Do you find yourself asking “Is it me?” in your dating relationships? Or maybe you are confused about the status of a relationship or starting a new relationship. Join In Our Own Defense co-hosts Dr. Dolores Tarver and Attorney A.D. Winters with our guests Janay Johnson, LMFT and Curtis Jasper, Ph.D. as we tackle the topic “Am I Ready to Date?”

In Part III of "Too Much Toxicity," Dr. Dolores Tarver and Attorney A.D. Winters engage with Dr. Adekemi Oguntala (Dr. O.) and Dr. Matt Smith around the dynamic of family secrets, family involvement in relationships, and avoidance.

In Part II of "Too Much Toxicity," Dr. Dolores Tarver and Attorney A.D. Winters ask Dr. Adekemi Oguntala (Dr. O.) and Dr. Matt Smith about the affects of environmental factors such as poverty, oppression, sexual abuse, murder, and domestic violence on emotional expression, ability to acknowledge problems, relational abilities, and mental health.

Our first relationships are with the family members who raised us as well as extended family and friends we were around during our early years. What we learned from them shows up in our relationships. In Part I of "Too Much Toxicity," Dr. Dolores Tarver and Attorney A.D. Winters are joined by Dr. Adekemi Oguntala (Dr. O.) and Dr. Matt Smith who discuss the potential origins of toxic behaviors.

In Part 3 of the 3-part series "Avoiding Assumptions and Minimizing Misunderstandings" co-hosts Dr. Dolores Tarver and Attorney A.D. Winters explore with Lauren Giwa, LCSW, the dynamics of “cancel culture” in which we abandon relationships instead of addressing potentially fixable dynamics.

In Part 2 of the 3-part series "Avoiding Assumptions and Minimizing Misunderstandings" co-hosts Dr. Dolores Tarver and Attorney A.D. Winters engage Lauren Giwa, LCSW, in a conversation about how familial patterns can affect our interactions with others. She helps us unpack discussing family dynamics with partners and strategies for improving communication.

It’s Awareness August here @inourowndefense and Dr. Dolores Tarver and Attorney A.D. Winters are joined by phenomenal guests who are unpacking relationship dynamics. In Part 1 of the 3-part series "Avoiding Assumptions and Minimizing Misunderstandings" Lauren Giwa, LCSW, kicks of the discussion with setting boundaries for the types of relationships we desire. She offers alternatives to avoiding the “what are we doing” conversations and offers tips to address negative cycles of communication.

We all have different aspects of ourselves that need nurturing, and it is equally if not more important that we have balance. In Part III of "Racial Discrimination in the Military & UCMJ," Quintillis Lawrence, Former 19th JDC Magistrate and Judge Advocate of the U.S. Army; Randolph and Lori Chestang, who are both Commanders in the U.S. Navy, and co-host Attorney A.D. Winters, who retired after 23 years of U.S. Army service and 12 years as Assistant Attorney General, make suggestions for self-care, provide resources for support, and discuss successfully managing military careers with other commitments.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) “found that Black, Hispanic, and male service members were more likely than White or female service members to be the subjects of investigations . . . and to be tried in general and special courts-martial in all of the military services when controlling for attributes such as rank and education.” In Part II of III of the episode "Racial Discrimination in the Military & UCMJ, " we are discussing tools for navigating discrimination within the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy with Quintillis Lawrence, Former 19th JDC Magistrate and Judge Advocate of the U.S. Army; Randolph and Lori Chestang, who are both Commanders in the U.S. Navy, and co-host Attorney A.D. Winters, who retired after 23 years of U.S. Army service and 12 years as Assistant Attorney General.

This is a must see/hear podcast! If you or your family members are considering joining the military or a person early in your military career, I encourage you to listen to the collective wisdom of Quintillis Lawrence, Former 19th JDC Magistrate and Judge Advocate U.S. Army; Randolph and Lori Chestang, who are both Commanders in the U.S. Navy, and co-host Attorney A.D. Winters, who retired after 23 years of U.S. Army service and 12 years as Assistant Attorney General. This is Part I of III of the episode "Racial Discrimination in the Military & UCMJ."