S25 Ep23: BTS with BCM Spring 2026

Oxford Montessori School is now Oxford Millwood School. A new name, the same genuine care, academic ambition and belief in every child. Set within a beautiful rural campus, just 20 minutes from Oxford City Centre. Our small classes, personalised pathways and strong send expertise give pupils the support, challenge and confidence they need to succeed, especially those who may not have thrived in larger settings. Find out more at our Open Day on May the 21st. Search Oxford Millwood School Open Day. Something was wrong is intended for mature audiences and discusses topics that may be upsetting. This season discusses sexual, physical and psychological violence. Please consume the following episodes with care. For a full content warning, sources and resources for each individual episode, please visit the episode notes. Opinions shared by the guests of the show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of broken cycle media. The podcast in any linked materials should not be misconstrued as a substitution for legal or medical advice. Thank you so much for listening. Hello friends, I am so excited to be here today with Amy and Lauren from our team. As a reminder, Amy B. Chesler or ABC as I like to call her is an associate producer on Something Was Wrong and is the host of What Came Next here at Broken Cycle Media. Many of you know her and love her from season 7 where she shared her own story which was also featured on shows like Evil Lives Here. She's the author of her memoir Working for Justice and also co-hosts the podcast Familicide. Amy brings so much lived experience, advocacy and heart to this work. She's such an important part of our team and she helps us support survivors and tell their stories. And Lauren Barkman is our social media manager here at Broken Cycle Media. She's also the owner of Luxury Media, her own social media company. Many of you also know her as a survivor who shared her own story on season 20 of Something Was Wrong and through her content on TikTok where she continues to openly share about her experiences. Lauren brings both lived experience and a deep level of care to everything she does from shaping our online presence to connecting with our community and she plays such an important role in supporting this work and the people she reaches. Thank you both for being here and for being on our team. I decided to do official introductions this time. How do you feel? You made me tear up and also I realized holy shit we've accomplished a lot since 2021. We've come a long way and as a reminder I'm Tiffany Reese, a Documentarian, Advocate, Author and the President of Broken Cycle Media. I created and host Something Was Wrong and co-produced What Came Next. I've written two books, A Gratitude Journal Called Everything Sucks and a workbook for creative entrepreneurs called Strong Women Rising. I live in Northern California with my family and our two dogs and this work is something I've dedicated much of my life to building alongside this community and two things on my life bucket list are to be published in the New York Times and to meet Larry David. Go team! Yay, I couldn't even talk when you had mentioned us because my dog was drinking water. Now we're good. That's okay. We've all got our pets in the background. We're going to make the best of it. We have an open door pet and child policy for all meetings here at Broken Cycle Media. Everybody's welcome. What the purpose of these behind the scenes episodes really is about is pulling back the curtain on our work, connecting directly with you, the listener, creating a space for reflection and updates and also answer some listener questions, talk about future seasons and other things that are going on behind the scenes. I wanted to start with season 25 reflections. Curious to hear from both of you what your personal reflections were and what were some of the things that you heard within community. Amy here, I'm just going to jump in. I think when you first mentioned this season, it kind of took me a little bit by surprise because I knew nothing virtually about title nine. We began digging in and just seeing how incredibly pertinent it was to be spoken about. Towards the beginning of the season, we had a chat with Dr. Badera who brought so much expertise and really eye-opening information. And then I was blown away by each survivor. There were so many powerful stories shared. While managing the outreach inbox, I had a gut instinct that we were going to receive a lot of messages about this season. Has it unfolded? And one of the most impactful things was to receive information from a listener who was also a victim of a perpetrator in the season. That was something that I was expecting as well, just because of how long he had been at this. I will add too, though, technically Allegra was a submission from hearing the season. Yeah. And she heard the topic and she knew she had to submit. To continue that perspective of the inbox, it was really eye-opening, shocking, and saddening to see how many people this season really touched and how many listeners could relate to the topic personally. In terms of not only the harm and the gender-based violence that's so prevalent on campuses, but the institutional betrayal that happens within the reporting process or even sometimes just by being on campus. And I think that was something that was such a deep gut check to hear time and time again, not only from the survivors, but also the experts that you were able to interview. There are terms that I've taken away from this season that I can now apply to everything in life. I'm just so appreciative of what I learned through the process of this season. Lauren, did you want to share? Yeah. So I didn't know what Title IX was either. I was sexually assaulted in college more than once. Not many people know about this, but if I had the resources that this podcast gave me, my life would be completely different. I didn't know where to go. I didn't know what resources I had. I didn't have any resources. Didn't know that was a department that we had. The option of going to and speaking with orchestrated complexity, I didn't know what that was at the time, but I knew that there's all these different things where people just wouldn't believe me. It definitely does change your entire life. I knew schools were corrupted, but seeing how things played out in this season really opened my eyes to just how corrupted it is. Bringing administration into it and how it all comes together is just wild to me. It really is from the higher ups down and we need to focus on the problems there. Thank you so much for being willing to share that with us. I'm so sorry you experienced that. We love you and we appreciate being a safe space for you and we're really sorry that that happened. Appreciate your openness. We always got your back. Thank you guys for just giving me the space to navigate that as a team member and understanding. I think it's important to talk about the orchestrated complexity. I never knew there was a word for it. I've seen it so many times since then. I've been able to use that word and say that's what this is. And with April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, you're seeing all these people tell their stories, but certain few tend to orchestrate complexity around it and make up excuses or say things that maybe might make the perpetrator look better. My perspective is that there's this orchestrated complexity and gaslighting of this idea that we care about women. If you look at the data and the statistics and the history, it's just not supported by data and it feels like pandering when people are trying to use women's safety about trans people being in sports or like drag queens reading the kids at brunch. Shit that they're like, we want to protect women and children. The fuck you do. You don't. The fact of the matter is, if that were true, our entire culture and justice system would be completely different. It really bothers me when people even act like women have equal rights or that we are in some way actually on top. I've seen the hottest takes and it's just like the data doesn't support that. I first learned about Title IX through an incredible documentary done by Kirby Dick called The Hunting Ground, which we mentioned several times within the season. It's a really survivor driven documentary, could not recommend it enough. Kirby Dick is a fantastic director and very kind human being. I remember watching it and it was the first time I had heard about Title IX and the failings of the system. I think the most shocking takeaway when I watched that documentary was how many people were not only being sexually assaulted, but how many people were getting away with it. How few colleges were actually taking any real or meaningful action to protect survivors. When we started to see similar submissions coming in 10 years after the documentary came out, I started reflecting back to that documentary and doing some research on what's changed, if anything, in the past 10 years. Spoiler alert, it got way worse. It really shook me to realize that not only had there not been progress, but due to different administrative choices of presidents over the years as well as Supreme Court decisions, it has made it even harder for survivors. Any topic where we can dig in, research and educate the listeners has always been really important to me. It feels like we really achieved what we sought out to, which is to validate the survivor's experiences and create the best experience possible for the survivors we work with, as well as educate our listeners and hopefully empower folks so that God forbid they or someone they love finds themselves in this position, they can take this knowledge forward. It really does just show the real time change and I keep thinking about the trickle-down effect of what we've equipped people with in terms of knowledge. I think we've already been hearing quite a bit of that. We want to protect people's privacy, obviously, but I asked Amy to gather some of the listener reflections. This was a very impactful message that we received amidst the season still airing. It reads, briefly, Dear Tiffany, ABC and team, I am writing to you in a state of urgency and deep personal gratitude. I am a long-time listener and work as an administrative medical professional and this current season on Title IX has literally been my survival guide over the last several weeks. Because of the resources and the vocabulary you've provided this season, I was able to identify a administrative deception and a safety vacuum. Your show didn't just inform me, it armed me. What an absolutely powerful message to receive. I mean, it's everything we hoped for, the experts that we partnered with this season, not only everything that Dr. Badera shared, but same nurse Kayla Hartman, that interview about rape kits and what the actual process looks like and to hear her describe it with so much care was just incredible. Dr. Holland is such a legend. I really admire her work as well as Dr. Cruz bringing in such a different nuanced perspective. The collective picture of those powerful professional voices and experts really brought so much this season and were so thankful for not only the work that they do, but their willingness to contribute. And I believe that's because they really believe in this cause and they know that it does not get the attention that it should. There's a lot of chaos to compete with in this day and age. So even when people do care, there's so much to care about. We just really appreciate their collaboration. Of course, we couldn't do it without the survivors and their willingness to be brave, to speak out, to be so vulnerable and to trust us and to give us their time. It's just the best job in the world, honestly, the fact that we get to wake up and do this work, even though it's really hard sometimes, it's really stressful. The blessing of it, the gratitude that I have for the opportunity is never lost on me. And for me this year, that has really been an area of focus. It's just like gratitude. What a blessing to be able to wake up in these here United States and actually do something where you feel like you're making a difference and contributing to the deconstruction of the patriarchy. It couldn't ask for better. Hey, fucking men. Amen. I'm excited to tell you about our new sponsor, Avocado Green Mattress. Their certified organic mattresses are specifically designed to relieve pressure points, support your body the way it needs and help you actually get the deep restorative sleep you've been missing. Honestly, I think all of us have gotten a lot more intentional about the things we bring into our homes. And if I'm personally making a bigger investment, I want quality, longevity and something that doesn't feel disposable. That's what I appreciate about Avocado. Their focus on thoughtful craftsmanship, comfort and responsibly sourced materials really stands out. It feels like the opposite of fast furniture or fast home goods. 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Osea's Andaria algae body oil is powered by hand harvested Andaria seaweed to deeply hydrate, improve elasticity, and leave skin radiant with a healthy looking glow. In a two-week third-party clinical study, 100% of participants showed significant improvement in moisturization and skin elasticity. Get a spring-worthy glow with clean, clinically tested skincare from Osea. And right now, we have a special discount just for our listeners. Get 10% off your first order site-wide with code SWW at OseaMallaboo.com. This is another really powerful letter from a listener. I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for your most recent season 25. I know the season focused on students, however, I am a teacher. This year, I had to file a title nine against a co-worker. I was convinced, like many of your survivors, to do an informal investigation. She goes on to share a little bit more personal information, but wraps the message up with, I'm so thankful that you shed light on the importance of a formal investigation and making sure to take the time you need to be able to make decisions appropriately. I know your season just wrapped. I just really wanted to thank you. Wow. What I kept hearing from listeners who I chat with online and from survivors behind the scenes as well, listening to other survivor stories is just the prioritization of branding over the student experience and what strikes me about when we think about season 25, season 24 and season 23, the harm that can be caused when people prioritize profit over care and doing what's right. Knowledge is power. All these people listening, even college age listeners, could directly be impacted immediately by knowing this information. I can't wait to keep an eye on those submissions and see what else comes our way because of this season. Just a reminder to anyone listening who might want to submit their story, the best way to do so is going to the website, somethingwaswrong.com, and clicking Share your story and submitting it directly through the website. Thank you so much. Some of the other themes that stood out to me from season 25 was the gap between policy and reality. The Title IX system often functions very differently in practice than how it's perceived publicly to be designed. Another point that really jumped out at me is reporting is complex and can carry risk. We heard from so many survivors that they face such emotional, social, or academic consequences when it came to reporting or others reporting on their behalf. That process can be traumatizing. I learned a lot and thought a lot about reporting when it comes to adults, which is not something I had really considered as deeply as Dr. Holland's work and hearing from some of the survivors this season really made me realize the different nuances within mandatory reporting. I also feel like a major takeaway was neutrality doesn't always feel neutral and that institutions are often approaching these things, thinking that they have to be completely impartial, and that's not necessarily the case. This season also echoes what we've seen time and time again, season after season, which is that credibility is frequently questioned in very problematic ways. Survivors are often judged on things based on their communication style after an incident or perceived inconsistencies. We heard about how retaliation and social consequences are extremely real and that survivors can experience isolation, rumor spreading, community backlash, even being removed from their sport or activity that they love. The impact of these cases really extends way beyond just the survivor. The effects can continue so long after the process as well, including impacts on their mental health, education, personal relationships, romantic relationships. A couple last few points of things that really stood out to me from season 25 is that institutions may have competing priorities. They have administrative, legal, reputational concerns that they are thinking about and that orchestrated complexity. There are a lot of layers to this. There isn't necessarily simple answers for us as people who are not in the Supreme Court, but survivor voices are essential for understanding the system. That lived experience that the survivors were willing to provide us gave critical insight into how these processes can actually function and areas of improvement. I just feel so lucky to have worked on this season alongside of you and we cannot thank the survivors and the experts and listeners and our community enough. So thank you, thank you so much. Switching gears a bit, I'd love to talk a bit about what's new personally. For myself, I will say one major cool thing that I got to do since the last update behind the scenes episode we've done is this past March. ABC and I traveled to South by Southwest and we just had a hell of a time. We were invited to a really cool event with Variety and Google. It was something about being next generation. I don't know exactly, but I know that when I received it, I was like, Amy, this may be the last time I receive anything for being young, so we have to go. I could not miss the opportunity to be considered young. Amy was like, are they sure that this is for us? Next gen us. Okay, the skincare routine is working. I just remember getting a text from you guys and it's Tiffany with Dustin from Stranger Things. Thank you for reminding me that happened. I freaking forgot for a second. Madison McGee who hosts the podcast Ice Cold Case, she was also at South by Southwest, so we were hanging out with her. She got me into this movie premiere pre-party for the movie Pizza Party that just came out. There was so many celebrity comedians, which to me are the kind of people that I get really nervous around because I actually follow their stuff. It was one of those things where it was so crowded, you get there and they're like, are you on the list? Then they can never find your name. You feel like you're lying every time that you're actually invited to this event. Then finally, they're like, oh yeah, here you are. Caleb Herron is the first person I frequency and he's taking pictures with a bunch of people and I'm like, oh my God, and I just begin to sweat. I literally walked back out to the front and the security guy is like, you good? I was just like, the first person I saw was a celebrity, so I had to come back out here because now I'm sweating and he's just started laughing. I'm just like, so can I just stand here and you'll remember and he's like, yeah, you're good. I stood there for a few minutes and I was like, Tiffany, you can do this. You were invited, so I go in. I'm a huge stranger things fan. My kids are obsessed. We went to the movie theater and saw the finale and saw like babies. I really only had one goal, to see Madison and say hi to her. I got to the back of this tiny cool house bar place where they were hosting it at and I turn and I see him and he's at this back bar area where it's not crowded and I look at him and we make eye contact and I make the face that can only be described as the face you make when you see a puppy and he makes the face right back at me. I took three deep breaths and I just walked up to him and I was like, hey, I'm a big fan. Can I take a picture with you? I really try not to ask people unless it's somebody that I really am a big fan of just because that's not really my style to bother people, but he couldn't have been sweeter and it was like a publicity type event. So he was very generous. There were so many legendary comedians there that I was low-key pissing myself. I saw Madison, we talked for a few minutes and I was like, girl, there are too many famous people I have got to go. I cannot be here and I left. Then I also got to meet Killer Mike from Run the Jewels, which is one of my favorite rap groups of all time, a legend of Atlanta. There was this awards thing that I went to and he happened to be hosting it and I had been asking around to some of people like on his team and stuff and luckily the event was low-key enough and they arranged it so I was able to meet him and I couldn't even talk. He was like trying to say things to me and I was just smiling and nodding and I don't even know. It feels silly, but it's also like really cool that there's things in life that can make you that excited too. The fact that we get to meet people that you really love and admire their work is a really cool experience. Oh, a Lannis Morissette also? That was one of those moments where it was like, am I cool enough to be on the list, but I wasn't on the list. Spotify had this event and somehow Amy and I got on the VIP list. But then I got left off in the end accidentally. They let you use Madison's, thank you Madison again. We get in, we have the wristbands or whatever. We're in the cool area with the free food and stuff. They're you can go out and go closer to the stage and then you can come up to the VIP or whatever. So we go out, we're looking around, we're with Sabrina from Two Girls One Go. Shout out, love her. And then we go back up to go back inside and the woman would not believe that I was supposed to be there. I held my wrist out and she was like, no. And then she just stood in front of me and I was like, what's happening? And you and Sabrina just kept walking and I'm pointing to the wristband and she was like, no, just the straight no is killing me. She not only said no, but she was standing in the middle of the walkway and I was to the left, how there's kind of two lanes of traffic. And she was kind of in the middle of blocking. And I went to the left because surely she sees my wristband. We had no problems anywhere else we went. And she was just like, no. I was so confused. And then I finally realized it was because I had so many wristbands on that she couldn't see the one or whatever. But just the way she handled it was so funny. I was like, oh my God, girl, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but I actually did get a wristband. So anyways, Elana's Morissette was fabulous. She played hand in my pocket. I mean, all the bangers, I've always wanted to see her. She was such a freaking icon to me as a kid. I will say she was incredible, but for me to see her, I would have had to be on your shoulders. You would have had to stand on my shoulders. It was wonderful. It was such a good show. I mean, it was very, very cool. It's always fun to go to those audio related events because you know, it's going to be good music or good content and sometimes good food, which it was and, you know, good time to see friends. I was actually telling the kids in the car on the way to school today. Just an aside, it tripped me out that I had a friend in the city that just happened to be there at the same time. She lives out near me now. When we went to the hotel for that next Jen thing, the elevators opened up as we walked into the hotel and there she was. But behind her was Kevin Bacon and Kira Sedgwick. And I was like, what is life? Oh my God, I totally forgot about that. And I was like, we have to go. I really got to get on beta blockers or something. Oh my God, the comedy show we went to. So Madison again came in clutch and got us into this cool comedy showcase itself by Southwest. And we got to meet Sophie Buttle. We actually got to meet her at lunch right before. She is such a hilarious, gorgeous, feminist comedian. That's how I would classify her. But Amy actually knew her work before. I'd never heard her stand up before. So we like meet her and she couldn't have been more lovely. And so then we ended up getting to see her that evening. We got to see a bunch of up and coming comedians. It was a special showcase. And it was just so cool. I haven't been to a comedy show in person in such a long time that it was just so fun. And she's actually been doing stand up comedy since she's 14 years old. She's a Canadian comedian. Check her out. She's definitely going to be a rising star over the next few years. And she's just a hilarious person. And I love just like seeing women dominate on the stage. And all of the female comedians we saw throughout the event were so strong and compelling and thought provoking. And it was just so cool to see in action. Amy, are you curious any other takeaways you want to mention? It was just lovely to get the time with you and to go and not have like a specific agenda necessarily except to just enjoy ourselves and network and see friends. It was wonderful to see Travis from WME. He's one of our agents. It's always fun to see the agents. All of their clients are in one place. They're trying to make all of them happy simultaneously with zero sleep. They work so effing hard. We're so so thankful to everybody on our team. It's always great when we get to see them. Habits are weird because sometimes it's not even about the thing itself. It's about keeping your hands busy when you want something to do. That's what I found interesting about the concept of fume. I tried it and tested it out. And as someone who appreciates a good fidget situation, I kind of got it immediately. Fume is a flavored air device designed to help people quit vaping and smoking by breaking that hand-to-mouth habit loop without nicotine, batteries, or vapor. For me, when I want a flavor boost, crisp mint is my favorite. And the flavor is actually a lot lighter. Think of like comparing sparkling water to soda. And the weighted twisty design makes it genuinely satisfying to fidget with, which is something that I immediately noticed. 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Head to quints.com slash SWW for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's quine.com slash SWW for free shipping and 365 day returns quints.com slash SWW. Thank you. I'd love to talk a bit about you guys and what's new personally. Lauren, you've been working so much getting so many new clients always crushing it. I know you've been also sharing a lot of tick talks lately about your own experience. What's going on in your universe? Honestly, I am just taking it all in right now. I am relaxing. I am enjoying decorating my room. I am enjoying the little things that I haven't been able to do before and just getting my mind right. Now that you've gotten a little more time, now it's been what, three years? Do you feel like you're in a different place in your healing journey now? I think it's a little bit of an accumulation of multiple other things that I still feel, but specifically the hurt and stuff that just put me through. I'm still dealing with the lingering effects of it. I think I'm still struggling with a lot of things. I'm struggling a lot with therapy and finding a therapist, which you don't really hear people talk about often. That's something that I'm navigating. Trying to be vulnerable with a therapist is really hard and I've already been through a few therapists. Continuing to share these crazy stories that I've been through in my whole life situation, it's a lot. Lauren, you touched on something very important. Lifting the veil on the process of finding a therapist can be really hard and triggering at times, but it's important to keep looking for the right person. I wish everybody could have my therapist that I have now. I started working with a somatic therapist at the beginning of 2025 and it has been life changing for me. I'd love to hear about that. It focuses more on body regulation and recognizing and reconnecting and understanding how trauma and anxiety and all of those things live in the body and how our body is impacted by our surroundings. For myself as a now I know neurodivergent person, those elements and learning how to calm my body and comfort my body and make sure I'm not stuck in fight or flight for months at a time. All of the things that I needed help with were really about body regulation for me, learning how to also be present and impactful when I need to be and also still taking extra care of myself. It's just really made me look at how I spend my time, where I spend my time and noticing how the things that I do feel in my body and then reprogramming to make adjustments to either give yourself more comforts or adaptations that you need to be in the settings you desire in a way that works better for you. For me, that looks like when I go to Disneyland wearing earbuds or when I'm in a really bright place keeping my sunglasses on or bringing something with me to have in my hands to fidget with or comfort myself. Different things like that that I can do to make the sensory input and things that overwhelm my system that can be comforting and help me take care of myself so that I can be more present and show up in a better way and be more effective overall. I could not recommend it enough especially for neurodivergent people or people who suspect they might be neurodivergent. Something that she really helps me with that I've never had with a therapist too is she does a lot of visualizations with me. You close your eyes when you're feeling this emotion and you're in this event or circumstance that's happening. If there was to be a physical structure, like a statue of you in this situation, what would that statue look like currently and describing that and sitting with that and then talking about what would you like the statue to look like? How would you like to show up? She was helping me with that with traveling and being on a plane because I have terrible flight anxiety. That was one of the reasons I wanted to re-engage with therapy and find a therapist that I felt like could really help me in a way where I could start pushing myself more. Doing things like the in-person events, going on an airplane, being out more physically and not being as nervous through work. I have really life-changing opportunities, things like walk a red carpet and do on-camera interviews. We went to the I Heart Awards. Amy and Lily and I, we did a couple photos and I was like, I got to go. I just can't do it. I have an event coming up soon and I'm working with my therapist and really trying to push myself and see if maybe this time I could do one interview. How do I want to show up? What would that look like? Who do I look up to that shows up well? Who I would want to emulate internally to give me power or strength? Some of those techniques that she was giving me really helped me. We did the statue visualization when I was flying out somewhere. The statue of what I normally feel like versus the statue of what I wanted it to be like. It was really a simple thing, maybe a 15-minute exercise, but it was very helpful to me. It was a tool that I was able to then take with me into that experience and I actually did the session right before going to the airport and it was the most successful trip. It was right before South by Southwest and I had one of the best trips I've had in a while. So highly recommend. I love that. I love when therapists actually do their job. I know you've had a hell of a time. That's my thing is like, it's not that I'm finding therapists that I just don't connect with. I'm finding therapists that are ghosting multiple. I don't know if it's just because my story is so nuanced. Is there a shortage where you are at? Well, I'm doing teleth therapy, which is even more broad. Maybe you can do some in person and try that out. I think that telehealth is so great, especially for certain lifestyles, access issues that people have and stuff, but I do prefer in person most of the time. And what's nice is if I'm traveling, if my therapist has licensure in the state I'm traveling to, we can do phone or zoom. But I think for somatic therapy, it can really be beneficial to be live and in person. Did you find somatic therapy through that specific therapist or did you search somatic therapy and that led you to her? This is really intriguing to me and I just want to know how you even got there. Through the work that we do, we come in contact with a lot of research when it comes to modalities, types of therapies and different methods. Unlike standard mental health therapy, which focuses predominantly on the mind, somatic therapy incorporates physical components such as breath work, movement, meditation, visual exercises. And for me, just because I have always recognized that when I'm overwhelmed, it's the physical shutdown that happens. I was like, maybe this could be really beneficial for me noticing how many sensitivities I had actually going through my memoir season, talking about things like my reaction to like being in restaurants and all these different things. After the season came out, interestingly, a lot of folks, including therapists were like, Hey, have you ever been diagnosed as neurodivergent or assumed that I was and I was like, you know, I've long suspected, but didn't even see doctors regularly enough to like be assessed or anything like that growing up. I think somatic therapy is must have been like one of the recommended types of therapy for neurodivergent people. That transitions perfectly into something I did want to talk about, which is the mimicking actions of complex trauma and autism. Apparently, they're very similar. What was interesting when I started working with my new therapist was a lot of things that I assumed were just from trauma. I started seeing it as, oh, maybe it's trauma plus, maybe it's trauma and neurodivergency. People have made comments about me having ADHD is another example. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD, but I've definitely had people make jokes at me like, Oh yeah, I have ADHD too or whatever. Because I'm highly sensitive, when I'm overwhelmed or excited or things like that, there can become sort of this hyperactivity that happens in my brain that somewhat could potentially like mimic those sort of ADHD symptoms and what people like associate that looking like. What I would describe as trying to think, but your brain is ping-ponging because you're so fixated on something that is either causing you anxiety or stress and different things like that. It's very layered and complex, but to anybody out there who is neurodivergent or suspects that they are or just has like a lot of sensory sensitivities, if you were the kind of kid who was really particular about the way you wore your clothes, the things you ate, sensitivity to sound, I would highly encourage you to dig in. And the reason why more people seem to be autistic these days or neurodivergent than ever before is not because there's some secret society trying to broaden autism. It's not because people are just trying to pretend to be autistic or neurodivergent to quote, be cool. It's because people are having more education and understanding of autism and neurodivergency. There's more information out there than ever. And as we know, when people are educated, they're much more likely to advocate for themselves, receive diagnosis, get care and have the tools that they need. For a lot of women specifically, they do not get diagnosed as young women. We heard that a lot throughout season 24. Both young men and women were not diagnosed until adulthood. And that's why I was kind of feeling that way. I've also been through a bunch of trauma. As I've gotten older, I feel completely different in my own body. And I'm curious to learn more about that. And I was just curious what you guys thought about it. I'm certainly not an expert on any of it. But I will say, I think as trauma survivors, a lot of those symptoms can mimic each other and ping pong. And it's not about identity to me. It's just about knowing how my body works, learning more about myself in order to take the best care of myself possible. At the end of the day, what's most important is paying attention to the body, the mind and the surroundings and the way that those things impact and influence us and really set goals for what we want that to feel like and paying attention to the things that feel safe, the people that feel safe. One thing that I really love about this podcast and that we all get together and talk about this is that we are survivors and our audience and our support get to watch us struggle and navigate these things. So I think that's really cool. Yeah, the human experience is something else. Amy, anything you want to chime in on? I just wanted to say, Lauren, to speak to what you were just discussing is that trauma does rewire the brain. And what Tiffany mentioned is so deeply important, no matter what. It's most important to truly know ourselves and learn ourselves and not to be condescendingly older. I am the oldest person in this conversation right now, though. Valid. I'm sure you can attest to the same thing, though, Tiffany, is that with every passing year, it's about being more attuned to who we are and respectfully existing in the truest way we can possible to ourselves. I think as we get older, we slough off all the advice that we got as kids that did not fit and does still not fit and will not fit any version of ourselves and refine who we are. And the process is just getting attuned to what we need. And I love that you did that for yourself. And I love that you researched because it's so you, it's so on brand. Yeah, and it's certainly a privilege to be able to access therapy. And that's not lost on me either, because I just did not have that capability. When I was younger, I did not have that access. So I have to have compassion for my younger self and what my younger self had access to. ABC, you have so much going on, both things you can maybe share with us today and behind the scenes, exciting things to come. You've recently done some really interesting interviews on platforms like Soft White Underbelly. You've been busy. What can you share with us about all the stuff you've been up to? Oh my gosh, I think I can probably share a microcosm of what truly what's going on. I'm very thankful to Mark Lata, I believe is the pronunciation of his name at Soft White Underbelly for a really impactful and empowering conversation. I don't think I can share specifically what docu series I was a part of, but I have actually filmed a couple docu series that will be released this year. One of the episodes will dive into another side of my family's story. My brother's impact on survivors and women and people in general. And the only place that's ever been done is on What Came Next. Wow. Yeah, that is exciting. It's not exciting to ever hear these grave stories of survivorship, but it is exciting to see the impact and the validation in continuing to be amplified by these platforms. The other docu series I can share, I got to support a friend in a big project and that was an honor to have my voice included. I brought some knowledge from season 25 into one of them. Actually, maybe both of them. Sometimes I disassociate in my interviews and I'm like, what did I just say to that question? But I actually believe I brought the term empathy into both of those conversations speaking of the impact of the season. And then, you know, I've been filming and doing other stuff that can't really share quite yet, but hopefully fingers crossed, hand prayers to God. We're in the throes of everything, but hopefully in the coming months, I'll have a lot to share. I feel like the only platform I do that on at this moment is Instagram. So if you guys just a shameless plug, if you want to stay abreast of that stuff, find me there. So cool. Can't wait to hear more and cannot wait till you can share more with everybody. Amy, did you want to share the news you got about your brother? Yeah, a case update on season seven on what came next. I've shared several updates in my brother's journey, but a quick update and a quick little recap for people that don't remember it. In 2021, right after my book was released, my brother had his first parole hearing, which he actually postponed, but first threatened my life at and then requested to be moved to prisons. He waived a stack of letters and said, he's got family supporting him up north and wanted to move prisons up north. And at that parole hearing, they said, sure, yeah, we can do that. I guess the process of doing that is very, very, very long. So I believe the date was like April 28th at midnight. I got the email saying he was finally moved up there, which is a very layered thing. The emotions are deep. Got a lot of DMs when I posted that on Instagram. People saying, well, is this good? Is this bad? And I haven't even replied to any of them yet because it's just a lot to process. I guess the perspective on that is it's good because he's farther away from me and my children. I still reside in Los Angeles. That is no secret. Both sides of my family are here. My roots are here. I tear up because this is my home. I have never left it, but I've also never really lived without fear. So yes, it's good that he moved away further. It's also scary and sad that the system has empowered him to just choose to move closer to family that supports him, which is just mind blowing. So as a survivor, it's just very layer to process those feelings. And obviously, I'm a human live processing and crying about it. For the first time, I will say I've had my kids every day since I got that message and they're at school right now. So I guess having a moment to process, it's a lot, but that is what's going on. Thank you for sharing. We love you so much. Thank you for giving me this space to do so. Always, always. I hate anything where he gets his way. So it's always a disappointment when it's like he's happy. I also will say this is terrible, but it's also very layered to receive an email at midnight. The first thing of crossing my mind is, oh my gosh, he's dead. And then I open it and it's like, no, he's been moved away. And that's good and bad. And it's all the things. His death will kind of end this process for me. And it's not that I actually wish him dead. It's just so many things I'm processing each time I get a message like that. There's never any preparation. It's just there. Yeah. There's also grief and like realizing that that's my brother and that's how I feel about him. One, the shock waves, again, going back to like the somatic experience when you receive something like that, the physical digestion that you have to do in addition to the processing emotionally. These are the types of things that survivors have to live with on a daily basis that people forget about, not just the event and the immediate after. It is a lifelong recovery for most of us. And it's also a lifelong criminal justice process for a lot of us who are engaged with it forever. It's almost like the forgotten institutional betrayal or trauma. The grief from the loss of my mother, obviously, will always be greater. But then underneath that umbrella, it's a smaller umbrella, but it's there. All of the nuance of the grief that the justice system forces us to face with every notification, every reminder, every parole hearing, every everything. Thank you for giving me the space to talk about it here and also on what came next, because that's our whole mission is just to like really, truly represent the survivor experience. Thank you so much for sharing that, Amy. It's interesting, Amy, that you say that about like, you thought it was a death notice because I was thinking about health stuff the other day, and maybe I'm entering my midlife crisis, but reflecting on how old I am and like how many years I've been working on the podcast and what percentage of my life that is. And then I was thinking about how many more years will I probably be living? And I started thinking about, oh, I wonder how long my parents lived, almost kind of assuming that they had died. They're not knowing of whether or not my parents are still alive and being curious about that. And so I actually ran their background checks to see if they were still alive and they are. I will say the number one question that I get asked just by like people who I have interacted with about my own season is, have you heard from your parents since sharing my memoir season, season 16? No, they haven't contacted me. No, I will not contact them. I hope it stays that way. I am at peace with the situation. I have a beautiful life now with so many blessings and my family is vast and comprised of really powerful and kindhearted and empathetic people. I have all of the love and support and care and my needs are met in every way, humanly possible. It's definitely a continued journey, though. Being a survivor of childhood abuse is going back to that deprogramming mentality. The unpacking of the trauma and stuff, it's often lifelong, but I feel like this year I'm in the best place I've been in a really long time. I definitely do attribute it to that, to finding the right therapist and also making changes in the way I was spending my time. I've also just been on social media way less. I've been off it for like about a month now and I've been noticing how that feels in my body too. I'm still able to be informed through other outlets that are less stressful for my body. I'm always sending stuff to you guys. I don't mind when you send stuff because it's different than doom scrolling. Even with removing myself, I still get like updates on stuff. It's just when I need to know like love on the spectrum drama that's happening or when I need access to Clay Thompson memes. There's just certain elements of things that happen on the internet that I do want to be a part of without the traumatizing doom scrolling elements. I drive my bus in a busy city. That's why road safety is so important to me. I know that I must slow down and be extra careful when I make a wide turn. Buses need more room than cars. Everyone can help keep our roads safe. Next time you're driving, remember to give buses plenty of time and space to finish turning before driving ahead. Let's all plan to share the road safely. Learn how at www.sharetheroadsafely.gov. What a scream. We installed telephone wires across rural Britain over a century ago and you're still paying to use them for your broadband today. If it ain't broke, what? Stop. Your days of selling phone age broadband are over. Blast off, spill the beans. Upgrade to 100% full fiber. Giga clear. Faster broadband for rural Britain from only 19 pounds a month. Price may rise during contract. T's and C's apply. Check availability at gigaklear.com. So another exciting update for the show is that we won a Webby Award. We found out on my birthday, March 31st, that we were nominated, which was such a cool freaking birthday present. We won for Best Documentary podcast and we also received an honorable mention in the crime injustice category. It's just one of those moments where it's like pinch me. It has not even set in yet. We were so honored, especially to receive in the best documentary category for me personally. It means so much as someone who has loved documentaries for such a long time and we were nominated amongst so many other talented shows. It feels like such an honor. Every year the Webby's select a winner and then there's a People's Choice winner and the Webby's selected us for Best Documentary podcast, but we still appreciate all of you who voted for us in the People's Choice category as well. We couldn't do it without survivors, the guests that come on the show, our team on this call, our audio producers, our agents, everybody behind the scenes, the accountants. Everybody plays a role and makes the thing happen. So we just could not be more honored and excited and this was specifically to recognize the work that we did on season 23 and season 24 during the 2025 calendar year. I am very excited because the awards is on Monday, May 11th. It's right after Mother's Day weekend and so when I found out we won, I wasn't sure if I could bear the thought of leaving my kids and being away from them on Mother's Day. It's my favorite holiday of the year. I've never not been with my kids on Mother's Day and there's only so many of those you get until your kids are adults and so I was going back and forth on it and then it struck me like maybe they could come. So we started trying to see if we could make it happen with the kids' schedules and Michael's work schedule and all that stuff and we are. So it's my kids' third time going on an airplane ever. Their first time going to the big Apple. Michael's going to attend the awards show with me and I have my outfit almost all the way picked out. I just couldn't be more excited and it's such a huge honor. You'll definitely all be there with me in spirit. If it wasn't Mother's Day weekend, I know Amy would be there with me and hopefully next year when Amy wins, we'll be able to take the whole team there and you guys will be there with me. We'll all be there together in person but just very, very thankful. Anything you guys want to add on to that? I am so honored to be a part of the team. It's just such an amazing platform you've built over the years. I think I said at one point like 2026 is going to be the year and it has not proven us wrong yet. So proud, so honored, so grateful. It's also so special that you guys are all going to be doing that together and the city of New York is like the city of spirit and to just be enjoying that together that weekend and then leading into the award show and the fact that Michael will be there, just perfect. It's going to be great and I think it's really cool to be able to take Michael and the kids on this trip because they are also hugely impactful in this whole experience. They have been there by my side since day one, since the idea literally came to me and I started working on it. I have been making this show as long as my youngest can remember. That's his whole life. He knows me doing this and it always being a part of our sort of family dynamics. They've gotten to know not all of the things that we talk about and all of the work that we do because it's not all age appropriate, but they do have a sense of the purpose behind the show. They've always been such a huge sense of support for me and I really couldn't do it without them and on the personal side, they're the reason I do everything. I just want them to be able to soak in this moment too because they earned a piece of it as well. Tell me if I'm wrong. This is how I feel about it in terms of the work. This is all obviously for all the listeners and survivors, but it's for our kids and it's not necessarily that the content we're making is for our children, but it's to make a better future for them. Yes. And also, this might be my trauma speaking, but if God forbid anything happened to me, they have a trove of my voice everywhere. I know that's a little dark, but eventually, they can listen to it, but it's also for a better future for them. And I'm not even saying that selfishly, it's for your children. It's for everyone's children too, but damn, I love my kids. Yeah. Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day, everyone. Next time on Something Was Wrong. The breadth of what we've covered on Something Was Wrong over all of these years, it really spans so much of our human experience. We've told stories about emotional abuse, coercive control, gaslighting, domestic violence, sexual violence, deception, fraud, identity, manipulation, people living entire double lives. We've talked about harm within families, friendships, communities, but through it all, the through line has always been the same. It's been about centering survivors' voices, naming harm clearly, and creating space for people to be seen, understood, and maybe feel a little less alone. So thank you guys for being here and for being such a huge part of that. Here's to the next seven years, some very excited. Thank you so much to each and every survivor and guest for sharing their experiences with us. And thank you for listening. Something Was Wrong is a broken cycle media production created and executively produced by Tiffany Rees. Thank you endlessly to our team, Associate Producer Amy B. Chesler, Social Media Marketing Manager Lauren Barkman, Graphic Artist Sarah Stewart, and Audio Engineers Becca High and Steven Wack. Marissa and Travis at WME, Audio Boom, and our legal and security partners. Thank you so much to the incredibly talented Abiyomi Lewis for this season's gorgeous cover of Gladrag's original song, You Think You, from their album, Wonder Under. Thank you to Music Producer Janice JP Pacheco for their work on this cover recorded at the Grill Studios in Emeryville, California. Find all artists, socials linked in the episode notes to support and hear more. If you'd like to share your story with us, please head to SomethingWasWrong.com. If you would like to help support the show, you can subscribe and listen ad free on Apple Podcasts, purchase a sticker from our sticker shop at brokencyclemedia.com, share the podcast with a loved one, or leave us a review. Want to stay up to date with us? Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Something Was Wrong podcast. As always, thank you so much for listening. Until next time, stay safe friends.