What Came Next

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. These episodes are dedicated in loving memory of Kytrina Marie Locascio.
Sources: 
-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “About Adverse Childhood Experiences.” CDC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/.
-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).” CDC Vital Signs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aces/index.html.
-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Psychosocial Factors and Health Equity.” CDC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/health_equity/psychosocial.htm.
-Felitti, Vincent J., et al. “Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 14, no. 4, 1998, pp. 245–258.
-Hughes, Karen, et al. “The Effect of Multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences on Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” The Lancet Public Health, vol. 2, no. 8, 2017, pp. e356–e366. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30118-4.
-McKay, Matthew T., Laura Kilmartin, Aisling Meagher, Mary Cannon, Colm Healy, and Mary C. Clarke. “A Revised and Extended Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Childhood Adversity and Adult Psychiatric Disorder.” Journal of Psychiatric Research, vol. 156, 2022, pp. 159–174. PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36274532/.
-Swedo, Elizabeth A., et al. “Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among U.S. Adults—Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011–2020.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 72, no. 26, 2023, pp. 707–715, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7226a2.htm.
-Zhang, Y., et al. “Cumulative Adverse Childhood Experiences and Risk of Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2026, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691826007559. Accessed 2 June 2026.
For additional resources and a list of non-profit organizations that can help, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources
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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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The Gathering Inn: https://www.thegatheringinn.com/
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*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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Deep Cover is a true crime show about double lives, from our friends at Pushkin
Industries. Their new season, The Family Man, is a story about how families can deceive each other and the lengths we’ll go to to protect our loved ones. Elise and Marissa grew up in a seemingly normal house in the suburbs of St. Louis, but it was a house built on secrets. There were things their father never told them—like how he really made his money. One night, the police showed up, raided their house, and seized boxes of evidence. Hours later, the sisters turned on the TV and saw something surreal: their father in the middle of a police chase. The local news identified him as “The Boonie Hat Bandit”. The girls were stunned. They struggled to accept the truth: Dad had been living a double life. How long had he been lying to them? What had he done? And who, exactly, was their father? Find Deep Cover: The Family Man wherever you get podcasts. If you want to know how the story ends right now, binge the full season by signing up for a Pushkin+ subscriptions on the Deep Cover show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.

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