And above all else, please take care of yourself. In difficult times, sometimes it’s the only thing we can manage to do. Much like in plane crashes, put on your own mask first so you can help others. It’s a good rule to follow in life.

16/

You will learn more than a few things from listening to the podcast. Always clock your exits when you enter a new place. In an emergency, do NOT leave through the door you entered. If you see something burning and the smoke is a pretty color, RUN. And listen to the flight attendants!

15/

Disasters are my hyperfixation, so I can tend to get a little excited about telling you about them and ramble a wee bit. Bear with me. We’re learning stuff! Learning stuff is fun! I mean, yeah, some of the stuff you’ll learn from me is scary, but still.

14/

I am not someone who is interested in conspiracy theories. I work off the facts as presented by the ensuing investigations, new reports, eyewitness accounts, etc. If you’re into conspiracy theories, this is not the podcast for you. But I’m sure you can find one that’s perfect for you.

13/

I try my best to pronounce everything correctly, but if I get something wrong it’s completely on me and … look, I’m trying, y’all. I’m very good at pronouncing German and Swedish. I’m okay in Spanish. French and I will one day fight to the death in a dark alley.

12/

In 2021 and 2022, I took several road trips to disaster sites to write a book about collective grief in response to disaster and in response to COVID. I’m … still working on it. Two other jobs, man. Editing is hard.

11/

I normally do not have guests or others on the podcast. You will hear my cat Otis in older episodes, and my dog Professor in more recent episodes. They have both been my cohost. On the one hand, Professor works for treats. On the other hand, he’s a terrible typist. I shall now pay the dog tax.

10/

I speak a lot about mental health because I myself have mental health issues, and because listening to these stories can be very hard on someone. I should know, I’m the one writing and talking about them. I will be brutally honest about myself and I encourage my listeners to care for themselves.

9/

Speaking of, I do cover mass shootings on the podcast. I consider them disasters and therefore they will be covered. However, in those episodes I say the shooter’s name once, and only once, if I can help it. Their name is not more important than those of the people whose lives they ended.

8/

I also issue trigger warnings at the start of each episode when necessary. What I cover can be very disturbing, and I don’t want anyone to struggle to listen to a story if part of it will be an issue. I will not be hurt if you cannot listen to, say, the Newtown episode for obvious reasons.

7/

I only swear when those curse words are parts of quotes, and I will warn ahead of time at the start of the episode. I would like it to be easy to listen to the episode at work or around your older kids, if you’d like them to hear a historical story.

6/

I am a queer neurodivergent woman, and while I try to be as objective as possible those facts are inevitably going to inform my podcasting. I save my own personal thoughts for the end of each episode so you can skip the personal rambling and just listen to the disaster story if you’d prefer.

5/

I politely request that you listen to any ads attached to the podcast, and that you review the podcast wherever you listen to it. The ad revenue helps me keep the lights on and pay rent. As for the reviews, I appreciate honesty, even if you have problems. Go ahead and give honest reviews.

4/

I do take requests for a $30 donation or more which I usually put toward source materials and hosting and whatnot. I may slow down the requests, however, because my list right now is pretty long.

3/

It’s almost completely little old me working on it, so a couple of things to keep in mind: Like so many of us, I am trying my best. I have two other jobs, and I am neurodivergent. So I post on an irregular basis. I’m also passionate about the subject matter, but audio editing is my weak point.

2/