Rise Above Justice Movement Podcast

We sat down this week and talked with Meg McDermott, a writer, singer/songwriter & Ancestral Priestess. Meg is an incredible human who focuses on advocating for Collective Liberation in our communities, and focusing on Individual Liberation, as well. You can find Meg on social media @Meg. Arcadia

We had the distinct honor of sitting down and chatting with one of our heroes, and one of our inspirations, Ricky Longoria, AKA @TheGayLiberal on social media. The King of creating viral videos that start with "Stop What You're Doing, You're Gonna Wanna Hear This" shares his experience in advocacy, and how we got here.

Jaycie Hricak, a Survivor turned Community Organizer and speaker. Jaycie shares their story of survival and how they remain positive about change in our communities. Jaycie is an extended member of the Rise Above Justice Movement organizing team.

We sat down and talked with one of our absolute favorite human beings, Joy Hoover. Joy Hoover is the Founder of Esoes Cosmetics, "Esōes Cosmetics (pronounced SOS) is a Patented Social Enterprise with lifesaving tech enabled cosmetics, co-brandable roofie test strips, and a customizable safety app. Along with our innovative products we also have a safe space education program where we teach bars, n...

Trigger Warning: Topics within the episode could be triggering to some audiences. Viewer discretion is highly advised because of the topics. Again, viewer discretion is advised. We sat down and talked with our new friend Bethany Green. Bethany is a warrior for justice, and a badass human being who survived the unimaginable. Listen to her story of survival and how she continues sharing her voice an...

We are back this week after taking some time off due to health reasons, and we are back with our friend and collaborator, Ray Epstein! Ray is a recent graduate from Temple University, where she advocated for survivors of sexual and gender based violence on campus and in her community. Listen to our Founder, Zachary, and one of our Co-Founders, Gwen, sits down and talks with Ray about her advocacy...

Recently, our Founder sat down and talked with Priscilla Maria Gutierrez (@CycleBreakerCoach) on social media. Priscilla is now a published author of "Break The Cycle Before It Breaks You" Priscilla is a survivor turned cycle breaker, and an incredible badass human being. Priscilla is also a Certified Trauma-Informed Life Coach, and gives us an overview of what it means to be a Cycle Breaker.

We sat down and talked with Cate Russell, who is a Faith-Rooted and Justice Driven Progressive Content Creator. Listen and learn about what keeps Cate going during dark and rough times.

We recently sat down and talked with Julia Sena, @JewlieahOfficial, and talked about what Collective Liberation means and how do we decolonize our communities.

We sat down and talked with Jill Lissner, @SexEdPrincess, and talked about her work in the Comprehensive Sex Education space, and what led her to doing this work. She is a educator, speaker, content creator and a incredible advocate against violence and a advocate for safe, and inclusive sex education... what we didn't learn in school.

Jess Michaels is a 1991 survivor of Jeffrey Epstein, who was 22 years old at the time. Jess Michaels is a dance industry professional with over 30+ years of experience as a performer, educator, and entrepreneur. Jess Michaels is also the Founder of 3Joannes, which teaches people 'Sexual Assault First Aid' and teaches how to know what to do when someone says "Me Too" We sat down with Jess Michaels...

In this episode, we speak with Lauren Lehman Carter, a survivor, advocate, and catalyst for change. In this episode, we talk about Lauren overcoming trauma with great triumph and continue pushing forward in a society that oppresses marginalized voices.

Decolonizing self-care can be a daunting conversation, as there's a lot to unveil. What happened to the original roots of self-care, and how do we ensure that our systems work for us? In this episode, we do a deep dive into self-care with our friend and collaborator Brit Koch, whose mission it is to educate our communities about the deep importance of de-colonizing self care.

Our Founder and Host of this podcast, Zachary Mallory, had the distinct honor of interviewing one of Zachary's inspirations, Ashley-Lauren Elrod. Ashley-Lauren Elrod is the embodiment of turning your story into action and transforming rage into change. She has been featured in numerous publications including Refinery29, WCIU, MTV.com, and countless others. She is an actress, model, and acting coac...

Deanna Merryfield was 13 years old when she went missing in 1990. In this episode, we sat down and talked with Melissa Twardowski, who is the younger sister of Deanna Merryfield. Join us on this episode as we hear from Melissa details about the disappearance of Deanna Merryfield, from Killeen, Texas. FindingDeanna.com and Finding Deanna on Instagram!

Lindsey Boylan was the first woman to speak out and reveal the sexual misconduct of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. In this episode, we sit down and talk to Lindsey about a number of different topics, from coming forward about sexual harassment, to current elections in New York, to becoming a member of the DSA, and much more. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more stories like Lindsey...

In this episode of the Rise Above Justice Movement podcast, we sit down and talk with one of our Co-Founders, Gwen Levey, of Gwen Levey and the Breakdown. Gwen is an independent music artist who currently resides in Tennessee and is a survivor, transforming her pain into passion and turning that passion into smash hits like "Barefoot and Pregnant," which went viral in 2023 following the overturnin...

Hello, and welcome to the Rise Above Justice Movement! We will be releasing our first full length interview on Friday, August 29th, 2025 at Midnight Central Standard Time. Here's a bit of what we will be talking about!

We are the Rise Above Justice Movement, a grassroots national movement of survivors and allies. We remain more committed than ever to uncover some of the deepest and darkest truths our nation has ever seen and to highlight and share the stories of those often times overlooked by the mainstream media, or never talked about. Viewer discretion is advised due to the nature of topics discussed. We will...