About this episode
After a prominent life filled with passion and adventure ends with the death of her brilliant but volatile husband, a woman journeys to Guatemala to heal, only to be captured, and her fight to survive transforms her life forever. Today’s episode featured Brenda Coffee. You can email Brenda at bcoffee@1010parkplace.com. She is on Instagram @1010ParkPlace. Visit her website at brenda-coffee.com.Brenda is the author of MAYA BLUE: A Memoir of Survival, published 05/25, a memoir that reads like a thriller. It is Working Girl meets Taken. A true story of love, cocaine, Big Tobacco, abduction, and survival. Nominated for the 2025 Kirkus Prize and included on Maria Shriver's 2025 Summer Reads list. Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz Content/Trigger Warnings: parentification, domestic violence, intimate partner abuse, drug making and using, addiction, gun violence, sexual assault/attempted rape, child exploitation, cancer & illness, death & grief, explicit language Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter: @TIAHPodcast Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.comWebsite for Aviva Lipkowitz: avivalipkowitz.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop. Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website,