The Silver Linings Handbook
by Jayson Blair
Life has many layers. Whether it's true crime, the media spotlight, mental health, religion or any other part of a person’s journey, there are so many deeper truths underneath the surface. To truly understand them, you need to peel back those layers to find the depth, beauty, joy, suffering and struggles that become the silver linings. Join Jayson Blair each week for interesting conversations with interesting people from all walks of life. Artwork by Hannah Hill. https://www.instagram.com/serious_moonlite/?hl=en Production by Alyssa Miller. https://www.instagram.com/alyssarenee.co/?hl=en
Episodes
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Best of: Bonus on The University of Idaho Murders, True Crime and Kindness with Julia Cowley
Julia Cowley, a retired FBI profiler and the host of The Consult podcast, and I set out to discuss the University of Idaho murders and the killer of four college students, Bryan Kohberger. But something strange happened when we began discussing the survivors who were in the house. It was during a...
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Best of: The Real-Life Nightmare of Bryan Kohberger and the Idaho Four with Julia Cowley, Part 2
In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, someone entered a house just off the University of Idaho campus in a brazen home invasion that left four University of Idaho students — Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves — dead. Julia Cowley, a retired FBI profiler and...
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Best of: The Real-Life Nightmares of Bryan Kohberger and the Idaho Four with Julia Cowley, Part 1
In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, some entered a house just off the University of Idaho campus and stabbed four students to death. Months later, a suspect was identified. This year, he pled guilty to the charges without giving any hint why he committed the crimes or what made the...
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221. The Architecture of Dread with Brett Talley, Part 2
In Part 2, Brett Talley, the horror writer and co-host of The Prosecutors podcast, push deeper into how fear becomes architecture — not just in myths and folklore, but in the way communities respond to real‑world uncertainty. We explore how conspiracy theories, moral panics, and cultural…
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220. The Architecture of Dread with Brett Talley, Part 1
Brett Talley, the horror author and host of The Prosecutors podcast, explores how ancient concepts like guest rights and modern legends like Cropsey reveal a universal human impulse: turning danger and uncertainty into stories we can understand and navigate. We connect this to broader patterns —...
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219. The Shadow Architect with Christian Kenny
Christian Kenny's story unfolds as a blend of curiosity, compulsion and a lifelong drive to understand the unseen architecture of human behavior. From childhood, he describes himself as an "oddball," someone who asked existential questions early and pursued answers with obsessive, research-driven...
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218. Lindsay Clancy and the Politics of Sympathy with Clara Lewis, Part 2
Clara S. Lewis joins me again as we go deeper into the questions the Lindsay Clancy mistrial leaves behind — especially how courts try to evaluate wrongfulness, intent, and culpability when severe postpartum disorders or psychosis are in play. We look at why juries struggle with these cases, how...
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217. Lindsay Clancy and the Politics of Sympathy with Clara Lewis, Part 1
On September 4, 2026, Lindsay Clancy’s trial ended without a unanimous verdict on her criminal responsibility - a result that left the public divided and the deeper questions unresolved. I’m joined this week again by Dartmouth professor Clara S. Lewis, author of American Infanticide, for a...
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216. The Journalist and The Serial Killer with Maria DiLorenza, Part 2
In Part 2, Maria DiLorenzo takes us inside her unlikely relationship with the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway - how it began, why he chose to write her back, and what she learned from years of letters and calls. We explore his manipulations, his contradictions, and the unsettling intimacy that...
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215 .The Journalist and The Serial Killer with Maria DiLorenza, Part 1
Janet Malcolm once wrote that every journalist who truly understands their work knows its moral ambiguity. She was describing the uneasy intimacy between reporter and subject — and how that bond can fracture. But sometimes, the journalist isn’t the most manipulative person in the room. Maria...
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214. Speaking for the Dead with Michele Wood, Part 2
Former Chicago Homicide Detective Michele Wood returns with an unfiltered look at the cases that haunt her, the ones that cracked open years later, and the ones she’s hoping will close. She talks witness intimidation, cold‑case breakthroughs, and what justice really looks like in neighborhoods...
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213. Speaking for the Dead with Michelle Wood, Part 1
Michele Wood is a 25-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, a longtime homicide and cold-case detective, an FBI-certified hostage negotiator, and the author of the book Model Detective. Michele traces the roots of her career back to her childhood in gang-plagued Logan Square, including…
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212. Girl on Fire with Jennifer Eskew, Part 2
Jennifer Eskew picks up her story at the moment her career begins to accelerate. In Part 2, she walks us through the realities of undercover work in Virginia — the operations that shaped her, the risks she learned to manage, and the emotional and ethical weight of living a double life. She talks...
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211. Girl on Fire with Jennifer Eskew, Part 1
Jennifer Eskew grew up in a small farming community in rural Virginia where violent crime was rare — until a 1968 shooting injured her mother, sister, and neighbors and set her on a lifelong path toward law enforcement. In this episode, Jennifer talks about that moment, the community that shaped...
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210. Inside the Forensic Mind with Paige Wilcoxson
In this episode, Dr. Paige Wilcoxson joins us to discuss what people often get wrong about forensic psychology, what it takes and costs, and what the work helps us understand about ourselves, criminal behavior, and the world around us. Paige worked as a clinical and forensic psychologist in...
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209. The Impossible Theory with Aaron Habel, Part 2
Aaron Habel, the host of the Generation Why podcast, joins me for our second and final conversation on his new podcast series, Framed, which explores the murder of Scott Macklem and the conviction of Fred Freeman, who changed his name to Temujin Kensu. To listen to Season 3 of Framed: True Crime...
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208. The Impossible Theory with Aaron Habel, Part 1
Aaron Habel, the host of the Generation Why podcast, joins me to discuss the murder of Scott Macklem and the conviction of Fred Freeman, who changed his name to Temujin Kensu. The case has been approached from many angles over the years — who killed Macklem or whether Kensu was wrongfully...
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207. No-Body Homicides with Tad DiBiase, Part 2
In Part 2 of my conversation with former federal prosecutor Tad DiBiase, we dig into how investigators distinguish a missing‑persons case from a homicide, why the absence of evidence can be the most powerful clue, and how prosecutors build no‑body murder cases. We talk through successful...
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206. No-Body Homicides with Tad DiBiase, Part 1
Tad DiBiase, a former federal homicide prosecutor, joins me to discuss his path to specializing in no-body homicide cases, how investigators recognize when a missing person may actually have been murdered, and the core challenges of proving these cases. We explore historical and modern no-body...
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205. Turning Toward the Past with Sadie Johnson
Sadie Johnson spent three decades as a writer and editor in newspapers, magazines, and marketing. Storytelling comes naturally to her, and it’s the narrative of her family - and how it shaped who she became and refused to become - that she’s turning toward now and joined me to discuss. Contact me...
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204. Profiling the Disappearance of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner with Julia Cowley, Part 2
Retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley, the host of The Consult, joins me to conclude our conversation on the disappearance of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner, a 20-year-old woman who disappeared in the mountains of the Blackfeet Reservation in June 2017. Our two-part discussion followed a four-part series...
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203. Profiling the Disappearance of Ashley Loring Heavyrunner with Julia Cowley, Part 1
After a four-part series on The Consult podcast, the host, Julia Cowley, a retired FBI profiler, joins me to revisit the case of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner, a 20-year-old woman who disappeared in the mountains of the Blackfeet Reservation in June 2017. We continue to explore Ashley's case and the...
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202. Why Transitions Are So Hard with Victoria Grady
Why is change so hard? Victoria Grady, an organizational psychologist and expert in adult attachment theory, joins me to discuss the space in between, where you are letting go of one thing and grasping for something new. When my mother died, the Paddington bear she gave me as a child gave me a…
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201. Internal Affairs with Marlon Marrache, Part 2
Former Los Angeles Police Department Internal Affairs investigator Marlon Marrache and I continue our discussion on the role of those who police the police and the impact on officers on the street and communities on how it's done. In Part 2, we explore the 1991 Rodney King beating and its...
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200. Internal Affairs with Marlon Marrache, Part 1
Marlon Marrache, a 24-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran who spent half that time investigating police misconduct, joins me to discuss how internal affairs is the first line of defense between a police department and its community. We touch on the 1991 Rodney King beating, the O.J.…
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199. Bouncing Back with Julie Barth
Julie Barth is a mother, writer, trauma survivor and founder of a nonprofit that supports women-led households in crisis. She talks about raising a daughter with a rare genetic condition, losing her husband to cancer and finding her way out of an abusive relationship that followed. The…
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198. Addiction, Inc. with Emily Dufton
Emily Dufton joins me to talk about how the death of her high school friend after 15 years of escalating opioid use led her on a journey to uncover the origins of the American opioid crisis and our failure to treat patients. She traces those roots back to the well‑intentioned but misguided…
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197. Geographic Profiling with Doug MacGregor, Part 2
Geographic Profiler Doug MacGregor returns to conclude our conversation about the art and science of geographic profiling — and the blend of criminology, behavioral science, mapping technology and temporal data he uses to help prioritize suspects in criminal investigations. To find out more about...
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196. Geographic Profiling with Doug MacGregor, Part 1
I talk with Doug MacGregor about his background as a geographic profiler and the blend of criminology, behavioral science, mapping technology and temporal data he uses to help prioritize suspects in criminal investigations. To find out more about Doug's work: IRIS Investigative Strategies Contact...
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195. The Colonial Parkway Murders Secrets with Bill Thomas, Part 3
Bill Thomas and I conclude our conversation on the latest developments in the Colonial Parkways Murders. Bill walks us through the patterns, dead ends and new leads. Listen to part 1 of this series here. Listen to part 2 of this series here. Contact me at [email protected] Check...
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194. The Colonial Parkway Murders Secrets with Bill Thomas, Part 2
In this episode, Bill Thomas, the brother of Colonial Parkway murder victim Cathy Thomas, and I continue our discussion on the cases. We revisit how Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. became a major but mishandled suspect after the 1988 disappearance of Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey, whose abandoned car...
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193. The Colonial Parkway Murders Secrets with Bill Thomas, Part 1
In this episode, Bill Thomas, the brother of Colonial Parkways murder victim Cathy Thomas, and I examine the series of homicides that occurred in Virginia between 1986 and 1989. The case began in 1986, when Bill’s sister, Cathy, and her girlfriend were found dead in Cathy’s Honda Civic just off…
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192. Cancer and the Meaning and Mechanics of Suffering with Ellie Taylor
Ellie Taylor was a young mother when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Ellie, the host of the Version of Events podcast, joins me to discuss the physical and emotional toll of treatment and the meaning and the mechanics of suffering. Ellie and I shared a profound friendship with the late...
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191. Inside Special Victims Units with Roger Canaff
For most people, “SVU” is a television franchise. For Roger Canaff, it was real life. The former Special Victims prosecutor for the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office, the Alexandria, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the New York Attorney General and the military takes us inside…
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190. Sabrina Schnoor: The Trial, the Truth and a Mother's Grief with Stacia Schnoor, Part 2
In the second half of our conversation, Stacia Schnoor walks us through the courtroom battle that followed Sabrina’s death — the evidence, the testimony and the moments that forced her to relive the worst day of her life. She speaks candidly about the weight of the trial, the community’s…
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189. Sabrina Schnoor: The Trial, the Truth and a Mother's Grief with Stacia Schnoor, Part 1
The day of Monday, May 29, 2023, seemed to be filled with apprehension and anticipation for Sabrina Schnoor. After talking to friends who warned her against it, she decided to meet with her ex-boyfriend one last time before he headed off to prison. A day later, she was found dead on railroad…
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188. When Love Turns Into a Lie with Heather Rovet
What happens when the person you trust most is the one quietly rewriting your reality? Toronto real estate broker Heather Rovet joins me to expose the romance scam that shattered her world—an emotional maze of manipulation, false promises and meticulously crafted lies. By the time the truth...
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187. Unbroken Against the Odds with Adriene Caldwell, Part 2
Adriene Caldwell returns to continue to share the pivotal moments that shaped her path and the unexpected resilience that emerged when the odds were stacked against her. After facing homelessness, a broken family and abuse, she turned those pressures that broke her into strengths. In the second…
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186. Unbroken Against the Odds with Adriene Caldwell, Part 1
Adriene Caldwell shares the pivotal moments that shaped her path and the unexpected resilience that emerged when the odds were stacked against her. After facing homelessness, a broken family and abuse, she turned those pressures that broke her into strengths. In the first part of our…
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185. The Unsolved Death of Jessica Lloyd with Brittany Lloyd
Jessica Lloyd's husband called 911 to say she was having a "mental break" but did not know that six minutes later, a neighbor called to say they just heard a woman scream, "My husband is trying to kill me." By the time police arrived, Jessica was found dead, floating face-down in a canal near her...
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184. End of the Year Wrap Up
In this special year‑end episode, I reflect on a year of stories that pushed us to confront grief, resilience, injustice and hope. Through conversations with families, survivors, advocates, scholars, and listeners, 2025 revealed how much we still have to learn about compassion, courage and the...
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183. Listeners Episode, Part 2
In the second part of our Listeners Episode, we go deep with Joelle Brouner and Maria Holdridge, and, at some point, if you can believe it, I sit back and just listen to this powerful conversation. I appreciate all of you listeners and love to hear about your lives and your stories, and this was…
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182. Listeners Episode, Part 1
My listeners are an amazing bunch. As we head into the new year, this is part of a discussion I had recently with several listeners about the year, the future, the meaning of the holidays, family, friendship, and community. I am joined today by Marie Holdridge, Allison Dickson, Brian Santana,...
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181. A Daughter's Quest to Close Her Mother's Cold Case with Krissi Haas
Krissi Haas discovered the truth about her mother's murder in an unexpected way. Nearly three decades after 23-year-old Wilma June Nissen's body was found in rural Iowa, a cold case review led investigators to run her fingerprints through a national database. They matched an old arrest record…
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180. The Unsolved Murder of Karina Holmer with Julia Cowley, Part 2
In the second part of my conversation with retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley, we continue examining the 1996 murder of 20‑year‑old Swedish au pair Karina Holmer, whose body was discovered in a Boston dumpster. We explore what the killer’s choices reveal about motive, how geography points to where...
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179. The Unsolved Murder of Karina Holmer with Julia Cowley, Part 1
Retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley joins me to revisit the haunting unsolved murder of Karina Holmer, a 20‑year‑old Swedish au pair whose upper body was found in a Boston dumpster in 1996. Julia and I talk about Karina’s life, the night she disappeared after leaving Zanzibar nightclub and why the...
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178. Mapping the Victims of Unsolved Crimes with Raul Montero
I sit down with advocate and researcher Raul Montero, best known for his work on the Long Island Serial Killer and for creating a groundbreaking map that tracks thousands of missing and unidentified persons. Raul talks with me about how his journey began with curiosity about a local case and...
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177. Where the Law Ends — Jurisdiction, Justice & Tribal Sovereignty with Jerome Lucero
What happens when justice hits a jurisdictional wall? In this episode, I sit down with Jerome Lucero, former police chief and three-time governor of the Pueblo of Zia tribe to unpack the tangled web of tribal law enforcement, federal oversight and the devastating consequences of legal…
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176. Flight Path Through Fear with Kim Campbell
At just 27 years old, fighter pilot Kim Campbell was flying a combat mission over Baghdad when a barrage of anti-aircraft fire struck her A-10 Warthog. Her hydraulics failed instantly. Ground troops shifted from receiving air support to preparing a rescue. But instead of ejecting, Kim did the...
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175. The House on Carpenter Road with Morgan Scafe
Morgan Scafe joins me to recount her seven-year journey—beginning in high school—that started with abuse by her best friend's father and ended in his conviction for kidnapping and sexual abuse. Morgan was just eight years old when he assaulted her in the house on Carpenter Road in rural Michigan....
About this show
Life has many layers. Whether it's true crime, the media spotlight, mental health, religion or any other part of a person’s journey, there are so many deeper truths underneath the surface. To truly understand them, you need to peel back those layers to find the depth, beauty, joy, suffering and struggles that become the silver linings. Join Jayson Blair each week for interesting conversations with interesting people from all walks of life.
Artwork by Hannah Hill.
https://www.instagram.com/serious_moonlite/?hl=en
Production by Alyssa Miller.
https://www.instagram.com/alyssarenee.co/?hl=en
Hosted by
Jayson Blair