Genesis The Podcast

This episode offers a riveting journey into the thorny issue of self-defense claims made by victims of domestic violence. Listeners will leave with a fresh perspective and deeper understanding of the complexities involved in these cases. Kelsey McKay, a seasoned attorney and the founder of Respond Against Violence, brings her expertise to our discussion. As a former prosecutor, she shares invaluable insights on how the criminal legal system responds to self-defense claims, with often visible injury being the sole determining factor in assault cases.We dissect the challenging issue of self-defense laws, particularly their failure to account for the fear and isolation that survivors of abuse experience. A chilling real-life case illustrates how systemic biases and lack of proper training can lead to grave injustices, especially for women of color. We also point out the strategic methods abusers use to isolate victims from utilizing the criminal system, and the uphill battle victims face when advocating for themselves. As we wrap up, we highlight the urgent need for change in societal understanding and language concerning self-defense laws. This is to prevent women from being incarcerated for defending themselves against their abusers, through educating investigators and prosecutors on the dynamics of abuse. 

What does it mean to raise boys in a world that faces an ongoing battle with toxic masculinity? How do societal pressures, gendered expectations, and the culture of sports affect our sons and shape their perception of manhood? This week I had the privilege of sitting down with my colleague and fellow boy mom, Jordyn Lawson, to share experiences and insights into raising boys in the 21st century. Together we explore the challenges of toxic masculinity, delving into its manifestations in sports and personal relationships, the pressures of societal expectations, and its correlation to domestic violence. We also opened up about the realities of raising boys in a society that still clings tightly to traditional gender roles - a conversation that led us to explore the concept of toxic femininity and its far-reaching impacts. We agreed that parents have an essential role in guiding their sons, teaching them to regulate their emotions, and promoting emotional intelligence – a key element towards dismantling the harmful ideologies behind toxic masculinity.In the end, we settled on the power of education as a primary tool for countering toxic masculinity. We underlined the importance of safe spaces for boys and the need to challenge stereotypes that limit their understanding of what it means to be a man. By sharing our personal experiences and strategies, we found a fresh perspective on raising confident, empathetic, and well-rounded boys. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to raise their sons in a society that is slowly but surely redefining masculinity.

What if the very institution meant to protect you, weaponizes and silences you instead? This disturbing question lies at the heart of our conversation with renowned Professor Emeritus, social worker, and author Evan Stark. Evan's staggering and transformative research exposes the damaging impact of coercive control on children, and how this abuse often stems from a terroristic pattern within households.Evan elaborates on the terrifying power play in which children become pawns, mirroring the tyranny suffered by women. His research unveils the chilling reality that domestic violence provides the most prevalent context for child abuse. We navigate through the insidious control mechanisms, the resulting intimidation, and the profound long-term effects on the victims. Evan also reveals how child welfare systems and children-serving systems were forced to adapt in response to his ground-breaking findings.Towards the end, we steer the conversation towards the crippling influence of coercive control on the legal system. Evan shares cases where children were manipulated and forced into silence, and the abuser often remained unseen by both child welfare experts and medical professionals. Yet there is hope. We highlight examples of countries - such as Scotland that are working to create secure environments for women and children around the world including naming coercive control as a crime. 

Genesis CEO Jan Langbein and Chief Clinical Officer Ruth Guerreiro recently visited Honduras to collaborate on a new domestic violence shelter in the city of Siguatepeque. They join the conversation to reveal the alarming prevalence of femicide and domestic violence in Latin America, the urgent need for communication systems that not only affirm domestic violence as illegal, but also ensure secure channels for reporting such atrocities, and the future of services for women who experience abuse.In this episode we experience the progress of a Latin American community rallying together to combat domestic violence. You will hear the awe-inspiring story of a local police officer who, against all odds, manages to connect a young victim with a social services program, the heartening efforts of both the Mayor and First Lady of Siguatepeque who are leading the charge to raise funds for the new shelter Casa Rosa, and how Genesis is collaborating with the city to bring a robust program of safety, shelter and support to this growing community. We also explore the unique challenges of building a domestic violence agency in Latin America, from transportation and security hurdles to the potential of volunteers spearheading a transport system. 

Have you ever felt silenced? This is how many survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault feel as they traverse the criminal justice system. With Kelsey McKay, founder of Respond Against Violence and former prosecutor, we delve into the power of allocutions and how they can transform the narrative of survivors of violent crime, giving them a powerful platform to share their truth.We navigate the labyrinth of the criminal legal system, peeling away layers to understand its complexities. Kelsey, with her rich experience and vast knowledge, guides us through this journey, talking about the importance of victim impact statements and allocutions in ensuring justice. By shifting the focus to the survivor, we explore how language can be wielded to realign the narrative around the victim, creating a more empowered and inclusive framework.Our conversation also touches upon the role of programs like the Uncooperative website and Do No Harm campaign in uplifting survivor's voices, and how allocutions can be used to advocate for social justice.  This is more than just a conversation; it’s a call to action, an invitation to change the narrative and empower survivors of violence. 

What happens when we confront the complex aftermath of violence from domestic abuse, incest or sexual assault? We address this question with Dr. Judith Herman, a notable figure in the field of trauma studies. She opens the conversation revealing her early encounters with survivors from the 1970s and how her team developed a unique approach of gathering stories and writing books to help survivors reclaim their voices. Venturing deeper into the labyrinth of trauma, we sift through the profound consequences of childhood abuse on mental and physical health, with a special emphasis on Dr. Herman's breakthrough work, "Trauma and Recovery". The discussion evolves as she introduces the four stages of recovery from trauma and her latest book, "Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice", offering valuable insights into safety, remembrance and mourning, and the power of envisioning an equitable future for trauma survivors.Closing the conversation, we step beyond the legal system and explore the need for community validation for survivors of gender-based violence. We navigate the 'tripod approach' by Professor Diane Rosenfeld, Northwestern's peer educator program, and the societal pressure encapsulated in the 'Man Box'. This episode wraps up with a powerful discussion on forgiveness, rehabilitation, and the critical role of supporting survivors.

According to Linda Thai, "the role of therapy is to help you to get to know yourself and to experience a sense of dignity." Our conversation dives into therapeutic solutions that are trauma sensitive, trauma informed, and trauma driven as we explore the root causes of trauma, empowerment through somatic strategies and "me-search". Linda also guides us through a brief yet grounding orienting exercise at the end of the conversation that can be practiced anywhere and anytime.Linda Thai describes herself as a somatic therapist and trauma therapist, free-lance educator, public speaker and storyteller, group facilitator, collaborator, infiltrator, cross-pollinator, community-builder, agent of change, former child refugee, happy human being. her expertise includes the fields of meditation, yoga, and self-enquiry, addictions and behavioral health, childhood adversity and resiliency, colonization, intergenerational refugee trauma and social justice, grief, loss and reclamation. More about Linda Thai-INSPIRATION: For the purpose of empowered self-awareness. To liberate the joy and peace at the essence of our beings. To ignite a passion and excitement for life, to connect us back to ourselves and to each other.LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Linda would like to acknowledge that she lives and works on the unceded lands of the Dené Athabascan people of the Middle Tanana Valley. She has been nourished by the healing forces of the Alaskan wilderness and exposed to the ancestral wisdom of the custodians of these lands. Shifting out of an extractive economic and philosophical relationship with the natural world has opened her up to living and operating in mutuality with all forms of life, including herself. Quyana, Tsenaa-‘ii, Gunalchéesh, Dog in dihn’, Háw’aa, DOIKshin, Ana masee’, Masi-cho, Anna-Basse.

Kristin Daley, a communications/development strategist specializing in sexual violence, survivor-centric crisis response, and justice system reform, and Kenny Smith, law enforcement training director and retired law enforcement professional, join the conversation to explore the language we use to discuss sexual violence and how that discourse can help or hurt individuals who experience sexual violence. Together we review the terms sexual assault, rape, survivor, victim, alleged and more to understand how these terms are used and to establish some best practices for talking about crimes of sexual violence. Kristin Daley is the Executive Director of New Blue, a nationwide police reform incubator changing police culture through policies and practices that prioritize empathy and equity. Previously, Ms. Daley spent 16 years as Director of Development & Communications for Law Enforcement Action Partnership, police experts advocating for evidence-based reform; she now serves on LEAP’s Board of Directors. A nationally credentialed victim advocate, Ms. Daley is a longtime crisis response counselor and liaison for RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. She also consults privately on trauma-informed best practices and communications strategy with organizations and individual survivors challenging the justice system. In 2022, Ms. Daley was appointed to the Peace Corps Sexual Assault Advisory Council, a panel of national subject matter experts in the field of sexual violence prevention and response. She is Chair of the 2023 Council. Kenny Smith has served in several law enforcement capacities for 21 years, as a Corrections Officer, Patrolman, Patrol Supervisor, Detective, and Jail Administrator, before retiring in 2018. Mr. Smith is a certified Crime Scene Technician and a Professional Law Enforcement Instructor and served on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault before coming to work for ACASA full-time. He began his work with ACASA in 2018 as the Law Enforcement Training Director and the state Council on Sexual Assault Response (CoSAR) Program Director. Through his work, he travels to law enforcement agencies across the state, providing free CLEST-certified training to officers on how to best respond to and investigate sexual assault cases in a victim-centered and trauma-informed manner. In addition, he also travels the state developing and overseeing CoSAR programs.

The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) conducts qualitative and quantitative research on domestic violence-related fatalities to prevent, intervene, and respond to family violence. In this episode, we explore the GCFV's data behind domestic violence-related murder-suicides as well as new interventions aimed to reduce and eliminate family violence such as the "FLAG" program (Firearm Lethality Alert Georgia) and "Restorative Retelling." GCFV experts Carolynn Brooks, Family Violence Fatality Review Project Coordinator and Kylee Elliott, Support for Survivors of Murder-Suicide Project Coordinator, join the conversation. This episode was recorded on location at the 2023 CCAW and discusses murder-suicide and other forms of violence.

Intimate partner violence often begets abuse of animals. Very often survivors who plan to leave their abusive partners will not do so without their pets yet are unclear of the options for bringing them into shelter. Dr. Bryna Donnelly, Vice President of Pet Programs for Greater Good Charities, and Rebecca Stewart Executive Director of the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter in Southeast Mississippi help navigate the options for sheltering people and pets together and how domestic violence organizations can build and pay for a pet-friendly shelter at their location. This episode was recorded on location at the 2023 CCAW and discusses animal abuse, cruelty to animals, domestic violence and child abuse.

Heena Khan of Uplift Counseling Services shares the benefits and how-to's of child-centered play therapy for trauma survivors. We explore the play room experience, sand tray therapy, expressive arts and movement activities for young children, teens and young adults, and how these approaches heal trauma. Heena Khan is a LPC-S whose approach to therapy is holistic. In her own words: "I provide child-centered play therapy for children so they can learn to regulate their behaviors, express & manage their big feelings without hurting themselves or others. I’ve seen significantly positive outcomes in parents and children that struggle with cooperation and discipline. I provide families with evidenced based therapy & support that supports kids and empowers parents with confidence so they can discipline without hurting and resolve conflicts peacefully."

Sexual grief has many dimensions and is defined by therapist and grief expert Edy Nathan as "a natural response to an unnatural sexually traumatic event or experience that makes you feel as if you are being held hostage."  It is through this lens that this episode explores a wide range of aspects about sexual grief including survivor experiences of rape, sexual violence, sexual abuse, disenfranchised grief from the loss of a partner, the impact of pornography, and more. We also take an in-depth look at healing sexual grief and related trauma through self-regulation methods like breathwork, labyrinth exploration, talk therapy, and using more precise language when discussing experiences of grief. Listen to the end of the episode for information about a special event with Edy Nathan coming up in September 2023: The Inner Voyage Women’s Empowerment Cruise with specific workshops by Nathan focused on sexual grief.Edy Nathan is an author, public speaker and licensed therapist. She is an AASECT certified sex therapist, hypnotherapist and certified EMDR practitioner with more than 20 years of experience. Edy earned degrees from New York University and Fordham University, with post-graduate training at the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy. She practices in New York City.

An arranged marriage with an awkward start explodes into abuse just weeks after its beginning. It would take two decades for Kanchan Bhaskar to untangle from the man who was a stranger that became her husband and ultimately her abuser. Ms. Bhaskar has authored the new memoir "Leaving: How I Set Myself Free from an Abusive Marriage" and joins the show to share her story. Listen to the end of the episode for an excerpt from the book read by the author.

You have likely heard the question or perhaps even asked it yourself - why doesn’t she just leave? But when a woman is in an abusive relationship her options of leaving can be challenging and often put her at higher risk for violence and possible lethality. And besides, where would she go? Many believe that a shelter is the go-to option for getting to safety and support. But that is not always the case. Today Jordyn Lawson, Chief Residential Officer at Genesis helps us address the question of how can we effectively utilize and refer victims of domestic violence to shelter services? In this episode we review the history of the shelter movement for victims of domestic violence, when shelter is the best option for a victim, and other opportunities and resources such as safety planning, legal services, advocacy and other services that might better support women escaping an abusive partner.

Learn about the 3-day, 12-hour training for mental health clinicians and attorneys working to support adult and child victims and survivors of coercive control offered by Dr. Christine Cocchiola, a licensed clinical social worker and intimate partner abuse advocate researching the topic of Coercive Control, including child maltreatment and trauma. Additional training options for coaches and those interested in guardian ad litem opportunities available. CE’s pending. 

Death is a part of life. But how we deliver the news of loss is a complicated situation that requires compassion and skill. We spend time with Russell Strand who explains the human side of sharing devastating news with families and loved ones, and his unique training method for compassionate death notification. Senior Special Agent (Retired) Russell W. Strand is the owner and creative visionary of Effective Detective LLC, an organization focused on criminal justice multidisciplinary education and training, primary prevention, technical assistance, and systems improvement. Russ is a seasoned consultant, educator, and trainer passionate about protecting those who cannot protect themselves. His Compassionate Death Notification training program explores the challenges of and best practices for conducting effective and compassionate notifications. According to Russell Strand, death notification training and education are not standard in many professional courses – professionals are often left to struggle through on their own. Although well-intentioned, harm can be done by delivering death notifications if professionals providing the news are not well-prepared or trained. Also, delivering such life-shattering information can greatly impact the “bearer” of bad news. Experiencing the struggles, suffering, and pain of fellow human beings is some of the most impactful and challenging tasks first responders and other helping professionals may endure. This episode explores topics of death, homicide, femicide, suicide, end-of-life situations, and how to prepare for and deliver the news of a loved one's passing.A quote from Russell Strand: "To touch another human heart in the time of their greatest need with true compassion is perhaps the greatest privilege of all, for this is the very core of humanity."

In this episode, survivor Janine Rees from Brisbane (AU), shares her harrowing story of living with and leaving an abusive partner after 3 decades of abuse. This episode includes details of sexual violence, domestic violence, and other forms of abuse.For 30 years Janine Rees endured unspeakable abuse from her partner. Her journey is an odyssey of experiences and emotions that many survivors will find familiar - physical violence, marital rape, manipulation, fear, self-blame, denial, depression, escalating abuse, and so on. Upon leaving her partner following a near-death situation, the abuse continued with coercive control, gaslighting, financial abuse, and weaponizing the courts against her. Today, Janine shares her story publicly and campaigns widely to expose violence against women, the shortcomings of the justice system, and the failures of family courts in Australia, in an effort to support survivors and create meaningful, lasting change. In her own words: About Janine ReesI am committed to ending coercive control and abuse. We must hold perpetrators accountable for choosing to abuse. We must rebuild systems to be survivor-centric.In order to nurture and support safe communities we must understand healthy and unhealthy behaviour through respectful relationships. This starts in the home, continues in schools, sporting and community groups and work places.Respectful relationships built on equality and compassion are the basis for safe homes and communities. Systems of power over and oppression have been the norm. Patriarchal abuse can end and be replaced with a society built on true equality.I am an expert by experience/lived experience advocate for changing outcomes for victim survivors of coercive control, post separation and systems abuse.I facilitate workshops to empower individuals to identify their values and unique strengths, know their worth and develop strong interpersonal skills.I am solution focused and future minded. I love supporting individuals, families, schools, sporting/community groups and organisations to nurture and support positive, respectful relationships where everyone thrives. True equality sets the scene for collaboration, innovation and transformation.I love a challenge and making the seemingly impossible possible, working towards a safer, fairer, and more equitable world for all.

Jan Langbein, CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support and Tracy Matheson, founder of Project Beloved, discuss updates from the 88th Legislative Session in the State of Texas where bills were filed to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. In this episode, we explore topics related to state funding, housing needs, ViCAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program), CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), victim rights, and Molly Jane’s Law. Companion episodes to this conversation include the 2022 episode with Tracy Matheson and the 2023 episode with Kelsey McKay, both available on our sister show the Podcast on Crimes Against Women. 

Can yoga help to heal trauma? Some experts believe it can and are incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into services for survivors. To learn more about what trauma-sensitive yoga is and how it helps we talk with Myra Strand, a trainer and yoga instructor who has been working with survivors of trauma since 1995. Part 2 of our conversation explores how to reconnect with the body through yoga, mindfulness, and self-awareness, how a holistic approach can facilitate the healing of trauma, understanding physical symptoms as possible trauma responses, and the importance of approaching life through a trauma-sensitive, healing-centered, intersectional lens.Myra Strand, MA, CA, is the owner of Strand² Squared Solutions where she provides training, education, and technical assistance.  All of her services are available in person, virtually and on-demand.  Since its inception in 2017, Strand squared Solutions has worked with thousands of responding professionals helping to pave the path from trauma to transcendence.Myra began working with people who live with trauma in 1995. She has experience working with youth who have complex trauma and/or serious mental illness, people with developmental disabilities, youth in competing war zones, offenders, with death notification and with victims of all crime types. Myra places a special emphasis on holistic health as it relates to organizational trauma.For nearly 10 years, Myra taught issues of violence, sexuality and applied intersectionality at Northern Arizona University and/or Coconino Community College. She has also taught social justice classes in the Detention Center working on issues of violence and healing.

Can yoga help to heal trauma? Some experts believe it can and are incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into services for survivors. To learn more about what trauma-sensitive yoga is and how it helps we talk with Myra Strand, a trainer and yoga instructor who has been working with survivors of trauma since 1995. Part 1 of our conversation explores an overview of yoga, what it means to be trauma-sensitive, how trauma is stored in the body, and the benefits of blending physical movement with traditional therapy.Myra Strand, MA, CA, is the owner of Strand² Squared Solutions where she provides training, education, and technical assistance.  All of her services are available in person, virtually and on-demand.  Since its inception in 2017, Strand squared Solutions has worked with thousands of responding professionals helping to pave the path from trauma to transcendence. Myra began working with people who live with trauma in 1995. She has experience working with youth who have complex trauma and/or serious mental illness, people with developmental disabilities, youth in competing war zones, offenders, with death notification and with victims of all crime types. Myra places a special emphasis on holistic health as it relates to organizational trauma. For nearly 10 years, Myra taught issues of violence, sexuality and applied intersectionality at Northern Arizona University and/or Coconino Community College. She has also taught social justice classes in the Detention Center working on issues of violence and healing.