Dr. Lalich helps us understand the concept of "bounded choice," and why she prefers that term over brainwashing. You can find a book she wrote (one of many!) on the subject here, as well as her website which is a wonderful resource. I am grateful for her time as she is doing interviews all the time these days- not a coincidence as we discuss! Find out why the pandemic is the perfect breeding ground for cults and what she thinks about Q Anon.

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Welcome back to our kick off cult episode - PART TWO. I spoke with a leading expert in the world of cults, Rick Alan Ross. Does his name sound familiar? He is often called up to speak about cults in the media and was most recently seen on HBO’s The Vow. In this episode you hear all about Rick's 14 year legal battle with Keith Raniere and NXIVM and just how dangerous a man he really is when a file on the organization kept on Rick was exposed. And wait until you hear what - or who (?) is keeping him up at night.

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It’s October and our new 4 week series will be CULTS. To kick it off, I spoke with a leading expert in the world of cults, Rick Alan Ross. Does his name sound familiar? He is often called up to speak about cults in the media and was most recently seen on HBO’s The Vow.

He is the author of CULTS Inside Out, and wow, what a resource. It has just about every cult you can name and many you can’t inside, and also has a dedicated section to NXIVM - Rick Alan Ross is the forefront of what is happening with cults. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the Cult Education Institute.

I am grateful for his time, expertise and willingness to share his vast knowledge about cults with us. We touch on the history of cults, what makes a cult leader, the makings of a cult, and we get deep into Q anon and NXIVM - both modern day cult ( or at least extremist thinking for Q anon). This episode is timely and relevant as Rick predicts more people than ever will be susceptible to cults during this pandemic and in the age of (mis)information.

Don’t miss Part 2 of my conversation tomorrow!

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We left off when Jeff shared how his exoneration happened and how he was released with nothing. Learn how unprepared for life on the outside he was, and what he accomplished in spite of it. He is a survivor, a hero, and now a legal advocate for those still behind bars fighting for their innocence and freedom. Jeff is an inspiration! See resources and ways you can learn more and support Jeff in his work below.

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It was an honor to interview today's guest, Jeff Deskovic. He is many things - an advocate, a lawyer, a business owner, a free man, but for 16 years, he was an inmate at a maximum security mens prison. His story is harrowing and humanizes the topic of wrongful convictions. I am astounded at his resilience and blown away by his desire to help other people who find themselves serving unjust sentences. The fact that he made his way through law school and established a foundation is even more impressive when you learn he was convicted at just 16 years old.

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Maggie lets us in on her reluctant foray into the true crime world, and how her background in journalism prepared her to advocate for stories she felt needed amplifying. Our JUSTICE/INJUSTICE conversation heats up as Maggie shares the incredible stories from those inside who are fighting to overturn their convictions. We discuss actual innocence, our sentencing policies, and how we're holding up during quarantine in New York City!

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We are kicking it off STRONG with power couple, David Rudolf and Sonya Pfeiffer - married attorneys who are now focused entirely on wrongful conviction cases. You will hear all about how their podcast came to be and their impassioned perspectives on the American criminal justice system. You probably know David from his work representing Michael Peterson, and his scene stealing presence in Netflix's The Staircase, but this might be your first introduction to Sonya, an an award winning journalist who covered the Peterson trial, and then decided to go to law school. Together, they now practice law together in Durham.

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If you are FOR changing what police work in the Unites States looks like, and want to bring equality to our system, but ALSO want to remain supportive of law enforcement, Matthew Horace has ideas. His book is wonderful and combines his own story about becoming a cop, the racism he experienced in and outside of the department, and interviews with other officers and agencies who share their stories as well. Understanding policing history is critical as we look to make changes for the future.

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Recognize this guy? He was my guest for Episode 19, where we explored his amazing work on the CBC podcast, UNCOVER: Escaping NXIVM! That's right, it's Josh Bloch - my first returning guest - this time to discuss his latest work, the UCP Audio podcast, The Lost Kids, which focuses on the troubled teen industry- and guess what? It has possible roots to a bizarre cult - I am seeing a theme here.

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When I watched Fear City - the new three part docu-series about the mafia in 1980’s New York, I immediately zeroed in on FBI agent Charlotte Lang. I wanted more of her story. And lucky me, I got it! Now retired, Charlotte shares her not so conventional path to the FBI (she answered a newspaper ad after working sales for IMB), and some mob related stories that you won’t see on Fear City ( SHE HAD LUNCH NEXT TO FAT TONY AND SPIED ON HIM). Come for the mafia stories, stay to hear what it was like to be one of a handful of Female agents at the bureau.

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Christian Barth is an author and attorney living in Connecticut, but hails from the lovely Garden State - New Jersey. His most recent book, The Garden State Parkway murders, is about about the unsolved murders of Susan Davis and Elizabeth Perry, which occurred on Memorial Day Weekend, 1969in Ocean City, NJ. Christian recalls his parents discussing this case while driving along the very same highway where their bodies were discovered. His curiosity around the case combined to his deep interest in the American era of the late 1960's inspired him to write this book which ended up being a nine year long journey.

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Cheyna Roth is an investigative journalist and true crime author, but her career began as a lawyer in the prosecutors office. Hear all about what inspired the change, and most importantly, what led to her 1st book ( JUST LAUNCHED YESTERDAY), COLD CASES: A True Crime Collection. Cheyna and I had a great chat about all aspects of true crime, including which victims we care about and why. We spend sometime discussing the Freeway Phantom Killings and why the victims - all young women of color, received far less media coverage than their white victim counterparts. The case remains unsolved and the 6 families have not received closure or justice.

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Harold Schechter is a true crime historian with an impressive 43 books under his belt. You might fancy yourself an expert on serial killers, but Mr. Schechter, legit and officially, which you will hear in our conversation. He is also Professor of Literature and Pop Culture at Queens College which only validates his expertise in story structure and history. He is just a walking, talking encyclopedia of true crime factoids, stats, history and stories! I am upping my true crime trivia game thanks to Harold.

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I enjoyed my time with Benjamin and hearing how his career pivot ( from finance to law) led him to advocating for clients who's rights had been violated. We talk a lot about definitions of terms we are hearing a lot right now: civil rights violation vs. hate crime, defunding police vs. police reform. Best of all, Benjamin leaves us with ACTIONS we can take to affect change.

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You might know a little about these two already, but you’re going to learn a lot. What is Lance reading these days, do the guys even watch true crime shows, was Tim’s Mom a murderino?!? I promise these two deliver as always in this laugh filled hour, but you will also learn they do so much more than you realize. They are content machines - but with heart.

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Say hello to my lovely guest and new friend, Andre Matthews: creator and host of 'Bruh Issa Murder.' We get to the meaning and story behind that title straight out the gate, but essentially, it's a statement of the obvious that so many of us have experienced while watching a story about a possible accident or maybe a murder... bruh, issa murder. Andre shares how he's a voracious true crime consumer, but failed to see the cases and stories featuring of people of color and LGBTQ folks. He set out to shine a light on these cases, with some dumb crimes and creepy pasta thrown in for good measure. Andres also shares a victim's story AND a murder case that I have NEVER heard of that made me wanting to know more.

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Truth and Lies - both are critical elements in discerning what happened in most true crime cases. I speak with an interview expert, Mark McClish, who in addition to a 26 year in federal law enforcement, developed a technique called Statement Analysis, which helps him ascertain if a person’s statements - written or oral - are truthful. We discuss truthfulness at large and how humans generally do not want to lie. You will learn why “never” is a problematic word, and I ask him about one of the principles from his book: BELIEVE WHAT PEOPLE TELL YOU. We unpack this for a bit.

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What do you get when two individual true crime podcasters with unique but complimentary skillsets team up to create one together? A fantastic podcast and a great interview on DIE-ALOGUE.

Javier Leiva and John Taylor each have their own successful podcasts. PRETEND Radio and Twisted, respectfully. They collaborated to tell the story of the mysterious death of Michelle O'Connel, and the murder of Eli Washtock. If that's confusing at all, start listening to their show, Criminal Conduct, now. Wait, first listen to them share their creative process, behind the scenes investigation stories, and how their interest in the darker side of things first started for both of them.

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Detective? CHECK. Bronze Star Army Vet? CHECK. Former Secret Service Agent? CHECK. Hit Podcast host? CHECK. Is there anything today's guest can't do?!? Say hello to Jim Rathman, the other half of Real Life Real Crime; we had his other half, Woody Overton on episode 33. Jim walks me through his career and how he's happily landed where he is, investigating cold cases that desperately need attention. Jim and Woody balance their vast talents and skillsets to bring answers and closure ( if that's even possible) to families of victims. Jim shares a lot about the Courtney Coco case which the two of them were instrumental in helping crack, though charges still have not been brought. Listen to find out why.

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I am so glad I had this conversation. I was apprehensive because I wasn't sure if I agreed with a lawyer publishing a tell all memoir about a client, but I let Kirk tell his story and it became clear that staying silent was not an option. His life was completely taken over by the case, the trials, and by Ms. Arias herself. In this episode, Kirk shares what that was like, how it impacted him, and how he came to the other side.

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