Content Warning: neglect, miscarriage, gang violence, assault, physical violence, substance use disorder, and suicidal ideation.
Cesar Cardona is a survivor, public speaker, and mindfulness educator living in Los Angeles, California. Cesar’s tumultuous youth first set him on a path of self-destruction. But after he faced a brutal, life-altering attack, Cesar found Buddhism and meditation as a means of coping and healing. Now he is on a mission, both within his speaking career and on his podcast “Beauty in the Break,” to bring light and hope to others’ lives. The Broken Cycle Media team is deeply grateful for Cesar’s grace, advocacy, and soulful sentiments within this episode.
Cesar’s Website: http://www.cesarcardona.com
Cesar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_cesarcardona
Beauty in the Break: https://cesarcardona.com/podcast
Beauty in the Break YT: https://www.youtube.com/@BeautyintheBreak
Beauty in the Break on IG: https://www.instagram.com/beautyinthebreakpod/
Thank you again to Lola Blankets for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to wrap yourself in luxury with Lola Blankets for a limited time. Our listeners are getting a huge 35% off their entire order lolablankets.com by using the code [WCN] at checkout. Just head to lolablankets.com and use the code WCN for 35% off. After you purchase, remember they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you!
For a list of additional resources and related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources
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144: [JJ Comerford] 40 Years of Emotion // Part 2
Content Warning: pedophilia, religious abuse, physical abuse, rape, childhood sexual abuse, childhood sexual assault, child abuse, substance use disorder, professional abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide.
JJ Comerford is an author, professional, former servicemember, and survivor from Australia. In these two episodes, J.J. rawly shares about the physical and sexual abuse he experienced as a student in the private Catholic school system in the 1970’s. After decades of suffering in silence, J.J. was eventually encouraged to share about his abuse at-large. Since he began his mission of awareness, his media efforts and book have offered much solace to his supporters. The Broken Cycle Media team is deeply honored that J.J. was willing to so rawly share his story, strength, and resilience with our audience.
Sources:
“Abused schoolboy John Comerford took gun to school to kill his rapist teacher.” The Daily Telegraph, 16 July 2017, www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/john-comerford-was-raped-at-11-he-returned-to-the-school-at-18-with-a-loaded-shotgun-to-kill-his-rapist-but-he-was-told-he-was-already-dead/news-story/5d61f68d4bbc7d4c17d25c7d118be1cb
Resources:
Survivors & Mates Support Network: https://www.samsn.org.au/
JJ’s Website: https://jjcomerford.com/
JJ's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.comerford.779/
JJ's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jjcomerford_/
JJ's Books: https://jjcomerford.com/books
For a list of additional resources and related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources
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143: [JJ Comerford] A Toxic Environment // Part 1
Content Warning: pedophilia, religious abuse, physical abuse, rape, childhood sexual abuse, childhood sexual assault, child abuse, substance use disorder, professional abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide.
JJ Comerford is an author, professional, former servicemember, and survivor from Australia. In these two episodes, J.J. rawly shares about the physical and sexual abuse he experienced as a student in the private Catholic school system in the 1970’s. After decades of suffering in silence, J.J. was eventually encouraged to share about his abuse at-large. Since he began his mission of awareness, his media efforts and book have offered much solace to his supporters. The Broken Cycle Media team is deeply honored that J.J. was willing to so rawly share his story, strength, and resilience with our audience.
Sources:
“Abused schoolboy John Comerford took gun to school to kill his rapist teacher.” The Daily Telegraph, 16 July 2017, www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/john-comerford-was-raped-at-11-he-returned-to-the-school-at-18-with-a-loaded-shotgun-to-kill-his-rapist-but-he-was-told-he-was-already-dead/news-story/5d61f68d4bbc7d4c17d25c7d118be1cb
Resources:
JJ’s Website: https://jjcomerford.com/
JJ's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jjcomerford_/
JJ's Books: https://jjcomerford.com/books
For a list of additional resources and related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources
And thank you again to Quince for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget that you can keep it classic and cozy this fall with long lasting staples from Quince. Just go to quince.com/wcn for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns!
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142: [Ti] Strong & Brave // Part 2
Content Warning: substance use disorder, suicidal ideation, assault, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, rape, stalking, human trafficking, sex trafficking, gun violence, and murder.
Ti is an incredibly resilient multi-crime survivor from Madagascar. She first joined a dating app in her mid-20’s with the hope of finding the love of her life. She wasn’t expecting to be swept off her feet and away to America, but life had other plans for her. However, when she arrived in Michigan by way of Chicago, she was shocked to quickly learn the highly abusive nature of her new husband’s actions. Ti soon found herself escaping a marriage with a man who not only worked to systematically crush her spirit, but also allegedly sex trafficked her. The heartache did not end there though; after freeing herself and fleeing to another state, she watched from afar as her ex-husband’s violence reached an insurmountable point. The Broken Cycle Media team is in deep awe of Ti’s resilience and has immense gratitude for her vulnerability amidst these episodes.
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
https://www.thehotline.org/
[John-Michael Lander] An Athlete's Silence:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-michael-lander-an-athletes-silence/id1674051643?i=1000619765637
For a list of resources and additional non-profit organizations that can help, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources
And don't forget to follow Truer Crime wherever you get your podcasts... Catch new episodes every week, then go back and dive into the back catalog to bring even more unforgettable stories.
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141: [Ti] Meant for a Better Life // Part 1
Content Warning: substance use disorder, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, child abuse, chilhood sexual abuse, rape, statutory rape, stalking, human trafficking, sex trafficking, domestic violence, and murder.
Ti is an incredibly resilient multi-crime survivor from Madagascar. She first joined a dating app in her mid-20’s with the hope of finding the love of her life. She wasn’t expecting to be swept off her feet and away to America, but life had other plans for her. However, when she arrived in Michigan by way of Chicago, she was shocked to quickly learn the highly abusive nature of her new husband’s actions. Ti soon found herself escaping a marriage with a man who not only emotionally and physically worked to crush her spirit, but also forced her into sex trafficking. The heartache did not end there though; after freeing herself and fleeing to another state, she watched from afar as her ex-husband’s violence reached an insurmountable point. The Broken Cycle Media team is in deep awe of Ti’s resilience and has immense gratitude for her vulnerability amidst these episodes.
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
https://www.thehotline.org/
For a list of resources and additional non-profit organizations that can help, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources
And thank you again to Green Chef for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to make this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to greenchef.com/50WCN and use code 50WCN to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months with free shipping!
What happens after the experiences of true crime survivors have been shared with the world? Does the media truly capture all it entails to survive such tragedy in the public eye? What comes after the convictions are in, the cameras stop rolling, and the court of public opinion has spoken? Can sharing our stories lead to justice, and is there ever really justice?
These questions and many more are discussed on the new true crime docuseries podcast brought to you by Broken Cycle Media.
What Came Next is co-created and produced by Something Was Wrong’s Tiffany Reese and host, award-winning writer, victim advocate and true crime survivor Amy B. Chesler.
On What Came Next, you’ll hear firsthand accounts from those impacted, with behind the scenes insights about what came next for survivors after their stories were shared with the world, and how the media impacts crime victims and their loved ones.
New Zealand