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The Escape Pod
A traumedy about the trials and tribulations of people in their journeys of “escape”. Escape what, you ask? ALL the things! From trauma, crime, and unhealthy family cycles, to traffic and good deeds not going unpunished. Like we said—all the things! (Just tune in…you’ll understand.) Co-hosted by Julie Oberlander and Charity Doyle--the journalist and the rehabbed trainwreck--The Escape Pod aims to connect, educate, entertain, and humanize through the lens of lived experience.
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Episodes
6 days ago
6 days ago
In a recent Escape Bite, the ladies of The Escape Pod got a little freaked out by the use of AI deepfakes to con an employee at an international company out of millions of dollars. (Turns out, the “people” on the video conference call were not people at all.) In this mini-sode, the co-hosts take a turn toward the positive, offering up real examples of the use of artificial intelligence to actually fight crimes – not just commit them.
Resources & Links
CNN article on deepfake scam in Hong Kong
A&E TV blog on AI’s use in investigations
DHS info
Police Chief Magazine on AI’s use in investigations
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.
https://www.escapepod.live
Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?
General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
On Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EscapePod.traumedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escape_pod_podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Escape_Pod_podcast/videos
7 days ago
7 days ago
The Escape Pod travels back in time to delve into the fascinating and often perilous history of arsenic – not in the committing of crimes, but in the creation of artwork. This episode is a classic case of the human race “living and learning” from past mistakes, so tune in as we unravel the stories of beauty intertwined with toxicity, where the allure of brilliant colors comes at a dire price.
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:
Topic #1 3:58 Learning the hard way
Topic #2 9:51 Bradford Suite poisoning
Topic #3 14:55 If the walls could talk
Topic #4 21:31 Escapism, co-host-style
Resources & Links
Drop Dead Gorgeous: A Tale of Arsenic in Victorian Life
Arsenic: A Domestic Poison
Arsenic: A Murderous History
Green Death | The Art History of Arsenic
Bradford Sweets Poisoning
English Beer Poisoning
Was Napoleon Killed by Wallpaper?
Arsenic-Containing Foods
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.
https://www.escapepod.live
Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?
General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
On Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EscapePod.traumedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escape_pod_podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Escape_Pod_podcast/videos
Thursday Jun 19, 2025
Thursday Jun 19, 2025
Artificial intelligence, like any technology, has its pros and cons. It can predict words before this writer even thinks of them. Helpful? Sometimes yes. But in this Escape Bite mini-sode, the co-hosts get down-right freaked out by a case of true crime in which AI deepfakes caused an international company to lose millions.
Resources & Links
DHS report on AI
CNN article on deepfake scam in Hong Kong
Guardian article on scam
Arup video on deepfake fraud
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.
https://www.escapepod.live
Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?
General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
On Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EscapePod.traumedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escape_pod_podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Escape_Pod_podcast/videos
Wednesday Jun 18, 2025
Wednesday Jun 18, 2025
He is proof that a person’s past does not have to define their future. Mayor Jason Salamun’s mother struggled with addiction. His parents divorced when he was young, and after that, the family’s housing ranged from none at all to crack houses and trailer parks. But his grandparents’ home was safe and loving, and with their encouragement he escaped his challenging childhood, moved to South Dakota to live with his father, and – eventually – entered local politics. We conclude our conversation with the mayor in this edition of The Escape Pod.
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:
Topic #1 :54 Goals (including a world championship!)
Topic #2 7:42 Navigating challenging issues
Topic #3 21:00 Respecting resilience
Topic #4 38:12 Escapism, co-host-style!
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.
https://www.escapepod.live
Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?
General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
On Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EscapePod.traumedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escape_pod_podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Escape_Pod_podcast/videos
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
Wednesday Jun 11, 2025
Wednesday Jun 11, 2025
No “silver spoon” to speak of in this politician’s background. No – Jason Salamun, now Mayor Salamun, was born in West Texas to teen parents, including a mother who struggled with addiction. His childhood was fraught with instability. But his grandparents were a “lifeline,” and a combination of their love and a new life with his father in South Dakota changed everything. Mayor Salamun escaped a challenging childhood and eventually reached city hall. We hear more about his tumultuous youth and the move that made all the difference in the first of a two-part conversation with the mayor on The Escape Pod.
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:
Topic #1 :25 Meet the mayor
Topic #2 6:20 A challenging childhood
Topic #3 18:42 Moving to South Dakota, while brother stays behind
Topic #4 31:52 Military service
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.
https://www.escapepod.live
Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?
General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
On Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EscapePod.traumedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escape_pod_podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Escape_Pod_podcast/videos
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Pie-scape (Escaping financial abuse)
Summary of Episode
Inspired by the fictional movie/musical “Waitress,” the co-hosts explore the very non-fictional issue of financial abuse and – more importantly – how to escape it.
Resources & Links
‘Waitress’ IMDb page
Women’s Law webpage on ‘financial abuse’
org
blackhillsplayhouse.com/
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.
https://www.escapepod.live
Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?
General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
On Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EscapePod.traumedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escape_pod_podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Escape_Pod_podcast/videos
Wednesday Jun 04, 2025
Wednesday Jun 04, 2025
He says “med school Stephen” had no interest in addiction and recovery services, but several years after earning his M.D., this doctor with a heart for humanity saw a need for expanded treatment options in Rapid City, SD, and he took action. The co-hosts welcome Dr. Stephen Tamang of Monument Health into The Escape Pod to discuss hard drugs, how they hijack the brain, and why escaping these addictions is so challenging.
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:
Topic #1 :30 Introducing Stephen Tamang, M.D.
Topic #2 18:06 Treating addictions at Project Recovery
Topic #3 29:18 Can an addict’s brain be re-rewired for the better?
Topic #4 38:05 Dr. Tamang talks community/societal challenges
Topic #5 57:43 Escapism, co-host-style!
Resources & Links
The Least of Us (by Sam Quinones)
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more.
https://www.escapepod.live
Do you have a story that you want to share with EscapePod? Or do you just want to reach out to us with your comments and thoughts?
General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
On Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EscapePod.traumedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escape_pod_podcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Escape_Pod_podcast/videos
EscapePod
Join co-hosts Charity Doyle and Julie Oberlander, along with occasional guests, as they laugh (and cry) their way through past traumas and give tips to getting through tough times.
Life is full of ups and downs and it takes you to crazy places and we need each other to make it through.
Are you an escape artist? Consider becoming a patron and supporting the show!
Your support will help our small 3-person podcast team offset the costs associated with writing, producing, and promoting the show. Any amount is sincerely appreciated. What's more, your support will help us do what we do best: help others escape and break unhealthy cycles on their way to better lives.
Choose from the options below:
Escape Pod BFF!
$10per month
This patron level is for supporters who are all-in!
~Get a special shout-out on the show.
~Receive a hand-written thank you from the hosts with a special Escape Pod sticker.
~Gain access to gated patron-only bonus content and ad-free episodes.
~Participate in our patrons-only Facebook page.
~Vote on future show topics.
GIVE $10
I LOVE Escape Pod!
$5per month
This patron level is for supporters who are willing to give the monetary equivalent of a cup of coffee each month to support the costs associated with producing the show.
~Get a special shout-out on the show.
~Receive a hand-written thank you from the hosts with a special Escape Pod sticker.
~Gain access to gated patron-only bonus content and ad-free episodes.
~Participate in our patrons-only Facebook page.
GIVE $5
Escape Pod Fan
$2per month
This patron level is in honor of people struggling in the crisis of poverty and who feel moved to support the show and our mission to help people just like them.
~Get a special shout-out on the show.
~Receive a thank-you email from the hosts.
GIVE $2
Disclaimer
The EscapePod podcast and content posted is presented solely for general information, educational, and entertainment purposes.