Edge-of-your-seat survival stories, as told by adventurer and dogsledder Blair Braverman.
How did Ada Blackjack endure a brutal Arctic winter alone? Why did one shipwreck crew work together to survive, while another crew–on the same island–hunted each other for food? What can we learn from survivors about getting through the impossible–in the wilderness, and in our own lives?
New stories every other week!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chart trend
Position in the True Crime chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#79#156JunJulAugSep
#11
all-time peak
19
days in the top 50 since May 2026
Latest episodes
Showing 11 · updated from the feed
Ep 10: Jan Baalsrud
In 1943, Jan Baalsrud and his friends sneak into northern Norway on a fishing boat to blow up a Nazi air base—but when the Nazis catch them first, Jan ends up barefoot in
Sep 1 44 min
Ep 9: Juliane Koepcke
Juliane Koepcke had an unusual childhood, helping her biologist parents with fieldwork in the Amazon. At seventeen, after surviving a two-mile free fall from a broken pla
Aug 18 31 min
Ep 8: Valerian Albanov
Navigator Valerian Albanov escapes an icebound ship--and ends up the reluctant leader of a desperate trek across the frozen sea.
Sources for this book include the book
Aug 4 1 h 00 min
Ep 7: The Painted Ocean
When shark fisherman José Salvador Alvarenga gets caught in a storm at sea, he thinks he'll be able to ride it out. But the motor breaks in his little boat, and he starts
Jul 21 56 min
Ep 6: Adam and Eve Crusoe
When Lucy Irvine stumbles on an ad in the back of a magazine—an eccentric writer is looking for a “wife” to join him on a tropical island—she thinks she’s found the adven
Jul 7 59 min
Ep 5: Lauren Elder
It’s 1976, and a 20-something aspiring painter, Lauren Elder, is flying over California’s Sierra Mountains to pick up a cat named Ferocious. When the plane crashes, she’s
Jun 23 40 min
Ep 4: Bob and the Invercauld
It's bad enough that 19th-century sailor Bob Holding gets stranded on an island after a shipwreck—but to make it worse, his companions are entitled, incompetent, and stra
Jun 9 54 min
Ep 3: The Wreck of the Grafton
Francois Raynal and his buddy, Captain Musgrave, are looking for a rumored island full of silver when they end up stranded in the Southern Ocean, surrounded by thousands
May 26 1 h 08 min
Ep 2: Ada Alone
When five explorers are abandoned on a frozen island, with ever-dwindling food and supplies, they try to arrange their own rescue by dogsledding across the frozen Arctic
May 12 1 h 08 min
Ep 1: The Friendly Arctic
Ada Blackjack wants one thing: To make enough money to bring her son home from an orphanage. But good work is hard to find in 1920s Nome, Alaska, so when four strangers c
May 12 1 h 01 min
Trailer
A brand new podcast by Blair Braverman, launching May 12, 2026. See you soon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 4 1 min
Chart positions
Where What to Carry, What to Burn ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 12, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
If your favorite episodes of You’re Wrong About are when Blair Braverman is a guest and doing a You’re Wrong About survival story then this is absolutely the podcast for you. She has such a captivating voice and empathic lens to the stories and it’s just so fun to listen to!!
Pudge Halter · May 2026
I think this is the first time I had to IMMEDIATELY replay an episode of a podcast because the story was so good and I wanted to hear it told again and remember more details! I mean this with my entire heart, the story of Ada Blackjack was the journey my soul needed today. I had my son gather around the lava lamp (campfire?) and retold him the story tonight. It took me an hour and he was wide-eyed and in “what happens next?!?” mode throughout. I even got to pass on the scurvy info because when he heard the word, like a paid actor he asked “but what does scurvy do actually?”
I love retelling a story that the receiver thoroughly enjoys. I got to do that tonight, and you have told a story that affected someone deeply.
Looking forward to future episodes, thank you for this story.
Pillbugmothership · May 2026
Blair Braverman is a great storyteller, and Sarah Marshall is an excellent foil. I’m sure the plan is to have rotating guests, but their chemistry is on point.
pavlovebot · May 2026
Blair’s survival episodes have always been some of my favorites on YWA and I’m so ecstatic that she has her own podcast now. Blair has such an amazing way of telling stories that feels cinematic and personal and educational all in one. I’m so looking forward to this show! The first two episodes were already phenomenal and I know the rest won’t disappoint 🩷
cayceleigh23 · May 2026
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of What to Carry, What to Burn, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
