Trauma, Trial, Transformation

Join me on our 60th episode as I talk to Magali Mercera, commercial litigator in Las Vegas, on how she approaches a cross examination of a shy and scared witness. She discusses how being aggressive during questioning can backfire in front of a jury. She also explains the need to be extremely flexible and patient with her adversary which is crucial in order to get the evidence she needs to prove he...

In a rare two-person interview, I talk with co-founders of the nonprofit Impacted Survivors of Murder-Suicide (ISMS) and co-hosts of the Unspoken Grief Podcast. Both guests are loss survivors who turned unimaginable tragedy into purposeful advocacy after losing their brothers to murder-suicide. Together, Michael and Tina are reshaping the conversation around murder-suicide loss, offering understan...

My guest this week has coached attorneys nationwide to achieve a more balanced lifestyle in and outside the courtroom based on her own personal experience as a trial lawyer. Her practice, Healing Over Law, helps lawyers understand how the adversarial environment can have so many effects on our mental and physical health, leading to a staggering rate of depression and addiction in the industry. We...

Join me as I have a fascinating conversation with Hunter McMahon who in laymen's terms - is a digital investigator. With his years of experience and swift changes in technology - he gives interesting examples of how digital evidence can tell a persuasive story when investigated correctly. He also talks how AI is quickly changing the game and how it may change courtroom evidence in the future.

My unique guest is an army veteran and recently retired corrections sergeant with the Pinellas County (FL) Sheriff’s Office. During his 28-year career, Jacob Moon supervised every area of the 3,200-bed facility, including the direct supervision unit, booking, maximum security, and the medical/psychiatric units. Jacob talks about how he has to separate his personal and professional feelings to do h...

Join me in a rare and honest interview with small community Police Sargent. Rob Disario who talks with me about his responsibility to make a bad situation better. He describes what it is like to make crucial decisions within seconds in the middle of chaos. We also discuss the stress of being the very first person to arrive on a dire scene. "It is not like a TV show." He explains the method...

Meet Gary - a man of courage and enormous strength. Join me as I talk with Gary about his history being a law enforcement office and the day he escaped death while chasing a perpatrator. Then only to have the perpatrator turn around and sue him. it doesn't stop there. - this inspirational episode shows what humans can over come when having the will to live.

In this week’s episode, I talk with Jonathan Steele about the pros and cons of being an attorney when taking the witness stand. We discuss his experience in depositions as well as in court and he gives great advice on what to expect when testifying. We then transition the conversation to cyber security which is his new focus for family law and privacy.

Join me as the tables are turned, and I am a guest on the Ripple Effect of Murder. I interviewed Jan Canty in episodes 35 and 36 of TTT, discussing what it was like to be a homicide victim survivor. Now, on Jan's podcast, we discuss how homicide survivors may be used in a homicide trial and the emotional stress they come under. We talk about the delicate balance of keeping emotions in check wi...

Join me talking with Michelle Madrid, a crime scene investigator for the Los Angeles County Sherriff Department with a specialty in DNA evidence. Michelle talks about her 19+ years career and how the Department is changing the environment and stigma to support vicarious trauma. We also discuss how she is not a witness for either side and how bias does and does not play a part in her findings. She...

Join me in a fascinating conversation with Marla Frees who has been a pro bono investigative consultant for various law enforcement agencies around the country. She first discusses she got over being a skeptic of mediums and psychics realizing she had the gift. Her natural profiling skills extend to the crime, victim, and perpetrator within each location/condition to assist law enforcement. She ta...

Join me in a brutally honest conversation with Lori Miller whose social drinking as a kid turned from innocent fun into a life as a drug addict and time in jail. After multiple arrests for grand theft auto, credit card fraud, living under an alias and being constantly on the run, the law finally caught up to her. She not only surrendered herself but asked the judge to send her to jail because she...

Join me in our first of many interviews in 2024. Kim Williams and I have both experienced bullying in the workplace and learned how to stand up for ourselves despite the fear of retaliation. She was advised to “just move on”, but instead chose to show her daughter how to bravely stand up for herself against a large corporation. She discusses how to take a breath, control your emotions and focus on...

Join me in an educational conversation with Professor Shailini George of Suffolk Law School as she discusses a 2016 study identifying mental wellness issues and addiction in lawyers which led to the American Bar Association. National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. Shailini discusses the fact that in some states a lawyer could not admit they got treatment and be admitted to the bar which kept the...

In this weeks episode I talk with Tyler Schwab who explains the hard truth that there are more slaves today than during the transatlantic slave trade BUT never more stoppable with technology. He also discusses the problem is the missing manpower and financial resources. He explains that social media plays a huge part but once someone is caught it is hard for them not to plead guilty because it can...

Join Juliet and former police detective and recovery coach, Mike Koch, discussing how he is invoking positive change and breaking the stigma of mental health issues among first responders. With a "no matter what" mantra Mike changed his life after being arrested on 47 felony counts of drug posession and turned his life around to become an advocate to help connect first responders who are s...

This episode is a fresh perspective on healing trauma through nature and horses. Megan, and Equan Therapist discusses how horses facilitate the healing process in unique deminor and that a trained therapist will know how to partner a client with a specific horse. The horse also carries the energy so they need to also be watched to find when they may hit a breaking point. Megan talks about why buil...

Join me for a very educational conversation with Colorado Springs Deputy DA Kelson Castain. He shares how the DA's office, police department and sheriff's office got a federal grant to focus on adult sexual assault cases. This has allowed victims to receive trauma-informed education to help minimize additional trauma when going through the court process. The funding also helps his SVU unit...

This week, my guest is ex-prosecutor and now victims’ rights attorney, Rachel Robinson. She talks about where she starts when representing a victim -- she asks them what outcome they are looking for. She explains how this gives the victim the power to testify and how the rest of their life was going to look. She also lays out elements of the Victims’ Rights Act which includes the Crime Victims Fun...

In a brutely honest interview with Portia she describes when the FBI showed up at her door and her first thought was "they can't take my life away from me", underestimating their power. She became terrified. She realized the way she felts about herself was that she was worthless. She describes how the court procedings were traumatizing as she had lost all control of her life and how al...

In this episode, you'll meet Jeff Deskovic, a quiet kid who didn't quite fit in. At the age of 16, this put him on law enforcement's radar after a classmate was murdered. Coerced by the police who brought him in and told him they needed his help to solve the crime, this boy who dreamed of being a cop when he grew up, was eager to help. And vulerable. In a meeting that turned into an in...

Family law attorney Garry Gekht discusses the emotional side of his obligation to his client and the number one unspoken law -- the best decision is the one that's in the best interest of the children. He calls children "vessels of information" and believes, while it's unfortunate, it cannot be avoided that they are part of the process. However, it's important that the child is...

Join me in my conversation with Shelly Edwards Jorgensen who shares her courageous journey through her mothers death at the hands of her father. Left in the dark at the age of 15 on so many issues, she describes walking into the courtroom and being blindsided. She was expected to testify against her father who was sitting in front of her, then having no protection or support from the legal system...

In part two of my conversation with Jan Canty, she talks about the hard truths she learned while trying to heal from the murder of her husband. She describes discovering a modality called the Biopsychosocial Model which teaches you to focus on the biological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors in your life. Her story of transformation -- from becoming a triathlete to a psychologist --...

Join me in a two-part series of a very intimate conversation with Jan Canty, whose story of courage and transformation is miraculous. Jan discusses the trauma of her husband's sudden murder. The author of two books, Life Divided and What Now? Navigating the Aftermath of Homicide and Suicide, Jan's road to recovery is filled with a wealth of information for anyone who finds themself in this...