Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast

Description In this episode of Perfect Prey, I’m joined by Jeremy Indika, child sexual abuse educator, survivor, speaker, and advocate. Jeremy shares his own experience of childhood sexual abuse and explains why understanding grooming, coercive control, and child exploitation has never been more urgent. Together, we explore how perpetrators identify vulnerable children, the similarities between ch...

Description In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Ann Burgess , pioneering forensic nurse, researcher, educator, and author of Expert Witness . Ann’s groundbreaking work transformed how professionals understand trauma, victimization, sexual violence, and offender behavior. Her research has influenced criminal investigations, forensic psychology, victim advocacy, and some of the most well...

In this solo episode of Perfect Prey , Dr. Christine Cocchiola explores the connection between coercive control, childhood trauma, attachment, and the growing number of children being diagnosed with ADHD and other behavioral disorders. Dr. Cocchiola challenges listeners to consider a critical question: what if many of the behaviors we label as “problematic” are actually trauma responses? What if c...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m honored to be joined by Judith Herman , one of the world’s foremost pioneers in trauma research and recovery. Dr. Herman is the author of the groundbreaking books Father-Daughter Incest , Trauma and Recovery , and Truth and Repair —works that fundamentally changed how we understand trauma, complex trauma, institutional betrayal, and survivor healing. Together,...

Description In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Ali Kessler , founder of Greyson’s Choice , child safety advocate, and a powerful voice for prevention, awareness, and systemic change. Ali shares her deeply personal story of loss, resilience, and purpose—and how unimaginable grief became a mission to protect other children. Through Greyson’s Choice, Ali has transformed pain into advocac...

Description In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Emma Katz , criminologist and author of Coercive Control in Children’s and Mothers’ Lives . Emma is one of the leading researchers in the world examining how coercive control impacts children—not just as witnesses, but as direct victims navigating survival, attachment, and identity. Together, we explore how children experience coercive co...

Description In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Donna Palomba , founder of Jane Doe No More and survivor of a violent home invasion and sexual assault that led to years of institutional betrayal. Donna shares her harrowing story—from surviving a brutal attack in her own home to being disbelieved, interrogated, and re-traumatized by the very system meant to protect her. What followed wa...

Description In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Dr. Elizabeth Dalgarno , founder and director of the SHERA Research Group and lecturer in public health at the University of Manchester. Dr. Dalgarno’s work focuses on the global harms caused by family court systems and the institutional abuse experienced by women and children navigating these legal processes. Through SHERA’s groundbreaki...

Description In this solo episode of Perfect Prey , I explore one of the most heartbreaking dynamics of coercive control: the weaponization of children. Children rely on their parents for safety, stability, and unconditional love. But when a predatory parent is operating within the family system, attachment can become fractured. Instead of growing up with secure connection, children are often indoc...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Laura Richards , a criminal behavioral analyst, former New Scotland Yard specialist, and one of the leading global voices on coercive control. Laura has been instrumental in changing laws on stalking and coercive control in the UK and internationally, and her work has helped shape policy, legislation, and professional practice worldwide. We explore w...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Andrew Carpenter , a solicitor and partner at Webster Lawyers in Australia, widely known for his work holding child sexual abuse perpetrators accountable and advocating for systemic reform. Andrew and I have a frank, uncomfortable, and deeply necessary conversation about child sexual abuse, grooming, coercive control, and the institutional failures t...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Tonia Bales , author of When You See It: How I Outsmarted and Outlasted Dirty John . Tonia shares her story as the first wife of the man later known to the world as “Dirty John”—long before the podcast, Netflix series, or public recognition of who he really was. Tonia describes how coercive control, deception, and manipulation unfolded inside her mar...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by David Challen , author of The Unthinkable , who shares his experience growing up as a child inside a coercively controlling family system. David offers a rare and powerful perspective on coercive control through the eyes of a child—long before there was language to describe abuse, and long before systems were willing to see it. This conversation expl...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by Anne Wintemute , co-creator of Aimee Says , an innovative AI platform designed specifically to support victims and survivors of coercive control. Aimee Says helps survivors understand abusive communication patterns, validate their lived experiences, and assist with documentation—particularly in high-stakes situations such as custody and family court....

In this episode of Perfect Prey, I speak with Sarma Melngailis, author of The Girl with the Duck Tattoo and the central figure in the documentary Bad Vegan. Sarma shares her lived experience of sustained psychological coercion, how it felt to be worn down and re-anchored in someone else’s reality, and what the recovery process looks like after a relationship that functioned much like a one-on-one...

In this episode of Perfect Prey I’m joined by my friend and colleague Dr. Ramani Durvasula , a clinical psychologist, author, professor, and internationally recognized expert on narcissistic abuse. We dig into why coercive control feels like imprisonment without bars, how systems (including family court) retraumatize survivors, and what survivors can do to protect themselves and their children.  ...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I sit down with Dr. Jaime Zuckerman, a licensed clinical psychologist and national expert in narcissistic abuse, to uncover the hidden dynamics of coercive control and narcissistic relationships. Dr. Zuckerman shares her deep expertise from years of working with survivors, offering insight into the traits that make individuals vulnerable, the subtle and overt patt...

In this episode of Perfect Prey , I sit down with Vanessa Reiser, LCSW, a renowned psychotherapist, speaker, and advocate who has dedicated her career to helping survivors of narcissistic abuse and coercive control reclaim their lives. Vanessa is the founder of Tell a Therapist, a nationwide telehealth platform, and the author of Narcissistic Abuse: A Therapist’s Guide , a groundbreaking resource...

In this episode of Perfect Prey: A Podcast on Coercive Control, I am joined by Dr. Bandy X. Lee, a forensic psychiatrist and internationally recognized expert on violence. Together, we examine the alarming injustices occurring within family courts, where coercive control, child abuse, and even child trafficking are too often overlooked or minimized. Dr. Lee brings her extensive experience to highl...

In this episode of Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast , Dr. Christine Cocchiola sits down with Dr. Peter Salerno to take a deeper look at the hidden dynamics of coercive control and the psychological abuse that entraps partners and children in cycles of fear, confusion, and dependency. We explore the defining traits of coercive controllers, how they manipulate both adult and child victims, a...

In this episode of Perfect Prey Podcast, I sit down with journalist and author Rich Cohen to discuss his book, Murder in the Dollhouse , which explores the tragic case of Jennifer Dulos, a mother from New Canaan, Connecticut, murdered by her husband, Fotis Dulos. Together, we examine the role of coercive control in intimate partner violence, the systemic failures that too often leave victims unpro...

In this episode of Perfect Prey, I sit down with filmmaker and NXIVM Whistleblower, Mark Vicente, to explore the insidious nature of narcissism and coercive control. Known for his role in exposing the NXIVM cult and for his upcoming documentary Narcissist Playbook , Mark brings a rare blend of lived experience and narrative insight to a conversation that is both deeply personal and profoundly educ...

For over 40 years, Attorney Meg Groff has been a fierce advocate for victims of domestic abuse. In her powerful memoir, Not If I Can Help It, Meg shares some of the most harrowing and eye-opening cases she’s encountered, offering a rare glimpse into the justice system through the eyes of someone who fought tirelessly within it. Alongside Dr. C, co-author of FRAMED: Women in the Family Court Underw...

In this episode, Jessi Hersey bravely shares her story of surviving two forms of coercive control: childhood grooming by her drum teacher and emotional manipulation within the Twin Flames Universe online cult. As a neurodivergent survivor, Jessi reflects on how her autism both made her more vulnerable and more attuned to subtle forms of abuse. She discusses the long-term impact of grooming, the cu...

In this powerful and emotional episode, Dr. Cocchiola speaks with Leah Moses, mother of Om Moses Gandhi, who was tragically killed by his abusive father after over a decade of family court battles. Leah shares her lived experience of reproductive coercion, intimate partner violence, and systemic failure, and how she turned unimaginable loss into advocacy through Om’s Law. This conversation exposes...