This week Cheryl tells the story of Ada Blackjack. When Ada Blackjack set sail in 1921 for a remote speck of land north of Siberia, which was known to be a nesting ground for polar bears. The petite Inupiat woman was an unlikely Arctic heroine. She was meant to be a seamstress and cook for an expedition comprised of four men and a female cat named Vic, Blackjack was assured that during her one-year contract sewing survival gear on Wrangel Island, she would be well fed and cared for without needing to participate in the grueling day-to-day work of Arctic survival.

But by the time a rescue ship crested the horizon nearly two years later, Blackjack, who would come to be known as “The Female Robinson Crusoe,” was the only member of the party still alive—that is, apart from Vic. The shy tailor with the crippling fear of polar bears had taught herself to shoot and trap to stave off the constant threat of starvation, and when she strode out to meet her rescuers in a resplendent reindeer parka she had stitched herself, her gaunt face held a triumphant smile.

Rob follows with more unfortunate tales of bad decisions, and in one case some instant karma. Listen to this weeks episode to hear more!