The Dr. Lois Lee Show

In Part 2 of this three-part series, Lang Martinez picks up where he left off. He talks about meeting another survivor from the 1980s Hollywood club scene, and about the guilt he carried for years over what he knew as a teenager. He and Dr. Lois Lee also discuss how many clubs were targeting boys back then, and why traditional agencies weren’t there for survivors like them. Lang shares his views o...

Lang Martinez should have been a client of Dr. Lois Lee’s when he was a teenage boy. He didn’t call her until decades later, and when he did, he was crying. Her answer was simple: “I know. I believe you.” In Part 1 of this three-part series, Lang talks about growing up in a loving family, surviving abuse at 17 in one of Hollywood’s all-ages nightclubs, and the years of addiction and homelessness t...

Diamond was just a little girl when she was pulled into the life — robbed at gunpoint, thrown from a car, and left not knowing where she was. In this episode, she tells Dr. Lois Lee how Children of the Night found her, what shelter life was really like, and how she rebuilt: graduating pharmacy technician school, working in memory care, and raising three kids. Dr. Lois Lee — who has rescued over 17...

  ⸻ Listen Now: 🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support 🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org 📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight 🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

  ⸻ Listen Now: 🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support 🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org 📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight 🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

Heidi was 15 when she was trafficked, and in Part 2 of her story she tells Dr. Lois Lee what it took to get out and what came after. She describes how completely her trafficker controlled her, and how she still believed he loved her even as federal agents closed in. When investigators finally reached her, she stayed silent through a ten-hour interview, having been taught never to talk to police. A...

Dr. Lois Lee reunites with a survivor she first met in the summer of 1999, when the survivor testified in the federal trial against the man who trafficked her. In this first episode of a three-part series, Heidi describes being recruited at 14 by a pimp who approached her at a bus stop in Portland, Oregon, and spent a year grooming her over the phone before convincing her to run away and fly to Mi...

Brittany was 17 and living with her mom in Mississippi when her older sister bought her a one-way ticket to Las Vegas, hoping to get her away from a bad home situation. Living under her sister's roof came with rules Brittany resented — and that friction set the stage for what happened next. In the parking lot of her sister's apartment complex, Brittany met a man she suspected was a pimp before he...

At 14, Angelique was approached at a party by two adult women who convinced her to take a "quick drive" to Texas — a decision that led to months of exploitation, control, and fear. In this episode, Dr. Lois Lee reconnects with Angelique, who lived at the Children of the Night home in 2005, to talk about the escape that finally brought her home, the years since, and what she's carrying forward as a...

In Part 2 of her conversation with Dr. Lois Lee, survivor Rose goes deeper into the family dynamics that let her abuse continue in silence — and what it took to finally break that cycle. Rose talks about the man who molested her serving just 30 days in jail, and how her family's instinct was to protect its image rather than confront what happened. She reveals that her twin sister was targeted by t...

Rose lived at the Children of the Night shelter home in the early 2000s. Today, she's a single mom of two working at a shelter that helps at-risk, homeless youth — carrying forward exactly what was once given to her. In this first of a two-part conversation, Rose sits down with Dr. Lois Lee to talk about what led her to the streets of Hollywood: years of abuse that began at home, a system that mov...

In Part 2 of her story, Chelsea continues her conversation with Dr. Lois Lee, going deeper into the years she spent as a runaway minor and the abuse that shaped her path into exploitation. She describes being sexually assaulted as a child by a congressman in her town — a respected, church-going man no one would have suspected — and reflects on how often abusers hide in plain sight behind community...

Dr. Lois Lee sits down with Chelsea, a survivor she personally welcomed into Children of the Night as a pregnant 16-year-old fleeing juvenile detention in Las Vegas. Now 37, a mother of three, and approaching her ten-year anniversary out of "the life" this October, Chelsea shares the story most people never get to hear. In this episode, Chelsea opens up about the sexual abuse she experienced as a...

Part two continues Dr. Lois Lee's conversation with Katey — from the choice she made not to testify against the men who trafficked her, to the winding path through foster care, a broken reunion with her father, and the healing she's found on the other side. In this episode: Why Katey chose not to testify against the gang that exploited her, and how that decision shapes the vigilance she has with h...

Dr. Lois Lee reconnects with Katey, who came to Children of the Night as a teenager after surviving family abuse, exploitation by a gang who first posed as protectors, and a psychiatric hospitalization where her trauma response was labeled "promiscuity" instead of understood as a symptom of what she'd survived. In this episode: Katey's life today: 13 years as a CNA, raising five children, and her...

Part two of Dr. Lois Lee's conversation with Roxy continues where Part 1 left off — from surviving a near-fatal attack to the strength she's built in spite of everything she's been through. In this episode: Growing up trans in a neighborhood where being gay or trans meant her family was targeted too — and how she learned to stand her ground Her take on courage and self-possession as a trans woman,...

Dr. Lois Lee sits down with Roxie, whom she first met when Roxie was 14 years old and arriving at Children of the Night. Roxie — now a Miss LA Pride contestant and an advocate with TGI Justice — shares her story: fleeing an abusive home as a young trans girl, finding safety at Children of the Night, and later surviving a violent restraint-heavy group home system that had no idea how to care for a...

In Part 2 of David's story, he reflects on the experiences that shaped his life as a young teenager and the lasting impact they had on his sense of identity, trust, and belonging. Dr. Lois Lee and David discuss a philosophy that has guided Children of the Night for decades: vulnerable young people should not be expected to meet standards that have never been modeled for them. Instead, the responsi...

At 17 years old, David was alone. After enduring childhood sexual abuse and a difficult upbringing, he found himself dropped off on the streets of Southern California. Eventually, he made his way to the Garden Grove Gay and Lesbian Center, where he was connected with Children of the Night and Dr. Lois Lee. In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, David reflects on surviving exploitation, finding...

In Part 2 of Javier's story, he reflects on the extraordinary reality of surviving not one, but two of Los Angeles County's most infamous child abuse scandals. As a child, Javier was among the students impacted by the Mark Berndt case, a nationally known abuse scandal that shocked parents and educators across the country. After speaking up about what happened, he entered the foster care system, wh...

Javier was one of the children impacted by the Mark Berndt abuse scandal, one of the most notorious school abuse cases in Los Angeles history. As a third-grade student, he tried to escape what was happening by running away from school. When he spoke up, he says no one believed him. What followed was a childhood spent moving through systems that were supposed to protect him. After entering foster c...

In Part 2 of Lynne’s story, retired Homeland Security professional and former Children of the Night outreach worker Lynne shares one of the most heartbreaking cases she encountered while working the streets of Hollywood alongside Dr. Lois Lee. Drawing from her years of outreach experience, Lynne reflects on the realities of meeting vulnerable young people where they were, building trust, and witne...

In Episode 33, we begin part one of Lynne’s story. Lynne entered prostitution in her early 20s . She was married, raising a child, and living in Minnesota when a man she met on a night out promised to care for them both. But his promises led her to the streets of New York City. After his run-in with the law, Lynne found herself in Los Angeles—still trapped. When a new threat emerged, an attacker c...

In Episode 32, Sarah shares how she was introduced to exploitation at 15, her years of addiction and instability, and the turning point that came when she sought help from Children of the Night. With ongoing support, she earned her GED, completed two degrees, and is now preparing for a career helping others recover and rebuild their lives. ⸻ Listen Now: 🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube,...

Connie’s story is one of survival, support, and the possibility of rebuilding. As a young person, she experienced early harm that made her more vulnerable to exploitation by someone she trusted. When she was eventually found by law enforcement, she was placed in juvenile hall, a reality many exploited youth still face. Through it all, her father never gave up on her. Connie was later connected to...