Sandy Storm shares her powerful journey from childhood trauma, being trafficked at 6 years old, to becoming an advocate against human trafficking. We explore signs of human trafficking, her personal story, and how her work is making a difference in law enforcement and communities.

To learn more about Sandy's work, collaborations, or her books, visit https://survivorsandystorm.com/.

What a cardiac arrest, a cycling accident, and 30 years of leadership taught Kirk McCarley about getting unstuck.

Kirk McCarley spent 30-years as a human resources executive, ESPN talent statistician, certified executive coach, and author. Kirk’s also a person of faith, husband, father, and grandfather first and foremost.

For the families we work with at The Find Me Project, and for the volunteers on our Guardian Angel Task Force who carry the weight of searching for the missing, Kirk's story lands close to home. It's about survival. It's about forgiveness. And it's about what to do when you feel, in his word, stuck.

Kirk McCarley is an executive and career coach, ESPN talent statistician, and author of Thoughts for My Kids (and Other People's Kids). Find him at theseedsowercoach.com and kirkmcarleyauthor.com.

His name is Stephen Michael Blaylock. He is forty-one years old. He is an amputee who relies on an electric wheelchair to move through the world. On June 9, 2025, he was last seen at a homeless encampment on Bambi Drive in East Marion, McDowell County, North Carolina. That wheelchair was found at the encampment. He was not. Sixteen days passed before anyone filed a missing person report. Stephen Blaylock is still missing.

Before this becomes a case file, we want to tell you who Stephen Blaylock is, because in cases like his, that part gets lost fast. Stephen is a middle-aged man with deep roots in Western North Carolina. Public records trace him through Asheville, Black Mountain, Hendersonville, and eventually Marion. That's not a random drift, that's a person who found his way to this part of the state and stayed. The tattoo on his right inner bicep reads 828. That's the area code for Western North Carolina. It's not decorative. It's a declaration. This is where he belongs.

He uses an electric wheelchair due to an amputation. That isn't a minor biographical detail, it is the central operational fact of this case. Stephen cannot move independently without that chair. He is not someone who walks off into the woods or catches a ride to the next county without anyone noticing. His range of movement, without assistance, is profoundly limited.

June 9, 2025: Stephen Blaylock is last heard from at the Bambi Drive encampment in East Marion. We don't know what time of day. We don't know exactly what was said or who was there. What we know is that after June 9, he was gone. His electric wheelchair remained at the encampment.

June 25, 2025: The McDowell County Sheriff's Office issued a public missing person advisory. Detective Grant Robinson was named the lead investigator. WLOS and WSPA ran the story. The AWARE Foundation pushed it on social media. For a day or two, Stephen's name circulated. Then the news cycle moved on.

LINKS:

• Missing Person Case Blog (coming soon)
• Submit A Tip (remain anonymous)
• Signal: thefindmeproject.22
• Email: [email protected]
• McDowell County Sheriff's Office, (828) 652-2235

In this episode, Carrie Davidson shares her harrowing experience of kidnapping in Mexico, her journey through trauma and addiction, and her inspiring work in trauma recovery. Discover insights on resilience, trauma healing, and how technology can aid in missing persons cases.

⁠https://www.carriepdavidson.com/memoir⁠

In this episode, Mark DeLuca, founder of The Find Me Project, shares insights into the scope of missing persons in the US, the technology used to locate them, and upcoming initiatives like Operation Riptide. Discover how advanced tech and dedicated professionals are transforming search efforts and what you can do to help.

Visit Find Me Online

Zachary Vidal was last confirmed on surveillance video at approximately 4:00 PM on Friday, October 22nd, 2022, at a 7-Eleven convenience store near the intersection of Route 61 and East Norwegian Street in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. That evening, Zachary visited a private residence on the east side of the city. Occupants of the residence reported that he departed in the early morning hours of October 23rd, 2022. He has not been seen or confirmed since. Zachary was reported missing after his family had not heard from him.

An unconfirmed report advised that Zachary was seen walking along the railroad tracks leading out of Pottsville. Additional unconfirmed sightings have also been reported in the Schuylkill Haven area (approximately 7 miles south on Route 61) and on Sharp Mountain, an elevated and heavily wooded ridgeline north/northeast of the city. None of these sightings have been officially corroborated or verified.

There is currently a reward for information leading to Zachary’s whereabouts. Tips can be submitted at:

• thefindmeproject.com
• Signal: Encrypted Messaging
• Email: [email protected]
• Any of our social media platforms
• Anonymously at www.p3tips.com or by calling Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477). Tips may also be submitted directly to the Pottsville Bureau of Police at (570) 622-1234.

Support our mission through:

• Donations
• Buying merch from our website

In this episode, Robert Mahoney, a behavioral threat assessment expert and founder of TVTP Solutions, discusses proactive strategies for preventing violence in schools and communities. He explores systemic coordination issues, the importance of narrative framing, and how technology can aid in early detection and prevention.

If you want to book a training and or hire consulting services to make your town, school and/or place of business more safe, CLICK HERE to visit Robert's company.

Missing person cases involve professionals who can operate in high performance situations. Understanding how to function in this environment is important. That's why we invited Silvia Rizzo onto the podcast.

Silvia Rizzo is a professional Jockey (horse rider). In this episode, she shares her insights on high performance, pushing limits, and leadership in high-stakes environments. Discover how her sports background and life coaching principles can inspire you to unlock your potential and excel in stressful situations.

Click here to learn more about Silvia Rizzo.

The link will take you to a focused section of Silvia's blog dedicated to leadership, performance, and decision-making in high-pressure environments. It provides context for the themes and perspectives I often bring into podcast conversations.

Russell Van Brocklen, the Dyslexia Professor, joins us to talk about shifting daily reading frustrations into confident academic wins for students facing dyslexia.

Click here to open Russell's free guide

The guide describes the 3 reasons your child's dyslexic education isn't working and what to do about it.

Thanks for listening.

Communications expert Michael Ashford discusses the broken tools of traditional communication, the importance of curiosity, and how to improve conflict resolution and leadership through better understanding and storytelling.

Discover practical strategies to enhance your communication skills in personal and professional life, and learn how these principles can aid in critical situations like missing persons cases.

Key Topics

• Holistic view of communication
• The ask then see conflict approach
• The role of curiosity in communication
• Overcoming bias and humanizing stories
• Effective communication in missing persons cases

If you want to join Michael's The Follow-Up newsletter, or learns ways and methods to improve as a speaker and communicator, so that you can grow in your career and relationships... CLICK HERE to visit his website.