Genesis The Podcast

Genesis experts Ruth Guerreiro and Jordyn Lawson join the conversation to unpack models that explain domestic violence and provide real, practical solutions for survivors and those who support them. Together we walk through the Cycle of Violence framework as well as the Power and Control Wheel derived from the Duluth Model to understand their origins, purpose, and applications. 

Our discussion also grounds these theories in real-wor...

What if the most powerful weapon in an abusive relationship isn’t a fist, but a login? We sit down with Jordyn Lawson, Chief Residential Officer at Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, to unpack how financial abuse and coerced debt quietly trap survivors—even long after they leave. From paychecks diverted into hidden accounts to loans opened under threat or deception, money becomes a leash: it governs housing, food, credit, and t...

We open the new year by exposing myths that keep victims unheard and abusers protected: the “nice guy” persona, the anger excuse, the belief that leaving solves everything. With Ruth Guerreiro, Chief Clinical Officer at Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, we walk through the mindsets that drive coercive control and the covert tactics that slip past friends, families, courts, and even clinicians.

In this episode, Ruth br...

How well do you know the driver of your rideshare? You don't. And you need to listen to this episode to understand what he is capable of and how to protect yourself.

In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the risks women face in rideshares and the systemic gaps that let predators operate with impunity. Together with Susan Knape, founder of A Case for Women, we trace the data behind thousands of harassment and assaul...

A voice possesses the power to either conceal - or reveal - the truth. After decades of silence and shame about what was truly unspeakable childhood abuse, Shana Halligan chose speak out. And what followed was a complete  transformation of her life that led to a music career of authentic self-expression and powerful presence.

As the daughter of Dick Halligan, founder of the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, Shana experienced music on a...

In this episode of Genesis The Podcast, host Maria MacMullin delves into the topic of coercive control with expert Kate Amber. Ms. Amber, a survivor, who holds an MS in Psychology of Coercive Control from the University of Salford and is the founder of End Coercive Control USA (ECCUSA), shares her personal experiences with domestic abuse and explains her Quicksand Model of understanding coercive control. Kate Amber discusses how co...

When Hispanic survivors of intimate partner violence seek help, they face a gauntlet of unique cultural barriers that can make safety seem impossible. From family members who prioritize appearances over protection to faith leaders who frame abuse as a spiritual test, the path to safety is fraught with roadblocks that extend far beyond language differences alone.

Teresa Gallegos, Director of Outreach and Accessibility at th...

Black women are six times more likely to be murdered by intimate partners than white women. Let that sink in.

Dr. Miltonette Craig pulls back the curtain on this hidden crisis in our powerful conversation about intimate partner violence and media representation. As an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University and research coordinator for the Crime Victims Institute, Dr. Craig brings both academic rigor and genuin...

From the moment Dr. Carolyn West speaks, her passion for protecting Black women from intimate partner violence resonates with unmistakable urgency. As a professor of clinical psychology with over three decades dedicated to researching gender-based violence in marginalized communities, she brings profound insights into what she calls a "triple pandemic" that devastated Black women during 2020: COVID-19, domestic violence, ...

What makes someone capable of killing the person they claim to love? Dr. David Adams has spent over four decades searching for answers by interviewing both survivors and perpetrators of intimate partner violence.

As co-founder of Emerge, the world's first counseling program for men who abuse women, Adams takes us behind the facade of abusive relationships to expose the calculated tactics abusers use to trap their vict...

What happens when the person who claims to love you systematically dismantles your sense of reality? Tiffany Tate, CEO of The Family Place in Dallas and a survivor of narcissistic abuse, bravely shares her story for the first time on this powerful episode.
 
 "When you don't trust the thoughts that are in your head, that is very, very hard to recover from," Tiffany reveals, describing her decade-long journey ...

When asked whether they'd rather be alone in the woods with a bear or a man, most women choose the bear - a startling reflection of how women perceive safety in modern America. Genesis CEO Jan Langbein joins host Maria MacMullin to explore this phenomenon and discuss the evolution of women's rights and domestic violence services as Genesis approaches its 40th anniversary.

We open season 5 of Genesis The Podcast reflecting ...

What happens when the only community you've ever known becomes your prison? When sacred teachings become weapons of control? Jo Lloyd Johnson takes us on a raw, unflinching journey through the hidden world of religious cults and the long path toward reclaiming personal autonomy.

Growing up in what she eventually recognized as a cult environment, Jo experienced multiple layers of abuse – religious, spiritual, and sexua...

Could your kindness be putting you in danger? This eye-opening conversation with Laura Frombach and Joy Farrow reveals how predators don't actually look for weakness—they deliberately target kindness, empathy, and accommodation. 

In this episode, Laura Frombach shares her powerful personal story of growing up with generational domestic violence, watching her once very kind mother transform under years of abuse and coe...

The digital world has become a hunting ground where algorithms serve as silent recruiters, pulling vulnerable young men toward misogynistic ideologies at alarming speeds. This eye-opening conversation with experts Laura Frombach and Joy Farrow reveals the disturbing reality of how technology amplifies hatred against women and girls.

When researchers created a fake social media account for a 16-year-old boy, the algorithm b...

For decades, the path to healing from domestic violence trauma was long, arduous, and often incomplete. Laura Frombach's powerful journey demonstrates why that happens and how dramatically the path to healing has changed.

Growing up with two alcoholic parents in a violent household, Laura witnessed her mother's startling transformation from a kind person to someone cruel and sadistic. Only decades later did Laura...

The battleground of family court has become a dangerous landscape for survivors of domestic violence and their children. When abusers wield the controversial theory of parental alienation syndrome as a weapon, protective parents often find themselves losing custody to the very people they're trying to escape.

Ruth Guerreiro, Chief Clinical Officer of Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, pulls back the curtain o...

What happens when childhood trauma meets unwavering resilience? Katherine (Kat) Omo-Osagie's story answers this question with extraordinary power and grace.

At just six years old, Kat witnessed unimaginable violence when her father shot her mother multiple times before taking his own life. Today, she stands tall as Miss Lewisville, a contestant in the 2025 Miss Texas pageant, a college scholar on a presidential schola...

Sara Sherbill's powerful memoir "There Was Night and There Was Morning" takes its title from the book of Genesis, establishing a profound metaphor for her life's journey from darkness to light. As the daughter of a respected rabbi who terrorized his family behind closed doors, Sarah lived a "split-screen reality" - presenting the perfect religious family image to the community while enduring horrific a...