In this episode of the Hidden Brain’s "My Unsung Hero" series, host Shankar Vedantam introduces the show and shares a personal narrative submitted by Rick Magno. In the summer of 2008, Magno, a community‑college instructor living in a remote California travel trailer, is plagued by wildlife, especially scorpions. While driving his Honda Civic, a scorpion hidden in his clothing stings his back, causing him to jerk the steering wheel and lose control. His car flips and lands on a granite embankment. An old white Ford pickup driven by two Hispanic men pulls over; one man directs traffic while the other approaches Magno, offering silent, steady support despite language barriers and Magno’s fear that they might be undocumented. The men stay with him for about twenty minutes until Highway Patrol arrives, then disappear. Magno reflects on his gratitude and the lingering wish that he had thanked them. The episode closes with a call for listeners to submit their own unsung‑hero stories via myunsunghero.org. Interspersed throughout are sponsor messages (Instagram teen safety, Fidelity, Progressive, SimpliSafe, and a promo for Stavros Halkias’s podcast) and a brief comedic ad about gutters.
Chapters
Support for Hidden Brain comes from Instagram. Instagram Teen Accounts' automatic protections limit who can contact teens, the content they can see, and the time they spend on the app. Teens are automatically placed into Teen Accounts. Teens under 16 will need a parent's permission to change any of those settings to be less strict. Learn more about Teen Accounts and Instagram's ongoing work to protect teens online at instagram.com/hiddenbrain.
Thanks for listening.
Working as a dedicated Fidelity advisor, I always ask, what's important to you? I'll look at those priorities and goals alongside your full financial picture to build a comprehensive plan designed to help grow and protect your wealth. With proactive portfolio insights and an eye on taxes, I'm here to help you make the most of your money. I'm Laura Maxwell, and I'm a dedicated Fidelity advisor. Learn more at fidelity.com/wealth. Investment minimums apply. Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, member NYSE SIPC.
Support for Hidden Brain comes from Progressive. Whoever says saving money is hard doesn't know that new customers who bundle and save with Progressive save hundreds. Because switching your home and auto insurance is better than cutting down on those iced lattes you love. Switch to Progressive and see if you could save. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates, and other insurers. Not available in all states. Hi there, Shankar here. Today, we're sharing another episode of our new podcast, My Unsung Hero. Many of these stories have moved me to tears, and I think you'll be touched by them too. We'll be dropping stories from that show into the Hidden Brain podcast feed from time to time. But the stories will appear in the My Unsung Hero feed first, and we'll also have lots of stories in that feed that will not show up here. So please head over to My Unsung Hero to subscribe and make sure you don't miss an episode. From Hidden Brain Media, I'm Shankar Vedantam. This is My Unsung Hero.
Hello.
My unsung hero is a woman.
Hey, I wanted to share my story about an unsung hero. My unsung hero is the man in the.
Panama hat on the flight to Boston. As the plane neared touchdown, my daughter—
I can't even express to you how much you've changed my life. Today's story comes from Rick Magno. In the summer of 2008, Rick was making the long commute from his home in the remote mountains of Three Rivers, California, to his job at a community college in the town of Visalia. At the time, he was living in a travel trailer, which was often invaded by the abundant wildlife in the area. He would find bats in his curtains, rattlesnakes under his trailer, and bears at his window.
But the one that is most problematic for me, uh, the scorpions. And they get into everything. They get into cabinets somehow. They get into a drawer with your clothes. And the only way to stop it is to smash them. That particular day, I got up, put my clothes on, got in the car, and started driving.
The drive took him down a road that was flanked on both sides by large slabs of granite rock. All of a sudden, a scorpion that had somehow gotten into his clothes crawled out and stung him on the back. When he tried to smash it, he accidentally yanked the steering wheel down and to the right.
And when I looked up, I was looking right at a sheer granite embankment. And I hit that rock wall, and I still recall the sensation of my Honda Civic Going airborne. And I can, I can feel it now, feeling the car flip in the air, just feeling being upside down in my seatbelt. And about that time, an old white Ford pickup going the other direction pulled over across the road from me. And 2 Hispanic guys jumped out. And one of them directed the other one to go up around the corner of the road to slow traffic down and direct it around me because I was in the middle of the lane. And the other one came across the street. I don't remember what he said or what I said, but he didn't speak more than A couple words of English. And he put his hand on my shoulder. And I tried to tell him he could go.
Rick worried that the 2 men were undocumented.
So I thought he probably should get out of there because I'd called 911 and Highway Patrol would be coming and could get questioned or— I had no idea what would happen. So I tried to reassure him that I was okay, but he would have none of it. He just stood with me. And he stood there with me for maybe 20 minutes, maybe. We didn't have any conversation. But when the highway patrol showed up, I looked up and— What did they say? This fellow was gone. The truck was gone. They had just melted away. I wish I had thanked him. Yeah, I wish I had thanked him.
Rick Magno of Dexter, Oregon. To share your story about an unsung hero who helped you in a moment of crisis, go to myunsunghero.org for instructions on how to record and send us your story. I'm Shankar Vedantam. See you soon.
Hey everyone, it's Stavros Halkis, and I'm here to tell you about my podcast, Stavie's World. Each week we're joined by great guests like Josh Safty, Eric Andre, Caleb Herron, and more. It's sort of an interview show, but really we're just messing around, making each other laugh, and hopefully making you laugh while you're washing the dishes or grocery shopping or on a long drive. Plus, I take listener calls where we have honest conversations about dating life and everything in between. Imagine if your therapist was a vulgar degenerate whose office was in a Greek diner. No scripts, no polish, and absolutely no holding back. Listen to Stavi's World wherever you get your podcasts.
Hi, it's me, your gutters. I want to start by saying I'm fine. Everything is totally fine. There's just— there's a lot of debris up here, and I've been managing it mostly on my own for about 8 months now. And I just thought maybe you could find someone on Angie to clean me up. You don't have to make it a whole thing. It doesn't need to be a whole thing. I just— I could really use your help.
Your gutters have waited long enough. Find a pro at angie.com.
The real cost of a break-in isn't your valuables. It's the feeling that your home stopped being safe. SimpliSafe keeps danger away from your family with 3 layers of protection. 1, smart AI cameras and live US-based agents help stop intruders before they break in. 2, we sound the alarm at points of entry. 3, our agents request emergency response. Plans starting around $1 a day. Right now, get 60% off your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com/SXM. Outdoor deterrence plans start at $49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com/licenses for alarm license information.
You wouldn't take financial advice from a 72 hours in a single day alpha influencer, would you? Same goes if you're in a car accident or any accident. Who you choose matters. That's why Morgan and Morgan exists. They're the largest injury law firm in America, and they've built their reputation by actually winning cases, not just talking about it. Over 1,000 lawyers across all 50 states and $30 billion recovered. Injured? Go to forthepeople.com/podcast. That's forthepeople.com/podcast.
