Trigger Disclaimer: This episode contains information about sexual abuse.

This show offers up the extremely candid story of childhood sexual abuse, told through the lens of the same young man, now it mid adulthood. Having experienced abuse within his family, and amongst those they had trusted most, the young boy does eventually report his reality and then seen his abuser convicted and jailed. The storyteller explains to us how he ignored much of the trauma for the majority of his adult life without confronting the long term impacts of this horror.

It was only upon his own son reaching a similar age to his (when he first experiences the abuse) that the trauma and emotional turmoil rose up and led to a two year+ recovery.

My guest honestly shares his story today to help the parents of children everywhere. He actively works to help adults know what to look out for and how to help young people at risk in all areas of life. Not only does he share an honest reflection of his experience but he openly aids the listener in discovering how to recognise and support children facing trauma or abuse.

This show covers critical signs of trauma in children's behaviour, including what to watch for in physical and psychological changes. The speaker shares personal experiences that highlight the connection between childhood trauma and adult life, emphasising the role of open communication and vulnerability and how critical therapy is in the healing journey.

In some parts this is not an easy story to hear but it is deeply raw and powerful, and one that many will be able to learn empathy for and within. These conversations were unheard for a long time. Not anymore.

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Our Guest reveals his name at the end of the show and shares where you can find him:

https://johncardamone.com.au/

Get John's Free BeCalmer One Page Guide Here: https://johncardamone.com.au/free-disclosure-response-framework/

Find John on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-cardamone-86632738/

#empathy #Trauma #ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealth #Parenting #Support

What Interviewing a Suspected Serial Killer and His Victims Taught One Man About Empathy.

"The first time he called, I was home with family on a Saturday afternoon in 2022. I asked if he had time later to continue our conversation. “Yeah, I have nothing planned,” he laughed."

It was a funny line. His name was Billy Chemirmir, and he was in the Dallas County jail awaiting trial on eighteen counts of capital murder.

In this candid and honest episode, this journalist talks to the honest reality and emotional turmoil of following the case of a Serial Killer and meeting his victims families for over 6 years. Talking about what this taught him about relationships and human behaviour this makes for an eye-opening story.

"I’d spent years devoted to telling my readers about the mental and emotional scars these murders created. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t give Chemirmir a chance to comment on his own case. I believed the evidence against him was strong, but I’ve been wrong before. I’d approached his victims with care and empathy. I had to try to offer him the same."

Chemirmir was serving his sentences in an East Texas prison when, one year ago on September 19, he was stabbed and beaten to death by his cellmate. He bled out overnight on the prison floor. His body wasn’t found until the next morning. While the killer is gone, the trauma he left behind lingers. Our guest explains that he could never understand what he was thinking as he killed his victims but through empathy and patience, he asked those who do understand to help him explain the consequences of that trauma to others—to tell their stories, with care and compassion.

My guest does announce his identity towards the end of the show and tells us about his own podcast unveiling the entire case as a crime drama podcast, The Unforgotten. I have started listening to it already and highly recommend it:

You can find the podcast on all the major platforms, but here's a good sharable link: link.chtbl.com/TheUnforgotten

You can find out more about our guest at charliescudder.com

The Texas Monthly story that introduced me to my guest is here: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-serial-killer-trial-victims-empathy/

#empathy #journalism #ethics #serialkiller #murder #prison

Can you imagine waking up one day and being thrown out of the country you have grown up in? Can you imagine having to call your girlfriend to say "goodbye" and that you will never see her again, and then getting on a plane with only your father, leaving your mother and sister to be flown to an entirely different country to never see them again? Can you imagine the tenacity you need to be called an "alien" and not carry that as your identity?

My guest on this show sheds an unheard light on what it's like to live as an illegal immigrant in the USA. To avoid the law, to go under the radar and to watch your family be systematically tricked into revealing their status and then being imprisoned for doing so. With a deep sense of forgiveness, and an inspiring grit to get up and 'go again' he unpacks how he faced homelessness, loss and dejection and then turned it all around to build a career, a marriage and a new life.

The meaning of resilience may exist right here in this conversation.

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Music Credits: https://ncs.io/PLHome NCS / NoCopyrightSounds: Empowering Creators through No Copyright & Royalty Free Music