Frankie and Jess by Frankie and Jess

April 22, 2026 I Thought This Was Normal… Until It Broke Me

(Disclaimer: Strong language and adult content)

What if the thing you love doing…is also the thing slowly breaking you?

In this episode, Celene Beth Olsen is back—and this conversation goes deeper than anything we expected.

With nearly a decade in the true crime space, Celene is an independent filmmaker, producer, and mental health coordinator whose work is rooted in lived experience and trauma-informed storytelling. A Nicaraguan Mexican American raised in Park City, Utah, she spent ten years with the Sundance Film Festival—shaping her perspective on what independent film can and should be.

Her work spans major series like In Pursuit with John Walsh, The Playboy Murders, The Real CSI: Miami, and The Real Murders of Orange County and Los Angeles. She’s also the voice behind True Crime & Hollywood: A Personal Tale—a podcast exploring trauma through honest conversations with survivors and storytellers.

But this episode goes beyond the résumé.

We talk about:

The 10-year journey behind her film Killing Theodore*

Why the film industry is shifting—and what it means for creators

The emotional cost of working in true crime

Because behind the storytelling…there’s something people don’t see.

The weight. The trauma. The impact of sitting with stories most people never hear.

At one point, it caught up to her.

And it forced a shift—personally and professionally.

From sobriety…to becoming a certified mental health coordinator in the documentary space…

this is a conversation about what it really takes to tell stories ethically—and what happens when you don’t.

🎧 Listen to Celene’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-and-hollywood-a-personal-tale/id1765299017