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 Chapters00:00:00 Cold Open00:01:00 Welcome to the Day Shift00:02:01 Michelle: Green Goblin Goes Shopping00:08:23 DJ: The Firebird from Hell00:16:00 Matthew: Hawaii Workday from Hell00:26:27 Dan: Tow-Truck Insurance and a Threatening Client00:32:03 Joe: Calls from the Fifth Floor00:40:41 LaRee: Dentist from Hell00:50:44 Thomas: Late for 9/1100:57:25 Clocking OutFollow and Share the ShowListen 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] NextFor 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] 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 CompetitionWhat 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 SponsorThe 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 FightIf 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 SponsorI 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 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] 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 CompetitionWhat 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 SponsorThe 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 FightIf 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 SponsorI 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 StorytellersTommy 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.

Episode 2 of I Used To Work There brings together a mix of unbelievable moments that prove just how unpredictable life at work can be. What starts as a simple shift serving tables turns into a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to sail through the Greek islands. A routine day on the job suddenly escalates into a full-blown police chase, complete with chaos, confusion, and split-second decisions. And in another story, a workplace interaction crosses a line that no one should ever have to experience, revealing how quickly a professional environment can become deeply uncomfortable.These stories highlight the extremes of working life, from incredible opportunities to intense, high-stakes moments to situations that demand courage and action. They’re a reminder that the people we meet, the choices we make, and the environments we’re in can shape us in ways we never expect. Some moments stay with you because they’re unbelievable. Others stay with you because they change you.Have a story of your own? We want to hear it. Send us a short summary of your experience to [email protected] and someone will be in touch with an intake form.

Welcome to I Used To Work ThereEveryone has a story from work.The meeting that went completely off the rails. The boss who completely lost control. The moment someone walked out and never came back. And the thing that happened there… the thing you still can’t explain to this day.Welcome to I Used To Work There, a storytelling podcast hosted by multi award-winning podcast host Kelly Kennedy. This show explores the wild, funny, inspiring, strange, and sometimes unexplainable stories that happen in workplaces around the world.From offices to construction sites, restaurants to hospitals, retail floors to factories, every workplace has stories.This show is built in two worlds: Day Shift for the funny, inspiring, and unbelievable stories, and Night Shift for the darker, eerie, unexplainable, and scary ones.If you have ever clocked in for a shift and walked away with a story you will never forget, this show is for you.Submit Your StoryEmail [email protected] with a brief overview of your story to submit your interest. We appreciate all story submissions. If your story is selected, you will be sent an intake form, release form, and booking links to get started.I Used To Work ThereBecause the best workplace stories are the ones people never forget.