Liars & Lovers | Grooming, Trust & Recognizing the Warning Signs with Anna Sonoda, LCSW

What if the greatest danger doesn’t begin with a stranger—but with someone who becomes known, trusted, and invited into our lives?

On this powerful episode of Liars & Lovers, host Lisa Ribacoff sits down with Anna Sonoda, LCSW—grooming prevention expert, author, speaker, and host of Known and Trusted with Anna Sonoda, LCSW—for an important conversation about child grooming, sexual abuse prevention, predators, exploitation, trust, and recognizing concerning behaviors before they escalate.

With more than 20 years of clinical experience, Anna brings a unique perspective shaped by working with both convicted sexual offenders and individuals impacted by trauma, violence, and complex behavioral challenges. Her experience provides insight into the behavioral patterns, manipulation tactics, boundary violations, and influence strategies that can precede grooming and exploitation.

Lisa and Anna explore how grooming works, why predators often seek to become “known and trusted,” how manipulation can develop gradually, and why recognizing patterns may be more important than simply relying on intuition.

They also discuss:

🔎 What grooming can look like—and what it often doesn't look like🚩 Warning signs and concerning behaviors adults should recognize🧠 Manipulation, boundary testing, and psychological influence👨‍👩‍👧 How parents and trusted adults can build protective awareness🛡️ Teaching children about boundaries, safety, and strange behavior💔 Why trust can sometimes be exploited⚠️ How predators can position themselves within a child's circle of trust

Anna also shares insights from her books, Duck Duck Groom: Understanding How a Child Becomes a Target, Duck Duck Groom: A Guided Journal, and the award-winning children's book Wait…That's Weird! A Parent-Child Guide to Spotting Strange Behavior Together.

Predators rarely begin with obvious danger. Sometimes, they begin by becoming known, trusted, helpful—and eventually, invited.

This is a conversation about grooming prevention, child safety, trust, deception, behavioral patterns, sexual abuse awareness, and the importance of recognizing risk before it becomes harm.

🎙️ Listen now to Liars & Lovers and follow the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

What if the person telling you the story… is the person who knows exactly how to hide the truth?

For more than three decades, F.X. Regan lived on the other side of the lie—first as a police officer, then an FBI Special Agent, SWAT Team member, and ultimately the Special Agent in Charge of a major FBI field division.

He’s investigated high-profile cases, seen deception up close, and spent a career uncovering what people didn’t want investigators to find.

Now, he’s turning those experiences into crime thrillers filled with murder, conspiracy, cold cases, and secrets buried inside the FBI.

Today on Liars & Lovers, we’re going behind the badge—and behind the books—with F.X. Regan.

Get Your Copy of Gray Ghost Here! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fx+regan&crid=2CSAVQ343QJ9A&sprefix=fx+regan%2Caps%2C403&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_1_8

What do lies in relationships, the courtroom, the media, polygraphs, and false confessions have in common?Deception—and the consequences that can follow when the truth becomes difficult to find.

On this episode of Liars & Lovers, host Lisa Ribacoff sits down with criminal defense attorney Franz Borghart and Derek Smith, host of Truth or Derek Show, for a candid, entertaining, and thought-provoking conversation about lies, deception, credibility, justice, relationships, and the psychology behind why people don't always tell the truth.

From relationship lies and red flags to deception in the courtroom and media, Lisa, Franz, and Derek examine how lies can influence relationships, criminal investigations, public opinion, and the justice system.

The conversation also dives into the controversial world of polygraph examinations and lie detection, including what polygraphs can—and cannot—tell us about deception. They explore the complicated issue of false confessions, why innocent people sometimes confess to crimes they didn't commit, and the factors that can influence someone during a police interrogation.

And when it comes to relationships, the trio breaks down red flags vs. green flags, trust, communication, manipulation, and the warning signs that can reveal whether a relationship is built on honesty—or something else.

Topics include:

🔴 Lies and deception in relationships
⚖️ Deception and credibility in the courtroom
📰 Lies, misinformation, and deception in the media
📊 Polygraphs and lie detection
🚨 False confessions and police interrogations
💔 Relationship red flags and toxic behaviors
💚 Green flags and healthy relationships
🧠 Why people lie and why people believe lies
🔍 Truth, credibility, evidence, and human behavior

And, naturally, no conversation about truth and deception would be complete without addressing one of life's most important questions:

Why is a good Sprite Zero apparently part of the investigation? 🥤

It's an episode filled with true crime, relationships, criminal justice, deception, polygraphs, false confessions, courtroom strategy, and plenty of laughs.

Truth. Lies. Love. Justice. And Sprite Zero.

🎙️ Listen to Liars & Lovers now and follow the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

On this episode of Liars & Lovers, Lisa Ribacoff examines the Lindsay Clancy case, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children. We discuss the criminal investigation, evidence, motive, behavioral analysis, mental health, postpartum mental health, family dynamics, and the legal questions surrounding this heartbreaking true crime case.

What can the evidence and behavior tell us about what happened—and what remains unanswered?

Keywords: Lindsay Clancy, Lindsay Clancy case, true crime, true crime podcast, Massachusetts crime, criminal investigation, forensic investigation, behavioral analysis, mental health, postpartum mental health, motive, evidence, family homicide, child murder, criminal justice, Lisa Ribacoff, Liars & Lovers.

What happens when a Las Vegas police sergeant spends years seeing what people try to hide?

On this episode of Liars & Lovers, Lisa Ribacoff sits down with Jenn Benjamins, a retired Sergeant with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and owner of Covert Blue LLC. Jenn shares her perspective on law enforcement, criminal investigations, deception, human behavior, and the realities of policing in Las Vegas.

From the Strip to the streets, this is a conversation about what happens when the truth is hidden behind a carefully constructed story—and why nothing is ever quite what it seems.

#LiarsAndLovers #JennBenjamins #LasVegas #LVMPD #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #LawEnforcement #PoliceStories #CriminalInvestigations #Deception

Subscribe & Listen Here: https://linktr.ee/liarsandloverspodcast

Jenn Benjamin's Contact Information:[email protected]

Http://www.covertbluellc.com

What are the real warning signs of an abusive relationship—and why is leaving often the most dangerous time for a survivor?

In this powerful episode of Liars & Lovers, host Lisa Ribacoff sits down with Claudia King, a Law & Crime TV analyst, domestic violence expert, and survivor, for an honest conversation about the realities of domestic violence, coercive control, gaslighting, stalking, and relationship abuse.

Too often, people ask, "Why didn't they just leave?" Claudia explains why the answer is far more complex than most people realize. Drawing from both her professional expertise covering high-profile criminal cases and her personal experience as a survivor, she shares how manipulation, isolation, and psychological abuse can escalate into violence—and why recognizing the warning signs early can save lives.

Lisa and Claudia also discuss victim-blaming, the legal system's response to intimate partner violence, stalking behaviors, coercive control, and what friends and family can do to support someone in an abusive relationship. Together, they explore how love, deception, and control can intersect in ways that are often hidden from the outside world.

If you're interested in true crime, domestic violence awareness, relationship red flags, criminal psychology, victim advocacy, or understanding the warning signs of abuse, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Subscribe and Follow Here: https://linktr.ee/liarsandloverspodcast

New York City never sleeps—and neither do its secrets.

On this episode of Liars & Lovers, Lisa Ribacoff sits down with Tom Smith, retired NYPD detective and host of The Gold Shields Show, for a fascinating conversation about crime, investigations, deception, human behavior, and the reality of policing in New York City.

Tom spent years working inside the New York Police Department, seeing firsthand what happens when the story you're told isn't the story that actually happened. From investigations and interrogations to relationships, manipulation, and the psychology behind criminal behavior, Tom shares the perspective that only someone who has lived it from the other side of the badge can provide.

Together, Lisa and Tom explore what happens when nothing is what it seems—and why investigators have to look beyond the obvious to uncover the truth.

We talk about the realities of being an NYPD detective, the challenges of investigating people who don't want to tell the truth, memorable experiences from Tom's career, and what inspired him to create The Gold Shields Show.

Because in true crime, the first story isn't always the real story.

New York, New York… where everyone has a story, every secret has a price, and nothing is ever what it seems.

Links:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/liarsandloverspodcast

Tom Smith at Gold Shields Podcast

https://thegoldshieldshow.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thegoldshieldshow/

https://www.carryimpact.com/

#LiarsAndLovers #PodcastLaunch #NewPodcast #TrueCrimePodcast #Deception #TrueCrimeCommunity #TheTruthAlwaysLeavesClues 

On this episode of Liars & Lovers, we welcome Mother Knows Death for a compelling conversation about true crime, criminal behavior, and the complex stories behind the cases that capture public attention.

Known for exploring the darker side of human nature, Mother Knows Death joins us to discuss how crime stories are told, why certain cases stay with us, and what these investigations reveal about deception, betrayal, manipulation, and the relationships at the center of them.

Liars and Lovers Links:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/liarsandloverspodcast

Mother Knows Death:

https://www.instagram.com/motherknowsdeath/?hl=en

https://open.spotify.com/show/6gcgxHdSXwxXuvK0D5m5hx

What really happens behind the headlines of the biggest true crime stories?

In this episode of Liars & Lovers, host Lisa Ribacoff sits down with Court TV field reporter and correspondent Cody Thomas, who has covered some of the nation's most high-profile criminal trials. From the courtroom to live television, Cody shares what it's like to report on true crime as it unfolds and the responsibility that comes with telling victims' stories accurately and ethically.

Together, Lisa and Cody explore how journalists separate fact from speculation, the challenges of covering high-profile murder cases, and the impact media coverage can have on investigations, juries, victims' families, and the public. They also discuss why true crime audiences are so captivated by these cases and what armchair detectives often miss behind the scenes.

Subscribe to Liars & Lovers for conversations with investigators, journalists, forensic experts, psychologists, and other guests who explore the intersection of love, lies, deception, and true crime.

Links:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/liarsandloverspodcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@liarsandloverspodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liarsandloverspodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591932064821&_rdr

In this episode, host Lisa Ribacoff sits down with retired U.S. Secret Service Special Agent and bestselling author Brad Beeler, whose 25-year career included federal investigations, protective operations, investigative interviewing, credibility assessment, and becoming one of the Secret Service's most experienced and decorated polygraph examiners.

Drawing from the insights in his book, Tell Me Everything: A Secret Service Agent's Proven Strategies for Earning Trust, Revealing the Truth, and Communicating with Anyone, Brad shares fascinating stories from the interrogation room and explains what he's learned about deception, trust, and the subtle behaviors that reveal the truth.

Together, Lisa and Brad explore why people lie, how investigators build trust to uncover the truth, and what his decades of experience can teach us about relationships, betrayal, and the human behavior behind crime.

If you're fascinated by true crime, the psychology of deception, or the art of investigative interviewing, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Links:

https://linktr.ee/liarsandloverspodcast

https://www.youtube.com/@liarsandloverspodcast

https://www.instagram.com/liarsandloverspodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591932064821&_rdr

Brad’s Contact Information:

Website:Bradleybeeler.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @bradbeeler1865

Linkedin : www.linkedin.com/in/bradbeeler1865

Amazon for Brad's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Tell-Everything-Strategies-Revealing-Communicating/dp/1637748426