3 Women 3 Ways

TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING: JUSTICE ON 18 WHEELS What do truck drivers know that you don’t? Probably a lot of things, but one thing for sure- they know how to spot suspicious trafficking and what to do about it. And it’s all thanks to one woman and her daughters. Public relations professional Lyn Leeburg learned about the tragedy of human trafficking more than ten years ago, and immediately sat down with her four daughters to figure out how they could help. They came up with the notion that truckers are on the road, are trained to be observant, and could tackle the problem in a big way. That spark of activism has turned into a comprehensive program that trains CDL drivers, partners with truck manufacturers, training schools, law enforcement…even bus drivers to create a program to fight sex trafficking all across the country. Join us as Lyn Leeburg talks about how Truckers Against Trafficking started, how it’s grown, and exactly how they help. Airing for the first time Saturday, September 15, at 11 AM P

  THE HIGH COST OF FIGHTING FOR YOUR CHILD           Imagine you have been the primary care taker for your child. You make sure they are clean and groomed, their homework gets done, they have all the right doctors’ appointments, they are eating right. You are highly tuned to sense any problems, or adjustment issues, and you make sure your child is getting what he or she needs from you. Now imagine you have been cut out of their lives. Imagine the high cost of fighting for your child.           You risk financial ruin, and emotional costs that anyone in your situation cannot begin to understand. Sometimes you even risk your freedom.           Jon Moseley, Virginia attorney, Michael Volpe, author and reporter, and Natalia, a woman who was jailed for talking to her son’s doctor, come on the show to talk about the risks and costs, and the injustice of these situations when courts can seemingly arbitrarily, take away custody, visitation, even freedom, in cases where there are custody disputes.           Join

ELECTRONIC ABUSE AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE           Most of us are aware of the lack of privacy and possible criminal activity our myriad electronic devices can lead to. And many of us know about abusers using these computers and phones to stalk and harass victims. But did you know it’s not just computers and phones? Your Alexa, your Fitbit, your thermostat …all those and more can be used to further abuse and create havoc and threat in our lives.           Eva Galperin, Director of Cyber Security for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization dedicated to defending people against abusive threats in a digital world, has worked for years to fight illegal surveillance, and she shares stories and strategies we all should know.           From recording murders inadvertently, to tracking whereabouts and activities, these devices we rely on can be helpful and amazing, but also  dangerous, particularly in domestic violence situations.           Join us as Eva Galperin shares some warnings, but also

WASHINGTON’S PROTECTIVE LEAVE LAW How often do we hear of a victim of intimate partner violence (or stalking or sexual assault) who loses her job because of the harassment, or because of taking too much time off to deal with court or trauma? Several states have enacted legislation to help those victims, but none of those laws are as generous and comprehensive as Washington State’s Protective Leave Law. Cindy Sparks, Protective Leave Specialist for the state Department of Labor and Industries, deals with the law every day, and she explains the scope of the law (all employers are obligated to follow it, not just larger employers), what it means for victims, and what happens when an employer does not grant reasonable leave to someone dealing with IPV and sexual assault.  She shares the latest updates to the law, and how it impacts potential civil suits for violators. Join us as we talk about Washington State’s Protected Leave Law aimed at helping victims of intimate partner violence, stalking and sexual assau

AMBITIOUS OR TRAUMATIZED: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN OVERWORK AND PAST TRAUMA Experiencing trauma can lead to all sorts of negative consequences but did you realize that it might lead to work addiction? Research is sparse, but anecdotal evidence is there, and some therapists see a connection. Could a workaholic – someone who overworks to the detriment of all other areas of life – really be self-medicating to deal with the bad stuff he or she has lived with? Tanya Paperny is a writer, artist, and editor living in Washington, D.C., and she explored that connection in an article that appeared in the Atlantic. Her work also appears in The Washington Post, Washington City Paper, The Literary Review, VICE, PANK, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Public Pool, Pacific Standard, and elsewhere. Tanya is the recipient of fellowships from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Vermont Studio Center, and OMI International Arts Center. She is at work on a collection about violence, trauma, and resilience. Join us as w

PROSECUTED BUT NOT SILENCED: THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET In Prosecuted but not Silenced, Maralee McLean exposes the dirty secret that most of the public is blissfully unaware of.  The secret is that our custody court system routinely fails to protect children from dangerous abusers and especially sexual predators.  Research shows that mothers make deliberate false allegations of abuse less than 2% of the time, 85% of child abuse allegations result in custody to the alleged abuser. That means the courts are sentencing many children to a childhood living with their rapists. Maralee McLean is an author, public speaker and child advocate and she wrote “Prosecuted but Not Silenced” to help the public learn what frequently happens in child custody courts and to help dispel the myth that such cases are rare. This book is a personal story placed in the context of scientific research. Join us as we talk about “Prosecuted but Not Silenced,” a true and shameful story of the child custody court system.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF IPV IN THE WORKPLACE It’s no secret that women who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence experience numerous problems because of it, from financial difficulties, to health issues, to social issues. But we don’t often talk about the mental health consequences of IPV that get carried into the workplace.  Some advocates are reluctant to talk about the mental health problems, lest people blame the victim for whatever befell her. But the fact is, there are typically a number of problems that follow IPV, including PTSD, depression, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)m all of which can have some significant consequences for the victim as she tries to rebuild her life and livelihood following abuse. J. Gayle Beck, PhD, is with the Department of Psychology at the University of Memphis, and she joins us to talk the research about and the burden of the fallout from experiencing abuse. Join us as we talk about IPV, PTSD, GAD, resulting from abuse and how these conditions affect functioning

TRAUMA, RECOVERY AND MASSAGE Trauma is tough, and recovery is hard, but massage?  What’s that got to do with anything? Turns out, it can play a big part in the process of getting back to normal – or better. Melissa Enter teaches massage but not in the way most of us think about massage. She instructs it from the standpoint of the need for healthy touch. She teaches it with the Massage in Schools Program, which goes into schools and community groups, to instruct healthy, peer to peer massage. The routine is a simplified seated chair massage, done over clothing, without oils.  It uses fun strokes like bunny hops in the hand or drawing hearts on a friend's back.  The routine is used to transition the children into the classroom and prepare them to be ready to learn, and it is perfect for people who have experienced trauma.  Join us as we talk about trauma, touch, recovery and massage.

FEMINIST COUNSELING: THE WAY THE GIRLS DO IT Freud probably wouldn’t have seen a need for feminist psychology, but Robin Tracy (and quite a few other men and women) do. Robin Tracy is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor who practices Feminist Multicultural Therapy.  So what exactly does that mean? A lot of things, it seems. One of the basic things feminist therapy stands for is the relationship between therapist and patient or client. No more paternalistic, the doctor knows best approach to help. This approach looks at counseling as a collaborative effort – and that effort recognizes the way the world looks at the client and how the client must operate in that world. Robin specializes in helping people with depression, anxiety, LGBTQ-related topics, trauma, and difficulty identifying emotions/connecting head and heart. She has been a Mental Health Counselor since 2007 and has worked in social services since 1993. Join us as we talk about therapy and counseling from a feminist, multicultural approach.  

CUSTODY COURTS: INTENTIONAL BIAS? Study after study is showing perfectly good mothers losing custody of their kids, often to fathers who have been abusive or who don’t want to pay child support. Some advocates and experts say it’s a problem with educating judges. But what if it’s more intentional than that? One group believes these custody nightmares are happening on purpose and that something must be done now. The Women’s Coalition International thinks the problems would be eased by requiring child custody cases to be heard by juries. Cindy Dumas is the founder and Executive Director of The Women’s Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and ending the epidemic of women’s children being taken away from. Her son, Damon Dumas, was sexually abused by his father for years, and when the Family Court system wouldn't hear his cries for help, he started a decade-long struggle to free himself from his father's control. He is now the Communications Director of The Women's Coalition and is a recipient

BREAST CANCER: What’s the up side? You’ve seen the pink ribbons (and mixers, and baseball bats, and on and on...), you’ve seen the fundraisers. You’ve heard the horror stories, and you’ve feared the worst. But what if breast cancer isn’t the worst? What if, mixed up with the fear and discomfort there is actually some humor, insight, and something positive you never even knew you could experience? Join Navy veteran, mother, wife, cheesy movie fan, and cancer survivor Heidi Wallace as we talk medicine, reconstruction, ordeals, survival and the unexpected and amusing about the disease the pink ribbon sometimes covers up. Wallace is a Seattle native who collects comic books, hangs out with her dogs and makes as many jokes as she can about the Big C. It’s a perspective you haven’t heard and probably never thought of. Airing for the first time Saturday, June 23, at 11 AM Pacific Time, and available thereafter through the archive at www.blogtalkradio.com/3women3ways. 

  DIGITAL FEMINISM The first wave of feminists marched, got arrested and staged hunger strikes for the right to vote in the 1920’s. The second wave demonstrated, allegedly burned their bras, and staged housework strikes. Today, the third wave (or is it the fourth?) of feminists are not taking to the streets, they are sitting at their computers to advocate for social change. It is the era of digital feminism. High-profile or hidden and quiet, the computer is now a tool that has helped define feminism. Cultural sociologist Dr Kaitlynn Mendes is Associate Professor in Media and Communication at the University of Leicester in the UK, and has written and researched widely around representations of feminism in the media, and feminists’ use of social media to challenge rape culture. She has authored or edited of five books including the award winning SlutWalk: Feminism, activism and media, and the forthcoming book Digital Feminist Activism: Girls and Women Fight Back Against Rape Culture Join us as we social me

COMPLEX TRAUMA AND ADOPTION Why does no one talk about kids who are traumatized being raised by parents who are traumatized? And if that’s not complicated enough, what if the kids are adopted?  Who can possibly sort out those issues, and who can help the folks (and there are more of them than you think) who are dealing with all those issues? AND how does all that impact the rest of us? Robyn Gobbel, LCSW, RPT-S specializes in complex trauma, attachment, and adoption and she joins us to talk about such convoluted problems.   Robyn’s diverse clinical training includes EMDR (including EMDR adapted for children with attachment trauma), Somatic Experiencing, DEEP Experiential Therapy, and Theraplay.  She is a Trust Based Relational Intervention® Educator and a Circle of Security Parent Educator.  Robyn is a dedicated student of attachment theory and Interpersonal Neurobiology.   Join us as we talk about the trauma, the kids, the parents and the neuroscience of healing children and families. Airing for the first

  You know you’ve at least wanted to – the swift swat on the bottom or a smack on the hand for that child who is just being awful!  Surely that’s not going to cause life-long trauma like some sort of beating, right? Well…maybe. Robbyn Peters Bennett is a psychotherapist, educator, and child rights activist. She is an expert on the relationship between harsh discipline, child development and long-term health and she says the research shows that quick smack may, in fact, inflict brain changes, a sense of threat, and life long impact. She argues that corporal punishment can affect a child’s sense of safety, put their body and brain into a state of defensiveness, and disrupt the bond between parent and child. Join us as we talk corporal punishment, the laws, the long-term impact and operant conditioning with mother, grandmother and psychotherapist Robbyn Peters Bennett. Airing for the first time on Saturday, May 26, at 11 AM Pacific time and available thereafter through the archive at www.blogtalkradio.com/3w

HASHTAG ME TOO: WHERE IT’S GOING, WHAT IT’S FROM It’s all over the news, and whether it has you cheering or tearing your hair out, there is no doubt that the “hashtag me too” movement is changing lives. What exactly is this movement, when and where did it start, and who is it helping? And why are some people, including actor Alec Baldwin, saying the movement has gone too far? Join us as we talk with Jennifer Hunt, M.A., an Education and Outreach Specialist with the Sexual Assault Resource Center in Bryan, TX. She focuses on primary prevention education and community outreach and specializes in crisis intervention advocacy and case management work with women in low-income and immigrant populations.  Listen as we explore the benefits, possible drawbacks and the future of the #Me Too phenomenon. First airing on Saturday, May 19, at 11 AM Pacific Time, and available thereafter through the archive at www.blogtalkradio.com/3women3ways.

AMBITIOUS OR TRAUMATIZED: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN OVERWORK AND PAST TRAUMA Experiencing trauma can lead to all sorts of negative consequences but did you realize that it might lead to work addiction? Research is sparse, but anecdotal evidence is there, and some therapists see a connection. Could a workaholic – someone who overworks to the detriment of all other areas of life – really be self-medicating to deal with the bad stuff he or she has lived with? Tanya Paperny is a writer, artist, and editor living in Washington, D.C., and she explored that connection in an article that appeared in the Atlantic. Her work also appears in The Washington Post, Washington City Paper, The Literary Review, VICE, PANK, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Public Pool, Pacific Standard, and elsewhere. Tanya is the recipient of fellowships from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Vermont Studio Center, and OMI International Arts Center. She is at work on a collection about violence, trauma, and resilience. Join us as w

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN A NOT-SO INTIMATE WORKPLACE It’s no secret to those who experience or work with intimate partner violence, that the violence often creeps (or crashes) into the workplace, either directly or indirectly by affecting the environment, the interactions, and the well-being of workers. But what do we do about it? Especially employers? Workplaces Respond helps. It was created by Futures Without Violence, and helps with resources, education, and technical assistance to employers, survivors, co-workers and advocates to help create safer work places.  Attorney Linda Seabrook, formerly with the U.S. Department of Justice, leads a number of legal programs and initiatives for Futures Without Violence, and she will join us to talk about creating safer workplaces free from domestic and sexual violence and stalking. First airing Saturday, October 7, at 11 AM Pacific Time and available thereafter through the archive at www.blogtalkradio.com/3women3ways.

SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL: DIVORCE, COURTS, AND CONTROL You’ve heard of doctor shopping, but have you heard of court shopping? How about finding a judge or venue that is likely to be sympathetic to your side when you take someone to court? What if the courts seem to overlook or excuse things they shouldn’t? What if a person is having a medical emergency but the judge won’t stop the proceedings? What happens in a divorce case when things are spinning out of control? Tanya Hathaway is a certified crisis counsellor who experienced all those things and more as she continues to deal with an ongoing divorce in a state she’s never lived in. Investigative journalist Michael Volpe has been recognized as a leading figure in exposing judicial abuse and corruption, and he reported the Hathaway situation in an article in The Provocateur in March. Hathaway’s four-month marriage and subsequent four year divorce is an example of what can happen to anyone. Join Volpe and Hathaway as we explore some of the intricacies and out

HEALTH CARE RESPONSE TO INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE Advocates and responders have been talking for years about the need for health care professionals to help screen patients for domestic violence. Programs and education seminars have been offered, but still only a small number of women are even asked about whether they are being hurt by a partner.  And even if they are, what’s the medical office supposed to do? Dr. L. Kevin Hamberger, Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin has spent a couple of decades learning about IPV, its prevalence and what we can do about it. A study he and some colleagues put together discovered that while people have been training health professionals about IPV, that frequently does not change the delivery of their care. He and his cohorts identified a few reasons why and set out to do something about that problem.    

HELPING ABUSE VICTIMS THE D.A.D WAY “Get a lawyer!” “Call the police!” “Just leave!”  All reasonable advice for a woman who is living with abuse, but it’s usually a lot harder than it sounds. Since some of the hallmarks of intimate partner abuse are isolation, intimidation, coercion and financial dependency, women who are trying to get away and get safe often find themselves all alone and powerless in the face of their abusers. And that means they are often in danger, or that they must stay or go back to the abusive man.  One ex-cop and process server saw his share of these scenarios and decided to help. Now there is a core group of men in Virginia who make themselves ready, willing and able to provide physical support for the women who find themselves alone and afraid. Trey Gregory was a police officer in the US Air Force as well as in the Roanoke City Police Department and is a graduate of the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy, USAF. He started Domestic Abuse Disruption, Inc., an organization that helps a