Down the Rabbit Hole

We’re celebrating PRIDE Month with Roy, Tracie, and Hannah! During this episode, we discuss how being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community has influenced each of our guests’ advocacy. Tune in to hear how each of our distinct identities have brought different experiences to our work at the TCFV and beyond. We explore what it means to create a safe space for clients and how subtle changes can illustrate the importance of diversity and inclusion to the community beyond our walls. The conversation also touches on the trauma of managing perception in different spaces, coming together to create an impact, and why practicing what you preach is vital. We discuss safety planning, offer some valuable resources to support queer kids, and offer some hard-earned words of wisdom for new advocates. Join us to hear all this and more today! This episode includes themes of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. It also covers accounts of domestic and gender-based violence. Please listen with care. Happy PRIDE!

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

Lambda Legal 

Equality Texas 

The Network/La Red 

If you have any questions about this episode, please email us at [email protected].

This podcast explores topics of gender-based violence and other forms of abuse. Please take care of yourself as you listen and take a break if needed.

Parenting is one of those milestones in life that once it starts, it never stops. Being a parent can be extremely difficult for a multitude of reasons. How can being involved in the movement against family violence help you be a better parent? To help answer this question, Samantha is joined by fellow TCFV colleagues and mothers Mikisha Hooper and Barbra Grimmer. The trio begins by sharing their embarrassing and humbling parental moments before exploring the wealth of support that is available to parents at TCFV and how their jobs help them improve their parental techniques. We discuss the benefits of an advocacy mindset, the right ways to set boundaries and create space, the perils of gender socialization, and the dangers of the societal norms that allow gender-based violence to flourish. All in all, the advocacy work that Barbra, Mikisha, and Samantha do influences how they choose to parent due to their deep understanding of respect and power dynamics. They also use their experiences as parents to inform their advocacy, policy suggestions, and prevention education. For more on how to teach kids the importance of their own values, why kids deserve the same grace and consideration as adults, and how to build an environment that allows your children to flourish as their unique selves, be sure to tune in!

If you have questions about this episode, please email us at [email protected].

TW: This episodes covers topics relating to sexual abuse. 

As April is sexual awareness month, we decided to dedicate this episode to the topic of sexual respect, specifically in the context of BIPP (Battering Intervention and Prevention Programs) groups. Audrey Hernandez and Erica Reyna-Brodhag join William and Samantha in this episode, both of whom have worked as BIPP facilitators. Sexual abuse is an aspect of domestic abuse that is often overlooked, which is why discussing it openly in the BIPP group setting is such a valuable exercise. In this episode, Audrey and Erica share some of the deeply ingrained belief systems and behavior patterns that they have witnessed amongst the BIPP group participants they have worked with, and some of breakthroughs that have occurred during the sessions.

Here are some resources from today's episode:

The Duluth Curriculum 

What are BIPPs? 

Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) 

You can also email us at [email protected] if you have any questions about this episode.

Please be advised that this episode carries a trigger warning for domestic violence, religious trauma, violence in relationships, and conversations around offenders and perpetrators, and some listeners may find this upsetting.

Today we welcome Reverend Gen onto the show to talk about the role of faith leaders and communities in helping survivors and promoting offender accountability. In the context of the gender dynamics that are still present in so many religious settings, we see this area of the church's work as a great opportunity to offer support to those who need it most. In our conversation with Reverend Gen, we talk about the twisting of religious texts into justifications of harm, how we as faith communities can come together to prevent dangerous situations, shifting the culture of powerlessness and disengagement, and why domestic violence is not a private issue. There are so many areas that require further attention when it comes to the danger many women face, and one of the primary factors is shifting our understanding of harm in the home, and making these spaces safer for all inhabitants. The episode also explores the links between different types of abuse, their relation to cultures of power and control, and how more women in leadership positions can impact positive change, so to hear it all on this important topic, join us today.

Please be advised that this episode carries a trigger warning for domestic violence and covers topics that some listeners may find upsetting.

There are many conversations surrounding what education on domestic violence and sexual assault in schools should look like, but has anyone ever considered what the students want? February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAM), a month-long campaign focused on raising awareness about teen dating abuse. This is a problem that does not only impact teens but also their friends, parents, and communities. To help us unpack this complex topic is TCFV Youth Board Member Mackenzie Splawn, the outreach manager for a non-profit called First Step of Wichita Falls, which aims to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault and provides a haven and support for survivors. Being a teen, Mackenzie provides a unique perspective as we delve into what students need regarding domestic violence and sexual abuse education and what schools could be doing differently. We discuss the type of conversations parents and teachers should be having with kids and why young people may be hesitant to talk about sex and relationships. We explore what schools should include in the curriculum, why we should trust young people, removing restrictions for educators to do their job, and much more. Tune in to hear more from this special conversation with Mackenzie Splawn.

TCFV Teen Dating Violence Toolkit- https://s.tiled.co/0qidZv5/teen-dating-violence-digital-toolkit

Love is Respect- https://www.loveisrespect.org/get-involved/tdvam/

TCFV Prevention email- [email protected]

Please note that this episode carries a trigger warning for conversations around school shootings, domestic violence, and the cultural perceptions of violence against women.

There is no better way to kick off 2023 than to discuss some of the random current happenings in the media, and, while looking at these happenings, how nonprofit organizations can create an intentional, successful space on social media. Managing engagement can be challenging. It requires you to walk the fine line between creating awareness and solidarity while avoiding triggering and potentially harmful viral trends. There is a need for both blanket education and culture shifts in order for nonprofits to reach the right audience. Samantha and William comment on a range of topics today, from the shocking death of tWitch, the fake celebrity death trend on TikTok, the taboo about men's mental health that has come to the forefront on social media, and how to start trends about difficult but necessary topics. Plus, you will hear about the harm Andrew Tate is causing, how dynamics can come down to power and money, and the importance of holding those around us accountable. Hopefully, we are saying goodbye to some of the trends that we discussed and leaving them in 2022!

If you live in Texas and support full funding for family violence programs, please sign a Purple Postcard.

Should companies be concerned about domestic violence? What role can businesses play in addressing or responding to domestic violence? Can they play a role in violence prevention? To help us answer these questions is our new colleague Gabby Fuentes, the Public Policy Coordinator-Housing at TCFV. Please note this episode carries a trigger warning for domestic violence. In this episode, we discuss domestic violence in the workplace, the responsibility of businesses to victims and the community, and how organizations can help be the solution, with a particular focus on corporate organizations. We discuss why companies should care about domestic violence, appropriate company policies on domestic violence, and how to create a foundation of safety. We also delve into the internal and external mechanisms available to companies regarding domestic violence, the responsibility of organizations to hold perpetrators of violence accountable, the unintended consequences of zero-tolerance policies, and the financial cost for organizations. We explore why there should be more public awareness, reasons companies avoid the issue, and what the domestic violence movement can learn from other social campaigns. Join us as we unpack how companies can help innovate, mobilize, engage, and help create safer communities with Samantha, William, and Gabby!

Trigger warnings: domestic violence, homicide, suicide, firearms

In 2021, Texas experienced its third-highest recorded number of domestic violence fatalities. Today’s guests, Sarah Hilderbrand and Mikisha Hooper, were both instrumental in the production of the 2021 Honoring Texas Victims (HTV) Report which highlights key statistics relating to domestic violence and gives a human face to the victims by providing deep analyses of the cases. A few things become clear during this discussion; Texas is in the midst of a domestic violence epidemic, there is a strong correlation between firearm possession and domestic violence fatalities, and there are a few key strategies that, when implemented correctly, can lead to a drastic reduction in domestic violence homicides. This episode may be hard to listen to at times, but understanding the issue is the first step to solving this complex problem.

You can learn more about HTV by exploring the report below: 

HTV full report

HTV narratives

HTV summary facts (English)

HTV summary facts (Spanish)

Welcome back to Down the Rabbit Hole, our first episode of season three! Today, we will be talking to the prevention team about potentially triggering topics surrounding prevention and behavioral changes. We discuss how behavioral change could be possible, why challenging belief systems is a nuanced task, why adults also need prevention education, and the false separation between prevention and intervention services. Evidence-based curriculums are difficult to debate due to their very nature, but we conclude that they still need to evolve to become more inclusive of the people they neglect to represent. You’ll learn why victim blaming is a slippery slope, why prevention needs to be prevalent at all levels of an organization, how those outside the scope can be useful allies, and why there is a need to critically assess the misrepresentations that are endemic to mainstream media. To hear all about our fears and phobias and to understand why prevention education is so important, tune in now! Please note that this episode carries a trigger warning for domestic violence.

We are excited to announce that Season 3 is coming this month! October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) and is the perfect time for a season 3 launch. Season 3 will bring some changes... fewer episodes, longer episodes, and new voices, but as always we will be having some great conversations. We celebrate you coming back for a third season of DTRH, and if this is your first we hope you enjoy it. We wish everyone a safe DVAM. Welcome to the Movement!