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Real people. Verified stories.

Learn from those
who've lived it.

Connect 1-on-1 with people who've been through addiction, illness, war, loss, and more. No therapists. No scripts. Just raw human experience.

2,400+verified stories
94%found it helpful
180+countries
M
Marcus, 34 · Berlin
"12 years of heroin addiction. 4 years clean. I know what it takes."
S
Sofia, 41 · Milan
"Stage 3 breast cancer survivor. I remember the fear of that first diagnosis."
J
James, 29 · London
"Served 3 tours in Afghanistan. I help others who feel no one understands."

How Lived works

1
🔍

Find your story

Browse verified personal stories by category, experience, or keyword.

2
📅

Book a session

Choose a time and pay securely. Sessions start from €20.

3
💬

Have the conversation

Private video or voice call. One human talking to another who truly understands.

Every kind of human experience

💊
Addiction & Recovery
342 stories
🏥
Illness & Survival
218 stories
⚖️
Prison & Reintegration
97 stories
🪖
War & Trauma
134 stories
💔
Grief & Loss
287 stories
📉
Business Failure
163 stories
🧠
Mental Health
401 stories
✈️
Immigration & Exile
119 stories

What people say

★★★★★
"My son was struggling with heroin. I spent an hour with Marcus and understood more than in 3 years of therapy."
L
Laura K.
Mother, United States
★★★★★
"Just diagnosed with cancer. Talking to Sofia gave me more courage than any doctor's consultation."
R
Reza M.
Patient, Netherlands
★★★★★
"I needed someone who actually lived it. This platform is unlike anything else."
D
Diego F.
Veteran, Spain

Have you lived something?

Your experience has value. Share your story and earn by helping others going through exactly what you once did.

Find your story

Every person on Lived has been through something real — and verified.

Book a session

30 min
60 min
90 min

Secure payment · 100% refundable 24h before

Their story

Timeline

What people ask about

Reviews

How Lived works

We connect people going through difficult times with those who have lived the same experience — and come out the other side.

1

Find your story

Search or browse by category. Every storyteller has a verified profile with their full story, timeline, and reviews.

💡 Use filters to narrow by location, language, price range, or topic.
2

Verification you can trust

Every storyteller uploads supporting documents processed through our AI verification system. Documents are never stored or shared — only the verification status is saved.

🔒 We verify the story, not the person's identity. Full privacy protected.
3

Book a session

Choose a 30, 60, or 90-minute session. Pay securely — Stripe handles all payments. Your money is held in escrow until the session is complete.

💳 All major cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay. 100% refund if cancelled 24h prior.
4

Have the conversation

Join a private, encrypted video or audio call directly in your browser. No app needed. No agenda, no script, no professional distance.

🎥 Optional session recording available (requires consent from both parties).
5

After the session

Leave a review to help others. Message the storyteller for 48 hours after for follow-up questions. For ongoing support, book a package.

What keeps this safe

🔒

Not therapy

Every session page clearly states this is personal experience sharing — not medical, psychological, or legal advice.

Verified experiences

AI-powered document verification ensures every story is backed by real documentation.

🛡️

Reporting system

Any session can be reported. Inappropriate behaviour results in immediate suspension.

🧠

Crisis resources

Storytellers are trained to share emergency resources when needed. We partner with helplines in 30+ countries.

💬

No data sold

Session content and conversation topics are never sold. End-to-end encrypted calls.

Rating system

Every storyteller's rating is visible. Anyone below 4.0 is reviewed.

Common questions

Is this a substitute for therapy?
No. Lived is not therapy and does not replace professional mental health care. If you are in crisis, please contact a professional immediately.
How are stories verified?
Storytellers upload supporting documents. Our AI system validates these. No human ever sees your documents — only the AI does.
What if I don't connect with the person?
Cancel at least 24 hours before for a full refund. If the session doesn't meet expectations, contact support within 24 hours.
Can storytellers charge any price?
Storytellers set their own prices between €15 and €200 per hour. Lived takes 20% commission. Most charge between €30–€80/hr.
What languages are supported?
Lived is available globally. Storytellers indicate their languages. You can filter by language when searching.

Your experience
has value.

You've been through something real. Something hard. And you came out the other side with wisdom that no textbook can teach.

On Lived, people pay to hear from you — not a therapist, not a coach. You.

€420avg monthly earnings
2,400+active storytellers
4 daysto first booking
Earnings example
Session price (60 min)
€60
Lived commission (20%)
− €12
You receive
€48
4 sessions / week
€768 / month
You set your own schedule. Pause anytime.

Share your story

Applications reviewed within 3 business days.

💊 Addiction
🏥 Illness
🧠 Mental Health
⚖️ Prison
🪖 War / PTSD
💔 Grief & Loss
📉 Business failure
✈️ Immigration
Other
📎

Click to upload or drag and drop

Medical records, court documents, discharge papers... PDF or image. Max 10MB.

🔒 Processed by AI only. Never seen by humans. Deleted after verification.

By applying you agree to our Storyteller Terms. You will be notified by email within 3 business days.

Simple, honest pricing

You pay the storyteller directly. Lived takes a 20% platform fee. No subscriptions, no hidden charges.

30 minutes
€20–40 / session
A first conversation. Get a feel for the person and their story.
  • Private video or audio call
  • Text follow-up (24h after)
  • Verified storyteller
  • Full refund if cancelled 24h prior
90 minutes
€60–120 / session
For when you need to go very deep — cover the full story and turning points.
  • Everything in 60 min
  • Extended text follow-up (72h)
  • Priority rebooking
  • Optional session recording

How earnings work

You set your own hourly rate. Lived keeps 20% — the rest goes directly to you, paid out weekly via Stripe.

No monthly fees. No setup costs. You only pay when you earn.

On a €60 session:
You: €48
Lived: €12
You receive 80%Lived keeps 20%
Payouts weekly · Stripe · No minimum · Pause anytime
Lived.
About us

We believe
the most
powerful
teacher is
experience.

Not a degree. Not a textbook. Not a professional who has studied your problem from a distance.

The person who can truly help you is the one who has already walked through what you're facing — and came out the other side.

Scroll to read our story
"
"When my son was struggling with addiction, I didn't need a pamphlet. I needed to speak with a mother who had been there — and survived it."
Laura K. · United States · Lived user, 2025
Our origin

Why
Lived
exists

It started with a simple, uncomfortable observation: the people who most need help often have access to the wrong kind of help.

When you're diagnosed with cancer, you get clinical information. When you're fighting addiction, you get hotlines. When you come back from war, you get referrals. What almost no one offers you is direct, honest access to someone who has already been through exactly what you're facing.

That person exists. Millions of them, actually. People who have survived addiction, illness, imprisonment, war, grief, bankruptcy — and who carry within them a kind of wisdom that cannot be taught in any classroom or clinic.

The problem was never a shortage of that wisdom. The problem was that there was no place to find it, verify it, and access it.

Lived was built to change that. We created the infrastructure — the verified profiles, the booking system, the trust layer — so that the people who need these conversations can actually have them.

We believe this is one of the most human things technology can enable: connecting the person who is going through something with the person who has already been through it.

By the numbers

Lived in figures

2,400+
Verified storytellers
Across 180+ countries
94%
Found it helpful
Based on post-session reviews
14,800
Sessions completed
Since launch in 2024
€420
Avg. monthly earnings
Per active storyteller
What we believe

Our values

01
Lived experience is a form of expertise
We do not rank clinical credentials above personal experience. Someone who has survived Stage 3 cancer knows things about that journey that no oncologist can teach.
02
Truth before comfort
The most valuable conversations are honest ones. We ask storytellers to tell the truth — the hard parts, the things that did not work, the moments they wanted to give up.
03
Privacy is not optional
We verify stories through AI — no human ever sees your documents. Session content is end-to-end encrypted. We do not sell data. We do not run ads.
04
Dignity for storytellers
We pay them fairly, protect their privacy, and give them full control over their availability and what they share.
05
We are not a substitute for care
Lived is not therapy, not medical advice, not a crisis line. We are honest about what we are. When someone needs professional help, we say so — clearly.
06
Accessibility matters
Sessions start from €20. We intentionally keep entry-level pricing low because the people who need these conversations most should not be priced out of them.
Clarity

What Lived
is — and
isn't

We get asked the same questions. Here are honest answers.

Not a therapy platform

Storytellers are not licensed therapists. They share personal experience, not clinical diagnoses. If you are in crisis, please contact a professional.

Not a support group

This is 1-on-1. Private. Focused on your specific situation.

Not an advice platform

Storytellers share what worked for them — not prescriptions for what will work for you.

A space for human connection

Talking to someone who has genuinely been there. That is rarer and more valuable than it sounds.

A verified, trusted marketplace

Every story is backed by real documentation. Every session is secure and private.

The people behind Lived

Our team

G
Gramoz Todori
Co-Founder & CEO
Entrepreneur and founder of Markon Sh.p.k, the company behind Staff.al — Albania's leading recruitment platform. Built Lived from a deep belief that human experience is the most undervalued resource in the world. Based in Tirana.
M
Maya Osei
Co-Founder & CTO
10 years in trust & safety infrastructure at scale marketplaces. Built the AI verification system that sits at the core of Lived's credibility.
S
Dr. Sara Lindqvist
Head of Wellbeing & Ethics
Clinical psychologist with 15 years of trauma practice. Oversees storyteller guidelines, session safety protocols, and crisis escalation.

We are a team of 18, distributed across Tirana, London, and New York.

Our manifesto

What we stand for

IEvery human story has value — especially the hard ones.
IIThe person who lived it knows things no book can teach.
IIIBeing heard by someone who truly understands is not a luxury. It is a human need.
IVVulnerability deserves dignity, not exploitation.
VThe most important conversations in life should not be reserved for those who can afford a therapist.
VIWe build technology in service of human connection — not as a replacement for it.
Join us

Be part of Lived

Whether you want to share your story or find someone who has lived through yours — there's a place for you here.

L
LivedVoices.

Welcome
back to
human
connection.

Thousands of people are waiting to share what they've lived through — and help you with what you're facing right now.

"12 years of heroin addiction. 4 years clean." — Marcus
"Stage 3 breast cancer survivor." — Sofia
"Three tours in Afghanistan." — James
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S
LivedVoices.

Join the
people who
truly
understand.

Whether you're looking for someone who's been there — or you have a story to share — LivedVoices is built for you.

2,400+ verified storytellers worldwide
94% of users found it genuinely helpful
Sessions from €20 — no subscription needed
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