What Came Next

Content warning: depression, suicidal ideation, substance use disorder, sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse. Kelly Gee is a former professional hockey player and coach and the current executive director of the non profit organization Survivors for Change. Kelly has always been driven to make an impact, but it wasn't until surviving  sexual abuse at the hands of his former coach that he found hi...

Content warning: gun violence, homicide, murder, and substance abuse. Evin and Melissa Marshall shared about the heartbreaking loss of Evin's father, Richard, in part one of their story. The Broken Cycle media team is extremely grateful they were willing to share more of their journey, healing, and the trauma that they continue to sift through in the wake of Richard's absence. This episode is dedi...

Content warning: gun violence, homicide, murder, and substance abuse. Melissa and Evin Marshall's lives changed forever in late February of 2021. The murder of Evin's beloved father, Richard Donald Marshall, deeply impacted people across the country. Evan and Melissa's consequent heartbreak didn't end there though, and neither has their tenacity. Relatedly, it means so much that they were willing...

Content warning: abuse, child abuse, gun violence, grief, loss, death, and murder. Chaplain Peggy has been a victim and patient advocate for over twenty years. She found her calling after America faced mass tragedy on September 11th 2001. After that day, she felt forced to answer a deeper call to serve her community, especially for those members in greater need. She also is co-host on the impactfu...

*Content warning: suicidal ideation, stalking, cyberstalking, arson, death threats, violent threats. As shared in Part One of Vanessa V.'s story, we first heard from her on Discovery’s Unraveled. However, her journey as a stalking victim started nearly two decades before her media-based advocacy journey began. Over those two decades, Vanessa experienced escalating, cyclical cyberstalking that effe...

*Content warning: suicidal ideation, stalking, cyberstalking, arson, death threats, violent threats, and murder. We first heard Vanessa V.‘s story on Discovery’s Unraveled. However, her journey as a stalking victim started nearly two decades before her media-based advocacy journey began. Over those two decades, Vanessa experienced escalating, cyclical cyberstalking that effected all facets of her...

Content warning: substance use disorder, substance abuse, sex work, statutory rape, child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, serial rape, murder, and serial murder. Denise Winters is a mother, author, YouTuber, and victim advocate from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After a very tumultuous childhood, Denise’s heartache did not stop. She was brutally attacked and raped by a man in her neighborhood in her early twen...

Content warning: cruelty towards animals, animal abuse, death threats, domestic violence, psychological, emotional, mental, and physical abuse, murder. As shared in last week’s episode and Part 1 of her story, Sarah Manos is a high school educator and victim advocate from Chicago. After escaping a highly abusive relationship and losing her canine companions Kirby and Daisy to her abuser, Sarah has...

Content warning: animal cruelty, animal abuse, domestic violence, psychological, emotional, mental, and physical abuse, stalking, and death threats. Sarah Manos is a high school educator and victim advocate from Chicago. In Part One of her story, Sarah shares how she loses her canine companions Kirby and Daisy to her abuser, and eventually escapes the horrifying relationship. In the wake of her lo...

*Content warning: rape, murder, serial murder. Commissioner Jennifer Morrison has had a long career in public safety and law enforcement. However, her trajectory as an advocate became clearer with the life-altering loss of two dear friends during her formative, college years. It is with this same passion for justice and advocacy that she began a prolific career in public safety, becoming the first...

Content warning: harassment, stalking, cyberstalking, murder, and capital murder. Caitlin Mathis is a victim advocate and survivor from Texas. In the summer between graduating high school and entering college, she began a relationship with a man whose future actions would change her life - and a whole town - forever. After consequently navigating the inner workings of the law enforcement and crimi...

*Content warning: divorce, conversion therapy, reorientation therapy, cyberstalking, stalking, emotional and psychological abuse, death threats, and criminal threats. Danny Cords is an organizational psychologist and victim advocate from Seattle. He began harnessing his voice and speaking out for others after leaving conversion therapy in his late teens. But his advocacy mission only intensified a...

*Content warning: domestic abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, and non-consensual pornography. In Part 2 of Season 14 updates, Kaylan and Melissa continue their conversation regarding life after their season ended, and their continuous child support battle in court with Jake Gravbrot. Kaylan and Melissa also explain, from their perspectives, the nuances of the court system and how the court han...

*Content warning: domestic abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, and non-consensual pornography.  Season Fourteen of Something Was Wrong began airing on October 20th, 2022 and the last episode aired on January 3rd, 2023. The season highlighted the narratives of Kaylan, Melissa, and Sara and their very toxic, abusive relationships with a man named Jake, as well as the abuse their children faced. A...

*Content warning: substance use disorder, addiction, suicidal ideation, child abuse, emotional, mental, and environmental abuse. Nicole Bowman is a mother, writer, blogger, and former teacher. She utilizes her degrees in education, childhood development, & English, as well as her active pursuit to be a therapist to create thoughtful, advocacy-based content. Through live stage performances, blo...

*Content warning: sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, and murder.  Jimanekia Eborn is a survivor, advocate, and mental health professional whose expertise focuses on healing from trauma and sexual assault. Despite experiencing  great loss and grief as early as she can remember, she has also always been a loving force to be reckoned with. Thus, she utilizes her own grief and experiences, as we...

*Content warning: rape, miscarriage, forced abortion, medical trauma, sex slavery, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, child abuse, childhood sexual assault, child pornograpy, non-consensual pornography, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide Gloria Masters is a former teacher and child & adolescent therapist from Auckland, New Zealand. Over the last several decades and through her incredible profess...

*Content warning: disordered eating, anorexia, homophobia, severe physical, mental, emotional, financial, and litigative abuse, rape, and domestic violence.  Lily Sanders is a dancer, author, actress and advocate with extensive creative and professional resumes. However, it wasn’t until escaping domestic violence that she found her ultimate calling. We are so grateful she was willing to discuss he...

*Content warning: This episode includes discussion of drunk driving, reckless driving, medical trauma, & traumatic brain injury. Conor Crippen is a survivor and victim advocate from Ohio. Upon his entrance to college at Loyola University Chicago, Conor studied neuroscience and biology. It would be  just under a year into his educational career though that his plans were cut short by a drunk dr...

  *Content warning: This episode includes discussion of underage drinking, drug use, overdose, respite care, disordered eating, anorexia, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, coercive control, stalking, statutory rape, rape, emotional, mental, psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and attempted murder. Lexi Weinbaum is an athlete, student, and victim advocate from Con...

*Content warning: kidnapping, abduction, rape, child abuse, stalking, trafficking, and suicidal ideation Cheryl Hunter is television writer and producer, as well as a survivor advocate. Her efforts have been seen on NBC, CNN, Dr. Oz, The TED Talk stage, and many more major media platforms. But her journey of sharing about her traumatic abduction and assaults did not begin immediately. On this epis...

*Content warning: book banning, rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence, police brutality, racism, segregation, lynching, and murder. Cassandra Lane is an award-winning author, journalist, artist, and speaker. Her beautiful memoir, We Are Bridges , is a labor of love born from generational trauma, as well as years of healing (and honing her craft). We are honored that Cassandra was willing to speak...

Content warning: child abuse, coercive control, stalking, kidnapping, sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, pedophilia, fraud, and suicide. In this second part of Jan’s story, she continues to share about the grooming and sexual abuse she and her parents experienced at the hands of a neighbor. All that she’s done to heal since the abuse ended - which includes a book, a Netflix documentary entitled A...

Content warning: child abuse, coercive control, stalking, kidnapping, sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, pedophilia, fraud, and suicide. Jan Broberg is a mother, actress, speaker, and advocate. When she was a young girl, she and her parents faced grooming and sexual abuse at the hands of a neighbor. The events that unfolded afterwards, which include two childhood abductions by the same man, are a...

This week we are taking some time for gratitude. A big THANK YOU to all of our past and future What Came Next guests, as well as our ever-growing community of listeners. This show couldn't exist without all of you. Listen to this week’s mini-sode for a sneak peek at who next week’s guest will be. And please consider taking the time to catch up on past episodes, leave a positive review, or follow W...