Content warning: childhood abuse, childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, abduction, missing persons, gun violence, murder, and mental illness.

Amber Rodgers is a survivor, business professional, and creative from Texas. As early as she can remember, her life was filled with chaos. By the time she was fourteen, she was a multi-crime survivor, and by 19 she would serve as a witness in her best friend’s murder trial. Amber moved forward by cultivating a successful career and loving family, until her past trauma instigated a cascading effect in her mental health and relationships. Although Amber has shared portions of her story at-large, it took her decades and a life-altering mental health journey to realize the deep impact her teen years had had on her. The Broken Cycle Media team is deeply appreciative of Amber’s transparency, rawness, and advocacy in the following two episodes. These episodes are dedicated in loving memory of Kytrina Marie Locascio.

Sources:

Curt Hodges. “Woman Murdered; Killer Sentenced.” The Jonesboro Sun, 22 Nov. 1997.

For additional resources and a list of non-profit organizations that can help, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources

*Content Warning: fraud, harassment, catfishing, stalking, sexual abuse, troubled teen industry, childhood abuse, and institutionalized child abuse.

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• Website: tiffanyreese.me
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*Resources:

The Gathering Inn: https://www.thegatheringinn.com/

Tending the Garden: https://www.tendingthegarden.love/

Trans Doe Task Force: https://transdoetaskforce.org/

*Sources:

-Baker, Jennifer. “Doula Defrauder Kaitlyn Braun Will Return to Court in May for Sentencing Submissions.” CTVNews, 7 Mar. 2025, www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/doula-defrauder-kaitlyn-braun-will-return-to-court-in-may-for-sentencing-submissions/

-Beattie, Samantha. “Judge Calls Woman a ‘danger,’ Sends Her to Prison after Faking Pregnancies, Defrauding Ontario Doulas | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 10 June 2025, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/kaitlyn-braun-sentence-1.7556327

-Reese, Tiffany. “Season 18.” Something Was Wrong, Broken Cycle Media. https://somethingwaswrong.com/

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Content Warning: legal abuse, divorce, child-to-parent violence, narcissistic abuse, and coercive control.

Vanessa Reiser is a mother, author, survivor, and licensed psychotherapist specializing in narcissistic and cult abuse. She is also the founder of Tell a Therapist, LLC and is best known for her 11-day, 285 mile run across the state of New York - in a wedding dress - to raise awareness for narcissistic abuse. We had the previous honor of hosting Vanessa as a guest on What Came Next in episode 77, entitled “The Treachery of No Empathy,” which first aired on July 5th, 2024. In the episode, her insights were both personal and professional, giving her a unique lens into narcissistic abuse. Since then, Vanessa has navigated some major life updates, and even added the role of podcaster to her resume. The Broken Cycle Media team continues to be so very grateful for Vanessa’s advocacy and willingness to share her expertise, time, and exciting updates with our audience.

WCN Episode 77 [Vanessa Reiser] The Treachery of No Empathy: https://podcasts.apple.com/lt/podcast/vanessa-reiser-the-treachery-of-no-empathy/id1674051643?i=1000661213926
Vanessa's Website: http://www.tellatherapist.net
Vanessa's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessareiserlcsw/
Vanessa's Book: https://amzn.to/4383o1E

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please consider visiting https://www.thehotline.org/. For a list of resources and related non-profit organizations that can help, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources

Content Warning: love fraud, intimate fraud, financial fraud, gun violence, and robbery.

Tracy Hall is a mother, author, speaker, business marketing expert, and victim of financial and intimate fraud from Australia. After a series of traumatic events and life changes, Tracy found herself unexpectedly single in her early 40’s. Although she had a full life, she sought an activity partner to grow with. That’s when she met Max Tavita, a Bondi Beach businessman with an active lifestyle and a deepening love for Tracy. Over the next year and a half, he would carefully cultivate a relationship that promised to fulfill all of Tracy’s romantic, personal, and even financial dreams. However, it would all come toppling down upon his December 2017 arrest, which brought the realization that Max - whose real name was Hamish - wasn’t who he said he was. Since navigating a long criminal justice process, sharing her story via podcast, book, and beyond, Tracy has made it her mission to bring awareness to the intricacies and stigmas of intimate fraud. The Broken Cycle Media team is immensely grateful for Tracy’s openness, expertise, and advocacy.

Tracy's Website: https://tracyhall.com.au/
Tracy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyleehall/
Tracy's Media Language Guide: https://tracyhall.com.au/resources
The Last Victim in paperback: https://amzn.to/4ngzQbn
The Last Victim in Audiobook: https://amzn.to/4tZhezx
Who the Hell is Hamish?: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-the-hell-is-hamish/id1451470931

Sources:

- “Conman Hamish McLaren Jailed for up to 16 Years after Swindling $7.6m from Victims.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/20/conman-hamish-mclaren-jailed-for-up-to-16-years-after-swindling-76m-from-victims

- “Early Appropriate Guilty Pleas.” The Law Society of New South Wales, www.lawsociety.com.au/resources/resources/my-practice-area/criminal-law/early-appropriate-guilty-pleas.

For a list of additional resources and related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources

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Content Warning: miscarriage, love fraud, intimate fraud, financial fraud, and robbery.

Tracy Hall is a mother, author, speaker, business marketing expert, and victim of financial and intimate fraud from Australia. After a series of traumatic events and life changes, Tracy found herself unexpectedly single in her early 40’s. Although she had a full life, she sought an activity partner to grow with. That’s when she met Max Tavita, a Bondi Beach businessman with an active lifestyle and a deepening love for Tracy. Over the next year and a half, he would carefully cultivate a relationship that promised to fulfill all of Tracy’s romantic, personal, and even financial dreams. However, it would all come toppling down upon his December 2017 arrest, which brought the realization that Max - whose real name was Hamish - wasn’t who he said he was. Since navigating a long criminal justice process, sharing her story via podcast, book, and beyond, Tracy has made it her mission to bring awareness to the intricacies and stigmas of intimate fraud. The Broken Cycle Media team is immensely grateful for Tracy’s openness, expertise, and advocacy in the following two episodes.

Tracy's Website: https://tracyhall.com.au/
Tracy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyleehall/

Sources:

- “Conman Hamish McLaren Jailed for up to 16 Years after Swindling $7.6m from Victims.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jun/20/conman-hamish-mclaren-jailed-for-up-to-16-years-after-swindling-76m-from-victims

For a list of additional resources and related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources

Thank you again to Mint Mobile for sponsoring this episode. Remember, if you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com/wcn

Content Warning: suicidal ideation, suicide, neglect, abuse, torture, child abuse, childhood torture, domestic childhood torture, institutionalized abuse, and institutionalized torture.

Ali Davis is a healthcare professional, non-profit founder, and a survivor of alleged childhood torture. She was born in Alaska, and as early as she can remember, the alleged torture that she would face at the hands of her mother had begun. It would take her years to come to recognize the weight of all that she navigated, and to be able to name it appropriately. Amidst her healing journey she launched a non-profit foundation called Pretti Graffiti which was established to provide funding for humanitarian aid for survivors of non-war-related childhood torture in the United States. Ali is paving the way for survivors and researchers alike, bringing awareness and prevention as a result of her efforts. The Broken Cycle Media team is so deeply grateful for her sharing her time, energy, expertise, and deeply empathetic views with our audience.

The Pretti Graffiti Foundation: https://www.prettigraffiti.org/
Pretti Graffiti on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_ali_davis_

Sources:

[PDF] Child Torture as a Form of Child Abuse | Semantic Scholar, www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Child-Torture-as-a-Form-of-Child-Abuse-Knox-Starling/2d88139a3af0775d9a20333b03bb8f356cbc6615

For a list of additional resources and related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources

Thank you again to Mint Mobile for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget, if you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com/wcn

Content Warning: intimate partner violence, domestic violence, strangulation, and murder.

Nichole Schmidt is a mother, speaker, non-profit founder, victim advocate, and co-victim of murder. Her trajectory changed drastically in August of 2021 with the very public disappearance and murder of her daughter, Gabby Petito. In the wake of her loss, Nichole has transformed her grief into legislative and social change via the Gabby Petito Foundation, a Netflix documentary, a forthcoming book and podcast, and much more. The Broken Cycle Media team is beyond grateful for Nichole’s time, energy, resilience, and advocacy in the wake of her unimaginable loss. This episode is dedicated in loving memory of Gabby Petito.

Sources:

- “Brian Laundrie’s Cause of Death, New Details Revealed in Autopsy.” ABC7 Los Angeles, 15 Feb. 2022, abc7.com/post/brian-laundrie-autopsy-gabby-petito-report/11564906/

Resources:

- Conference on Crimes Against Women: https://conferencecaw.org/
- The Gabby Petito Foundation: https://gabbypetitofoundation.org/
- The Gabby Petitio Foundation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabbypetitofoundation/
- Nikki Schmidt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niki_schmidt_/
- Netflix's American Murder: Gabby Petito - https://www.netflix.com/title/81733793

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please consider seeking safety resources via https://www.thehotline.org/. For a list of additional resources and related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources

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