I Used To Work There

What happens when a broken alarm clock changes one man’s arrival at the Pentagon on September 11, a dental assistant discovers her former boss at the centre of a police standoff, and calls keep coming from a hospital floor where none of the phones are plugged in? On Episode 16 of I Used To Work There, Kelly Kennedy brings you seven true workplace stories featuring celebrity encounters, disastrous journeys, threatening clients and terrifying situations. We start with Day Shift laughs before heading into a Night Shift filled with unexplained footsteps, a frightening boss and an extraordinary account of survival. Day Shift opens with Michelle, who worked at a Los Angeles grocery store where celebrity sightings were part of the job. When Willem Dafoe notices a little boy holding a Green Goblin toy, an ordinary shopping trip becomes an unforgettable encounter with an unexpectedly funny payoff. Then Kelly’s brother DJ joins the show to revisit the summers they worked together. Long days unloading trucks helped teenage Kelly save for a beautiful Pontiac Firebird. There was just one problem: getting it home. What followed involved overheating, overnight driving, unexpected family connections and a rescue from Dad. Matthew takes us to Hawaii, where totalling his new car is only the beginning. Determined to make it to his sampling events, he faces flooded streets, a heavy folding table, a nine-mile journey and a stranger looking for a fight. Just when he thinks the day is finally over, a familiar face appears on the bus home. Dan closes Day Shift with a tow-truck owner determined to cut his insurance costs. A week after removing his coverage, the client’s truck is damaged, and Dan finds himself receiving threats from a man who competes in MMA. When Night Shift begins, Joe takes us to the fifth floor of a hospital undergoing renovations. Security keeps receiving calls from an empty room, but the phone inside isn’t connected. As Joe investigates, footsteps begin following him through the halls. Then they get faster. LaRee follows with a dental office where an exciting opportunity becomes an increasingly frightening place to work. Staff arguments, screaming and a confrontation with a patient give way to behaviour that finally pushes her to leave. Months later, a friend sends her a news report about her former boss, and she discovers just how far things have escalated. Finally, Thomas Lee Johnson shares his experience at the Pentagon on September 11. An alarm clock he had relied on for years fails to wake him, changing the timing of his arrival. He reaches the building just as the attack happens. What follows is a deeply personal account of shock, survival and the friend who stayed on the phone when he needed someone most. Episode Chapters 00:00:00 Cold Open 00:01:00 Welcome to the Day Shift 00:02:01 Michelle: Green Goblin Goes Shopping 00:08:23 DJ: The Firebird from Hell 00:16:00 Matthew: Hawaii Workday from Hell 00:26:27 Dan: Tow-Truck Insurance and a Threatening Client 00:32:03 Joe: Calls from the Fifth Floor 00:40:41 LaRee: Dentist from Hell 00:50:44 Thomas: Late for 9/11 00:57:25 Clocking Out Follow and Share the Show Listen and follow on your favourite podcast app. Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop every two weeks, and over 100 true workplace stories are waiting for you in our first 15 episodes. If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a five-star rating and a written review on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps us reach more listeners and find more incredible stories. Know someone who appreciates a great story? Text them this episode. Which story will stick with you the longest? Tell us in the episode comments or email [email protected]. Listen Next For more extraordinary workplace stories and unsettling encounters, listen to Episode 14: Held Hostage for 31 Months, Revenge on a Magician, Haunted Hospital. Or discover Trapped in a Car Vending Machine, Haunted Hotel, Runaway CEO. Have a Story? You Can Submit It Two Ways. I Used To Work There is your show, your stories. Wild, funny, terrifying or unexplainable, if it happened at work and it’s true, we want to hear it. Pull out your phone, open the Voice Memos app, tell us what happened, and email your recording to [email protected]. Prefer to be interviewed? Complete our guest intake form. You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous. Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you at work? Presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, the Night Shift Story Competition is open for submissions through October 31, 2026. Submit and record your true scary workplace story by October 31 for your chance to win a $1,000 USD cash prize. We’ll crown our Employee of the Month during the first episode of November. Ghosts, monsters, terrifying customers, dangerous situations or something you still cannot explain. Your story does not have to involve a ghost or happen at night. It just needs to be a frightening experience connected to work. Voice memo and interview submissions are both welcome, and you may share your story anonymously. Submit using the email address or guest intake form above. If you’re sitting on a scary workplace story, our next Employee of the Month could be you. Night Shift Story Competition Sponsor The Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition is proudly presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Plan a fall getaway to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. From golden leaves in the river valley to live music, theatre, restaurants and Halloween attractions, there is plenty to build a weekend around. Discover things to do and book your stay through Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Support Foxx’s Fight If you have been looking for a way to support Foxx, Shelby, Kelly and their family, sharing their GoFundMe is a meaningful way to help. Every share helps their story reach someone new and means more than words can express. Support Foxx’s Fight and share their story. Title Sponsor I Used To Work There is proudly brought to you by Atlas Elite Lifts. Building car lifts so cool they would make Batman jealous, Atlas Elite Lifts delivers premium automotive lifting solutions for home garages, professional shops and serious automotive enthusiasts across North America. Whether you are restoring classics, wrenching on weekend projects, or running a professional service facility, Atlas Elite Lifts has a lift built for the job. Learn more at www.atlaselitelifts.com.

What happens when a company hires 300 actors to pretend they work there, a comedian finds himself staring down a gun from the front row, and an ordinary morning at a power plant becomes a fight to get home alive? On Episode 15 of I Used to Work There, Kelly Kennedy brings you eight true workplace stories featuring terrible bosses, a haunted heritage house, a comedy competition gone wrong and extraordinary accounts of survival. We start with Day Shift laughs before heading into a Night Shift where everything can change in seconds. Day Shift opens with comedian Keith Ross Nelson, whose wife joins the audience for a comedy competition and discovers her favourite performer. There is just one problem: it might not be him. Then Andrew takes us inside a consulting company with an unusual plan to impress a potential client: hire more than 300 actors to fill the office and pretend to be employees. Barbara follows with two stories about terrible bosses. A door-slamming outburst pushes her to confront the man everyone else is afraid of. Then, at another workplace, landing the company’s biggest contract in 25 years still isn’t enough to earn her boss’s respect. This time, she decides one of them has to go. When Night Shift begins, Alex takes us into an old heritage house where footsteps travel across the floor above him and voices carry through rooms that should be empty. He goes looking for visitors. What he eventually finds suggests he is far from the first employee to experience something strange. Master electrician Jason shares how a routine job at a hotel swimming pool becomes a life-threatening emergency. An arc flash leaves him severely burned, facing a long recovery and wondering whether his hands will ever work again. Keith returns with a very different comedy story. During a show in Mississippi, a man sitting just feet from the stage pulls a gun and tells him to change the subject. The bouncers do nothing. Keith still has a show to finish. Finally, Joe takes us inside a coal-fired power plant on a beautiful October morning. He has coffee, talks with a coworker and exchanges messages with his wife. Then a coal bunker explodes. What follows is an extraordinary account of escape, coworkers coming to his aid, and a family facing the possibility that he might never come home. Through humour, faith and the difficult reality of life after the accident, Joe shares what it took to survive and what it meant to finally return to the people he loves. Episode Chapters 00:00:00 Cold Open and Introduction 00:02:09 Keith: His Wife’s Favourite Comedian 00:05:48 Andrew: 300 Fake Employees 00:10:43 Barbara: The Door-Slamming Boss 00:14:49 Barbara: The Boss Ultimatum 00:20:14 Alex: Haunted Heritage House 00:28:07 Jason: Surviving an Arc Flash 00:35:38 Keith: Gun in the Front Row 00:38:32 Joe: Power Plant Explosion Follow and Share the Show Listen and follow on your favourite podcast app. We are a new show, and your support helps us reach more listeners and find more incredible stories. Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave us a five-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts, and text this episode to a friend or colleague who appreciates a great story. Which story would have made you quit on the spot? Tell us in the episode comments or email [email protected]. We would love to hear your answer. Listen Next Enjoyed Keith’s story about Tommy Savitt? Hear Tommy tell his own unforgettable workplace story in Episode 14: Held Hostage for 31 Months, Revenge on a Magician, Haunted Hospital. For more strange workplaces, paranormal encounters and unbelievable situations, listen to Trapped in a Car Vending Machine, Haunted Hotel, Runaway CEO. 🎙️ Have a Story? You Can Submit It Two Ways. I Used to Work There is about the true workplace stories that happen to people just like you. Wild, funny, terrifying or unexplainable, if it happened at work and it’s true, we want to hear it. Pull out your phone, open the Voice Memos app, tell us what happened, and email your recording to [email protected]. Prefer to be interviewed? Complete our guest intake form. You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous. 🏆 Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you at work? Presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, the Night Shift Story Competition is open for submissions from September 1 through October 31, 2026. Submit and record your true scary workplace story by October 31 for your chance to win a $1,000 USD cash prize. The winner will be announced during the first episode of November. Haunted buildings, unexplained encounters, terrifying customers, dangerous situations, or anything that still gives you chills years later. Your story does not have to involve a ghost or happen at night. It just needs to be a frightening experience connected to work. Voice memo and interview submissions are both welcome, and you may share your story anonymously. Submit using the email address or guest intake form above. 🏨 Night Shift Story Competition Sponsor The Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition is proudly presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Plan a fall getaway to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. From golden leaves in the river valley to live music, theatre, restaurants and Halloween attractions, there is plenty to build a weekend around. Discover things to do and book your stay through Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Support Foxx’s Fight If you have been looking for a way to support Foxx, Shelby, Kelly and their family, sharing their GoFundMe is a meaningful way to help. Every share helps their story reach someone new and means more than words can express. Support Foxx’s Fight and share their story. 🚗 Title Sponsor I Used to Work There is proudly brought to you by Atlas Elite Lifts. Building car lifts so cool they would make Batman jealous, Atlas Elite Lifts delivers premium automotive lifting solutions for home garages, professional shops and serious automotive enthusiasts across North America. Whether you are restoring classics, wrenching on weekend projects, or running a professional service facility, Atlas Elite Lifts has a lift built for the job. Learn more at www.atlaselitelifts.com. Connect With Our Storytellers Keith Ross Nelson: Learn more about Keith and his comedy at www.keithrossnelson.org.

What happens when a magician’s assistant takes revenge in front of an audience that has no idea what is happening, a doctor hears voices coming from an empty hospital hallway, and a six-week IT assignment becomes 31 months in captivity? On Episode 14 of I Used To Work There, seven true workplace stories take us from laughing behind the curtain to wondering how anyone could survive what comes next. Day Shift opens with a magician’s assistant whose onstage smile hides a very personal act of revenge. In an Ohio dental office, an innocent instruction becomes something a dental assistant will never live down. At an Alberta campground, an abusive customer refuses to leave, only to discover that karma apparently works the night shift. And Dr. Shawna Pandya shares what happens when a spacesuit test aboard a zero-gravity flight takes an extremely uncomfortable turn. When Day Shift ends, Night Shift introduces us to a newly qualified lawyer whose boss sends him into court without mentioning one important detail: he is about to be asked to handle an attempted-murder trial. Then, in Galveston, Texas, a doctor looking for a snack hears a conversation in a hospital unit that should be empty. What she later discovers above that floor makes the experience even harder to explain. Finally, we meet Peter Moore, an IT worker who travelled to Iraq for a six-week assignment and was taken from his workplace at gunpoint. Held hostage for two years, seven months and one day, Peter shares an extraordinary account of captivity, uncertainty and survival, with moments of humour you would never expect. He also remembers the men who did not make it home, and the advice they gave him that helped him stay alive. It is one of the most powerful stories we have shared on this show. Every story you hear on I Used To Work There comes from real people and real workplaces because the truth is almost always stranger than fiction. Whether you have had a terrible boss, an unbelievable customer, a paranormal experience, or a day at work you will never forget, this show is built around stories just like yours. If you are enjoying the show, please follow us on your favourite podcast app, leave us a five-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts, and text this episode to someone who loves a great story. To the more than 9,000 people already following us on Apple Podcasts, thank you for helping this show grow. 🎙️ Have a story? You can submit it two ways. Pull out your phone, open the Voice Memos app, tell us what happened, and email your recording to [email protected]. Prefer to be interviewed? Complete our guest intake form. You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous. 🏆 Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you at work? Presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, the Night Shift Story Competition is open for submissions from September 1 through October 31, 2026. Submit your true scary workplace story for your chance to win a $1,000 USD cash prize. The winner will be announced during the first episode of November. Haunted buildings, unexplained encounters, terrifying customers, dangerous situations, or anything that still gives you chills years later. Your story does not have to involve a ghost or happen at night. It just needs to be a frightening experience connected to work. Voice memo and interview submissions are both welcome, and you may share your story anonymously. Submit using the email address or guest intake form above. 🏨 Night Shift Story Competition Sponsor The Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition is proudly presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Plan a fall getaway to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. From golden leaves in the river valley to live music, theatre, restaurants and Halloween attractions, there is plenty to build a weekend around. Find hotel discounts and discover things to do this fall through Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Support Foxx’s Fight If you have been looking for a way to support Foxx, Shelby, Kelly and their family, the greatest gift you can give is sharing their GoFundMe. Every share helps their story reach someone new and means more than words can express. Support Foxx’s Fight and share their story. 🚗 Title Sponsor I Used To Work There is proudly brought to you by Atlas Elite Lifts. Building car lifts so cool they would make Batman jealous, Atlas Elite Lifts delivers premium automotive lifting solutions for home garages, professional shops and serious automotive enthusiasts across North America. Whether you are restoring classics, wrenching on weekend projects, or running a professional service facility, Atlas Elite Lifts has a lift built for the job. Learn more at www.atlaselitelifts.com. Connect With Our Storytellers Tommy Savitt: Learn more about Tommy’s comedy and connect with him at tommylama.com or on Instagram @thetommylama. Peter Moore: Peter welcomes questions about his story and has offered to answer them in the episode comments. You can also reach him on X at @bd504840.

What happens when a mysterious office phone bill exposes $5,000 in phone sex calls, an ordinary business trip places one man aboard US Airways Flight 1549, and a security consultant is kidnapped not once, not twice, but three separate times? On Episode 13 of I Used To Work There, we have assembled what may be the most unbelievable collection of workplace stories we have ever released. From an emergency room nurse helping a chef escape an extremely uncomfortable zipper situation to a powerful Canadian workplace perspective from September 11, 2001, these stories move from hilarious to historic in a matter of minutes. Then, we meet the last passenger rescued from the Miracle on the Hudson and hear what it was like to remain inside the sinking aircraft, surrounded by freezing water, darkness and floating luggage before making one final swim through the Hudson River. When Day Shift ends, Night Shift takes us inside a haunted hotel where the smell of chicken noodle soup signals the arrival of a long-dead construction worker, and into a locked hospital call room where the lights go out one by one before an impossible discovery is made the following morning. Finally, one man takes us through three separate kidnappings across Nigeria and Sweden. What begins with nine days drinking warm beer in the Niger Delta becomes 35 days of violence and mock executions before culminating in an escape from a moving van that plays out like something from a Hollywood action movie. Every story you hear on I Used To Work There comes from real people and real workplaces because the truth is almost always stranger than fiction. Whether you have had a terrible boss, an unbelievable customer, a paranormal experience, or a day at work you will never forget, this show is built around stories just like yours. If you are enjoying the show, please follow us on your favourite podcast app, leave us a five-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts, and text a link to someone you know who has an incredible workplace story. 🎙️ Have a story? You can submit it two ways. Pull out your phone, open the Voice Memos app, tell us what happened, and email your recording to [email protected]. Prefer to be interviewed? Submit the guest intake form here: https://form.jotform.com/260164378157057 You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous. 🏆 Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition The Employee of the Month Story Competition is back, and this time we want to hear the scariest thing that has ever happened to you at work. Presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, the Night Shift Story Competition is open for submissions from September 1 through October 31, 2026. Submit your true scary workplace story for your chance to win a $1,000 USD cash prize. The winner will be announced during the first episode of November. Haunted buildings, terrifying overnight shifts, unexplained encounters, creepy customers, dangerous situations, or anything that still gives you chills years later. Voice memo and interview submissions are both welcome, and you may share your story anonymously. Submit using the email address or guest intake form above. 🏨 Night Shift Story Competition Sponsor The Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition is proudly presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Fall is one of the most beautiful times to visit Edmonton, with changing leaves, major events, live music, theatre, professional sports and attractions throughout the city. With direct flights from cities across the United States, getting to Edmonton is easy. When you book your stay through Edmonton’s Best Hotels, you can earn up to $225 in Mastercard gift cards to spend on anything you want while you are here. Discover upcoming events, explore direct flights, book your hotel and earn rewards at: https://bit.ly/4zVhpPJ If you have been looking for a way to support Foxx, Shelby, Kelly and their family, the greatest gift you can give is sharing their GoFundMe. Every share helps their story reach someone new and means more than words can express. Support Foxx’s Fight: https://gofund.me/d5c97f2b5 🚗 Title Sponsor I Used To Work There is proudly brought to you by Atlas Elite Lifts. Building car lifts so cool they would make Batman jealous, Atlas Elite Lifts delivers premium automotive lifting solutions for home garages, professional shops and serious automotive enthusiasts across North America. Whether you are restoring classics, wrenching on weekend projects, or running a professional service facility, Atlas Elite Lifts has a lift built for the job. Learn more at www.atlaselitelifts.com.

What happens when lunch with an aspiring filmmaker takes a horrifying turn, a business meeting is held at a strip club, and one phone call exposes a financial scandal approaching $20 million? On Episode 12 of I Used To Work There, we have packed together one of our wildest lineups yet. From a workplace safety lesson that goes spectacularly off script to a $30,000 inventory discrepancy, rumours of an employee’s death, Cheetos beside a corpse, a coworker’s first Christmas present, a final goodbye from a familiar ghost, and one unforgettable encounter with a future murderer, these are the real stories people still cannot believe happened at work. Every story you hear on I Used To Work There comes from real people and real workplaces because the truth is almost always stranger than fiction. Whether you have had a terrible boss, an unbelievable customer, a paranormal experience, or a day at work you will never forget, this show is built around stories just like yours. If you are enjoying the show, please follow us on your favourite podcast app, leave us a five-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts, and text a link to someone you know who has an incredible workplace story. 🎙️ Have a story? You can submit it two ways. Pull out your phone, open the Voice Memos app, tell us what happened, and email your recording to [email protected]. Prefer to be interviewed? Submit the guest intake form here: https://form.jotform.com/260164378157057 You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous. Halloween is right around the corner, and we are actively looking for the scariest true workplace stories we can find. Haunted buildings, terrifying night shifts, unexplained encounters, creepy customers, or anything that still gives you chills years later. Both voice memo submissions and interview submissions are welcome. If you've been looking for a way to support Foxx, Shelby, Kelly, and their family, the greatest gift you can give is sharing their GoFundMe. Every share helps their story reach someone new and means more than words can express. Support Foxx's Fight: https://gofund.me/d5c97f2b5 🚗 Title Sponsor I Used To Work There is proudly brought to you by Atlas Elite Lifts. Building car lifts so cool they would make Batman jealous, Atlas Elite Lifts delivers premium automotive lifting solutions for home garages, professional shops, and serious automotive enthusiasts across North America. Whether you are restoring classics, wrenching on weekend projects, or running a professional service facility, Atlas Elite Lifts has a lift built for the job. Learn more at www.atlaselitelifts.com.