The Dr. Lois Lee Show

Part 2: In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex R reflects on her journey out of exploitation and what it takes to rebuild a life after years of survival on the streets and online. Alex marks February 14 as her “celebration date”—two years since leaving the life. After 16 years of exploitation, she reached a breaking point. Her body could no longer endure what she had been through, and she...

Part 1: In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex R reflects on her journey out of exploitation and what it takes to rebuild a life after years of survival on the streets and online. Alex marks February 14 as her “celebration date”—two years since leaving the life. After 16 years of exploitation, she reached a breaking point. Her body could no longer endure what she had been through, and she...

Locked inside an apartment. No phone. No food. No way out—until she found one. Janel left home as a teen, searching for safety and a way to survive. What she found instead was control and exploitation. At one point, she was kept inside an apartment, cut off from the outside world, with basic needs used against her. She found a way out. When Janel called Children of the Night, everything began to s...

In Episode 27 of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Jayla shares a story of betrayal, survival, and the long path toward rebuilding safety. At 13, Jayla reached out to an estranged half-brother in the Bronx, hoping for connection. Instead, she was harmed by someone she trusted and exploited over a period of weeks. After escaping, Jayla told her best friend, who then informed her grandmother. From there, she w...

Part 2: In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex shares her journey through exploitation, survival, and recovery — and the reality that healing is not a straight path. Alex began being exploited at just 13 years old after running away and surviving on the streets in Miami. After being located by the FBI through an anonymous tip, she was connected to Children of the Night and flown to Los Ang...

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex shares her journey through exploitation, survival, and recovery — and the reality that healing is not a straight path. Alex began being exploited at just 13 years old after running away and surviving on the streets in Miami. After being located by the FBI through an anonymous tip, she was connected to Children of the Night and flown to Los Angeles. Wh...

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Silvia reflects on her journey from exploitation as a minor to becoming a mother determined to create a different future for her children. Silvia was arrested as a minor in the Dallas area in 2008. At the time, authorities knew who to call — Children of the Night in Los Angeles. She was flown to the organization’s 24-bed shelter home, where she experienced...

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Ashley shares a lived experience that reflects a common but often misunderstood entry point into prostitution: recruitment through trusted relationships. Exploitation rarely begins with a dramatic abduction. More often, it begins with instability, unmet needs, and someone familiar offering connection or escape. At 16, Ashley was navigating multiple foster...

In Episode 22 of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Giselle shares her story of perseverance, health challenges, and the kind of long-term support that changes lives. Giselle participated in last year’s Children of the Night graduation — a milestone that marked not just academic progress, but years of resilience. Today, she is facing renal failure and is waiting for a kidney donor. During dialysis treatments,...

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, McKinzie shares how resilience, support, and intentional parenting helped her break a generational cycle of trauma and exploitation. As a child, McKinzie grew up in a chaotic home where boundaries were blurred and safety was uncertain. She describes how isolation, mental health struggles, and instability shaped her early years. Eventually, running from an...

In Part 2 of Katie’s story, The Dr. Lois Lee Show explores how generational trauma develops — and what it takes to interrupt it.   Katie shares her lived experience of exploitation and survival, offering a clear look at how cycles of harm are passed down when children grow up without protection, education, or consistent support. Her story underscores a critical truth: exploitation does not happen...

Katie’s story shows how trauma can repeat across generations when systems fail to protect children early — and how long-term support can change that outcome. As a child, Katie experienced serious harm that went unaddressed. Years later, when her own child was hurt, she refused to let silence and fear take over. With advocacy and support from Children of the Night, Katie was able to protect her chi...

In Memory of Deborah Hardman A hero of the streets—and the daughter who survived the cost. Morgan Hardman speaks candidly with Dr. Lois Lee about a childhood shaped by chaos, trauma, and survival. Raised in and out of alternative homes, Morgan confronts the painful realities of abuse, blurred boundaries, and learning far too early the difference between “good” and “bad” touch. She shares her journ...

Dr. Lois Lee talks with Teri Weigel about LAPD missing the first opportunity to catch the Hillside Stranglers. Teri, who lived next door to Kenneth Bianchi (one of the stranglers) shares her mom’s story of witnessing Kenneth Bianchi and his cousin Angleo Buono carry Kimberly Martin’s body, while she’s still alive, through the underground parking. ⸻ Listen Now: 🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, Yo...

Dr. Lois Lee speaks with Morgan Hardman about the life and legacy of her mother, Deborah Hardman—an unsung hero who played a critical role in helping investigators during the Hillside Strangler murders. Working courageously on the streets, Deborah helped protect young women involved in prostitution and became a trusted source for KNBC News during one of Los Angeles’ most terrifying crime sprees. I...

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Doc came to Children of the Night at 16 years old. A gay teen and survivor of sexual abuse in the 1990s, he had already endured violence, rejection, and instability while trying to survive on the streets of Los Angeles. Before finding Children of the Night, Doc lived in state-funded shelters where he faced anti-gay violence from other youth. He describes how any misstep—substance use, conflict, or...

In this episode, Dayjah reflects candidly on how early childhood abuse shaped her adult relationships—and how long it took to recognize the pattern. When Dr. Lois Lee tells Dayjah, “your picker is broken,” the moment opens a deeper conversation about why people who experience early harm are often drawn to unhealthy relationships again and again. Dayjah shares that both of her children’s fathers we...

Dayjah’s journey is a powerful example of what long-term commitment makes possible. After earning her GED through Children of the Night, Dayjah went on to college to complete an AI ethics certificate. Today, she works full-time for the county and is a devoted mother of two—focused on building a stable, opportunity-filled future for her children and breaking generational cycles. In this episode, Da...

Caitlin entered foster care at age 13 and quickly learned how dehumanizing the system can be for vulnerable youth. Instead of protection, she encountered punishment—interactions with first responders, medical professionals, and law enforcement that treated her as a problem to be managed rather than a child in crisis. Her experience is not unique. In this episode, Caitlin shares how early system in...

Sireena’s story illustrates a reality Children of the Night has seen for decades: many youth return to the streets after rescue because there is rarely long-term support, and returning home or into foster care often does not create the safety or stability needed for recovery. Her desperate mother searched everywhere for help before finding Children of the Night. With no witness protection system a...

Stephanie’s path into danger began long before she ever met an exploiter. At just 11 years old, she ran from an unsafe home, searching for distance and safety the only way she knew how. During those days away, adults took advantage of her vulnerability. But what happened next reveals a system that still fails too many children. When law enforcement found her, Stephanie was not treated as a child i...

Part 2 of 2. In this episode pulls back the curtain on how an Oceanside-based gang recruited and controlled teenage girls — and how federal agents finally intervened.   Nora was a teenager when she fell for a man who seemed protective, attentive, and devoted. That relationship quickly shifted once she became entangled with his gang. Threats escalated. The gang showed her photos of her younger sibl...

This episode pulls back the curtain on how an Oceanside-based gang recruited and controlled teenage girls — and how federal agents finally intervened.   Nora was a teenager when she fell for a man who seemed protective, attentive, and devoted. That relationship quickly shifted once she became entangled with his gang. Threats escalated. The gang showed her photos of her younger siblings and warned...

When Victoria arrived at the Children of the Night home at just 13 years old, she stood out — not for what she’d been through, but for how brilliant she was. She quickly became the highest-testing student the program had ever seen, even as she navigated the trauma of her past. In this episode, Victoria reflects on her time living at the Children of the Night home, where she celebrated holidays for...