To Die For - Podcast Rankings and reviews

This is story telling at its best. Listening the story organically unfold and evolve through vulnerability and trust was beautiful and poetic.

I found many comments disheartening. After all the vulnerability, care, and empathy put into the story telling, it’s fascinating that anyone could focus on “creditability.” This story underlines the long term, damaging effects caused by abuse, human trafficking, oppression… all by using a first hand experience. This is a women who bravely bared her soul. The continued challenge of a woman’s credibility regarding sexual, mental, and emotional abuse is a sad study of society.

I do agree with the mid roll ads. I understand the need for adds and appreciate the free access to this wonderful story, but they would be better at the beginning of the episode in a situation like this.

I loved this so much that I binge-listened to the entirety of this harrowing story in two days and probably will listen all over again. The five star review is due to how compelling the story is, and how truly moving it is to hear Aliia describe every gut wrenching experience under a truly evil, messed up, cynical regime where, at least for women, sexual misery and psychological torture seems to exist by design. As other listeners mentioned, it feels like she lived a hundred lifetimes in one. Here is where I fault the podcast: there was a hint at the beginning of the series that we were going to examine ways in which Allia may, at times, be an unreliable narrator, but that never paid off. I fully agree with believing victims of abuse and allowing them the safe space to tell the story from their own perspective. She was 100% victimized, and it was so important for the podcast to bring the therapy angle into it. But there’s also a very deep fear of questioning anything at all in these cases, even when there are some massive holes in the story. This isn’t just a regular, run-of-the-mill person we’re talking about; this is purportedly a professionally trained spy whose entire craft is deception, seduction, and manipulation. There are very few instances in which the host questions or pushes further where the story trails off or gets confusing, and very few outside opinions questioning fuzzy parts of the story, motivations, etc. in any way. This needs a follow up to flesh out what’s been left out.

Well done!! I think you could’ve easily done a podcast pinned on truth/fiction but as you mentioned, there is truly no way to completely fact check this. So as your own experience began to shift the objective of the podcast, it grew into a much more intriguing story than I could’ve imagined in the beginning. The choice to shift the focus to allow her to tell “her” story vs. “the” story is what made this a transformative experience for you, her & the listener. As we (hopefully) begin to understand trauma & how it manifests differently from person to person, being able to come to the resolution & realization at the end that although some of the things she said (and truly believes) may not have occurred the way she described them doesn’t necessarily mean it’s calculated deception. But is rather a coping mechanism for someone who experienced deep trauma. Allowing the listener to make their own decisions regarding her believability was more impactful than investigating every statement she made. I did appreciate the occasional expert as it did provide fascinating context & grounded her story in reality. For what it’s worth, I believe a vast majority of what she said. I’m so proud of her for being so vulnerable! That’s true bravery. And also, since I heard you read these - I liked the “behind the scenes” episode. I think a slight peek behind the curtain doesn’t curtail the magic. Nice work!

Episodes 1-9 had me on a roller coaster of emotions. I love a woman who can take the worst situations and manipulate everyone who ever caused her pain.

Episode 10, though… Just prepare to be completely broken. I saw the ending coming, but that did nothing to prepare me. Aliia Roza deserves nothing less than peace and happiness after that.

The production is there. The story is there. It’s engaging. But then there are moments that give pause. Finally, there’s hardly any effort made to corroborate Aliia’s story. What the heck?! Vice actually did a documentary on her two years ago and they were left skeptical of the whole thing. C’mon, Strauss! It’s becoming apparent that Tenderfoot is more concerned with entertainment and ad revenue than actually helping victims.