Warning: Sensitive Material: After a brief hiatus, we are starting back up with a guest of extraordinary courage -- to do the right thing in one of the highest profile trials in in recent years. She was the roommate of Mimi Haleyi Sparswith who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assualt. She is what is called a secondary witness and has testified in multiple trials against Weinstein. She describes how she was empowered to testify instead of being scared and felt it was a privilege. Join me in this extraordinary conversation with Liz Entin as she discusses the courage it took to be publicly discredited while trying to do the right thing in such a dark trial enviroment discussing the sensitive subject of sexual assualt.  

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 her case. 

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 understanding, advocacy, and hope through their work.

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 also discuss the recovery process and the drain of energy post-trial and what you can do to recover quickly.

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 his job and how becoming a writer has helped him through the stressful process.

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 of emotional support officers are getting immediately after a traumatic event. After all, "we are human beings." He also shares how he mentors young officers on how to humanize themselves when taking the stand as well as prosecutors being the unsung heroes of the judicial system.

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 without appearing stoic or removed which may result in looking indifferent.

Jan raised the point that fatigue sets in so even focusing on being able to focus on individual questions becomes taxing. We also talk about how we can protect witnesses that have gone through the trauma, pre, during and post testifying.

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 describes why testifying is the most important part of the job because as she says – “I can do everything right but if I can’t articulate my findings to a jury it doesn't matter.” She is also one of the authors of the Forensic DNA Interpretation and Human Factors: Improving Practice Through a Systems Approach report which is used as the standard for DNA interpretation.

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 talks about an experience with an extraordinary family that took the deceased’s agenda of offering support and encouragement to a broader level, ultimately impacting a federal law.

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 knew if she were out on parole, she would use again. After serving 4 months of a 6-month sentence, she felt a calling to transform her life.

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 facts.

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 them suffering in silence. Shailini’s approach with her students is "put on your oxygen mask first". She explains that if lawyers are taught mindfulness and wellbeing, they will spread that mindset and be better equipped for helping emotionally prepare witnesses to take the stand.

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 be traced. He works with victims on techniques on how to protect them emotionally when needing to appear in court and walking them the through the legal process. Tyler also tells a great story on why authenticity in the courtroom is so important.

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 suffering in silence and be able to ask for help in a confidential enviroment.

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 building trust with the client is so important so they can be matched with the right horse and how she facilitates a space of safety and healing.

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 when working with children. They are one of the first offices in the country to provide a courtroom model for children to familiarize themselves with this intimidating setting and ease their anxiety.

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 Fund and services that offer help. Rachel’s practice is now focused solely on victims’ rights and a holistic approach to getting emotional support through the process.