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When Innocence Is Not Enough with Thomas L. Dybdahl

Fierce Conversations with Toby

Release Date: 05/02/2023

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Fierce Conversations with Toby

Trigger warning/disclaimer: This episode contains discussions about death, including personal experiences and journeys. The content may be emotionally intense and could be triggering for some individuals. If you find these discussions distressing, it may be advisable to skip this episode or listen with caution. Remember to prioritize your mental and emotional well-being. “And so she (our daughter Anna who was nearly her college graduation) signed off her Facebook that morning with four words, “getting near the end.” That evening there was a knock on the door and two men dressed in...

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Fierce Conversations with Toby

The symbol of the artichoke has great meaning for Judy in her teaching and writing. As she works with families, she sees that frequently only the outer edges are exposed, which can be prickly and sometimes bitter to the taste. But, as you expose the artichoke - and people - to warmth, caring, and time, gradually the leaves begin to open and expose the real treasure–the heart. Judy has written more than 20 books, and hundreds of articles and speaks internationally on family, parenting, and relationship issues, including communication, encouragement, and end-of-life. Some of our fierce...

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Fierce Conversations with Toby

“It isn't that I had it all figured out, it's that I just focused on the next right step.”  - Charli Hoffman, CEO of Time Hackers Unite, Founder of Sparkle Warriors Book Club, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today: [04:58] At 13, I came home from school one day and my mom had put all of my stuff in garbage bags on the porch and locked the house and told me I didn't live there anymore. [06:39] Books were my salvation. [07:49] I was in so many unsafe situations, but I could make someone laugh. [10:11] There's great value in putting...

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“And the point is, you can do it. You have more strength than you think you do. You can go through these tough situations. You move through that adversity, and you move through those struggles. And you keep going.”        Susan J. Godwin, fervent educator, writer, freelance artist, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today:  [03:28] It shouldn't be called breaking up, because that implies a quick break. It's more like a taffy pull. [04:50] I discovered a female court of writers in the late 17th century....

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Fierce Conversations with Toby

“And the point is, you can do it. You have more strength than you think you do. You can go through these tough situations. You move through that adversity, and you move through those struggles. And you keep going.” -       Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., clinical psychologist award-winning children’s book author, fiction author, playwright, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today: [09:19] The Paperclip project, is a teacher’s desire to show her students just how big a number is. [11:43] Turning a...

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“The women of Framingham (Prison) sought a way out and their struggles gave them dignity. I could hear their voices speaking out of the darkness.”  - Jean Trounstine, author, activist, professor emerita at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Massachusetts, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Some of our fierce topics today: [02:57] I began working with people in prison and, it changed me, it turned me into a prison activist, and it turned me into a writer. [04:50] If my students tackled Shakespeare, a writer they thought beyond reach, they would also be...

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“For eight years, I was ashamed of my story. I learned that my story is freeing. Other people need to know that in telling their own story you can take your power back. And it takes away the power of those who are holding your story against you. Don't be the person others believe you should be just because you're a felon.  I am enough. And so are you.” -        Tanaine Jenkins, best-selling author, TedX Speaker, Director of The Florida Safety Coalition, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby  Some of our fierce...

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Fierce Conversations with Toby

Natasha Dasher is on a life mission to help Returning Citizens realize their true potential. She is an appointed Commissioner for Returning Citizens and Re-Entry Affairs and the co-chair of the DC Democratic Caucus for Returning Citizens. Some of our fierce topics today: [7:38] Natasha started the ButterFly village to help children deal with social media and the stigma of having an incarcerated parent whose case is in the news. [14:07] Choosing not to be a victim by taking ownership of your poor decisions. [19:14] The power of community. [27:42] The importance of a re-entry plan begins...

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Fierce Conversations with Toby

Find all interviews at Transcripts available at In this episode, Brittany Means discusses her new memoir, Hell If We Don’t Change Our Ways. About Brittany Means: Brittany Means is a writer and editor living in Albuquerque, NM. A graduate of Iowa's MFA Nonfiction Writing Program, Means has worked with Inara Verzemnieks and Kiese Laymon. She has received several awards for her work, including the Magdalena Award, the Herodotus Award, and the Grace Paley Fellowship at Under the Volcano. Notes from Toby:  I have long been a fan of Jeannette Walls. Her memoir Glass Castle gave me...

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Content Warning:  This episode contains brief descriptions of violence, including sexual violence involved in the 1984 Catherine Fuller case.

Check out the video of this interview here!

“What’s at stake when prosecutors conceal evidence—and what we can do about it.”

 - From the description of the book When Innocence Is Not Enough: Hidden Evidence and the Failed Promise of the Brady Rule, written by today’s guest, Thomas L. Dybdahl.

Through stories of real criminal cases in which justice wasn’t served, Tom’s book and the discussions in this interview may outrage you. 

I hope it does. Let’s take our anger and our outrage and use it together to change our broken justice system.

Links mentioned in this episode:

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Thomas L. Dybdahl:

Book

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Toby Dorr:

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Or head to https://linktr.ee/fierceconversations for all things Fierce Conversations with Toby.

Credits:

Created by Toby Dorr.

Produced by Number Three Productions, a division of GracePoint Publishing.

Theme song:

Lisa Plasse: Composer, arranger, and flutist

Caroline Parody: Piano

Tony Ventura: Bass

For more information on these fabulous musicians, please go to https://tobydorr.com/theme-song/