Legal Aid Radio

What if one conversation could change your career... your confidence... even your life? On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we sit down with leadership trainer Marc A. Soto to explore The Courage to Speak: Finding Your Voice and Building Confidence. Whether you're speaking in a meeting, interviewing for a job, or addressing a crowd, your voice matters. Join us for an inspiring conversation that wi...

On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we reconnect with Marc A. Soto for a powerful conversation on growth, career pivots, and purpose-driven work.  If you’ve ever thought about making a difference in the nonprofit world, this is the conversation you don’t want to miss. Tune in, because impact starts with a single step.

On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, Theresa Grady shares the story of her husband, Morris Edward Grady, her first love and lifelong partner, whose life was cut short while incarcerated. Through heartbreak, she continues to rise as a voice for justice, fighting for dignity and fair treatment for aging people behind bars. It’s a powerful reminder that behind every sentence is a human being… and behi...

April is Second Chances Month, and if you’ve ever felt like your past was holding you back, this conversation is for you. On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we’re talking to Joessie Mathews, a woman who turned her own life experience into a movement, helped pass the Clean Slate NY Bill, and is now inspiring others to rise, rebuild, and reclaim their future.

Every day, people are misunderstood simply because they experience the world differently. Here on Legal Aid Radio, we’re shining a light on neurodiversity and on how a little understanding can go a long way. As more people hear terms like autism and neurodivergent, there’s still a gap between awareness and true understanding. What does it really mean? And how can we, as a community, respond with e...

What if the people best equipped to help struggling veterans… are veterans themselves? On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we take you inside the Green Jackets: a group of mentors, many of them Vietnam veterans, who stand beside fellow veterans in court, helping them rebuild their lives one step at a time. Joined again by Navy veteran Frank D’Aversa and retired Commander Grace Mehl, we explore how...

What happens when the men and women who served their country come home and don’t receive the welcome they expected? On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we explore how Vietnam veterans turned that experience into action: building a nationwide movement of support, and helping create a new kind of justice system designed specifically for those who served.  We’ll hear from Vietnam-era Navy veteran and...

In this episode of Legal Aid Radio , we sit down with chiropractor Dr. Mike Sredniawski to explore the often-overlooked physical toll of working in and experiencing the criminal justice system. From chronic stress and burnout among advocates to untreated pain in individuals returning home from incarceration, we discuss how these experiences live in the body, and what can be done to heal. This conv...

She’s a teacher, environmental steward, and community visionary who believes the path to a sustainable future begins with education, nature, and empowering the next generation. This Women’s History Month, as we celebrate women Leading the Change, we spotlight Laurie Farber, founder of Starflower Experiences, whose work is inspiring communities across Long Island to protect the planet and shape a h...

What happens when a knee injury ends your career… but launches your purpose? In this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we’re catching up with fan-favorite Chris Hynes, and trust me, this update is powerful. Since we last spoke, Chris has become a Certified Peer Recovery Advocate and a Certified Peer Specialist and now works with others on supervised release to rebuild their lives. He didn’t just survive...

What does it take to change the trajectory of a young person’s life? For nearly 50 years, one man has stood in the gap for students who didn’t meet traditional college standards, helping them not only enter higher education but also graduate. In this episode of Legal Aid Radio, host Debra Sterling Walters speaks with her former mentor, William Clyde, Jr., for a full-circle conversation about acces...

What if the moment that nearly broke you became the moment that built you?   What if instead of walking away from pain, you chose to turn it into purpose? On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we sit down with Jeff Ball, a Suffolk County native who didn’t just come home from incarceration… he came home with a mission. Jeff Ball could have walked away and started over quietly, but instead, he chose p...

On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, Eddie Ellis is back. Advocate, educator, and community leader Eddie Ellis joins us to discuss youth empowerment, life skills, and what it truly means to stay energized as a lifelong learner. From conference stages to hands-on workshops, this conversation is about growth, purpose, and building futures that last. Tune in to be inspired!

Programs end. Classes end. But community doesn’t. We have more access than ever—more information, more social media, and more ways to connect, yet real human connection feels harder to find. For people coming home after incarceration, that gap can be everything. You can have the tools, the knowledge, even the motivation, but still feel like you’re rebuilding alone. In this episode of Legal Aid Rad...

In this episode, we continue the conversation we began in our tribute to Mark Graham. This time, we focus on the critical question he dedicated his life to answering: What do returning citizens actually need in the first 48 hours after release? Those hours can make—or break—the path forward. Drawing from Mark’s lived experience, we explore the Redemption Center model he developed: a real, practica...

On this episode, we honor the life and legacy of Mark Graham, an extraordinary advocate whose journey from incarceration to community leadership changed countless lives. His passing deeply affected his family, friends, and the many people he tirelessly fought for. Tune in as we hold space for that grief while confronting a hard truth. Despite the strides made by returning citizens, society still s...

What would you do if the system that was supposed to protect your child… ended up swallowing him whole?   On this episode, we’re sitting down with a mother who refused to stay silent. Jayette Lansbury’s son lives with a serious mental illness and is incarcerated, but this isn’t just a story of struggle. It’s a story of love, advocacy, and the extraordinary lengths a parent will go to fight for jus...

What happens when a 16-year-old boy facing 75 years to life decides his story isn’t over? On this episode, we sit down with Eddie Ellis Jr., a man who turned his time behind bars into nearly two decades of service, advocacy, and transformation. From solitary confinement to national stages, Eddie is proof that redemption has a voice. Listen in, and you’ll hear it.

In episode #105, you heard how a 16-year-old boy faced a 77-year sentence… and found purpose behind bars.  In Part Two of ‘From Conviction to Change’ , Anthony Powers walks free, and walks straight into the fight for justice. From prison walls to policy halls, from incarceration to innovation — this is how data, determination, and redemption collide.  

He was just sixteen… when a courtroom sentenced him to seventy-seven years in prison. But what if that sentence became the beginning of something bigger — a mission to change the justice system itself? On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, Part One of our two-part series, ‘From Conviction to Change’ — we explore the story of Anthony Powers, a man who transformed his prison cell into a classroom and...

What if justice wasn’t about punishment — but about healing? On this episode of Legal Aid Radio , we sit down with advocate and change-maker Ismael Díaz, Jr., a man who’s lived the system and now works to transform it. From ending mandatory minimums to giving people a second chance — learn how three new bills could change the future of justice in New York.  

When someone makes the courageous decision to leave an abusive situation, they need more than just a safe place to stay. They need guidance, advocacy, and hope for a new beginning. In Part Two of our series with LI Against Domestic Violence, we’ll explore the wide range of services they provide — and what makes this organization a lifeline for so many families on Long Island.

Every day, countless individuals face the silent terror of domestic violence — behind closed doors, in homes that should feel safe. Today on Legal Aid Radio, we begin a two-part conversation with LI Against Domestic Violence, an organization that has spent decades walking beside survivors, offering safety, support, and a path toward healing. This is Part One: their humble beginnings, and the lives...

What if your local government operated like the best customer service team you’ve ever encountered—where every call is answered, every concern is respected, and every person is treated like a neighbor, not just a number? That’s the vision Huntington Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo brings to his work. From turning schools into families to building bridges across communities, his leadership has always...

Imagine waking up one day to find your whole world turned upside down — your partner behind bars, your family in crisis, and no roadmap for what comes next. That was Barbara Allan’s reality. But instead of breaking under the weight, she built a movement. From founding Prison Families Anonymous to co-founding Prison Families Alliance, Barbara has become a voice for the millions of families serving...