Forensic Tales

#042 - A 24-year old Washington D.C. intern and graduate student, who has hopes and dreams of working for the FBI, suddenly vanishes. Disappears from her apartment, leaving behind her ID, purse, cell phone, and dirty dishes in the sink.  The investigation into her disappearance would uncover a romantic affair involving a well-respected U.S. Congressman. A Congressman, who was married and almost 3...

How to support local businesses in 2021 When it comes to purchasing possibilities, the world may indeed be flat. But committing to buying from within a 400-ish mile radius will support local businesses, keep your wealth in your own community, and increase the prosperity of your neighbors (not corporate CEOs). Need more motivation? Here are 3 additional benefits to local buying: 1. Reduced shipment...

#041 - On April 1st, 2014, Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers from the Netherlands went missing while hiking a trail in Panama. Their remains were discovered months later after an international manhunt didn’t turn up any leads. Without a proper cause of death, was this a tragic hiking accident, or did the girls become victims of foul play? Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show...

  Foraging 101   [A Note from Stephanie: This episode is the second in a series that highlights attainable steps toward self-sufficiency. I hope the episodes in this series inspires you to adopt a fun, new hobby that also happens to be eco-friendly!]   I’m Armenian. Each summer as a child, my mother, sister, and I would search for grape vines along the side of the road and collect leaves to make o...

#040 - A 16-year old high school student from Washington is savagely raped and brutally murdered just yards away from her classmates. With dozens of potential eyewitnesses, and 2 boys who saw the suspect, it seemed like it was an open and shut case. But it would take investigators almost 3 decades before they had a potential suspect in the murder. Was a killer about to get away with the perfect mu...

Discussing the Effects of Climate Change (Without Discussing Politics)   Unfortunately, climate change and its effects are polarized topics in today’s hyper-political environment. And although climate change is considered by many to be a partisan issue, it shouldn’t be, because the environment is for everyone, regardless of political affiliation, socioeconomic status, or skin color. And while jour...

#039 - A 34-year old wife and mother of 2 young children is kidnapped in Redding, California while out for a jog. Her cell phone and headphones are discovered less than a mile from her house, with a clump of her long blonde hair. Her disappearance was dubbed as the kidnapping of ‘Super Mom”. A beautiful woman simply vanished. After 22 long days, Sherri Papini, Super Mom, was discovered on Thanksgi...

Why biodiversity is important   Biodiversity is the result of billions of years of evolution into an intricate balancing act that can best be described as the web of life. When one species is lost, such loss threatens survival of countless others. This week I speak with Christianne Close, Global Practice Leader at the World Wildlife Fund. We discuss WWF’s Living Planet Index, a new report that put...

#038 - On December 7, 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, carrying 38 passengers and 5 crew members, departed from Los Angeles for what should have been a short flight to San Francisco. Moments after reaching the standard cruising altitude of 22,000 feet, the pilots inside the aircraft signaled distress, telling air traffic controllers that shots had been fired. The airplane was sent fal...

How to Become a Minimalist this School Year   I’ve always harbored mixed feelings about September. On one hand, it’s the end of summer (boo). But on the other, September ushers in both a literal and a figurative change in the air. Our kids head back to school, and there’s the opportunity to re-introduce routines after months of laid-back living. September is the perfect opportunity to both recente...

#037 - In June 2017, a young Chinese scholar, Yingying Zhang, was abducted in broad daylight while she waited at a bus stop near the University of Illinois campus. The entire encounter was caught on nearby surveillance cameras. With no body, could forensic science and good old fashioned detective work put a wannabe serial killer behind bars? Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to...

Ethical Alternatives to Amazon   Shoppers adore Amazon, and it’s all thanks to convenience and price: The site’s Subscribe & Save feature lowers already quite low prices. And ultra-speedy shipping and responsive customer service? Many consumers have come to expect such heightened levels of convenience when shopping online. But Amazon has been in the news an awful lot in the past 5 years, and f...

#036 - In the summer of 1977, over 140 young girls attended Girl Scout Camp in the remote woods of Oklahoma. Lori Farmer, Michelle Guse, and Denise Milner were among the girls who attended camp that summer. On the morning of June 13,1977, only the second day of the 2-week long camp, the bodies of 3 young girls were discovered brutally murdered, sexually assaulted, and stuffed inside their sleeping...

Self Sufficiency Spotlight: Microgreens   [A Note from Stephanie: This episode is the first in a series that highlights attainable steps toward self-sufficiency. Once per month through December, the series offers a short and sweet interview to introduce you to an aspect of sustainability you may not have considered before. I hope the series will inspire you to adopt a fun, new hobby that also happ...

#035 - In November 2006, assistant truck driver and 2-time felon, Abraham Shakespeare turned $2 into over $30 million by winning a Mega Millions Jackpot.   The money didn’t just have a profound impact on his life, and the lives of his family and friends. But, did becoming a Mega Millions jackpot winner also cost him his life?   Support My Work   If you love the show, the easiest way to show your s...

Americans are obsessed with lawns. In a perfect world, your grass is vibrant green. There’s nary a weed, and there are certainly no dandelions. It’s lush and neatly edged; yard care consists of trimming to exactly an inch and a half tall. But in order to achieve this idyllic lawn, you must be willing to shell out either money or time, despite the fact that there are other things you’d likely rathe...

#034 - During the early 2000’s, Mexico City was terrorized by a serial killer targeting elderly, single women. From 2002 until 2006, almost 50 elderly women had been brutally murdered inside their very own homes. But, what was even more terrifying than a serial killer on the loose, was that police started to suspect that the killer they were hunting, was a female herself. Support My Work If you lo...

5 Facts About the Global Water Crisis   Ever wonder how many gallons it takes to flush your toilet? (Answer: 3.5.) Did you know that 55 gallons of water are required to grow the beans for a single cup of coffee? Today’s show is dedicated to our most important—and our most overlooked—resource: Water. Despite easy access from faucets and showers, access to clean water is a privilege. Water scarcity...

#033 - In January 1969, 23-year old Harvard graduate student, Jane Britton failed to show up to take an important exam. Her boyfriend and friends were immediately alarmed because this was completely out of character for the high performing student. Jane's body was discovered later that afternoon. She had been brutally raped and savagely beaten to death inside her own Boston apartment, just blocks...

How to Declutter Your Home without Trashing the Planet   Many minimalist influencers trademark decluttering plans to show you how, exactly, to declutter your home. The most well-known? Marie Kondo’s Konmari method, of course. But what if you desire to declutter without sending items that no longer “spark joy” to the landfill? And while possessions that are broken or obsolete will inevitably be tra...

#032 - In 2005, 18-year old Noura Jackson was arrested and charged with stabbing her mother, Jennifer Jackson, over 50 times. Jennifer was found inside her Memphis, Tennessee home brutally murdered. Although there was no forensic evidence linking Noura to her mother's murder, she did have a large cut on her hand on the night of the murder. Is Noura Jackson a wrongfully accused teenager, charged wi...

5 New Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Waste   Plastic waste is everywhere, am I right? (Hey there, plastic-wrapped cucumber!). If you’ve ever looked around and wondered why on Earth everything is wrapped in plastic—and if you’ve wondered whether such overreliance on a single-use product derived from fossil fuels is completely contradictory to common sense—you aren’t alone. Here’s the answer. Because p...

#031 - On April 5, 2015, experienced free-fall instructor Victoria Cilliers, was set to complete her 2,650th jump. The jump was a gift from her husband, Emile, to celebrate the birth of their 2nd child. At 4,000 feet, both her main chute and reserve failed . Sending her falling to the ground over 100 miles per hour, without a working parachute. Miraculously, she survived . Was this some freak acci...

Minimalist Parenting Guidance for Raising Good Humans   Parenting is hard; parenting during a pandemic is even harder. Still, guidance experts argue that raising children with both sanity and joy is possible. If you feel like you’re always on—and if you’re utterly exhausted—know that it’s A-OK to be minimalist in your parenting strategy, because doing less fosters resilience. My guest this week is...

#030 - In 2020 there are only 53 women on Death Row in the United States. Darlie Routier from Rowlett, Texas is one of those women. In 1997, she was convicted of murdering her 2 sons, Devon and Damon and sentenced to death. Devon and Damon were stabbed to death with a kitchen knife while Darlie sustained stab wounds on her arms and across her throat. Darlie said it was an intruder who broke into t...