Sam shares the harrowing true story of Samantha Stites, a Michigan woman who endured more than a decade of obsessive stalking before being violently kidnapped and held in a soundproof bunker by her stalker in October 2022. The case, now featured in the docuseries Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror, reveals how stalking escalated despite legal protections, how Samantha survived by staying mentally sharp under terrifying conditions, and how her bravery and quick thinking helped bring her captor to justice after years of relentless terror.

Trigger Warning: Discussion of long-term stalking, abduction, torture, and non-consensual confinement.

Visit us on Linktree for the collection of links, Instagram, or email us at jeffandsamshow@gmail.com.

• Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror — docuseries (Hulu/Disney+) about Samantha Stites’ ordeal and survival.
• TV show “You” inspired true crime case highlighted in ABC News Studios’ docu-series ‘Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror’ — ABC News report on how her case unfolded.
• Michigan Woman Shares Story of Survival After Being Kidnapped — local Michigan news coverage of her escape and stalker’s conviction.
• Hulu’s Stalking Samantha: Where Is Christopher Thomas Now? — overview of the case, prosecution, sentence, and aftermath, including advocacy and systemic concerns.

This week Jeff shares the incredible true story of the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Margaret “Molly” Brown is often remembered for surviving the sinking of the Titanic, but her legend goes far beyond that fateful night. As the ship went down, Brown helped others into lifeboats, took control when chaos erupted, and famously threatened to throw a man overboard when he tried to turn the lifeboat away from survivors.

But Molly Brown’s life didn’t begin or end with the Titanic. She was a fierce advocate for workers’ rights, women’s suffrage, education, and civil rights decades before those causes were widely accepted. A philanthropist, activist, and unapologetically bold woman, she used her wealth and influence to help others whenever she could.

This is the story of a survivor, a fighter, and a woman who refused to be forgotten.

Visit us on Linktree for the collection of links, Instagram, or email us at jeffandsamshow@gmail.com

Sources:

• History Hit – Who Was the Unsinkable Molly Brown?
  https://www.historyhit.com/who-was-the-unsinkable-molly-brown/
• Wikipedia – Margaret Brown
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Brown
• Forbes – Decades Before Women Had the Right to Vote, Margaret “Molly” Brown Was a Fierce Bandit for Human Rights
  https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerylbrunner/2020/02/28/decades-before-women-had-the-right-to-vote-margaret-molly-brown-was-a-fierce-bandit-for-human-rights/
• Encyclopaedia Britannica – Titanic
  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic

On this week’s show, Jeff shares the story of Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, a pioneering American journalist whose fearless investigative reporting helped define modern journalism.

Bly gained national attention in 1887 after faking mental illness to be committed to the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island in New York City. Her undercover reporting exposed brutal conditions and widespread abuse inside the asylum, leading to public outrage and significant reforms in mental health care.

In 1889, Nellie Bly became the first woman to travel around the world, completing the journey in just 72 days. Her courage, innovation, and determination shattered expectations and opened the door for generations of investigative journalists to follow.

Trigger Warning:
Discussion of mental illness, institutional abuse, and historical mistreatment of patients.

Visit us on Linktree for the collection of links, Instagram, or email us at jeffandsamshow@gmail.com

Sources:

• National Women’s History Museum – Nellie Bly Biography
  https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly-0
• Library of Congress – Nellie Bly and Blackwell’s Island
  https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/11/nellie-bly-blackwells-island/
• Soflete – Nellie Bly
  https://soflete.com/blogs/die-living/nellie-bly
• Encyclopaedia Britannica – Nellie Bly
  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Bly
• Ten Days in a Mad-House – University of Pennsylvania Digital Library
  https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html
• Google Search – How did Nellie Bly get committed?
  https://www.google.com/search?q=how+did+nellie+bly+get+committed