Let's Talk About It

GUESTS: Darcia and DezaraeDarcia and Dezarae discuss how the “sweetest man in the world” in prison turned evil upon release.TOPICS DISCUSSED: Failed judicial system, strangulation, impact on children

Guests: Laudan Ghayebi, Bethany McInnis, Mary Kamradt, Amy Thomsen, Mary Lou Smith, and Sydney Description: How the medical community did and did not come to our aid when we were suffering from domestic abuse. Topics discussed: How emotional abuse leads to physical ills, physical abuse, kind and unkind doctors

Guest: Sharon KennedyIn 2020 Sharon Kennedy was convicted of depraved indifference murder for the death of her 10 year old daughter Marissa. No physical evidence tied her to this murder and she maintains her innocence. She did not testify at her trial and in this conversation with Patrisha breaks her silence about the coercive control and domestic abuse she and Marissa endured at the hands of her ex Julio, who was sentenced to 55 years in prison on the same charge.Julio, according to Sharon's father, "changed Sharon from the caring loving mother we all knew into a scared, domineered shell of her former self." Topics discussed: Coercive control, child abuse, incarceration

GUEST: Katherine ErbesKatherine talks about almost being killed by her ex to see him get a plea deal and, four years after his release from prison, almost kill another woman.TOPICS DISCUSSED: Media abuse, sexual abuse, need for tougher DV sentencing

GUESTS: Jolene, Jennifer, Tiffany, Gina, Sarah, and MarySix survivors talk about how holidays are the scariest and most miserable times of the year.TOPICS DISCUSSED:  The role alcohol plays in abuse, being let down by the court system, child abuse

GUEST: Liz Eckman Liz spoke to a Portland Press Herald reporter in 2022 to break the silence of her ex's arrest, and also lift the stigma surrounding domestic abuse. Read the article here. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Victim rights being ignored by courts, City government staying silent about domestic abuse charges against one of their own, dangers of DV strangulation, importance of survivors speaking out.

GUEST: Sarah Doucette Sarah is the author of Stronger Than That: A Domestic Violence Survivor Uncovers the Truth About Her Abuser. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Financial abuse, Religion as a factor in staying in an abusive marriage 

GUESTS: Rachel Davis and Mary Lou SmithTwo-Parter – Rachel: When You Grow Up With an Abusive Father; Mary Lou Celebrating 20 Years of FreedomTOPICS DISCUSSED: Abusive fathers, how siblings are impacted differently by abuse, breaking the cycle. 

GUEST:  Anonymous (Male) Many similarities to abuse of a woman by a man are shared in this conversation with "Mark."TOPICS DISCUSSED: Emotional abuse, weaponizing of children, lack of resources for men abused by women. 

GUEST: Vicki Murray, owner of Laugh Loud Smile Big bakeryVicki talks about what kept her silent and what it like to break her silence over 15 years of abuse including strangulation by the man she started dating at 17 years old. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Domestic violence strangulation, the abuser calling you crazy, being told by the next wife that he did the same thing to her  

GUESTS: Agnes BrackettAgnes discusses trying to keep her daughter safe from her gun-toting, fire-starting husband.   TOPICS DISCUSSED: Child Abuse, Guns, Failure of Justice System

GUESTS: Darcia and Dezarae Darcia and Dezarae discuss how the “sweetest man in the world” in prison turned evil upon release.TOPICS DISCUSSED Failed judicial system, strangulation, impact on children

GUEST: Lilly DesRoberts Lilly, a 20-year-old UNE Biddeford pre-dental student,  talks about how cyber-stalking and suicide threats by her  boyfriend from high school plagued her first year of college. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Life360 cyber-stalking, suicide threats, alcohol, failure of judicial court system 

GUEST: Kerry SmithKerry talks about the preventable DV murders of mother and daughter Jennie and Lisa Bailey in Bath. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Police response to DV, Veteran’s Administration response to DV, systemic changes needed

GUESTS: Michelle, Kerry, AmberMichelle, a communications executive talks about an early marriage that almost killed her. Kerry and Amber talk about their best friends who were murdered by DV this year. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Financial abuse, guns, family impact of abuse  

GUEST: Melody Melody, a Mi’kmaq native, realized when she connected with Finding Our Voices that domestic abuse is at the root of her substance abuse as well as incarceration. She talks here about how she transcended both to become a wellbriety coach and published author. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Incarceration, Substance Abuse, Native culture

GUESTS: Anonymous and Jennifer Two-parter about how religion helped to trap both women in domestic abuse and made it harder to get out.“Anonymous" talks about the Cantor who refused to give her a Get for a divorce, and Jennifer talks about the pious-acting husband who was anything but.

GUEST: Shelly Edwards JorgensenShelly is the author of the memoir Beautiful Ashes: A quest to uncover family secrets and survive the truth. https://www.beautifulashesmemoir.com/books/TOPICS DISCUSSED: Child abuse, Siblings, Arson

GUEST: Mary Kamradt, Chief of Staff of Finding Our Voices Her home was destroyed and dog killed in a fire set by her ex, and her family sided with him.TOPICS DISCUSSED: Sexual abuse, arson, estrangement from children and grandchildren. 

GUESTS: Ashley and DezaraeAshley talks about how overseas deployments made him increasingly abusive at home. Dezarae talks about being terrorized by a girlfriend. TOPICS DISCUSSED: The military, same sex abuse, impact on children

GUEST: Caroline McKuenThe director of the Presbyterian Advocacy Council talks about her church’s enabling of criminal, financial, and sexual abuse TOPICS DISCUSSED: Religious abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse.https://www.presbyterianadvocacycoalition.org

GUESTS: Courtney Davis and Jess Jess introduced her best friend to him, then grew alarmed as he steadily turned Courtney into a shell of herselfTOPICS DISCUSSED: Sexual abuse, financial abuse, what to do when you are worried for a loved oneShort film on Courtney here.

GUESTS: Lora and Jeannine Lauber OrenTWO PARTER: Lora, A Maine nurse talks about financial abuse continuing with the divorce. Then Jeannine Lauber Oren of Finding Our Voices talks about the Maine law she helped get through to help mitigate financial abuse.TOPICS DISCUSSED: Financial abuse, sexual abuse, divorce hellMore about Jeannine is here. The law Jeannine helped to pass is here:  H.P. 553 - L.D. 748 law, "An Act To Provide Relief to Survivors of Economic Abuse".

GUESTS: AnonymousWhat it was like having a childhood that on the outside seemed golden and glamorous, and on the inside was a “living hell”.TOPICS DISCUSSED: Narcissistic fathers, living a lie, child abuse 

GUEST: AnonymousHe strangled her and forced her at gunpoint to take a bottle of sleeping pills, and is out on bail pending trial! TOPICS DISCUSSED: Strangulation, perpetrator right trumping victim rights, bail reform 

GUEST: JoleneNo accountability from the courts and police make him scarier and scarier, to her, her children, the police and the public. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Criminal court reform, good ol’ boy network, the folly of Batterer’s Intervention 

GUEST: BethanyThis nurse’s ex has a 30-page criminal record and has violated protection from abuse orders 20 times with no consequences TOPICS DISCUSSED: Uselessness of PFAs, do-nothing DAs, child abuse

GUESTS: Donna Kaz William (Body Heat) Hurt swept Donna off her feet when she was a young actress, and grew steadily more dangerous. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Narcissists, fame as an enabler, career-sabotagingDonna is a feminist activist and author of Unmasked: Memoirs of a Guerilla Girl on Tour https://www.amazon.com/MASKED-Memoirs-Guerrilla-Girl-Tour/dp/1510709436https://variety.com/2022/film/news/donna-kaz-william-hurt-former-partner-surviving-abuse-1235208312/

GUEST: Amy Maine officials worked overtime to give full custody of her baby granddaughter to a two-time domestic violence felon. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Family court dysfunction, child abuse, grandparental rights 

GUEST: Randall Liberty,  Maine's Commissioner of CorrectionsRandy talks with Patrisha about the impact his father’s violence toward his mother had on him and his brothers. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Sons and fathers, sons and mothers, the importance of prison for violent abusers

GUEST: Jackie Lee McLean The host of this Podcast talks with her daughter about how the abuse impacted them separately and also together and their path to healing.TOPICS DISCUSSED: Child abuse, narcissistic fathers, triangulation Jackie is an executive of an IT company, and singer-songwriter who provides the music for this Podcast. More of Jackie's Music here.