{"podcast":{"title":"The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby","slug":"the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338","podcast_index_feed_id":6010338,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/unplannedpodcast","website_url":"https://unplannedpodcast.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/e4b62360-9b74-11ed-a638-7f6c114ba469/image/4e331ee606afc1c3ac483f694f690606.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Matt & Abby","episode_count":185,"summary":"“Unplanned” dives into genuine conversations surrounding relationships & family. The show is hosted by high school sweethearts Matt and Abby Howard, who live in Phoenix, AZ with their two boys.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T16:18:47.306384+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338"},"episode":{"title":"Escaping a cult, going blind, & retiring my guide dog w/ Matthew and Paul","slug":"escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul","published_at":"2026-06-03T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/433/claritaspod.com/measure/titlepl.us/redirect.mp3/DAYLIGHT/2/traffic.megaphone.fm/QCD7975082753.mp3","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/433/claritaspod.com/measure/titlepl.us/redirect.mp3/DAYLIGHT/2/traffic.megaphone.fm/QCD7975082753.mp3","summary":"This episode is sponsored by: Unreal Snacks, Square, Good Wipes, and Cash App Unreal Snacks: Visit https://unrealsnacks.com/unplanned o get $4 off a bag of Unreal—terms and conditions apply. Square: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/unplanned ! #squarepod Good Wipes: Head to https://goodwipes.com/UNPLANNED to learn how to snag a free pack of goodwipes! Cash App: Download Cash App at https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/kssum24w and use code FAMILY10 at signup to earn $10 when you send $5 to a friend within 14 days. Terms apply. Today on Unplanned, we sit down with Matthew and Paul — an interabled married couple loved by millions for their honest conversations around disability, identity, and life online. Paul opens up about being diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that will eventually leave him completely blind, while Matthew shares his experience growing up in a strict religious cult and the journey that led him to finally leave. We also talk about internet trolls, misconceptions about blindness, their dream of becoming parents, retiring a guide dog, and how they’ve built a life centered around creativity, advocacy, and finding joy in the face of adversity. Matthew & Paul's IG: @matthewandpaul Paul's Children's Books IG: @paulcastlestudio Find Paul's books here: https://paulcastlestudio.com/ Find Matthew's music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/31WEJvJ77B3sv45clvu889/discography/all Guide dog resource mentioned in this episode: https://www.guidedogs.com/ Follow The Unplanned Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/unplanned__podcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@unplanned_podcast Listen to the pod on Spotify/ Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ToDA4ufQuWuEgMq07zN6t https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unplanned-pod…","meta_description":"This episode is sponsored by: Unreal Snacks, Square, Good Wipes, and Cash App Unreal Snacks: Visit https://unrealsnacks.com/unplanned o get $4 off a bag o…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":6203,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/episodes/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}