Toxic

What happens when toxic masculinity goes unchecked for far too long? Domestic violence journalist and advocate Amanda Kippert along with co-host Jenna Brandl shine a spotlight on the men who have chosen to abuse more than just their male privilege. Through candid and unreserved conversions with survivors, advocates and experts, we're calling out the audacity of men, one abuser at a time. To end domestic violence, abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment and general male bad behavior, it's time we call it as we see it.

Ep. 107: Jim Jones, Trump....It's Like All Cult Leaders Attended the Same Meeting or Something—Dr. Janja Lalich Confirms Our Suspicions 04/01/2025

Ep. 107: Jim Jones, Trump....It's Like All Cult Leaders Attended the Same Meeting or Something—Dr. Janja Lalich Confirms Our Suspicions In the '70s, a charismatic minister named Jim Jones convinced thousands of followers of his Peoples Temple that he was for them, moving them from the U.S. where he was being investigated for running a cult (lol, nothing to see here) to an agricultural commune in Guyana under the auspice that he was "creating a paradise free from the oppression of the U.S. government." Oh, and also, they had to call him dad, maybe sleep with him and never, ever leave unless they wanted to be shot. But that's neither here nor there. He was FOR them, you guys. Of course, if you know anything about Jonestown, you know this didn't end well for 909 of them. You'll never believe this, but the markers of Jim Jones—a guy who loved Hitler, schmoozing with politicians and exerting power over others—have a lot of overlap with our current RPOTUS (that would be rapist president of the United States). In this episode, we welcome back—Dr. Janja Lalich, CEO of the and foremost international expert on cults to answer our is-half-the-country-in-a-cult? questions. She also recommended a book that we're going to recommend to you: , by Jen Senko. We want to hear from you. Do you have a story we need to discuss or a guest we should feature? Visit us at and share your story. If you’re experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please reach out to someone you trust. You can also connect with a trained advocate near you through . Finally, help us keep this conversation going. Share an episode of Toxic with a friend, your gyno, or even the person next to you in line voting for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, and if you’re willing, leave us a review. Your support helps us amplify these critical stories. Together, we can create change. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/35958270

Ep. 106: Deepfake Case Out of Minneapolis, Victims Are Told to Just Ask Man Politely to Stop 03/12/2025

Ep. 105: What Fresh Hells Today? Trump's Dizzying Array of Distractions Discussed 02/18/2025

Ep. 104: Patrisha McLean Is a Survivor and Her Ex is Bitter About That 02/04/2025

Ep. 103: Where Do We Go From Here? 01/21/2025

Ep. 102: Justin Baldoni Makes Sure It Doesn't End With Him—What Blake Lively Endured During His Dumb Movie 01/14/2025

Ep. 101: Hot Frosty and His Snow Nips Make Christmas Complete 12/24/2024

Ep. 100: Abusive Husband Michael Tormented His Family for Years But Family Court Dropped All Charges, Accused Mom of Alienting Kids Instead 12/16/2024

Post-Election Thoughts: We Women Will Need to Save Ourselves Again 11/09/2024

Ep. 99: Why Women Having Power, aka Kamala Harris, Pisses Some People Right Off 11/04/2024

Ep. 98: In Her Own Words—Interview with Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins 10/22/2024

Ep. 97: Chrystul Kizer Kills Her Trafficker, Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison 10/01/2024

Ep. 97: Chrystul Kizer Kills Her Trafficker, Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison Make it make sense. Known pedophile, child porn distributor and trafficker Randy Volar is arrested by police in Kenosha, Wisc., in 2018. Hundreds of abuse videos of underage Black girls are found in his possession. He is released the same day without bond. Two months later, one of his victims, Chrystul Kizer, kills him. She's 17 and has been trafficked by him since she was 16. Last month, a Wisconsin judge sentenced her to 11 years behind bars. Her story is one of failures on all levels by society, adults and a system that did nothing to protect her. After we tell Chrystul's story, we welcome on Kelly Diane Galloway, president and founding director of Project Mona’s House, the only restorative shelter for survivors of human trafficking in the U.S., located in Buffalo, NY. This amazing advocate shares her insight into what went wrong here and why society is misunderstanding the nuances of trafficking. Because Chrystul is not alone — Cyntoia Brown, Pieper Lewis, Maryanne Atkins are just a few of the victims who chose to protect themselves from horrible men and were punished as a result. As we mention in the episode, if you want to send your support to Chrystul, she’s serving time at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution. You can send her letters to the address below, or visit , which offers a few other options for sending mail to an inmate, like directly from your phone, for a small fee. Chrystul Kizer, DOC #00675639Taycheedah Correctional Institution PO BOX 189 Phoenix, MD 21131 If you are experiencing human trafficking, consider reaching out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, or visit for more options. If you are the victim of abuse or domestic violence, please consider disclosing to someone you trust. You can also reach out to a trained domestic violence advocate—find one near you at . It would help SO MUCH if you could spread this conversation further by sharing an episode of Toxic with a friend, your hair stylist, a random stranger in line at the DMV, etc.; by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media; or by leaving us a (positive) review. We appreciate you. Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/33278707

Ep. 96: OCD Affects More Girls and Young Women...But Why? 09/17/2024

Ep. 95: Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins Is Going to Jail Even Though Her Husband Is Accused of Raping Their Daughter 09/05/2024

Ep. 95: Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins Is Going to Jail Even Though Her Husband Is Accused of Raping Their Daughter Ah, what fresh hell befell us this week? It was hard to pick just one thing to be angry about. There was the Georgia school shooting on Wednesday, making it the 45th school shooting of 2024. At Apalachee High School, a gunman who wasn't a drag queen took the lives of four people, injured nine others and traumatized indefinitely countless others. If only we could find a pattern to this madness that would help us stop it.... Around the 20-minute mark (if you want to skip ahead, it's OK), Jenna and Amanda discuss an enraging case out of Fort Collins, Colorado. A mom named Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins was found in contempt of court and sentenced to seven consecutive weekends in jail for not complying with court-ordered reunification therapy between her abusive ex-husband and her two youngest sons. This comes amidst a criminal investigation into her husband, a former cop, who has been accused of sexually molesting his daughters. The audacity of the court system, the judge and the therapist who's complicit in this is mind-boggling. Advocates and lawmakers are rallying around Rachel calling for justice, and we're joining in that that protest. You can help by not only getting pissed, too, but by amplifying Rachel's story and sharing it with others. Speaking out about injustices en masse is what keeps people like this cop from feeling untouchable. Links: to Colorado Supreme Court Justice Monica Màrquez mentioned in today's episode. for legal costs (hope she sues everyone when this is over). on the BS that is "parental alienation syndrome." Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. As always, if you are experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please consider disclosing to someone you trust. You can also reach out to a trained domestic violence advocate—find one near you at . Please help us spread this conversation further by sharing an episode of Toxic with a friend, your dentist, a random stranger in line at the grocery store, etc., by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, or by leaving us a positive review. We appreciate you. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/32908647

Ep. 94: Uh, Strangulation During Sex Is Trending Among Young People—Talking With Dr. Debby Herbenick 08/13/2024

Ep. 93: Project 2025 is One Option.....OR, THERE'S KAMALA. 07/22/2024

Ep. 93: Project 2025 is One Option.....OR, THERE'S KAMALA. What a world we live in: Our first female President on the brink. MAGA people sporting MyPillows on their ears. Hannibal Lecter being exalted at the RNC for no logical reason whatsoever. Undoubtedly everyone heard President Biden's announcement yesterday that he will not seek reelection, a heroic move putting country before ego. Five seconds later, he endorsed VP Kamala Harris as the democratic party's nominee, and all of us with logic in our heads said, "Yes, please, can we finally let women run things up in here?" But we've been cocky before thinking this country hated Trump more than women and we lost HRC, so it's no time to rest on our laurels. If we don't vote for anyone other than Trump, we're facing an imminent autocracy head-on. Project 2025's “Mandate for Leadership” is a political manifesto conceived by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that's been influncing presidents since 1973. Should Trump be elected, he will likely use this manifesto as a roadmap to completely dismantle the American system of democracy as we know it. We wish that was hyperbole but it's not. We know it's hard to hear all of this, but it's more important now than ever before to be aware of what's going on and share what you know. Knowledge is power, which is exactly why Project 2025 proposes we make the country dumber, one choice at a time. Please help us spread this conversation further by sharing an episode of Toxic with a friend, your MAGA coworker, a random stranger at the coffee shop, etc., by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, or by leaving us a review. We appreciate you. Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. Here, you can also find our merch, such as our "Stop Killing Women" and "I'd Choose the Bear" tees and hoodies. As always, if you are experiencing domestic violence or abuse, please consider disclosing to someone you trust. You can also reach out to a trained domestic violence advocate—find one near you at . /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/32250047

Ep. 92: Why Don't We Believe Women? Survivor Records Abuser, Still Accused of Lying 06/19/2024

Ep. 92: Why Don't We Believe Women? Survivor Records Abuser, Still Accused of Lying For the love of all things holy, can we just start believing women? I guess not. That's why we're going to keep doing this podcast. Jazzy reached out to Toxic to tell her story after escaping an abusive partner, with whom she had a child. His abuse ramped up while she was pregnant—an unfortuantely common trait among a-hole abusers who may or not feel like a pregnancy takes attention away from THEM and that's just not going to stand. But Jazzy is smart and she recorded his tirades, his threats and even him admitting to putting his hands around her neck. She took this evidence to a court of law which promptly found the abuser not guilty, claiming there was no way they could tell if she had fabricated this recording. Because yes, that's what us women do with our time. It's not like there's a shortage of abusive men—we certainly do not have to lie and pretend they exist. But, it is any easy way for an abuser to shift the blame. Listen to Jazzy's story in her own words and then consider checking out her podcast on finding financial independence called (which Amanda was honored to make a guest appeareance on last October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. You can listen to that episode .) If you suspect you're in danger at home and a partner is escalating their violence, please consider utilizing one of these Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. As always, if you are experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please consider disclosing to someone you trust. You can also reach out to a trained domestic violence advocate—find one near you at . Please help us spread this conversation further by sharing an episode of Toxic with a friend, your petsitter, a random stranger in line at the grocery store, etc., by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, or by leaving us a review. We appreciate you. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/31811977

Ep. 91: Creepy Pastor John-Paul Miller Tries to Gaslight His Congregation Before Wife's Death 05/13/2024

Ep: 90: Women Are Fed Up: The 4B Movement Says Eff Off to Men. Plus—Why Does Arizona Need More Babies? It's Already So Hot Here 04/23/2024

Ep. 89: Power and Money Has Allowed Sean "Diddy" Combs to Abuse Women for 30 Years 04/09/2024

Ep. 88: Ally Toyos Is Silent No More—Her Story of Surviving Parental Reunification Camp at 16 03/12/2024

Ep. 87: Turns Out, Men CAN Stop Rape, Say Men Who Run MCSR 02/27/2024

Ep. 86: The Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theories Exist Because We Can't Just LET WOMEN LIVE 02/09/2024

Ep. 85: We're Talking Grooming, But Not the Body Hair Kind 01/30/2024

Ep. 85: We're Talking Grooming, But Not the Body Hair Kind Can you believe it's been three years of Toxic? And wouldn't you know it, we haven't run out of toxic topics to discuss yet. Go, society! Thank you for sticking with us through the hard conversations. To celebrate, we were given the best present: our first award. We recently found out that we won the Social Change Maker Award from She Podcasts' first-ever Sonic Bloom Awards and we're a little proud of that. OK, a lot proud. To effect social change through these conversations is our number one goal. These stories aren't always easy to hear, but we believe anger fuels action. You have to get angry about some of this in such a way that makes you want to do something…anything…to help. And for us, that begins with talking and morphs into education, awareness, marching, voting, and reaching all of you. Today's episode is all about grooming. But not your armpit hair and not your goldendoodle. Grooming of victims by abusers. The most at-risk group for this are women between 18 and 24, but groomers can target teens who are often even more vulnerable. We welcome Eileen Martin, mental health therapist and survivor, to talk about her own experience of being groomed at 17. Parents and anyone who exists around teens will definitely want to listen for what the red flags are that could indicate a young person is being groomed. Before we talk grooming, Jenna and Amanda also HAVE to give a shout-out to their hero, excuse me, shero, of the f'ing week: E. Jean Carroll. A jury out of Manhattan just awarded her $83.3 million from former president and accused rapist Donald Trump after he verbally harassed and degraded her for years following her 2019 disclosure that he assaulted her in a dressing room. She says she can't wait to spend the settlement on something he hates, like helping other survivors of sexual assault. Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. Please help us spread this conversation further by sharing an episode of Toxic with a friend, your dentist, a random stranger in line at the grocery store, etc., by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, or by leaving us a review. We appreciate you. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/29713113

Season 3! Ep. 84: Jill Duggar Wearing Pants Isn't Actually the Bravest Thing She's Done 01/16/2024

Ep. 83: "The 12 Men of Christmas" Was a Banger — Jenna and Amanda Review 12/24/2023

Ep. 82: Tyesha Wayne, Another Survivor of Domestic Violence Arrested for Self-Defense 12/11/2023

Ep. 82: Tyesha Wayne, Another Survivor of Domestic Violence Arrested for Self-Defense We’ve seen this story play out one too many times. After a documented history of domestic violence by her partner Daniel Walker, 40-year-old Tyesha Wayne of Sahuarita, Arizona fought back this past August. While he attacked her in their garage, she grabbed a gun, pointed it at him, and asked him to leave her alone. He didn’t. Tyesha fatally shot Daniel in self-defense and the courts are calling it premeditated murder, saying Tyesha’s previous record would show a history of domestic violence against Daniel. Her previous record? Being strangled by Daniel to the point of unconsciousness only for her to be arrested immediately afterward. It’s almost like the system has a vendetta against women…..but that can’t be real, can it? Oh, but it seems it can be. Previous episodes of Toxic where we discuss survivors who were arrested and often jailed for defending themselves from their abuser include: Ep. 64—Nikki Addimando was sentenced to 19 years for killing her abusive partner. She’s still in jail but is set to get out next year….finally. Ep. 60—Kayla Fassio didn’t serve jail time but she was arrested after she called for help after an altercation with her abusive partner. Ep. 55—Rachel Bellesen shot her abusive ex after he attacked her and tried to rape her. She faced life behind bars. Ep. 42—Marissa Alexander was originally sentenced to 20 years in jail after firing a warning shot toward her husband who had attacked and then threatened to kill her. Ep. 32—Kim Dadou Brown spent 17 years behind bars for killing her abusive partner as he tried to strangle her to death. Ep. 30—Survivor Robin nonfatally shot her abusive partner after he attacked and tried to kill her. She was arrested and he was not. He then went on to abuse his next wife. Tyesha deserves justice, peace and safety, and we hope you think so, too. Toxic will provide updates as we learn them. Also, mentioned in the episode was a previous one we did with Ed Sakwa, CEO of Emerge in Tucson, talking about whether or not abusers can reform. That episode number is 38 if you want to learn more about that. Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. The best holiday gift you can give us is helping to spread this conversation further. You can do that by sharing any episode of Toxic with a friend, a coworker, your mom, a random stranger in line at the post office, etc.; by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media; or by leaving us a five-star review. We appreciate you. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/29023833

Ep. 81: We Finally Need to Talk About Brad Pitt 12/04/2023

Ep. 81: We Finally Need to Talk About Brad Pitt One of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children created a post on Instagram lamenting his "f*cking awful human being" of a dad, calling the Oscar winner a "terrible and despicable person" who will "never understand the damage you have done to my family." Though Pax, now 19, posted this in 2020, the image was recently leaked for all of us to read and no longer avoid. In 2016, the apparently Toxic Brad drunkenly attacked his then-wife Angelina and his children while flying on a private jet. The incident was said to be the impetus for the couple's subsequent divorce. And while Brad was heralded for getting sober after the fact, what wasn't as highly publicized was his attempt to silence Angelina about his previous misdeeds by making her sign a non-disclosure agreement. With disappointment that yet another man we all once thought was the cat's pajamas has grossly failed us, we've got to talk about this. However, we're not reluctant to talk about Matt Rife, because we all kind of knew he was a tool, right? If you haven't heard of this comedian who thinks jokes about violence against women are the best way to connect with his mostly female audience, well, strap in. Also, we need to discuss the some 3,000 civil lawsuits filed thanks to the Adult Survivors Act, a New York state law that granted victims of gender-based violence permission to sue their attackers even after the statute of limitations ended. This is like an early Christmas present for us all. The law expired on Nov. 23 (though will hopefully be renewed) and then the headlines went wild. We're talking Axel Rose (not shocking), Sean P. Diddy Combs, Jamie Foxx, the entire New York prison system and many more. TAKE 'EM DOWN, SURVIVORS. Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. You can also find a link to our store and get some pretty sweet merch preaching about how women don't want to be killed anymore! Makes for a great Christmas present! Also, please help us spread this conversation further by sharing an episode of Toxic with a friend, your favorite teacher, your least favorite teacher, a random stranger in line at the post office, your wine aunt, etc., by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, or by leaving us a review. We appreciate you. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/28917723

Ep. 80: Maine Shooter Robert Card Likely Mad at Women (Shocker) and a Maryland Judge is Killed for Protecting a Mom 10/31/2023

Ep. 80: Maine Shooter Robert Card Likely Mad at Women (Shocker) and a Maryland Judge is Killed for Protecting a Mom In breaking news, it seems guns aren't the only problem America has. We know half the population may not like this news, but it appears men are also an epidemic. Not all but far too many males are throwing temper tantrums with semi-automatic rifles when angry at women for setting actual boundaries or trying to live independently. Of the 565 mass shootings SO FAR THIS YEAR in the U.S., every single one has been perpetuated by a man. And accroding to Everytown for Gun Safety, at least 60 percent of mass shooting have roots in domestic violence, but that's only counting the domestic violence that was disclosed. In the case of Robert Card who, last week, took the lives of 18 individuals ranging in age from 14 to 76, sources close to him say he chose a bowling alley and a bar because they were spots he and his ex-girlfriend frequented in the past and he was likely hoping she'd be among his victims. Jenna and Amanda discuss the motivation of those in charge for keeping women safe: Why are we so reluctant to do that? Why is it so hard to stay alive as a woman being stalked by an abuser? It can't possibly be because we're worth less than other humans, right? You'll also hear about Judge Andrew Wilkinson who ruled that a violent and scary abusive man couldn't be trusted with his four young children and this logic cost him his life. In the meantime, why do police only protect women after an abuser has killed someone? On this last day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, make a pledge to do one thing to be a part of the solution. Start talking about what's going on. Help us spread this conversation by sharing an episode of Toxic with a friend, your dentist, a random stranger in line at the grocery store, etc., by following us on your favorite podcast platform or social media, or by leaving us a review. We appreciate you. Do you have a story you think we need to discuss or a guest we should have on? Visit us at and tell us all about it. /episode/index/show/toxicthepodcast/id/28474256

Ep. 79: When Mimi Tried to Leave for the Final Time, He Took Her Hostage 10/03/2023

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