78 episodes
The Opportunist Opportunist
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- True Crime
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4.7 • 325 Ratings
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The Opportunist tells true stories of regular people who turn sinister by embracing opportunity. How does an everyday person turn into a thief, a scammer or a cult leader? Perhaps the most dangerous person is the one who appears the most normal. Perhaps there is a dark potential lurking inside all of us that is just waiting for the right opportunity to emerge. The Opportunist is an original podcast hosted by Hannah Smith.
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Vault Release: CHRIS BATHUM Part 5 of 5: Criminal
Multiple investigations close in on Chris Bathum as his behavior leads to dire consequences, including a drug arrest with a former CRLA client named Erika Littell. As his criminal trial gets underway, the prosecution battles with the idea of victim credibility, and Chris' defense is unintentionally reinvigorated thanks to evidence provided by Cliff Brodsky.
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Vault Release: CHRIS BATHUM Part 4 of 5: The Sleeping Bear
Rose searches for evidence to bring to law enforcement and comes across a CRLA laptop, as Jill realizes the awful truth behind Chris' behavior. A hopeful new client named Amanda enters CRLA with the intent to stay sober, but suddenly finds herself isolated and alone with Chris Bathum.
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Vault Release: CHRIS BATHUM Part 3 of 5: Rumors
More rumors circulate around Chris Bathum, especially over the death of a beloved client named Mo. Meanwhile, a devoted employee named Jill is skeptical of CRLA's insurance billing and Rose sets out to find the truth behind the biggest rumor of them all.
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Vault Release: CHRIS BATHUM Part 2 of 5: Hypnotist
Chris tells Rose that all the rumors about him are because of Cliff Brodsky, a former investor in CRLA's predecessor, Walking Miracles. Chris paints Brodsky as his nemesis, an unhinged wild card who wants to destroy their community. But his battle against Brodsky gets out of hand when he suggests desperate measures to stop him.
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Vault Release: CHRIS BATHUM Part 1 of 5: Rehab Mogul
In 2013, Rose Stahl sought the help of Christopher Bathum, a therapist and CEO of a burgeoning recovery organization called Community Recovery Los Angeles. Chris would eventually offer Rose a job at CRLA. But after a while, she started hearing unsettling rumors surrounding Chris' behavior, especially towards female clients.
Find the episode transcript here: tinyurl.com/opppodcast -
Welcome To Varnamtown! Available now!
Two years ago, Kyle MacLachlan, the star of Twin Peaks, called investigative journalist Joshua Davis with a strange story. Kyle had heard a rumor that Pablo Escobar did a deal in the early 1980s with a remote, coastal Southern town of 300 people. In exchange for vast wealth and limitless cocaine, Escobar would be allowed to land planes and ships in the area. Over the last 24 months, Josh and Kyle investigated the rumor, journeying to Varnamtown to knock on doors and find out what really happens when a firehose of money and cocaine is turned on a small, tight knit community.
Listen to and follow Varnamtown at Apple Podcasts now! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/varnamtown/id1725195343
Customer Reviews
Brilliant
I love this podcast. I enjoy listening to well investigated stories about true crime, including murders, scammers and impostors. The title of this podcast, “The Opportunist”, conveys the journalistic attitude and integrity of Hannah Smith and her team. Rather than sensationalist story dumping this podcast is well researched and presents a nuanced exploration of troubling human behaviour, all delivered with clever story structure and compelling narration.
Amazing podcast
This podcast is amazing. It’s brilliantly researched and Hannah seamlessly merges interviews with people and commentary around the events to bring you up close and personal to every story. I look forward to every episode and always find myself gripped from start to finish. My favourite episode is the gold fever Greg Brooks episode and the Gayle Palmer series was excellent. Highly recommend
Balanced well told true stories
Quite shocking to listen to all these real events, which are so well researched & so well told. I tend to binge these stories because once you start it’s hard to stop … you want to hear it all - because often it is too awful to want to revisit …
You want to know … but it is pretty challenging to take in.
It broadens your view.
It makes you cynical.
Good good work.