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Remember when we were terrified of Bloody Mary, convinced someone was hiding in our backseat, and thought turning on the dome light would get our parents arrested? 😂🎃

Welcome to our Halloween finale, where we're taking a trip back to the '80s and '90s—a magical time when our parents let us roam the neighborhood until dark but had us convinced swallowing gum would ruin our lives for the next seven years.

This week, we're revisiting the urban legends, creepy sleepover games, Halloween myths, and completely unhinged childhood warnings that somehow traumatized an entire generation.

We're talking Bloody Mary, Candyman, Ouija boards, Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board, killer clowns, and those terrifying chain letters that threatened to ruin your life if you didn't forward them to ten people.

And seriously, why were we voluntarily trying to summon demons at sleepovers?!

Then we're getting into the things our parents told us that we believed WAY longer than we should have. From razor blades in Halloween candy to the dangers of swimming after eating, we're starting to think our childhoods were one giant misinformation campaign.

We've also got a Halloween-themed Am I the A-Hole? involving an uncle, some terrifying scarecrow stories, and two very traumatized toddlers. Because apparently some people don't understand the difference between a fun ghost story and creating a lifelong fear of cornfields.

Plus, we're reviewing the documentary Killer Legends, which explores the disturbing true-crime stories that may have inspired some of America's most famous urban legends.

And somehow, between all the childhood nostalgia and creepy stories, we end up sharing some genuinely spooky personal experiences involving possible ghostly visitors, haunted houses, and family members who may not have completely left us.

Come for the urban legends. Stay for the childhood trauma, questionable parenting, and two grown women who still aren't entirely comfortable turning on the car's dome light. 😂

🎃 Happy Halloween from This Is My Circus!

📚 Coming next week: We're kicking off November with Family Secrets Week and reading The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. Because nothing says Thanksgiving season quite like dysfunctional families and deeply buried secrets.

⭐ Love our circus? Follow the podcast and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts! We promise not to send you a cursed chain letter if you forget. Probably. 🎪

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Apparently, you can hire a witch on Etsy now. And we're just wondering... what's the refund policy on a failed hex? 🔮😂

Spooky Month continues, and this week we're diving into witches, hexes, curses, and haunted objects that absolutely do NOT need to come home with us.

We're talking about the Salem witch trials, the infamous Bell Witch haunting, the supposed Kennedy family curse, and the real-life Annabelle doll. Plus, modern-day witchcraft, WitchTok, and the fact that people are apparently hiring witches for everything from wedding weather to getting a new job.

Because why manifest a promotion when you can apparently add it to your Etsy cart?

Then we're playing “How Much to Make It Your Problem?” 💰

Would you keep Annabelle in your house for $100,000? Hang a supposedly cursed painting above your couch? Wear the Hope Diamond? Or give Robert the Doll his own little chair in your living room?

Everyone has a price. Apparently, ours are wildly inconsistent.

We've also got a witchy Am I the A-Hole? involving a girlfriend, some questionable herbal teas, and a boyfriend who's had just about enough of being spiritually Febrezed.

And finally, we're reviewing the 1990 movie The Witches. Was this childhood classic actually meant for children? Because those terrifying faces and mouse transformations have us questioning some parenting decisions from the '90s.

Witches, curses, creepy dolls, questionable decisions, and enough sarcasm to get us both executed in Salem.

Welcome back to This Is My Spooky Circus! 🎪🧙‍♀️

🎧 Next week: Urban legends! We're reviewing Killer Legends on Prime Video.

⭐ Follow This Is My Circus on Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review. We'd hate to have to hire an Etsy witch to convince you. 😂

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If something calls your name from the woods… NO, IT DIDN'T. 🌲👀

Spooky Month continues, and this week we're heading straight into the world of cryptids, creepy encounters, and Appalachian folklore!

We're talking Mothman, the Jersey Devil, the six-legged Wampus Cat, and those terrifying Appalachian Mountain rules that have us questioning whether we ever need to go outside again.

Why shouldn't you whistle in the woods at night? What happens when everything suddenly goes silent? And are these creatures actually real, or is it just a raccoon having a really weird day?

Plus, we discover that we might actually be mermaids or aliens (honestly, it explains a lot), debate whether we'd survive a night alone in the Appalachian Mountains, and tackle a Bigfoot-inspired Am I the A-Hole?

And then there's our review of Hulu's Sasquatch documentary.

We came for Bigfoot. We got marijuana farms, questionable characters, and a whole lot of confusion.

WHERE. IS. BIGFOOT?! 😂

If you love cryptid sightings, unexplained mysteries, spooky folklore, paranormal encounters, and true crime documentaries, this episode is for you!

🎧 Next week: We're talking WITCHES and reviewing the 1990 movie The Witches!

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Welcome to the spooky circus. 🎪🖤

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Spooky Month has officially entered the circus. 🧛‍♀️🎪

And we're kicking it off with VAMPIRES—but not just the hot, broody, morally questionable kind we apparently have a weakness for.

We're going back to a time when entire communities genuinely believed the dead were crawling out of their graves and draining the life out of their families. And their solution?

Dig up the body and see what it's been up to.

Obviously.

We're talking the bizarre connection between tuberculosis and the New England vampire panic, the very real story of Mercy Brown, why bodies were dug up, staked, rearranged and occasionally had their organs burned...and then we get to Vlad the Impaler, aka the terrifying real-life inspiration connected to the Dracula legend.

But don't worry. We eventually leave the corpses behind and tackle the truly important vampire question:

Would you let them bite you? 😂

Damon Salvatore? Klaus? Edward Cullen? Angel? Spike? Apparently Stefanie and Meredith have a type when choosing their hypothetical vampire situations.

Plus, we've got a vampire-adjacent AITA, a wild TikTok vampire story, and our review of The Curse of the Highgate Vampire—which we can summarize in two words:

DON'T. WATCH. IT.

Seriously. We suffered so you don't have to.

🧛‍♂️ Vampire history, spooky lore, questionable decisions, hot fictional men and two women who absolutely cannot stay on topic.

Welcome to Spooky Scary Circus Month. 🎃🎪

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Next week: Don't Go Into the Woods 🌲👀

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Last week we told you this story was going to get darker.

We weren't kidding.

This week, we're finishing Netflix's Death of the Pastor’s Wife, and we're getting into Episodes Two and Three as Mica Miller begins trying to take her life back.

She's recognizing the relationship for what it is. She's documenting everything. She's filing police reports. She's trying to become financially independent. She's changing phone numbers, moving from place to place, seeking legal help, and eventually filing for divorce.

But the more Mica tries to get away, the more disturbing the allegations become.

We're talking about stalking, tracking devices, razor blades in tires, intimate photos posted online, repeated psychiatric holds, financial control, alleged sexual abuse, religious manipulation and Mica's growing fear that she may actually be in danger.

Then, on April 25, 2024, JP is served divorce papers.

Two days later, Mica is dead.

And this is where we have A LOT of questions.

We walk through the timeline of Mica's final day, the 911 call, the evidence investigators found, JP's behavior immediately following her death, the growing #JusticeForMica movement, and the details that made this case explode across social media.

We also get into the FBI investigation, what Mica's attorney had already collected, the federal charges that eventually followed—and why this case has sparked a much bigger conversation about coercive control, stalking, domestic abuse, and just how difficult it can be for someone to actually get out.

This was a heavy one, but it's also an important one.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses suicide, domestic abuse, coercive control, stalking, sexual abuse, religious trauma, psychiatric hospitalization and other disturbing subject matter.

🎧 This concludes our Death of the Pastor’s Wife documentary breakdown.

And next week?

👻 SPOOKY MONTH BEGINS.

We've actually planned ahead for October, which honestly may be the most shocking development we've covered yet. 😂🎪

⭐ Follow This Is My Circus and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. At Episode 102, we're clearly never going to stop asking.

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We talked about the Mica Miller case when it was unfolding in real time. Now Netflix has released Death of the Pastor’s Wife—and we're going back in.

This week we're covering Episode One, “A Note From Your Pastor,” and Stefanie has been WAITING for this one. 👀

The documentary takes us back to the beginning: Mica's deep connection to her faith, meeting Pastor John-Paul “JP” Miller when she was just 13, becoming increasingly involved in his church, and the relationship that would eventually change the course of her life.

From the outside, Mica and JP eventually appeared to be a powerful Christian couple leading a thriving Myrtle Beach church.

Behind closed doors? A very different story begins to emerge.

We're talking about the allegations surrounding their relationship, the enormous power imbalance, Mica's mental health treatment, the people around her who began noticing red flags, and the disturbing behavior described by her friends and family.

And because Stefanie grew up deeply involved in church herself, this documentary hits differently. We're also having a bigger conversation about religious authority, forgiveness, trust, and how easy it can be to explain away red flags when someone is viewed as a “man of God.”

Then Episode One ends with a text that takes things to an entirely different level:

“I'm on my way and I'm armed.”

And we're just getting started.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses suicide, coercive control, alleged domestic abuse, sexual coercion, mental health, religious trauma, stalking and harassment.

🎧 This is Part One of our Death of the Pastor’s Wife breakdown. We'll continue with Episode Two next week.

If you remember when we originally talked about the Mica Miller case, welcome back down the rabbit hole. If this is your first time hearing the story... buckle up. 🎪

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WE MADE IT TO 100 EPISODES. 🎉🎪

One hundred episodes of questionable book choices, weird internet stories, conspiracy theories, true crime rabbit holes, AITA debates, documentaries, oversharing our personal lives, and repeatedly asking, “Wait... is this actually real?”

And somehow, y'all kept listening. 😂

For Episode 100, we're doing something a little different and looking back at the evolution of This Is My Circus. From the early days when we were just two moms giggling our way through recording and thought we were starting a fun little podcast, to realizing we may have actually been documenting our slow descent into insanity.

We're answering rapid-fire questions, handing out our own podcast superlatives, revisiting the stories we STILL think about, debating our best and worst book choices, remembering our favorite rabbit holes, and discussing some of the moments that probably should've been edited out.

We also pulled the numbers, and this little circus has officially reached:

🎧 6,011 downloads
🌎 93 countries
📍 949 cities
🎪 100 episodes of absolute nonsense

We talk about how much the podcast has changed, how much we've changed, what this show has meant to both of us through some pretty major life changes, and where we think we'll be when Episode 200 rolls around.

Spoiler: Stefanie still thinks we're going to be famous. Meredith is slightly more grounded. 😂

And before we wrap up, we're giving you a sneak peek at next week's documentary episode. We're heading back to a case we covered while it was unfolding: the Mica Miller case, now the subject of Netflix's The Death of the Pastor's Wife. We're going back to what we knew then, what we know now, and what the documentary reveals.

To every single person who has listened, shared an episode, sent us a message, laughed with us, or stuck around through all 100 episodes: THANK YOU. Seriously. We love you guys.

Here's to the next 100. 🥂🎪

And because apparently asking 47 times during the episode wasn't enough...

⭐ LEAVE US A REVIEW. 😂

Welcome to This Is My Circus. Episode freaking 100. We did it.

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The murders were horrific. But actually proving Charles Manson was responsible? That was a whole different problem.

This week, we’re wrapping up Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Three, and somehow the story gets even more bizarre once everybody ends up in a courtroom.

The Manson Family essentially starts unraveling itself, Susan Atkins can't keep her mouth shut, and investigators FINALLY connect the dots. Then begins what would become one of the most infamous murder trials in American history.

But there’s a catch: Manson didn't personally commit the murders.

So how do you convict a cult leader of murder when his followers actually did the killing?

We’re getting into the prosecution’s famous Helter Skelter theory, whether that was REALLY the motive behind the murders, the Family's absolutely bonkers behavior during the trial, women camping outside the courthouse in support of Manson, X’s carved into foreheads, shaved heads, courtroom threats, and Manson doing an excellent job of demonstrating his ability to control people while simultaneously arguing that he didn't control people.

Sir. 😂

And after three episodes, we have THOUGHTS about what actually motivated these murders, Manson's obsession with fame, his failed music career, and how much of the story most of us know today may have been shaped by the prosecution's version of events.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses murder, violence, abuse, sexual assault, cult manipulation, racism, and other disturbing subject matter.

🎧 This is the final part of our Charles Manson documentary deep dive. Next week, we're returning to our regularly scheduled circus. And after three straight episodes of Charles Manson, we are READY.

⭐ Follow This Is My Circus on Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review. It helps other people find our little corner of chaos. 🎪

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The free-love hippie commune is officially gone and in Part Two of our Charles Manson deep dive, things take a horrifying turn.

This week, we’re continuing Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Two, “The Devil’s Business.”

Manson’s control over the Family is getting darker, Tex Watson is desperate to prove himself, harder drugs have entered the picture, and the group’s bizarre “creepy crawls” are just the beginning.

Then everything escalates.

We get into the murder of Gary Hinman, Manson’s increasingly unhinged obsession with starting Helter Skelter, and the horrific events that led to the murders of Sharon Tate and her friends, followed just one night later by the LaBianca murders.

And somehow, while Los Angeles is terrified that seemingly random killers are on the loose, law enforcement is missing connections that feel painfully obvious in hindsight.

We’re talking cult psychology, manipulation, drugs, murder, the Manson Family’s descent into violence—and asking one very interesting question:

If Charles Manson had actually gotten the record deal he desperately wanted, would any of this have happened?

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses murder, sexual assault, abuse of minors, drug use, and graphic violence.

🎧 This is Part Two of our Charles Manson documentary deep dive. Next week, we’re wrapping up Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Three.

If you love true crime documentaries, cult stories, Netflix documentary reviews, criminal psychology, and two best friends trying to make sense of stories that absolutely do NOT make sense… welcome to the circus. 🎪

⭐ Follow This Is My Circus on Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review to help more people find the show!

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This week, we’re diving into Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes and somehow the Charles Manson story is even more disturbing, bizarre, and completely unhinged than we realized.

We went into this thinking we knew the basics: Charles Manson, the Manson Family, Sharon Tate, Helter Skelter, cult leader, murders. We were NOT prepared for everything that came before it.

In Part One, we’re getting into how Manson found vulnerable young women and pulled them into his “family,” the manipulation and control happening behind the free-love facade, life at Spahn Ranch, and how his obsession with becoming a famous musician somehow involved The Beach Boys.

Yes. The Beach Boys.

We also get into his disturbing childhood, the book that helped teach him how to influence people, his obsession with The Beatles’ White Album, the origins of Helter Skelter, and the moment this supposedly peaceful hippie commune started turning into something much darker.

And obviously, because this is This Is My Circus, we have questions.

How did this tiny man convince all these people he was basically a messiah? How did we not know half of this? How does a Beach Boy accidentally end up living with the Manson Family? And at what point during the “follow exactly in my footprints through the desert” exercise does somebody say, you know what, I think I'm gonna head out?

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses murder, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, drug use, and other disturbing subject matter.

🎧 This is Part One of our Charles Manson deep dive. We’ll be back next week with Episode Two of Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes.

If you love true crime, documentaries, cult stories, and two best friends trying to process absolute insanity with inappropriate amounts of humor, welcome to the circus. 🎪

⭐ Follow This Is My Circus and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts—it helps more people find the show!