Speaker 2: 0:21

Welcome to One Good Thing Media, your official podcast review channel. We search the vast digital landscape on a daily basis to discover the best shows that podcasters have to offer. Are you ready to discover new favorites to add to your playbook? Stay tuned and listen to host Gerald Spears' latest podcast reviews.

Speaker 3: 0:50

Hello, lovelies, welcome to Season 3, Episode 5 of One Good Thing Media, the one and only podcast that focuses on reviewing and recommending new and established podcasts that are definitely raising the broadcast bar. This week, we're celebrating some of the best new podcasts to enter the digital landscape in 2025. We're also covering podcasts about cyberstalkers who get their Comeuppance and One Great Horror Podcast that is now dropping episodes after a two-year hiatus. This week's episode of One Good Thing Media is brought to you by who Gives a Crap? The greenest and most charitable bathroom tissue company on the planet, wgac, as we like to call it, makes two types of eco-friendly brands one made from recycled paper and the other from bamboo. Fyi, I purchased the bamboo tissue for my family because it's thick, soft and free of many of the unhealthy chemicals used to produce commercial brands. It arrives at your doorstep within days of ordering and helps you to help others who are living in underdeveloped countries to lead more sanitary, disease-free lives. Developed countries to lead more sanitary, disease-free lives. You can become part of our WGAC family by clicking the link in our show notes, which is right below the title of this episode.

Speaker 3: 2:57

Okay, loves, it is time to rock and roll, starting with our news and quickie segment that's all about new and promising podcasts and quick clips to whet your listening appetite. First on, this week's segment is Stalked by BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live. It is a true story about a 25-year-old woman named Hannah Mossman Moore, who went from leading a fun, exciting life to one filled with sheer terror. Hannah's story begins with an anonymous stalker who turns her phone into a weapon. Emboldened by her inability to retaliate, the situation quickly escalates into threatening her and even pretending to be her to her friends. Through it all, hannah's determination to identify and confront her abuser led her to enlist the aid of a lifelong family friend and real-life investigative journalist. Together, these two determined women finally get their man. Stock dropped its first episode in February 2025, and, as of this recording, the story is still unfolding. Here's a clip from the show.

Speaker 4: 4:29

A digital intruder has been watching. Hannah, you look good in blonde hair, threatening her.

Speaker 2: 4:35

Still, the EU has its benefits. We will show the world who you really are Even impersonating her.

Speaker 5: 4:43

Someone else is in my account and has changed my password.

Speaker 4: 4:46

This anonymous person has invaded Hannah's life.

Speaker 6: 4:50

I no longer know who I can trust. I'm scared to leave the house, scared to open my phone, afraid of what I'll see.

Speaker 4: 4:58

And longevity, and the scope of this is unusual. Until now, I'm Carol Cadwalader, an investigative journalist. Officially, hannah is my ex-stepdaughter. That sounds like you've been removed from your life. I went out with her dad, dave, a million years ago, so I've known her since she was seven. When all this was happening to Hannah, I was busy working on the most all-consuming story I've ever done the Cambridge Analytica.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Facebook story. She has been working non-stop.

Speaker 4: 5:39

It's been four years since Hannah first opened up to me and since then we've been trying to unravel this story and what actually went on.

Speaker 6: 5:47

My phone pretty much became my enemy.

Speaker 4: 5:50

Hannah's digital intruder does know about technology. It's how they stay in the shadows.

Speaker 6: 5:57

At the end of the day, anyone determined enough to do harm can find a way to do harm.

Speaker 4: 6:03

What starts as a quest to unmask hannah's tormentor what it's called in the literature is identity leakage leads us on a trail of deception spanning miami, hong kong and london. You can't just pay for a ticket for london fashion week. You've got to be the right person to get access you're either on the inside or you're on the outside. Where are we? Whoever's behind this campaign knows a lot about Hannah, and they may even be listening to this podcast. Do you really want to?

Speaker 4: 6:36

open your mouth it sounds like a Pandora's box, and now we want answers from them.

Speaker 3: 6:52

Next up is the Tamsin Show by Authentic Waves Media, a new podcast hosted by Tamsen Fadal, who's also the show's co-producer, as well as the executive producer of the documentary the M Factor Shredding the Silence on Menopause, and author of the book how to Menopause Reclaim your Health, take Charge of your Life and Feel Even Better Than Before. At the time of this recording, only one episode is dropped an interview with Halle Berry, who talks about her own struggles with menopause and the lack of proactive medical advice to prepare all women for this inevitable change in their life. Shocking as it may seem, when Hallie first went to her doctor complaining of symptoms that should have informed her physician, her perimenopausal condition was first diagnosed as a sexually transmitted disease. Hallie's experience impacted her so deeply that she, too, has become an advocate for menopause research, education and improved medical and personal care. If this topic piques your interest, make sure to check out the Tamsin Show wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're a fan of the Paralyzed podcast by Seven Lamb Productions, or you're just a diehard fan of horror, I've got some great news for you. Some great news for you. After more than two years, season five of Paralyzed is finally underway, with two full episodes already dropped and more to come.

Speaker 3: 8:38

Going back to the very beginning, to get everyone refreshed on the plot line Paralyzed is a horror show that initially focuses on David Summers, a chronic sufferer of sleep paralysis, and his annual camping trip with friends. But when he and his college chums arrive at their destination, something seems off, real off, and even that is an understatement. In fact, in short order, all hell breaks loose. There are strange sightings that seem to be tied to the murder of several nearby campers. Who, or what did these gruesome things? They weren't human. They weren't any animal on earth that anyone knew about. They were maybe aliens, supernatural entities or maybe, just maybe, figments of David's nightmares.

Speaker 3: 9:38

Paralyzed resonates with horror and sci-fi fans. It's a well-done podcast written by Robert Lamb, the genius behind Seven Lamb Productions, a tiny production company located in Florida. That would be great for listeners, except Robert can't abide by producing just one podcast at a time. In fact, his need for variety is legendary and it's both a blessing and a curse. Juggling multiple shows. It's not unusual to wait up to a year for another episode to drop. With that said, robert and his talented cast have resurrected Paralyzed and are currently dropping season five episodes once a month.

Speaker 3: 10:29

I don't recommend jumping into the latest episodes before listening from the beginning of the show, and if you haven't listened to Paralyzed yet, I want you to know that I'm jealous. The plot is quite involved, so if you're more of a savor the moment kind of listener, you have weeks of listening ahead of you. The last new show that I am going to be talking about today is called Under Yazoo Clay, which dropped in March 2025. Now the tempo of this podcast doesn't really pick up until episode three, so hang in there and just enjoy the ride. I think the best way to clue you in on the plot of this podcast, as well as the flavor of the show, is to listen to the trailer.

Speaker 5: 11:29

Dig below the surface in central Mississippi and odds are good you'll find a burnt orange color looking back up at you. It's called Yazoo clay, and there's one thing it's known for wreaking havoc on anything buried in it. It is the strangest, most destructive soil I've ever dug in before. You never get what you expect. No, over the years, yazoo clay has held and destroyed a lot of mississippi secrets, but in 2012, a construction crew uncovered a big one graves thousands of them on the site of the old state asylum they may have thought they only found a thousand.

Speaker 7: 12:12

And then once I realized, okay, wait a minute, 2,000. Wait a minute, 7,000.

Speaker 5: 12:22

And all this begs the question just how do you lose track of 7,000 graves? The Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum closed its doors back in 1935. It didn't take long for the asylum cemetery to fade from memory.

Speaker 8: 12:37

And all of a sudden I looked down and there was a headstone. And all of a sudden I walked a little bit further and I started looking all around and there were scores of headstones. I said this is a big cemetery.

Speaker 5: 12:51

Today the cemetery it's just a sprawling green island in the middle of what's now the biggest medical center in the state, but the graves might not be there much longer.

Speaker 8: 13:04

When I hear them say you know, we've done all we can do for the dead. It's time to do something for the living. We need that land. We just forgot they were buried out there. They didn't just forget.

Speaker 5: 13:18

These graves hold real people, and their descendants are looking for the real story.

Speaker 8: 13:23

It's not just about me, it's my family. This was my family's mystery. You know what I'm saying. What happened to?

Speaker 5: 13:30

Grandma Zinni, this is a story about family.

Speaker 8: 13:34

They put him in an insane asylum. Her mom said he wasn't crazy, he was just starving.

Speaker 5: 13:39

It's a story about family.

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It's a story about secrets. It gets buried down so deep that any kind of scratch of the surface has to be tamped down quick In a place where even the ground wants you to forget.

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This soil technically shouldn't exist. It has character.

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It does A mind of its own, it seems, but this is also a story about how we reckon with the past.

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We don't see the shame, but we see the effects of the shame.

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If you have any standing in the state of Mississippi, part of your work is righting wrongs.

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In Mississippi, keeping secrets is as old as the soil itself, so can the truth ever really be uncovered? The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that, I'm Larison Campbell, and this is Under Yazoo Clay.

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Just as an aside, in the episode, like they're Reaching Out to Me, it told the story of a dowser. Now, I always thought that there was just water dowsers. Of a dowser, Now, I always thought that there was just water dowsers. My father, who came from Kentucky and not only Kentucky, but the hills of Kentucky was a water dowser, and if water was in the ground he would find it. But I never knew that there were different types of dowsers, including body dowsers. And in the episode, like they're Reaching Out to Me, there is a dowser that can locate bodies within this cemetery or anywhere. He can not only do that, but he can tell you where the head is, where the feet are and how deep they're buried, just by dowsing. And now it's time to share our epic episode of the week a perfect choice for those who love one-and-done shows.

Speaker 3: 16:01

Today I'm focusing on Real Survivor Stories by Noiser, a podcast that specializes in harrowing stories of survival. I've listened to several episodes of this show, but I've had an hour or less to mentally escape from work. And this week I'm sharing one about the poorest and most violent island in the Caribbean and kidnapping of an American aid worker. The episode is entitled Aid Worker Kidnapped, held Hostage in Haiti Part 1 and 2, which first aired on January 29, 2025. It's told by former hostage, jeff Frazier, who volunteered as a food aid worker in an area ruled by violent gangs in order to help impoverished Haitians who were suffering from malnutrition and disease.

Speaker 3: 16:57

Jeff's true story involves being kidnapped for ransom and physically and emotionally tortured by ruthless gang members in this nasty, shabby compound surrounded by dense vegetation. Could he pay the ransom? And even if he could, would they kill him anyway? And that uncertainty led him to consider an even riskier option breaking out of his makeshift prison and making a mad dash for freedom. Listen to real survival stories Aid Worker Kidnapped, held Hostage in Haiti Episodes 1 and 2, to find out how Jeff Frazier lived to tell his story. John Hopkins narrates this particular show and I have to be perfectly honest here I am absolutely in love with his voice. Here's a clip from the show.

Speaker 10: 17:54

It's April 2023. On the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, haiti, a white SUV speeds through a maze of narrow, twisting streets. It bumps over potholes and screeches around hairpins. Black smoke sputtering from the exhaust, tires splashing through brown puddles, stray dogs scamper out of the road as the SUV plunges deeper and deeper into this dense shantytown. On the back seat, jeff frazier cannot see. The brim of his cap is being pushed down over his eyes by an aggressive hand. He tries to peek out from beneath this makeshift blindfold. Down to his right, he can make out a pair of skinny legs in scruffy ripped jeans and the jet black muzzle of an assault rifle laid across them. The masked men who have hijacked this vehicle are taking Jeff and his two security guards to an unknown location. Jeff counts the left and right turns, trying to commit the route to memory. He attempts to stay calm, but his heart is pounding as the car starts to motor up an incline.

Speaker 9: 19:11

As you go higher up the hill in this area, you're going deeper into King territory, and so when we're headed up that hill, I know that we're being kidnapped he soon loses count of the endless zigzag turns wherever they're going.

Speaker 10: 19:26

It's deep inside a part of the city that humanitarian aid workers like jeff normally avoid, a place governed by gangs who trade in human lives.

Speaker 9: 19:38

It is so frightening, it's a strange realization to go from free to captive, and to not only be captive but to think that your life is in jeopardy. You know I've been through scary situations in the past, but none of that compares to this situation.

Speaker 10: 20:09

Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision? Could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations, People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations, People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we meet 45-year-old Jeff Frazier. Jeff is an aid worker who runs food distribution in Haiti, a beautiful, culturally rich Caribbean nation which has, in recent years, struggled desperately with extreme poverty and crime. In April 2023, Jeff is in Haiti to facilitate a relief program when he is taken hostage by one of the gangs who have taken over swathes of the country. Trapped in a fortified compound, Jeff must negotiate with his captors and forge bonds with his fellow hostages, praying every day that he will eventually make it home to his family.

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About 20% of kidnapping victims are killed in the process. You hope that the calculus plays out in your favor so that they see you as more valuable alive than dead. But how certain are you that they're going to do that math?

Speaker 10: 21:43

I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Network. This is Real Survival Stories.

Speaker 3: 22:11

Gerald, oh, no, not you again. What are you listening to? Are you spying on me? Oh, ais, you can't trust them. But yes, welcome to.

Speaker 3: 22:25

What Are you Listening To? A segment where I share what I've binged this week, and it's a good one. They drop into your email, your texts, groups that you frequent and on your social media pages. They know your day-to-day movements, who your friends are and who you're dating. What do they want from you? Unlike nefarious criminals whose only intentions are to steal your money or your property, stalkers want to own you, to make you their play toy that they can bat around like a cat with a feather. Their biggest reward is to rob you of your happiness, your safety and your relationships. They consume your fear and find true joy in your misery. This week I binged Can I Tell you a Secret?

Speaker 3: 23:17

An investigative podcast by the Guardian about one twisted individual's obsession to cause fear and destruction in other people's lives. And, as this true story reveals, the twisted creep behind this years-long stalking case wasn't a random weirdo living in some far-off place. He lived among them. The cyber stalker in question was Matthew Hardy, something that is revealed very early on in the show. But who was he really? Why did he find so much joy in causing other people pain? Was he ostracized in life or just in his own mind? And, most importantly, what were the consequences for this cyber stalker and the human wreckage he left behind? Here's a clip from Can I Tell you a Secret?

Speaker 4: 24:15

Are you doing a podcast?

Speaker 6: 24:17

We're making a podcast about this guy called Matthew Hardyew hardy.

Speaker 4: 24:20

Oh yeah, I've heard of him one of my family members has been a victim of his. That's crazy.

Speaker 6: 24:25

I know it's been going on for so long my name is shirin kala and I'm a journalist for the guardian and you're listening to. Can I tell you Episode one, the beginning? The reason I'm getting stopped on the streets of Northwich is because Matthew Hardy has terrified people in this town for over a decade. These victims feel that their lives have been taken over by a force beyond their control, but while everyone knows who this cyberstalker is, no one understands how to make him stop. This isn't a whodunit, it's Matthew. It's always been Matthew. This is about trying to understand who Matthew is and why he does it and how he gets away with it. Through speaking to his victims and the people closest to him. The answer to those questions takes us deep into a story about obsession, fear and how we live our lives online, about when loneliness and longing hardens into rage and that rage is directed outwards, at people we don't even know, at people we don't even know. That story it starts here in Northwich, but all the way back in 2008.

Speaker 3: 26:05

Going back to 2008,. Myspace was all the rage, but Facebook was quickly gaining ground and, by 2010, hundreds of millions of young people were avid users. But what they didn't know during that naive time was that it was also a playground for the creeps of the world, who only had bad intentions. And now it's time for our main event. But before getting into today's main podcast coverage, I have a confession to make. I am a person who loves to make lists, but five out of ten times, once I've written it down, whatever it was that was so important to me, I forget about it. Does anyone else do this, or am I alone? Finally, acknowledging my shortcoming, thank goodness I started naming documents with the same beginning. In the case of podcasts, for instance, my lists read list of podcasts to recommend, followed by the genre. I then make a date with myself once a month and I put it on the calendar with a reminder ding time to review your lists. I don't know it works for me.

Speaker 3: 27:45

I queued up one of my list of podcasts to recommend the other day. There was one that I covered way back in 2022, when our podcast was minuscule, that I wanted to share with you again. It's called Alligator Candy. I want to caution you that Alligator Candy is about an unimaginable tragedy, namely the brutal murder of an 11-year-old child named Jonathan, or John as his brothers still call him. But woven into this dark story are also the strengths of family ties, the rippling effect that John's death had on the community and the determination of two brothers to not only keep the memory of their younger brother alive, but also how they worked together to ensure that lasting justice prevailed. And along the way, they learned that, no matter how many years go by, grief never disappears. It just evolves.

Speaker 3: 28:50

Alligator Candy is also a story about the 1970s, a time when children had the freedom to explore their neighborhood and city without adult supervision. Host and executive producer David Kushner describes the urban forest of towering cypress and palm trees at the end of their cul-de-sac and how it was a rite of passage when kids were finally old enough to play there, building forts, riding bikes on the bumpy trails and using it as a shortcut to a nearby convenience store where one day the day that changed everything his four-year-old self asked John to go to the store and buy him some snappy gator gum. John, who was flush with his lawn mowing earnings, obliged by hopping on his bike and setting off for the woods. It was the last time that David ever saw his brother. Alligator Candy is a gripping and touching story. Once I started listening to Alligator Candy, I couldn't help myself. I binged the entire podcast in one day. David, by the way, also wrote a book by the same name. It's available on Amazon. Here's a clip from the show.

Speaker 7: 30:19

I'm David Kushner and this is my brother, john. Growing up in Florida in the early 70s, kids were free to run around for hours outside, no plans, no cell phones, just a promise to be home before dark.

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Love.

Speaker 7: 30:41

Rosalia, I love you. When John was 11 and I was 4, he biked away from our house through the woods to a store nearby. He was going to buy me my favorite candy, a little plastic alligator head filled with chewing gum. He peddled off into the woods but he never came back.

Speaker 4: 31:00

Maybe have a word with you, my dear dog.

Speaker 7: 31:04

I've been a journalist for decades, but the story I've chased the longest is about my brother John, the story of what happened to him.

Speaker 3: 31:14

I think the worst thing of the worst is that you never would find the person.

Speaker 1: 31:22

On one hand, I desperately wanted to find something and, on the other hand, I was absolutely terrified of finding something.

Speaker 7: 31:30

And the story of what happened to our family and our town after he disappeared. A little boy simply goes from his house through some woods to go to get some candy at the 7-Eleven and never comes back. That is every parent's essential nightmare. When you realize that anything can happen anytime, anywhere, how do you go on?

Speaker 3: 31:58

I just wanted to talk with other people who've gone through it. I felt isolated and on.

Speaker 1: 32:07

Mars. I believe now, looking back, it was absolutely to try to find some answers, and here I am searching for some kind of answer. And how the hell do you continue?

Speaker 3: 32:39

And that's it for this week, folks. We will be back next week with a new show, but in the meantime, please give us a follow and, if your heart so desires, a five-star rating. It's easy to do and it means the world to us. You know we love you. See you next week.

Speaker 2: 33:14

One Good Thing Media is brought to you by our host and creator, gerald Spear. All things technical are by David Doddd and our announcer is Robert Spear. Our theme song is Force by HGST. Thank, you.