Abby Honold reported her rape in 2014. But instead of receiving support, she was met with disbelief, threats of being charged for false reporting, and a justice system that failed her at every turn.

She didn’t stop there.

Abby went on to fight for systemic change, and helped pass The Abby Honold Act, a federal bill aimed at training law enforcement in trauma-informed response to survivors of sexual violence.

In this episode, Abby shares:

• What happened when she reported, and how she finally got justice
• Why trauma-informed police response matters so deeply for victims
• How the bill was written, passed, and what it means for survivors across the U.S.
• What she wants every advocate, attorney, and survivor to know

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone working in law, policy, victim services - or anyone who believes survivors deserve better.

Connect with Abby:
🔗 Facebook

🔗 X

🔗 Instagram

🔗 Website (for media enquiries)

In this episode of Rights and Remedies, I speak with Renee Bernhard, co-founder and executive director of Be The Source, a nonprofit transforming child welfare support across Colorado. 

Renee is a former foster parent with a deep commitment to supporting families and children experiencing child welfare. She co-founded Be The Source (formerly Foster Source) to improve foster parent retention and advocate for the needs of foster and kinship families. Renee also speaks nationally and internationally about vital caregiver supports and believes lived experience should be the biggest influence in policy and practice.

We explore the emotional complexity of foster care, including what happened when Renee’s foster child’s biological mother broke protocol and handed her a bouquet of flowers on Mother’s Day. That single moment became the foundation for Renee’s vulnerable, relationship-first philosophy, and the core of her organization’s work.

Be The Source now offers trauma-informed training, tangible support like car seats and rent assistance, equine therapy, and mental health care for foster and kinship families, including biological children of foster parents. 

And for the first time, they're expanding these same services to birth parents, creating a model of shared support where everyone shows up for the child.

If you work in family law, child advocacy, or the broader legal ecosystem, this episode offers a powerful look at what’s possible when the system embraces we over us versus them.

Learn more or donate:
 🔗 bethesourceco.org

Follow Be The Source on Facebook, Instagram and X. (or the Spanish Facebook Page)

In this episode of Rights and Remedies, I sit down with Sophie Stephenson, Director of Operations at the Madison Tech Clinic and a PhD candidate in computer sciences at UW-Madison. 

Her research focuses on understanding and combating modern forms of technology-facilitated abuse - work that is not only groundbreaking but urgently needed.

The Madison Tech Clinic provides direct, trauma-informed services to survivors of tech-based abuse across Wisconsin. Sophie shares how her team helps survivors investigate concerns like phone hacking, spyware, and online harassment, and how they’re training tech experts to respond with both technical skill and care.

We discuss how the clinic helps survivors investigate these concerns and build credible, court-ready evidence, something lawyers and advocates are increasingly being asked to support.

Sophie also shares insight into their outreach with Indigenous communities and the tech dynamics driving the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis, plus the impact of AI-generated imagery in escalating abuse.

This conversation is essential for legal professionals navigating modern abuse dynamics, and for anyone committed to supporting survivors in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Learn more or refer clients to the clinic:
🔗 techclinic.cs.wisc.edu

Connect with Sophie:

🔗 LinkedIn

Resources recommended by Sophie:

Safety Net Project

Refuge - What is Technology-Facilitated Abuse?

Take It Down

Stop NCII

Without My Consent

Right To Be

End Tech-Enabled Abuse

References:

Naman Gupta, Sanchari Das, Kate Walsh, and Rahul Chatterjee. 2024. A Critical Analysis of the Prevalence of Technology-Facilitated Abuse in US College Students. In Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’24), May 11–16, 2024, Honolulu, HI, USA. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 12 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613905. 

Content Warning: This episode discusses child abuse, neglect, and child welfare.

What does it take to be a foster parent - and why are so many leaving the system?

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. John DeGarmo, founder of The Foster Care Institute, who has welcomed over 60 children into his home. 

From the heartbreak of child loss to the systemic issues plaguing foster care, including burnout, compassion fatigue, and lack of placements, Dr. DeGarmo offers a frank and compassionate look at what’s really happening inside the system.

We also discuss why teens are the hardest group to place, how foster parents can better support each other, and what needs to change to keep children safe and stable.

Visit Dr John DeGarmo's website

Connect with him on LinkedIn and Facebook

In this episode of Rights and Remedies, I speak with Liz Entin - entrepreneur, podcast host, and a secondary witness in both New York trials against Harvey Weinstein. 

Liz shares her experience testifying in one of the most high-profile sexual assault cases in recent history and offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on what it’s like to be part of the legal process as a witness.

We explore the emotional, mental, and legal challenges of testifying, the unexpected empowerment she found in cross-examination, and the viral moment involving her Chihuahua and Weinstein.

Liz also opens up about how this experience deepened her respect for the legal system and inspired her to consider pursuing law herself.

If you're curious about courtroom dynamics, the role of secondary witnesses, or what it truly means to show up for justice, Liz’s account provides powerful insight into the weight and privilege of bearing witness.

We cover:

• What it means to be a secondary witness
• Behind the scenes of preparing for a criminal trial
• Liz’s viral moment that involved Harvey Weinstein and a Chihuahua
• The mindset shift that made cross-examination empowering
• Why she believes every witness holds real power

Tune in for a deeply personal and uplifting look at what happens when someone says, “You don’t get to get away with this.”

Find out about Liz:

WTF Just Happened?! on YouTube, Instagram, and their website

Why Get Wasted: Instagram and website

In this episode of Rights and Remedies, I speak with multi-disciplinary artist from Brooklyn, Choichun Leung about the deeply personal and often complex journey of healing from childhood sexual abuse. 

Choichun shares how suppressed memories surfaced later in life, especially after becoming a mother, and how art became both her outlet and her guide through recovery.

We explore the origins of her Young Girl Project, work that began with unfinished sketches and evolved into a graphic-style exploration of trauma, memory, and emotional truth. 

Choichun opens up about the cyclical nature of healing, the power of saying everything out loud, and how her artwork has sparked connection and conversation with other survivors.

If you're curious about how creativity can aid in trauma recovery, or want to understand more about the invisible impacts of childhood abuse, this episode offers an honest, moving perspective.

Visit Choichun's website to find out more about her upcoming shows

Connect with Choichun on Instagram 

Support the Young Girl Project: Instagram

In this episode of Rights & Remedies, I sit down with Elizabeth Payne and Emily Jones from the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) to explore what legal advocacy really looks like for survivors of sexual harm.

We dig into the criminal vs. civil legal systems and the massive disconnect between what survivors expect and what actually happens when they report.

From how prosecutors aren’t your personal attorney to the overwhelming silence many face after filing a report, Elizabeth and Emily explain why their victim-centered legal work is so necessary and how they’re helping survivors reclaim control.

We also go deep on what it means to be a “criminalized survivor,” the evolution of cybersexual abuse law, and why Illinois is at the forefront of protecting victims of digitally altered images and non-consensual dissemination. If you’ve ever wondered what justice actually looks like when tech is involved, you’ll want to hear this.

Plus, we talk about sex trafficking survivors, expungement, and why the trauma-to-prison pipeline needs a major spotlight.

If you're a survivor, an advocate, or just someone who wants to understand the legal systems survivors are up against, this conversation will challenge and empower you.

🔗 Learn more or get help from CAASE: www.caaase.org

Find CAASE on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

What happens when a former federal prosecutor turns reformer, and uses data and AI to change the system from the inside out?

This week on Rights and Remedies, host Alison Mahoney is joined by Allison Pierre, founder of Innovative Prosecution Consulting. After years working at the Brooklyn DA’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C., Allison pivoted to fight for fairness in a different way: helping prosecutors and public defenders harness the power of data and AI to improve outcomes, reduce bias, and deliver justice more effectively.

We cover:

• Why only a small fraction of U.S. prosecutor offices use data well
• What AI tools like Axon and JusticeTech are already doing in court
• How bias can sneak into AI - and what guardrails are essential
• The tension between innovation, ethics, and security in law
• Allison’s inspiring journey from “courtroom theatre” to systems change

This is a powerful conversation at the intersection of law, technology, and justice reform.

🔗 Learn more about Allison’s work at: https://reformagents.com

📧 Contact her: [email protected]

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn

In this episode of Rights and Remedies, I’m joined by Meg Applegate, CEO of UNSILENCED, a nonprofit dedicated to ending institutional child abuse in the so-called "troubled teen" industry.

Meg shares her harrowing story of being abducted at age 15 and held in two residential facilities for over three years. She details her long journey of waking up to the abuse she experienced, and how that healing process ultimately led her to create UNSILENCED, one of the most active survivor-led organizations in this space.

Together, we discuss:

• What the “troubled teen industry” really is - and how it hides abuse
• Meg’s experience of being brainwashed and the long path to “waking up”
• How UNSILENCED tracks abusive programs, staff, and private equity-backed operators
• The legal strategies helping survivors seek justice - and the massive role litigation now plays
• Her new memoir Becoming Unsilenced and the emotional process of telling her story

This is a powerful conversation about survivor-led advocacy, systemic change, and reclaiming your voice, even when others tried to silence it.

UNSILENCED Website: unsilenced.org

Book: Becoming Unsilenced: Buy on Amazon

Follow Meg on Instagram or Follow the Unsilencd Instagram Page

Connect with Meg on LinkedIn

In this episode, I sit down with Dani Fankhauser - writer and intuitive coach - to explore how writing can be a transformative tool for healing.

Together, we delve into:

• Dani's experience of writing and its impact on her healing journey
• The role of intuition and spirituality in the writing process
• How writing can serve as a form of self-discovery and empowerment
• Practical advice for aspiring writers looking to tell their own stories

Whether you're a writer, a survivor, or someone seeking to understand the healing power of storytelling, this conversation offers valuable insights into the intersection of writing and personal transformation.

Connect with Dani:

• Website: danifankhauser.com
• Instagram: @danifankhauser