This episode is a little bit of everything — because life is, too.

We start with Michigan winter doing what it does best: absolute chaos. From frost cracks that sound like gunshots to earth-rumbling frost quakes and Arctic cold that makes you question every life choice, we break down what’s actually happening (science, not exploding trees) and why it feels especially unhinged. Along the way, we wonder how wildlife is handling all of this — because someone has to be coping better than we are.

Then we shift into the heart of the episode with Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart. This is not true crime for entertainment, but a survivor telling her own story. We walk through Elizabeth’s abduction, the investigative failures, the power of shame as a weapon, and the reality that survival doesn’t always look loud or dramatic. Her story is heartbreaking, important, and told with the care it deserves.

We close on a lighter, very real note with a mom segment — from sippy cup bankruptcy and a toddler who listens better to Danny Go than his own mother, to an unchanged poop situation and a quiet but meaningful health win. Heavy and light coexist here, just like they do in real life — and both are welcome.

🧠 Episode Takeaways

🌲 Michigan winter is dramatic, not apocalyptic — frost cracks and frost quakes are loud and unsettling, but they’re science doing science

❄️ Extreme cold is serious — frostbite and hypothermia can happen faster than most people realize

🦌 Wildlife adapts in ways humans simply… do not

🎥 Not all true crime is entertainment — survivor-led stories deserve care, context, and respect

💔 Silence can be survival — compliance does not equal consent

🚨 Shame belongs to the perpetrator, never the victim

📞 Support exists even if you’re not ready to speak yet

🍼 No one prepares you for the financial chaos of sippy cups

🕺 Your child will absolutely listen to a man on YouTube before listening to you

💩 Some phases persist, and sometimes acceptance is the move

✨ Small wins matter — especially when they come without pressure

⚖️ Life can hold heavy and light at the same time, and both deserve space

Hashtags

#elizabethsmart #kidnapped #survivorstories #documentary #michigan #winter #extremeweather #mentalhealthawareness #womenwhopodcast

Keywords

Elizabeth Smart, kidnapping, survival, advocacy, environmental changes, motherhood, nature, investigation, control, escape

Resources:

If you or someone you know needs support:

RAINN (U.S.): 800-656-HOPE or rainn.org

National Sexual Assault Hotline — chat available 24/7

And if you’re outside the U.S., local crisis lines can be found through international advocacy networks

Sources:

CBS News. (2024). Exploding trees? Extreme cold can cause loud cracks in Michigan.https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/exploding-trees-cold-weather-michigan/

Detroit Free Press. (2026, January 23). What is a frost quake? Why extreme cold can cause Michigan to rumble.https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/01/23/michigan-frost-quake-earthquake-extreme-cold/88315699007/

Netflix. (2026). Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart [Documentary]. Netflix.

RAINN. (n.d.). National Sexual Assault Hotline.https://www.rainn.org

Elizabeth Smart Foundation. (n.d.). About & survivor resources.https://www.elizabethsmartfoundation.org

This episode is a deeply personal and honest conversation about living with alopecia—and everything that comes with it beyond hair loss. Monika sits down with Elizabeth Sevigny (IG: @thebald_mom), a fellow alopecia warrior, to talk about identity, grief, control, confidence, and the quiet ways alopecia reshapes how you move through the world. From the shock of the beginning to the emotional weight, wig experiences, public reactions, and the pivotal moment of shaving one’s head, this isn’t a transformation story—it’s real life. With humor, vulnerability, and compassion, Monika and Elizabeth explore what it means to reclaim autonomy, redefine beauty, and find connection through shared experience. Whether alopecia is part of your story or not, this episode offers understanding, empathy, and a powerful reminder that no one has to navigate their body—or this journey—alone.

✨ Episode Takeaways

💛 Alopecia isn’t just about hair—it’s about identity, grief, control, and learning how to exist comfortably in your body again.

🪞 There is real loss in this journey, and grieving it doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human.

🎭 Wigs and covering up can feel empowering for some and exhausting for others, and both experiences are valid.

✂️ Shaving your head isn’t about “giving up”—for many, it’s about reclaiming autonomy and choosing authenticity.

🌱 Femininity, beauty, and confidence are not defined by hair, even when the world tries to tell us otherwise.

🗣️ You don’t owe strangers explanations, comfort, or access to your body or your story.

🤍 Finding even one person who truly understands can turn isolation into connection.

🔥 There is no right way to cope, heal, or show up—your journey is yours, and it’s enough exactly as it is.

Hashtags#AlopeciaAwareness #LivingWithAlopecia #AlopeciaJourney #HairLossCommunity #HairLossSupport #TakingOurPowerBack #RedefiningBeauty #AuthenticityMatters #ConfidenceWithoutHair #VisibleNotInvisible #AlopeciaCommunity #YouAreNotAlone #BodyAcceptance #SelfIdentity #MentalHealthMatters #HealingOutLoud #GriefAndGrowth

Keywords

alopecia, hair loss, emotional impact, community support, wigs, identity, self-perception, beauty, femininity, resilience

This episode of Mostly Accurate takes a sharp turn through true crime chaos and straight into real-life parenting survival mode.

We dive into the unraveling of California socialite Tatyana Remley, whose murder-for-hire plot, arson charges, and online spiral ended in a shocking public tragedy. Then we break down the disturbing story of Lois Riess — a small-town Minnesota grandma turned fugitive killer whose trail of deception, gambling, and murder proves that danger doesn’t always look dangerous.

And because life never lets up, we close with a very real Mom Moment: surviving the flu while parenting, public toddler meltdowns, and the kind of partner support that deserves eternal recognition.

From jaw-dropping crimes to everyday chaos, this episode is proof that reality is often darker — and more absurd — than fiction.

📌 EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

💸 Money and status don’t prevent bad decisions — they just make the fallout louder and messier.

👵 Not all danger looks dangerous. Sometimes it looks like a grandma, a neighbor, or someone you’d never question.

🧠 Mental illness can explain behavior without excusing the harm it causes.

🚩 Red flags are often visible long before the story explodes — we just don’t always want to see them.

🤒 Parenting while sick is a full-contact sport no one trains for.

🏆 Supportive partners deserve lifetime MVP status.

😮‍💨 Tiny butthead tantrums are temporary… even when they happen in public.

🌀 Life is chaotic, people are unpredictable, and sometimes surviving the day is the real win.

Hashtags

#tatyana #lois #hitman #plot #arson #socialite #grandma #killer #ontherun #smalltown #money #fire

Keywords

parenting, illness, true crime, murder, chaos, mental health, family drama, gambling addiction, small town, crime stories

Sources:

I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders (2024). HBO Documentary Films. Directed by Erin Lee Carr. Series aired October 15–16, 2024 on HBO. Wikiped

KSRO. (2023, September 1). San Diego woman charged in murder-for-hire plot to kill husband. KSRO. Retrieved from https://www.ksro.com/2023/09/01/san-diego-woman-charged-in-murder-for-hire-plot-to-kill-husband

New York Post. (2025, December 22). California socialite who tried to hire hitman on husband kills herself: Report. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/us-news/california-socialite-who-tried-to-hire-hitman-on-husband-kills-herself-report

New York Post. (2025, December 23). California equestrian joked about starting OnlyFans, spoke of suicide attempts in final video. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2025/12/23/us-news/tatyana-remley-joked-about-starting-onlyfans-spoke-of-suicide-attempts-in-final-video

People. (2025, December 24). California equestrian in murder-for-hire case dies by suicide. People. Retrieved from https://people.com/calif-equestrian-in-murder-for-hire-case-dies-by-suicide-11874887

The Star. (2025, December 26). California equestrian in hitman plot against husband dies at 45. The Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/2025/12/26/california-equestrian-in-hitman-plot-against-husband-dies-at-45

This episode of Mostly Accurate is a tour through chaos, excuses, and the very selective way accountability shows up in real life.

We start in Florida with a man who crashed a stolen BMW at 130 mph and claimed he teleported into the car while being chased by aliens — a reminder that confidence is often mistaken for credibility.

Then we head to Texas and the Candy Montgomery case, where a suburban church mom killed her friend with an axe — forty-one times — and walked free. The episode unpacks the affair, the trauma-based defense, and the uncomfortable truth about who the justice system is willing to believe.

We close with a Mom Check-In featuring a hit-and-run, insurance purgatory, toddler swearing, and a poop saga that escalated into performance art — proving that chaos doesn’t stop at courtrooms or crash scenes.

From Florida Man logic to Texas justice to toddler anarchy, one thing is clear: accountability is optional, and chaos is thriving.

🧠 Episode Takeaways

🚗 Confidence is not the same as truth

Sometimes the boldest explanation is just the wildest lie.

⚖️ Justice isn’t blind — it’s biased

Who you are often matters more than what you did.

🪓 Trauma can explain behavior, but it doesn’t erase harm

Understanding isn’t the same as absolution.

⛪ Respectability can shield violence

Trustworthy appearances carry dangerous weight.

📺 True crime reflects our unresolved questions

If we keep retelling it, we haven’t learned from it.

🧼 Parenting is crisis management, not mastery

Some weeks are just damage control.

💩 Eye contact means intent

At that point, it’s a power move.

✨ No one actually has it together

Especially the people pretending they do.

Hashtags

#FloridaMan #Texas #Crime #CandyMontgomery #LoveAndDeath #Teleporting #Aliens #Justice #DarkHumor #Accountability #Truth

Keywords

Candy Montgomery, Betty Gore, true crime, murder, trial, media portrayal, affair, psychological trauma, public perception, 1980s

Bardsley, M. (2010). A murder in Texas: The true story of the Candy Montgomery case. McFarland & Company.

CNN. (2023). The true story behind Love & Death. Cable News Network.

Dershowitz, A. M. (1986). The abuse excuse: And other cop-outs, sob stories, and evasions of responsibility. Little, Brown & Company.

People Magazine. (2023). Candy Montgomery: Where is she now?

Texas v. Montgomery, No. CR80-200 (Collin County District Court, 1980).

Time Magazine. (2023). Love & Death vs. Candy: The real story behind the shows.

FOX 35 Orlando News Digital Staff. (2025, December 9). Man claims he ‘teleported’ into stolen BMW before 130 mph crash, deputies say. FOX 35 Orlando. Fox 35 Orlando

Vice News. (2025, December). Florida man told cops he ‘teleported’ into stolen BMW before high-speed crash. Vice. VICE

NBC6 South Florida. (2025, December 9). Video shows man tell Florida deputy he ‘teleported’ into stolen BMW. NBC Universal, Inc. NBC 6 South Florida

The Independent. (2025). Florida man who crashed stolen BMW told cops that he ‘teleported’ into it during arrest. The Independent. The Independent

On this weeks episode of Mostly Accurate, Monika pulls back the glittery curtain on New Year’s resolutions and asks the uncomfortable but necessary question: Is it us… or is the system rigged?

In this science-backed, sarcastic, and deeply validating special episode, we break down why January makes us feel delusionally hopeful, why most resolutions fail by February (spoiler: it’s not a moral flaw), and who quietly profits from our annual self-improvement spiral. From dopamine tricks and the Fresh Start Effect to habit formation, motivation myths, and the wellness industry’s favorite guilt-based marketing tactics, this episode explains why we keep trying to reinvent ourselves every January — and why we feel like failures when it doesn’t stick.

We also dig into the very real, very ignored reality of parental burnout and mom-specific resolutions, where goals collide with exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and nervous systems that never get a day off. Most importantly, this episode reframes goal-setting into something sustainable, realistic, and human — offering practical, science-based ways to build habits without shame, punishment, or perfectionism.

If you’ve already “fallen off” your resolution, this episode isn’t here to scold you — it’s here to remind you that you didn’t fail. The goal just wasn’t built for the life you’re actually living.

🔑 Episode Takeaways

✨ January motivation isn’t magic — it’s psychology, dopamine, and a calendar playing tricks on your brain.
🧠 Most resolutions fail because they’re vague, aggressive, and disconnected from real life — not because you lack discipline.
📉 Motivation fades fast; systems and consistency are what actually create change.
💸 Gyms, diet culture, and wellness brands profit heavily from January hope and February shame.
🐢 Small, almost-embarrassing goals work better than dramatic life overhauls — every time.
👩‍👧 For moms and parents, “failure” is often just a lack of capacity, not effort or desire.
🧩 Detaching your self-worth from your goals makes progress sustainable instead of punishing.
🗓️ Missing a day isn’t failure — quitting because of shame is. Recovery matters more than perfection.
🧡 Measuring effort instead of outcomes changes everything.

Keywords

New Year's resolutions, motivation, goal setting, small goals, parenting, self-improvement, psychology, habits, success, personal growth

Hashtags

#NewYear #Resolutions #MentalHealth #Habits #SelfGrowth #Burnout #Wellness #Goals #RealLife #Podcast #Motivation

Sources:

American Psychological Association. (2024). Making lasting behavior change. Forbes Health / OnePoll. (2024). New Year’s resolutions statistics. Milkman, K. L., & Dai, H. (2016). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science. Psychology Today. (2025). Why resolutions fail. University of Delaware. (2024). The psychology of habit formation. Smart Health Clubs. (2024). January gym membership trends.

This week on Mostly Accurate, Monika dives headfirst into two haunting maritime cases that prove the ocean does not play fair — and neither do family dynamics.

First, we unpack the disturbing death of 18-year-old Florida cheerleader Anna Kepner, found dead inside her cruise ship cabin under circumstances that raise terrifying questions. With the FBI involved, international waters complicating jurisdiction, and a family member named as a potential suspect, this case turns a “fun family cruise” into a full-blown floating crime scene.

Then, during Tea Time, Monika breaks down Netflix’s The Carman Family Deaths — a twisted story involving a missing mother, a dead grandfather, an $85,000 boat insurance claim, misunderstood autism, and a fishing trip that spiraled into years of suspicion and unanswered questions. Was Nathan Carman a criminal mastermind, a misunderstood son, or another casualty of generational trauma and money-fueled family dysfunction?

And because life doesn’t stop being messy just because true crime is heavy, the episode wraps with a heartfelt Mom Moment Still — celebrating toddler milestones, daycare sweetness, suspiciously good moods, and the humbling reality of elderly-dog chaos that no amount of carpet cleaner can emotionally prepare you for.

Dark, emotional, sarcastic, and painfully human — this episode is a reminder that joy and devastation often coexist, and sometimes the messiest chapters are the most meaningful.

🔍 KEY TAKEAWAYS

⚓ Cruise ships aren’t just floating vacations — they’re legal nightmares when crime happens in international waters
🧬 Family dynamics can complicate investigations long before evidence ever does
🛟 Life jackets are meant to save lives… not hide crimes
🎣 The Carman Family Deaths highlights how money, grief, and misunderstanding autism can distort justice
🧠 “Red flags” aren’t always what they seem — especially when neurodiversity is involved
💔 Some cases end without answers, and that unresolved truth is often the hardest part
👶 Motherhood exists in constant duality: pride, progress, poop, and pure love
🐾 Gratitude can live alongside absolute chaos — even when it smells terrible

Keywords

true crime, investigation, family drama, autism, mental health, generational trauma, murder mystery, documentary, ocean, disappearance

Sources:

Associated Press. (2025, December 24). Teen suspect in stepsister’s cruise ship death says he doesn’t remember anything, documents say. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/56ba45216785d8d4b004a06853a14c46 AP News

Lantz, D., & Margolin, J. (2025, November 24). Anna Kepner’s death on cruise ship ruled a homicide. ABC7 Los Angeles. https://abc7.com/post/anna-kepners-death-cruise-ship-ruled-homicide/18204186/ ABC7 Los Angeles

Holt, M. (2025, November 19). Teen found dead on Carnival cruise; court documents suggest FBI suspect. WFTV. https://www.wftv.com/news/local/teen-found-dead-carnival-cruise-court-documents-suggest-fbi-suspect/FIGWKZUSZNF6VHI6EGY2H2TIO4/

Netflix. (2025). The Carman Family Deaths [Documentary]. Netflix.