how full the family tree has gotten. 

Topics: 

- Michelle Obama's parenting advice

- The wisdom of Marian Robinson

- Finding biological roots in Ukraine

- A teen mother's path to purpose

- Raising a child with autism

- The reality of raising ten kids

- Healing from the loss of a mother

- Presence over material things

- Breaking the silence of grief

- The strength of maternal bonds

Chapters: 

00:00:00 Parenting is the Hardest Job on Earth

00:01:23 Michelle Obama on The Bond her Daughters

00:03:39 Come Home: Wisdom from Marian Robinson

00:06:57 Finding Your Voice at the Family Table

00:10:28 Advice for Anyone Scared to be a Parent

00:12:47 Rosabella: Searching for Biological Roots in Ukraine

00:19:14 The Reality of Being a Chosen Child

00:25:13 Finding Birth Parents with a Private Investigator

00:33:22 Bri on Finding Purpose through Motherhood

00:37:27 Coping with the Fear of Not Being Enough

00:43:33 Sharron on Healing from the Loss of Your Mother As A Mother

00:50:51 Raising 10 Children and 16 Grandkids

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Hunter speaks with four strangers who recount their stories of falling in love with their soulmates.

Meet this episode's strangers:

- Marylou and Arthur met in New York City in the 80s after they'd both been recently dumped. At first, it seemed like they'd never work, but they soon fell madly in love with each other. Marylou describes curling up with Arthur on his mattress on the floor as feeling like the safest place in the world. All these years later, they're still together, and their relationship is stronger than ever.

- Pinar describes feeling alienated and lonely after moving to Los Angeles from Istanbul, Turkey. She talks about how hard it currently is for immigrants moving to the United States these days, and how everything changed for her when he met her husband, who also immigrated from Turkey.

- Brenda glows as she talks about meeting her partner, whom she describes as "her greatest love". What started as a friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship 5 months ago, and being with her partner makes her feel at home. 

Chapters:

00:00:00 What finding your soulmate really feels like

00:01:11 Mary Lou and Arthur on finding home

00:02:53 The origin of a unique blind date

00:05:20 A song on the answering machine

00:09:50 First impressions and meeting with flowers

00:14:02 Falling in love in overwhelming circumstances

00:20:10 The secret to seventeen years of love

00:24:50 Brenda on emotional safety and peace

00:26:02 Upgrading from a six year friendship

00:37:13 Advice for sharing feelings with a friend

00:40:11 Pinar on moving from Istanbul to LA

00:46:23 Advice for immigrants on finding community

Topics:

- Defining true soulmate connections

- Finding safety in relationships

- Moving from friendship to romance

- Building home in a new country

- Secrets to long term marriage

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Hunter talks to three strangers who were brought to the brink of death, only to be given a second chance at life. 

Meet this episode's strangers:

- David recounts his close relationship with his mother, whom he sadly lost recently. It's a loss that is still fresh and painful. Before her passing, she had gotten him through his own catastrophic medical issue. While playing softball, David collapsed on the field, struck with a sudden cardiac arrest. Thanks to the help of a total stranger, David pulled through this harrowing event.

- Art was drafted into the Vietnam War at the age of 19. He gives a tense and emotional account of his time in the war, of the friends he lost, and what it was like to come back home and deal with the immense trauma he experienced. 

- Karan was a seemingly healthy young person when he was suddenly diagnosed with end-stage liver failure in 2019 due to an undiagnosed, rare condition. Karan tells Hunter about the life-saving last-minute transplant and the long recovery process that saved his life.

Chapters:

00:01:21 David remembers his mother Debbie and their bond

00:05:24 Navigating the rollercoaster of grief and final goodbyes

00:09:32 The sudden cardiac arrest that stopped a baseball game

00:13:32 Why some people survive fatal events and others don't

00:17:21 Finding gratitude in pain and shattering daily anxiety

00:21:25 Art is drafted at 19 to Vietnam to fight in war

00:25:21 Surviving a year of monsoon season in the Vietnam jungle

00:29:29 The reality of firefights and healing through brotherhood

00:33:31 Karan in organ failure after rare disease diagnosis

00:37:33 Trading the hustle for grandma walks and valuable time

00:41:38 Learning that a mother knows how to give life twice

00:45:35 Receiving a miracle organ transplant on the final day

Topics:

- Surviving a sudden cardiac arrest

- Life after a miracle organ transplant

- True memories of the Vietnam War

- Finding hope through deep grief

- The support of a mother 

- Recovery from autoimmune disorder 

- The unique bond of veterans  

Stories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.

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Hunter meets with three individuals who had less than ideal relationships with the people who raised them and discusses how those relationships have shaped their adult lives. 

Meet this episode's strangers:

- Latoya shares the story of a distant father and the fragile, beautiful bond they finally built in the last three months before he died. She describes his health struggles and the constant childhood fear that she’d get a call saying he was gone, and how that shaped her relationships with men. Yet in the end, she chose to show up for him at his lowest moment, ending what a friend called “a cycle of abandonment” in her family and reminding her father he was still worthy of love. 

- Carmel opens up about how her relationship with her mother contributed to her letting go of the dream of “true love” and a soulmate, even as her friendships feel like the deepest soul connections she’s ever known. Growing up in a home where affection was transactional and physical touch was absent, she learned that love had to be earned through achievement, a pattern that persisted within her adult relationships. The most painful wound came when, during a fight, her mother told her she wished she had aborted her, words Carmel still hears in her head every day.

- Leon discusses what it is like to have a narcissistic father and the pain that has been inflicted upon the family. Leon came to realize that it was impossible for his father to love and care for him the way he needed, and that the best thing was to keep his distance.

Chapters:

00:00:00 When parents hurt you the most 

00:01:06 Lotoya: Grounded by a mother’s spiritual love

00:02:55 Anxiety and the fear of a parent’s death

00:11:14 Choosing to end a cycle of abandonment

00:15:31 Healing through active love and a final voicemail

00:26:26 Carmelle: Letting go of the dream of true love

00:27:12 Why love felt like a transaction in childhood

00:31:10 Walking away from a mother’s ultimate rejection

00:38:35 Finding belonging through a chosen family

00:41:02 Anonymous stories of words that cut deep

00:42:23 Leon: Navigating life with a narcissistic parent

00:46:42 Grieving the loss of a soul companion

Topics:

- Healing from parental wounds

- Transactional love in childhood

- Breaking cycles of abandonment

- Coping with a narcissistic parent

- Redefining family and belonging

- Reconciling with an absent father

- The impact of cruel parental words

- Emotional neglect and self-worth

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Stories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.

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Hunter meets three people whose lives were upended by devastating illnesses. They share their stories of survival and how they refused to let sickness get in the way of living their lives.

Meet this episode's strangers:

- Sandra survived a catastrophic stroke and fell into a coma. Doctors told her mother that she would never wake up. Her mother refused to let doctors remove life support and proved Sandra could still hear by asking her to squeeze their fingers and move her foot. Sandra describes a visit to “paradise,” where she was told, “You have a purpose to fulfill,” before being sent back to her life. Now she walks Central Park for miles, has completed the New York City Marathon, and uses her story to show other stroke survivors that “it’s not the end.” 

- Cheri was a healthy 18‑year‑old dancer when a mysterious autoimmune disorder suddenly took away her ability to walk and move. Doctors told her parents to prepare for the worst as treatments failed, but Sherry—fully lucid inside a body that couldn’t respond—refused to accept that her life was over. She grieved the loss of the old version of herself, yet slowly shifted from “why me?” to “why not me?” as she rebuilt a new life.

- Gil reflects on losing his closest friend, Tom, just before the pandemic and the years it took to process that grief. Then a routine blood test led him to a cancer clinic, where he spent ten days convinced he had only months to live before learning he had a chronic, slow‑moving leukemia instead. Those days staring “into the abyss” forced him to ask whether his life’s work really mattered, and then finding out he was not dying led him to not take life for granted.

Topics:

- Stroke recovery and near-death experiences

- Power of family advocacy in hospitals

- Overcoming autoimmune paralysis

- Reclaiming identity through dance

- Living with chronic leukemia diagnosis

- Finding purpose through medical trauma

- Shifting from why me to why not me

- Importance of mental strength in healing

- Building a legacy after a health scare

Chapters:

00:00:00 Resilience of the human body

00:03:30 Sandra’s Mother Fights For Her After Fatal Stroke Prognosis

00:07:00 Returning From Paradise With a Higher Purpose

00:10:30 Walking the New York City Marathon After a Stroke

00:14:00 Anonymous Stories of Loyalty and Heartbreak

00:17:30 Waking Up Paralyzed From an Autoimmune Disorder at 18

00:21:00 Finding the Internal Fire to Survive a Crisis

00:24:30 Grieving the Loss of Dance and a Former Identity

00:28:00 Shifting From Why Me to Why Not Me

00:31:30 Creating an Online Community for Chronic Illness

00:35:00 How to Process the Death of a Close Friend

00:38:30 Staring Into the Abyss and Assessing Life’s Legacy

Support Our Sponsors: If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/stories

Stories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.

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#OvercomingIllness #StrokeSurvivor #NearDeathExperience #MedicalMiracle #Resilience #FindingPurpose #HealingJourney #SurvivorStories #LifeAfterDiagnosis

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Hunter speaks with two strangers about their painful upbringings.

Meet this episode's strangers:

- Lisa Marie shares what it was like to hear the words, “We are going to have to put you into foster care,” at sixteen, and to be separated from her much younger brother, David. She talks about the memory holes trauma left behind, the rage that followed years later, and how she kept people at a distance for most of her early adulthood. Lisa Marie reflects on the shame of feeling marked by foster care, poverty, and her parents’ substance use, and how writing her story helped her reclaim it and let go of the “scarlet letter” she felt she wore.

- Adriana, who became a mother at seventeen and found herself raising her baby in a women's shelter after being rejected by her family. She describes the shelter as an unexpected village of women supporting each other through crisis, and how that experience cemented her resolve never to ask for help again.

Topics:

- Childhood trauma and its impact on identity

- Navigating the foster care system as a teen

- Survival and sibling bonds after separation

- Healing from parental abandonment and neglect

- Transforming destructive rage into radical empathy

- Reclaiming personal stories through writing

- Teen motherhood and the NYC shelter system

- Finding community and support in shelters

- Breaking generational cycles of hardship

- Building resilience and strength for children

Chapters:

00:00:00 The parents we didn't choose

00:01:24 Entering the foster care system at sixteen

00:02:55 How childhood trauma creates memory holes

00:04:13 The pain of being separated from my brother

00:07:30 Using rage to protect myself from abandonment

00:12:11 Shedding the scarlet letter through writing

00:19:12 Choosing peace and forgiveness over rage

00:20:43 Anonymous notes on parental regret and support

00:22:10 Raising a child in a New York City shelter

00:26:38 Finding a supportive village in the Bronx

00:32:07 Using the shelter as a bridge to a career

00:44:16 Breaking the cycle and shaping the future

Stories from a Stranger is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions in partnership with Higher Ground and AND Media. Music by Jackie Miclau.

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LISTEN

►Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-a-stranger/id1895174119

►Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/23b37bdf-ce71-4dad-9d25-9900b5d25d7c/stories-from-a-stranger

►Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2naQZkPOvSgMzUMh9Z5ivs

#FosterCare #TeenMotherhoodNYC #Healing #ShelterToStability #ChoosingForgiveness #ItTakesAVillage #Homelessness #SuperMom

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