Puzzlehead

Your Favorite Obituaries

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

As we prepare for our indefinite hiatus, we wanted to remind you that we will still be making TTFA episodes on our Patreon and Apple Premium feeds. If you aren’t a premium member, we wanted to show you what kind of episodes we make over there by bringing one of our bonus episodes to the […]

More Than A Survivor: Rape, Activism and what comes next with Sarah Super

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

In 2015, Sarah Super was raped by her ex-boyfriend Alex Neal. And she channeled that act of violence into a mission-driven organization that helped survivors of sexual violence feel seen and heard. 9 years after the night that changed her life, Sarah reflects on what it means to move forward with her life and to […]

Terrible, Thanks For Everything!!

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

We have a big update about the future of TTFA, and something a lot of you have been asking about since the last episode, where I mentioned *casually* in the credits that we were going to be taking an indefinite hiatus. I wanted to talk more about what that means going forward, and thank all […]

Time Capsule: The Silver Chain – Episode 1: The Silver Chain

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Newsletters from an abandoned safe deposit box set host Paul Ditty on an investigation to learn all he can about The Silver Chain – a suburban Minnesota swing club from the 1970s –  and its members.  Minnesota journalist Jack El-Hai paints a picture of what suburban life was like in the 1970s and how this […]

The One That Got Away

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

For years, Nancy could picture her ideal partner. She wanted someone who would make her laugh, who would love her son, and who would make her feel confident and empowered. When she met Noa, he checked all the boxes. Everything she thought other people made up about love suddenly came true. But…this perfect love didn’t […]

Time Capsule: The Silver Chain – Trailer

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

In the early 1990s, a cache of abandoned newsletters found its way from a safety deposit box in Minneapolis, Minnesota to the state’s historical society, where they were left to gather dust. The newsletters detailed the inner workings of a secret 1970s swingers society: The Silver Chain Social Club. Fifty years later, TV writer and […]

Grudge Book is Back!

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Greetings, loved ones. We’re back with one of our time honored Terrible traditions: The Grudge Book. Sit back, get cozy, bring your petties, and enjoy this selection of listener grudges featuring the wisdom of Nora and Marcel.  THEE Bath and Body Works Peach Bellini Rant Video — Listener support makes our independent podcast possible. Consider […]

The First Stone: Cheating, shame and a series of unfortunate men

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Jenni was raised Mormon, and for the first part of her life, was a dutiful follower. She got married young, attended church, and was a loyal wife. But life got messy and complicated for Jenni, and she eventually made a choice that surprised her. A choice considered a sin in her culture, and a pretty […]

“Why are drug dealers putting fentanyl in everything?” from Search Engine

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Nora sits down with her friend and fellow podcaster PJ Vogt of Search Engine. They discuss what he found in his own interviews with a drug dealer who used fentanyl in his drug supply. That, plus the original Search Engine episode are included here. If you have not yet listened to this week’s TTFA episode, […]

86 Sundays

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Feliz lost her sister, Karina, in a horrifying way — in a way that’s quick to draw judgment and condemnation. Feliz has seen the worst of it all, but Karina deserves to be defined by her life, not her death. A warning that this episode includes discussions of drug use and poisoning. Resources: CDC guidelines […]

The Christmas Curse (Happyish Holidays 2023)

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

If your holiday season is feeling less sparkly, less warm, less…happy, you’ve come to the right place! Every year we make an episode about the bad, terrible and subpar side of the holidays and this year’s Happyish Holidays episode is a real doozy. Brianna Liestman shares how every Christmas from 2007-2010, a different member of […]

Loving into the Future

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Kelly loved her dad, then she lost her dad. Kelly loved her grandpa, then she lost her grandpa. Now that Kelly’s a mom herself, she wants to ensure that her son knows he’s loved, no matter what comes. — We still have a few tickets left for our Happyish Holidays live show in Minneapolis Dec […]

The Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

There are some stories so plainly horrifying, some crimes so gut wrenching, that it can be hard to imagine the perpetrator as anything other than a villain. A drunk driving accident that killed 6 people does not sound like the beginning of a redemption story. But this episode isn’t about redemption — it’s about learning […]

Eat, Pray, Leave

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

When Christina met Thomas as a young adult, their relationship felt different, and right. As time goes on, cracks start to appear in their dynamic, but Christina doesn’t give up on the people she loves. But how many cracks does it take before a dam breaks?  — Listener support makes our independent podcast possible. Consider […]

…Always

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Greg was married to his best friend, Anna, for 6 years. He loved and respected her. So the night he told her he was gay was painful because he knew how much he was hurting her. In the ten months since then, Greg has looked hard at his depression and addiction, two things that held […]

Everything, All Of You…

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

When Anna was a 24 year-old hostess at a restaurant, she fell in love with the chef in the kitchen. Their relationship, and later marriage was filled with love. But Anna could always feel something was off between her and her husband. One night last December, she found out she was right.  — Listener support […]

The Trauma Sponge

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Jeremy Norton has been a firefighter for over 20 years, a job that’s considered heroic and honorable…a job that sometimes means showing up to a false alarm…and sometimes means soaking up the trauma of the city around you.  Jeremy has been a TTFA listener since day one. His first book — The Trauma Sponges: Dispatches […]

Claire Has A Secret

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

When Claire was a teenager, she held a lot of big, difficult feelings, and for a while, she saw only one solution for them. Though Claire decides to not act on those feelings, her story gets shared anonymously online — and continues to appear when she needs it most. Note: This episode is about suicide. […]

The Teachers Are Not Alright

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Like many teachers, when Kristen started her career at 22, she was hopeful and excited. She loved working with students with special needs, and loved learning how their brains worked. But over the years, the job became harder and harder because of the lack of support she received. Eventually, all of the small moments of […]

Still A Family

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

When Anaya and Dave Lee fell in love, they saw a whole future with each other. Part of that future included being parents. But when they started trying, they learned creating a family was going to be much more challenging than they expected. They eventually had to ask the question, if a baby doesn’t happen, […]

Meet The Sharents

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Like everyone else in 2020, Grant Khanbalinov downloaded Tik Tok. He wasn’t trying to learn dances or find a community- he wanted to learn the platform for his marketing job. To practice using the app, he made videos with his wife and kids. Then a video of his three-year-old daughter went viral, and Grant’s account […]

From the Archives: About Bob

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

We are taking a break this summer (not a vacation!) to produce new stories, so we are sharing some of our favorite episodes while we’re working. This episode was first broadcast in 2018. Remember, our full episode archive, including the follow up to this episode “About Laura,” is always available to TTFA Premium members! Join […]

From The Archives: Nathan

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Nathan always knew he was different growing up. He also knew the LDS church had certain expectations of him: He’d do his mission, find a girl, get married and settle down. Being gay? Not part of that plan. Nathan does everything he can to be straight, including sending himself to “conversion therapy.” It, of course, […]

From The Archives: Ripped From the Headlines

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Jamie Hahn was 29 years old when she was murdered by Jonathan Broyhill — the guy who had been the best man in her wedding to her husband, Nation. The intrigue surrounding Jamie’s death and her killer’s subsequent murder trial created non-stop news fodder … and the story quickly became about Broyhill — his lies, […]

From The Archives: Ripped From the Headlines

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Jamie Hahn was 29 years old when she was murdered by Jonathan Broyhill — the guy who had been the best man in her wedding to her husband, Nation. The intrigue surrounding Jamie’s death and her killer’s subsequent murder trial created non-stop news fodder … and the story quickly became about Broyhill — his lies, […]

Grief Affirmations (From “It’s Going To Be OK”)

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

Even if you’re grieving, we want to assure you that it’s going to be okay! To prove that point, we invited comedian and writer Jason Roeder (author of Griefstrike!) to share some of his favorite affirmations for a grieving brain.  “It’s Going To Be OK” is a daily podcast from Feelings and Co. If you liked […]

From the Archives: Witness

Written by Puzzlehead, in Relationships, TTFA

We are taking a break this summer (not a vacation!) to produce new stories, so we are sharing some of our favorite episodes while we’re working. This episode was first broadcast in 2018. Remember, our full episode archive is always available to TTFA Premium members! Join here — or, if you’re an Apple Podcast app listener, […]