This Is My Circus

Stefanie Navarro & Meredith Hill
  • 5.0 (17)
  • Leisure
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to This Is My Circus—the podcast for everyone who is pop culture junkies, true crime lovers, and bookworms who thrive in chaos. 🎪🎙️ Hosted by Stefanie Navarro and Meredith Hill, we bring you hilarious, unfiltered conversations about the madness of parenting, the latest in pop culture, gripping true crime, AITA, and our latest book obsessions. Think of it as your weekly escape, where sarcasm is a love language, and no topic is off-limits. If you've ever:✅ Hidden in the bathroom just to get some peace ✨✅ Spent way too much time on true crime Reddit threads 🔍✅ Had a book hangover from binge-reading all night 📚✅ Screamed at reality TV like the drama is your personal business 🍿 …then congratulations, you’ve found your people! 🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday – Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! 💬 COMING SOON:  JOIN The Circus Crew for bonus content, bloopers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes chaos! 👉 www.thisismycircuspodcast.com 🔥 Follow us on social: @thisismycircuspodcast

  1. 19h ago

    **🎪 Vampires Were Real?! Vlad the Impaler, Vampire Panic & the Bodies They Dug Back Up | Spooky History & Lore**

    Send us Fan Mail Spooky Month has officially entered the circus. 🧛‍♀️🎪 And we're kicking it off with VAMPIRES—but not just the hot, broody, morally questionable kind we apparently have a weakness for. We're going back to a time when entire communities genuinely believed the dead were crawling out of their graves and draining the life out of their families. And their solution? Dig up the body and see what it's been up to. Obviously. We're talking the bizarre connection between tuberculosis and the New England vampire panic, the very real story of Mercy Brown, why bodies were dug up, staked, rearranged and occasionally had their organs burned...and then we get to Vlad the Impaler, aka the terrifying real-life inspiration connected to the Dracula legend. But don't worry. We eventually leave the corpses behind and tackle the truly important vampire question: Would you let them bite you? 😂 Damon Salvatore? Klaus? Edward Cullen? Angel? Spike? Apparently Stefanie and Meredith have a type when choosing their hypothetical vampire situations. Plus, we've got a vampire-adjacent AITA, a wild TikTok vampire story, and our review of The Curse of the Highgate Vampire—which we can summarize in two words: DON'T. WATCH. IT. Seriously. We suffered so you don't have to. 🧛‍♂️ Vampire history, spooky lore, questionable decisions, hot fictional men and two women who absolutely cannot stay on topic. Welcome to Spooky Scary Circus Month. 🎃🎪 ⭐ Follow This Is My Circus and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts! Next week: Don't Go Into the Woods 🌲👀

  2. Sep 29

    🎪 Death of the Pastor’s Wife: Part 2 & 3 Mica Tried to Get Out—Then Everything Changed | Abuse, Stalking & True Crime Breakdown

    Send us Fan Mail Last week we told you this story was going to get darker. We weren't kidding. This week, we're finishing Netflix's Death of the Pastor’s Wife, and we're getting into Episodes Two and Three as Mica Miller begins trying to take her life back. She's recognizing the relationship for what it is. She's documenting everything. She's filing police reports. She's trying to become financially independent. She's changing phone numbers, moving from place to place, seeking legal help, and eventually filing for divorce. But the more Mica tries to get away, the more disturbing the allegations become. We're talking about stalking, tracking devices, razor blades in tires, intimate photos posted online, repeated psychiatric holds, financial control, alleged sexual abuse, religious manipulation and Mica's growing fear that she may actually be in danger. Then, on April 25, 2024, JP is served divorce papers. Two days later, Mica is dead. And this is where we have A LOT of questions. We walk through the timeline of Mica's final day, the 911 call, the evidence investigators found, JP's behavior immediately following her death, the growing #JusticeForMica movement, and the details that made this case explode across social media. We also get into the FBI investigation, what Mica's attorney had already collected, the federal charges that eventually followed—and why this case has sparked a much bigger conversation about coercive control, stalking, domestic abuse, and just how difficult it can be for someone to actually get out. This was a heavy one, but it's also an important one. ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses suicide, domestic abuse, coercive control, stalking, sexual abuse, religious trauma, psychiatric hospitalization and other disturbing subject matter. 🎧 This concludes our Death of the Pastor’s Wife documentary breakdown. And next week? 👻 SPOOKY MONTH BEGINS. We've actually planned ahead for October, which honestly may be the most shocking development we've covered yet. 😂🎪 ⭐ Follow This Is My Circus and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. At Episode 102, we're clearly never going to stop asking.

  3. Sep 22

    🎪 Death of the Pastor’s Wife: We Covered the Mica Miller Case—Now Netflix Has Questions | True Crime Documentary Breakdown

    Send us Fan Mail We talked about the Mica Miller case when it was unfolding in real time. Now Netflix has released Death of the Pastor’s Wife—and we're going back in. This week we're covering Episode One, “A Note From Your Pastor,” and Stefanie has been WAITING for this one. 👀 The documentary takes us back to the beginning: Mica's deep connection to her faith, meeting Pastor John-Paul “JP” Miller when she was just 13, becoming increasingly involved in his church, and the relationship that would eventually change the course of her life. From the outside, Mica and JP eventually appeared to be a powerful Christian couple leading a thriving Myrtle Beach church. Behind closed doors? A very different story begins to emerge. We're talking about the allegations surrounding their relationship, the enormous power imbalance, Mica's mental health treatment, the people around her who began noticing red flags, and the disturbing behavior described by her friends and family. And because Stefanie grew up deeply involved in church herself, this documentary hits differently. We're also having a bigger conversation about religious authority, forgiveness, trust, and how easy it can be to explain away red flags when someone is viewed as a “man of God.” Then Episode One ends with a text that takes things to an entirely different level: “I'm on my way and I'm armed.” And we're just getting started. ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses suicide, coercive control, alleged domestic abuse, sexual coercion, mental health, religious trauma, stalking and harassment. 🎧 This is Part One of our Death of the Pastor’s Wife breakdown. We'll continue with Episode Two next week. If you remember when we originally talked about the Mica Miller case, welcome back down the rabbit hole. If this is your first time hearing the story... buckle up. 🎪 ⭐ Follow This Is My Circus and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Seriously. We're still asking. 😂

  4. Sep 15

    🎪 Episode 100: 100 Episodes of Bad Decisions, Rabbit Holes & Oversharing

    Send us Fan Mail WE MADE IT TO 100 EPISODES. 🎉🎪 One hundred episodes of questionable book choices, weird internet stories, conspiracy theories, true crime rabbit holes, AITA debates, documentaries, oversharing our personal lives, and repeatedly asking, “Wait... is this actually real?” And somehow, y'all kept listening. 😂 For Episode 100, we're doing something a little different and looking back at the evolution of This Is My Circus. From the early days when we were just two moms giggling our way through recording and thought we were starting a fun little podcast, to realizing we may have actually been documenting our slow descent into insanity. We're answering rapid-fire questions, handing out our own podcast superlatives, revisiting the stories we STILL think about, debating our best and worst book choices, remembering our favorite rabbit holes, and discussing some of the moments that probably should've been edited out. We also pulled the numbers, and this little circus has officially reached: 🎧 6,011 downloads 🌎 93 countries 📍 949 cities 🎪 100 episodes of absolute nonsense We talk about how much the podcast has changed, how much we've changed, what this show has meant to both of us through some pretty major life changes, and where we think we'll be when Episode 200 rolls around. Spoiler: Stefanie still thinks we're going to be famous. Meredith is slightly more grounded. 😂 And before we wrap up, we're giving you a sneak peek at next week's documentary episode. We're heading back to a case we covered while it was unfolding: the Mica Miller case, now the subject of Netflix's The Death of the Pastor's Wife. We're going back to what we knew then, what we know now, and what the documentary reveals. To every single person who has listened, shared an episode, sent us a message, laughed with us, or stuck around through all 100 episodes: THANK YOU. Seriously. We love you guys. Here's to the next 100. 🥂🎪 And because apparently asking 47 times during the episode wasn't enough... ⭐ LEAVE US A REVIEW. 😂 Welcome to This Is My Circus. Episode freaking 100. We did it.

  5. Sep 8

    🎪Ep 99: Conversations With a Killer: The Trial That Finally Took Down Charles Manson | Helter Skelter, The Manson Family & True Crime Breakdown

    Send us Fan Mail The murders were horrific. But actually proving Charles Manson was responsible? That was a whole different problem. This week, we’re wrapping up Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Three, and somehow the story gets even more bizarre once everybody ends up in a courtroom. The Manson Family essentially starts unraveling itself, Susan Atkins can't keep her mouth shut, and investigators FINALLY connect the dots. Then begins what would become one of the most infamous murder trials in American history. But there’s a catch: Manson didn't personally commit the murders. So how do you convict a cult leader of murder when his followers actually did the killing? We’re getting into the prosecution’s famous Helter Skelter theory, whether that was REALLY the motive behind the murders, the Family's absolutely bonkers behavior during the trial, women camping outside the courthouse in support of Manson, X’s carved into foreheads, shaved heads, courtroom threats, and Manson doing an excellent job of demonstrating his ability to control people while simultaneously arguing that he didn't control people. Sir. 😂 And after three episodes, we have THOUGHTS about what actually motivated these murders, Manson's obsession with fame, his failed music career, and how much of the story most of us know today may have been shaped by the prosecution's version of events. ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses murder, violence, abuse, sexual assault, cult manipulation, racism, and other disturbing subject matter. 🎧 This is the final part of our Charles Manson documentary deep dive. Next week, we're returning to our regularly scheduled circus. And after three straight episodes of Charles Manson, we are READY. ⭐ Follow This Is My Circus on Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review. It helps other people find our little corner of chaos. 🎪

  6. Sep 1

    🎪 PART 2 Conversations With a Killer: The Manson Family Turns Deadly | Sharon Tate, Helter Skelter & True Crime Breakdown

    Send us Fan Mail The free-love hippie commune is officially gone and in Part Two of our Charles Manson deep dive, things take a horrifying turn. This week, we’re continuing Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Two, “The Devil’s Business.” Manson’s control over the Family is getting darker, Tex Watson is desperate to prove himself, harder drugs have entered the picture, and the group’s bizarre “creepy crawls” are just the beginning. Then everything escalates. We get into the murder of Gary Hinman, Manson’s increasingly unhinged obsession with starting Helter Skelter, and the horrific events that led to the murders of Sharon Tate and her friends, followed just one night later by the LaBianca murders. And somehow, while Los Angeles is terrified that seemingly random killers are on the loose, law enforcement is missing connections that feel painfully obvious in hindsight. We’re talking cult psychology, manipulation, drugs, murder, the Manson Family’s descent into violence—and asking one very interesting question: If Charles Manson had actually gotten the record deal he desperately wanted, would any of this have happened? ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses murder, sexual assault, abuse of minors, drug use, and graphic violence. 🎧 This is Part Two of our Charles Manson documentary deep dive. Next week, we’re wrapping up Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Three. If you love true crime documentaries, cult stories, Netflix documentary reviews, criminal psychology, and two best friends trying to make sense of stories that absolutely do NOT make sense… welcome to the circus. 🎪 ⭐ Follow This Is My Circus on Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review to help more people find the show!

  7. Aug 25

    🎪 Conversations With a Killer: Inside the Charles Manson Family | Cults, Helter Skelter & True Crime Breakdown

    Send us Fan Mail This week, we’re diving into Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes and somehow the Charles Manson story is even more disturbing, bizarre, and completely unhinged than we realized. We went into this thinking we knew the basics: Charles Manson, the Manson Family, Sharon Tate, Helter Skelter, cult leader, murders. We were NOT prepared for everything that came before it. In Part One, we’re getting into how Manson found vulnerable young women and pulled them into his “family,” the manipulation and control happening behind the free-love facade, life at Spahn Ranch, and how his obsession with becoming a famous musician somehow involved The Beach Boys. Yes. The Beach Boys. We also get into his disturbing childhood, the book that helped teach him how to influence people, his obsession with The Beatles’ White Album, the origins of Helter Skelter, and the moment this supposedly peaceful hippie commune started turning into something much darker. And obviously, because this is This Is My Circus, we have questions. How did this tiny man convince all these people he was basically a messiah? How did we not know half of this? How does a Beach Boy accidentally end up living with the Manson Family? And at what point during the “follow exactly in my footprints through the desert” exercise does somebody say, you know what, I think I'm gonna head out? ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses murder, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, drug use, and other disturbing subject matter. 🎧 This is Part One of our Charles Manson deep dive. We’ll be back next week with Episode Two of Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes. If you love true crime, documentaries, cult stories, and two best friends trying to process absolute insanity with inappropriate amounts of humor, welcome to the circus. 🎪 ⭐ Follow This Is My Circus and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts—it helps more people find the show!

  8. Aug 18

    🎪 Episode 96: Possible Serial Killer, Florida Man, The Neighbor From Hell, Book Review: Its Your Turn Now

    Send us Fan Mail Things get DARK this week… but don’t worry, Florida Man shows up to bring the chaos. Stephanie and Meredith are catching up on life, dating updates, questionable shopping habits, and why taking a proctored exam from your bathroom might actually be a new form of psychological warfare. Then we head into true crime with the absolutely WILD investigation unfolding in Philadelphia involving Eugene Horsch. Missing women, hundreds of thousands of disturbing images, unidentified cremated remains, fake federal credentials, a bizarre basement setup—and a father whose own history makes this story even stranger. There are a LOT of questions here, and this investigation is far from over. We’re also talking about the Lindsay Clancy case, a Florida Man leading police on possibly the slowest getaway in history, and a Charlotte neighbor who apparently thinks living next door comes with complimentary printing, tool rental, and childcare services. And for our bookies, we’re reviewing It’s Your Turn Now by Theo Baxter. Let’s just say… Daisy tested our patience, the plot felt VERY familiar, and our rating isn't exactly going on the back cover. Plus: dating updates, college recruiting news, Family Feud dreams, Meredith's bathroom exam adventure, and the usual ADHD-fueled detours that somehow become half the episode. 🎧 Next week: We’re watching Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes. Follow This Is My Circus so you don’t miss it—and if you enjoy hanging out in our circus every week, leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more people discover the show!

See All (104)

Trailer

5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Welcome to This Is My Circus—the podcast for everyone who is pop culture junkies, true crime lovers, and bookworms who thrive in chaos. 🎪🎙️ Hosted by Stefanie Navarro and Meredith Hill, we bring you hilarious, unfiltered conversations about the madness of parenting, the latest in pop culture, gripping true crime, AITA, and our latest book obsessions. Think of it as your weekly escape, where sarcasm is a love language, and no topic is off-limits. If you've ever:✅ Hidden in the bathroom just to get some peace ✨✅ Spent way too much time on true crime Reddit threads 🔍✅ Had a book hangover from binge-reading all night 📚✅ Screamed at reality TV like the drama is your personal business 🍿 …then congratulations, you’ve found your people! 🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday – Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! 💬 COMING SOON:  JOIN The Circus Crew for bonus content, bloopers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes chaos! 👉 www.thisismycircuspodcast.com 🔥 Follow us on social: @thisismycircuspodcast

Information

  • Creator
    Stefanie Navarro & Meredith Hill
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    104
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 This Is My Circus
  • Show Website
    This Is My Circus