VALOR Conversations: Recent Episodes
VALOR Media
Sexual violence is not inevitable, or a logical outcome- it is preventable. Each one of us has the power to take small, yet impactful steps to address and change our behavior in order to impact our communities and society at large. These conditions can stem from inequities in our communities and behaviors that we are taught. Although these behaviors may not be clear at first, we can begin to understand their impact, question them, and ultimately change. Join the team at ValorUS in conversation with leaders, change agents, and advocates at Rape Crisis Centers in California who are advancing the issue of sexual violence in our communities and reminding us that collectively, we can work towards building a safer and more inclusive future for us all.
In this two-part, in-person VALOR Conversation, Leah Aldridge is joined by David S. Lee, VALOR’s Deputy Director, as they sit down with their mentor, Billie Weiss. Billie’s work has been foundational to the field of violence prevention, as she was one of the first to connect research on the rate of violence in 1980’s Los Angeles to sexual assault and traumatic harm.
Billie, Leah, and David discuss the history of public health and the work that went into unifying the many different people who had a similar goal of preventing violence and supporting survivors of harm. Their conversation highlights Billie’s legacy and how far the movements to prevent sexual assault and violence have come since the late 1980s.
As David and Leah remember the impact Billie had on them and their understanding of violence prevention, Billie shares her hopes that all of their legacies continue prevention work until there’s a future where violence is unimaginable.
Check out a special conversation between Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez and David S. Lee on Billie’s ongoing violence prevention legacy on PreventConnect → Prevention Then & Now: Reflections from Long-Time Practitioners with David S. Lee on Billie Weiss/
In this two-part, in-person VALOR Conversation, Leah Aldridge is joined by David S. Lee, VALOR’s Deputy Director, as they sit down with their mentor, Billie Weiss. Billie’s work has been foundational to the field of violence prevention, as she was one of the first to connect research on the rate of violence in 1980’s Los Angeles to sexual assault and traumatic harm.
Billie, Leah, and David discuss the history of public health and the work that went into unifying the many different people who had a similar goal of preventing violence and supporting survivors of harm. Their conversation highlights Billie’s legacy and how far the movements to prevent sexual assault and violence have come since the late 1980s.
As David and Leah remember the impact Billie had on them and their understanding of violence prevention, Billie shares her hopes that all of their legacies continue prevention work until there’s a future where violence is unimaginable.
Check out a special conversation between Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez and David S. Lee on Billie’s ongoing violence prevention legacy on PreventConnect → Prevention Then & Now: Reflections from Long-Time Practitioners with David S. Lee on Billie Weiss/
In this episode of VALOR Conversations, Leah Aldridge sits down with her colleague Grace Glaser to discuss the work behind how survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, and other violent crimes, facing a devastating cut of 44.7% in federal funding, harnessed their collective power and successfully advocated for the inclusion of $87 million in California’s state budget in 2024.
Grace shares how she centers and uplifts the voices of survivors while advocating for policy change at the state and national levels as VALOR’s previous Senior Public Relations and Policy Manager. Their conversation highlights the importance of centering survivors' voices and following their lead in advocating for policy change, as well as the challenges and emotional toll of the work that goes into powering grassroots activism.
Grace is continuing to advocate for survivors of violence at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence as their External Affairs Analyst.
In this episode of VALOR Conversations, Lisalyn Jacobs joins Leah Aldridge to share her journey from unexpectedly finding herself in the movement to end sexual and domestic violence, breaking down economic and restorative justice, and becoming one of the architects of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization in 2021.
Lisalyn, Founder and CEO of Just Solutions, has spent her career pushing towards survivor-centered policy by expanding the definition of justice by listening to survivors and advocating on behalf of their definitions of justice. Lisalyn’s and Leah’s conversation brings deep insight into the behind-the-scenes steps that legislation and policy go through to make the work to prevent sexual violence, support healing after harm, and finding justice more accessible for survivors across the nation.
En este episodio en español de Conversaciones de VALOR, Rocío Molina platica con Bamby Salcedo sobre la visibilidad trans como presencia, liderazgo y construcción de futuro.
Con mucha honestidad y corazón, Bamby, Presidenta y Directora Ejecutiva de la Coalición TransLatin@, se nombra primero como servidora del pueblo y comparte cómo pasó de la sobrevivencia a la esperanza, transformando experiencias dolorosas en propósito, alegría y fuerza colectiva. Habla de lo que significa vivir sin disculpas y de la importancia de abrir espacio para otras personas trans. Juntas conversan sobre el “sí te acepto, pero…” que muchas veces aparece en nuestras familias, sobre la fuerza del amor incondicional, y sobre una justicia social que verdaderamente incluya a todas las personas—sin excepciones.
Este episodio es una invitación a practicar la unidad, a creer en nuestras comunidades y a seguir construyendo un futuro donde vivir plenamente sea posible para tod@s.
Mira el video musical de Bamby para su canción “La Cumbia del Movimiento” y disfruta la alegría de la música y la hermosa energía de la comunidad trans → https://youtu.be/ol2stIsOipA?si=76IQoeVYMT506pDJ
In this Spanish-language episode of VALOR Conversations, Rocío Molina sits down with Bamby Salcedo to explore trans visibility as presence, leadership, and the work of building a more just future.
With honesty and heart, Bamby, President and CEO of The TransLatin@ Coalition, first names herself a servant of the people and reflects on her journey from survival to hope, transforming painful experiences into purpose, joy, and collective power. She speaks about what it means to live without apology and to intentionally open doors for other trans leaders. Together, they examine the “I accept you, but…” that so often shows up within families, the urgent need for unconditional love, and why social justice movements must fully include trans communities, not as an afterthought, but at the center.
This episode is a call to unity, to real solidarity across movements, and to building systems where dignity and full humanity are non-negotiable.
Watch Bamby’s music video for her song, “LA Cumbia Del Movimiento,” to experience the joy of music and the trans community → https://youtu.be/ol2stIsOipA?si=76IQoeVYMT506pDJ
Emma Collins and Charley Newel of Community Action Partnership, San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO), join Leah Aldridge in this episode of VALOR Conversations. As sex educators, they share how introducing youth to healthy relationship practices early on instills ideas of respect and care for one another.
Through accessible education and taking students’ lived experiences, understanding, and feelings into consideration, Charley and Emma highlight how sex-ed has changed from being monotonous to youth-led. Their conversation puts into perspective the importance of teaching healthy relationships and understanding of consent as an integral part of creating healthy communities and preventing sexual violence.
In this episode of VALOR Conversations, Sarah and Abby sit down with Leah Aldridge to discuss harm reduction: what it is, how it can be practiced to increase opportunities for prevention, and the power it has to uplift survivors of sexual violence and harm.
Friends for many years, Abby and Sarah have drawn from growing up in the punk subculture with a DIY ethos and experiences working to end sexual violence to connect support for survivors and harm reduction advocacy. Their conversation illuminates how harnessing uncommon practices can increase access to services for non-traditional survivors, prevent further harm, and support stronger, healthier communities.
Welcome back to VALOR Conversations!
This season, hosts Leah Aldridge, Marsela Rojas-Salas, Grace Glaser, and Rocio Molina sit down with advocates as they share how their experiences shaped their advocacy and work in the gender-based violence movement.
In this episode, Amika Mota, the Executive Director of Sister Warriors and formerly incarcerated survivor joins VALOR Conversations to talk about how she became an “accidental activist.” She shares how her experiences as a teen mom, midwife, and within the carceral system pushed her to reimagine justice. Amika’s story compels us to imagine the work we can do alongside her to create a future where mass incarceration and societal barriers do not exist.
In this episode, Jasmine Wali, a policy, advocacy, and research consultant and organizer with Survived and Punished California, joins us to discuss the criminalization of poverty. Jasmine’s story highlights transformations for social workers to become advocates who support, not report, children and families in need.
Primera Parte / Episode 1
En nuestros primeros episodios de Conversaciones de VALOR (VALOR Conversations) en español y dividido en dos partes, Anabela Aguirre y Verónica M. Lagunas comparten sus historias transformadoras de ser conserjes inmigrantes en el turno de noche que experimentan entornos de trabajo hostiles para construir una comunidad unida y poderosa como co-fundadoras del Centro ¡Ya Basta!
En el episodio se habla de cómo Anabela y Verónica comenzaron su labor de abogacía y su explosivo especial de primera línea, “Violación en el Turno de Noche.” El episodio 2 continúa la historia de abogacia de Anabela y Verónica después de “Violación en el Turno de Noche” y comparten el activismo directo en el que participaron y las leyes que aprobaron para crear entornos más seguros para inmigrantes, conserjes y trabajadores del turno de noche.
In our first-ever Spanish language and two-part VALOR Conversations episodes, Anabela Aguirre and Veronica M. Lagunas sit down with VALOR Conversations to share their transformational stories of being night-shift, immigrant janitors experiencing hostile work environments to building a tight-knit and powerful community as co-founders of the ¡Ya Basta! Center.
Episode 1 discusses how Anabela and Veronica came into advocacy and their explosive frontline special, “Rape on the Night Shift.” Episode 2 continues Anabela’s and Veronica’s advocacy story after “Rape on the Night Shift” and they share the direct activism they participated in and laws they passed to create safer environments for immigrants, janitors, and night-shift workers.
Segunda Parte / Episode 2
En nuestros primeros episodios de Conversaciones de VALOR (VALOR Conversations) en español y dividido en dos partes, Anabela Aguirre y Verónica M. Lagunas comparten sus historias transformadoras de ser conserjes inmigrantes en el turno de noche que experimentan entornos de trabajo hostiles para construir una comunidad unida y poderosa como co-fundadoras del Centro ¡Ya Basta!
En el episodio se habla de cómo Anabela y Verónica comenzaron su labor de abogacía y su explosivo especial de primera línea, “Violación en el Turno de Noche.” El episodio 2 continúa la historia de abogacia de Anabela y Verónica después de “Violación en el Turno de Noche” y comparten el activismo directo en el que participaron y las leyes que aprobaron para crear entornos más seguros para inmigrantes, conserjes y trabajadores del turno de noche.
In our first-ever Spanish language and two-part VALOR Conversations episodes, Anabela Aguirre and Veronica M. Lagunas sit down with VALOR Conversations to share their transformational stories of being night-shift, immigrant janitors experiencing hostile work environments to building a tight-knit and powerful community as co-founders of the ¡Ya Basta! Center.
Episode 1 discusses how Anabela and Veronica came into advocacy and their explosive frontline special, “Rape on the Night Shift.” Episode 2 continues Anabela’s and Veronica’s advocacy story after “Rape on the Night Shift” and they share the direct activism they participated in and laws they passed to create safer environments for immigrants, janitors, and night-shift workers.
In this episode, Leigh LaChapelle joins VALOR Conversations once again to discuss how they transformed their lived experiences as a queer youth in South Carolina into activism as the Associate Director of Survivor Advocacy at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), Los Angeles. Leigh touches on the importance of showing up and caring in an unjust world as a key aspect of their work.
In this episode, Pony White, who started in this movement as a community youth engagement specialist and activist storyteller, discusses how she is transforming reproductive freedom advocacy through narrative-based storytelling. As a Senior Prevention Coordinator at the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, Pony highlights the impact of youth activism as we strive to create a more inclusive world.
We hope you enjoyed Season 5 of VALOR Conversations!
Welcome back to another great season of VALOR conversations! This season, our host, Leah Aldridge, sits down with advocates from across the globe as they share their stories about their important work in the gender-based violence movement.
In this episode, Leah sits down with friend and colleague, Coach V, discussing how she founded Open Door Abuse Awareness and Prevention (ODAAP). ODAAP is a Philadelphia-based, youth violence prevention program. Coach V shared about her evolution into becoming a violence prevention advocate and her plans to continue to grow her reach and positive impact on youth athletes.
Please note this episode describes domestic violence and homicide. Please listen at your discretion.
Did you find this episode, helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode, Marlee Liss, survivor and Canadian-based restorative justice advocate, shared with Leah about her journey in engaging in a restorative justice healing circle after recognizing she did not want to go through the criminal legal process. A strong advocate for restorative justice, Marlee makes the case for why we should be implementing restorative practices into everyday aspects of our lives.
Check out additional resources on Marlee's website!
Did you find this episode, helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode, Leah has a moving conversation with Paul Bancroft, Executive Director of Sierra Community House, a rape crisis center in Tahoe and Truckee, California. Paul highlights his work in this movement when he started as a young violence prevention educator and eventually worked up to become Executive Director. As his time as an Executive Director, Paul shared how his advocacy unknowingly supported hundreds of survivors who experienced sexual violence caused by a healthcare professional and the work Paul did across state lines to prevent future violence.
Did you find this episode, helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode, VALOR’s Senior Legal Advisor, Rocio Molina, sits down with Leah to discuss her evolution of supporting immigrant and undocumented survivors, the challenges she has faced in the field, and how her childhood influenced the work she does now.
Did you find this episode, helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
Audio clips credit to @fernandacortesx and NBC News.
In this episode, Leah chats with Patima Komolamit, Executive Director of the Center for the Pacific Asian Family in Los Angeles, California. Patima shares how her journey as an advocate started out in her early 20s when she entered youth detention centers to educate incarcerated youth about violence prevention, and how it transitioned into engaging in healing services and violence prevention in AAPI communities.
Did you find this episode, helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
Welcome back to season 3 of VALOR Conversations! This season, dive into conversation with us as we explore rape culture in the media and how that influences our work to prevent and end sexual violence.
In this episode, VALOR Conversations host, Leah Aldridge, “travels” all the way to Sydney, Australia to have a conversation with Augusta Supple, theater director and producer. Augusta and Leah discuss looking at theater and art through a communal lens and reflect on cultural shifts they’ve seen over the years. Augusta defies the the historic role women have, or have not, played in the theater, and how they are challenging their roles today.
Did you find this episode helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode, Fatima Shabbazz, President and CEO of Fatima Speaks, and the Policy Advocacy team lead for Decrim Sexwork ACLU, joins us to discuss sexual violence in detention centers. Fatima shares her experience as a trans woman while she was incarcerated, and the work she is doing now to advance the rights of incarcerated trans folks and survivors of sexual violence.
Did you find this episode helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
*Please note this episode contains profanity that listeners might find disturbing.
In this episode, we are so excited to welcome, Leigh LaChapelle, Associate Director of Survivors Advocacy, at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST). Leigh and VALOR Conversations host, Leah, talk about the history of the anti-trafficking movement and how it has been portrayed in movies and television. Leigh provides some insights into their policy and advocacy work to support survivors of human and labor trafficking.
Did you find this episode helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode of VALOR Conversations, student activists, Taylor and Kyla, join our guest podcast host to discuss the evolution of media both on- and off-screen. They reflect on their journeys to become MFA students and share their hopes for the direction the film industry is headed towards.
Did you find this episode helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode, VALOR Conversations host, Leah Aldridge, sits down with Dr. Samantha Majic, Associate Professor of political science at John Jay College - CUNY. Dr. Majic shares about the lack of progress in policy updates to protect sex workers and therefore, public acceptance, explains the whoriarchy and disparities within sex work, and highlights at the end of the day, sex work is just work.
Did you find this episode helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode, Tonjie Reese, founder of eleven24, and Timiza Wash, Chief Equity and Transformational Change Officer at WEAVE, join Leah to talk about their work as youth educators. Have you ever thought about how the infamous WAP by Cardi B can be used as an educational tool? Well, they have! Tune in to this episode to learn more about the evolution of youth-based sexual violence prevention education.
Did you find this episode helpful, interesting, or insightful? Leave a comment below and tune in for another episode of VALOR Conversations.
In this episode we spoke to Patty Berne, co-founder and executive director of Sins Invalid, a performance and disability justice movement organization. Vulnerable populations in our society tend to be devalued, marginalized, and treated as powerless. Devaluing people is the first step toward dehumanization, and in its place we start a process of “othering.” When disabled people are made “other” their artistry risks becoming fetishized. Counteracting this begins with centering each other’s humanity, which is an essential element in the work of Patty and Sins Invalid.
In this episode we spoke to Triana Silton, Deputy Chief of Staff with Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers (SEIU-UHW). As a leader in the labor movement Triana shares why her organization has a part to play in preventing sexual and domestic violence. No one should ever have to choose between their livelihood and experiencing violence. To change our culture - both at work and otherwise - we have to articulate a vision for what is possible and prove we live our values through our actions.
In this episode, we spoke with Comfort Dondo, the Founding Executive Director of Phumulani Minnesota African Women Against Violence, and author of the recently published book "Facing the Giants: A Journey to Freedom from Domestic Abuse," and we really zoom in on the idea of culturally specific solutions. This is a huge focus in the world of gender based violence, because providing services through a cultural lens, for diverse groups, can be complicated. Take for example working with immigrant populations. Migrants can be an especially vulnerable group for many reasons, from residency status to culture shock. We need numerous strategies to combat gender-based violence, as no one strategy works for everyone. These are complex societal issues that require comprehensive solutions that are flexible and affirming in holistic ways.
In this episode we speak with Tinisch Hollins, Executive Director for Californians for Safety and Justice, Vice Chair of the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee, and an all around believer of getting into good trouble.
Sexual Violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and to prevent it, we have to understand how violence in our communities, and by extension the punishment and justice system, are all related. In addition, the needs and wants of survivors are rarely considered in these debates and discussions of reforming the criminal justice system. So in this episode, we talk about how individual acts of violence harm not only the targets of violence, but the broader community, and how the rights and needs of survivors of trauma should be centered when thinking about alternatives to incarceration.
In this episode we speak with Kandi White, a leading voice in bringing visibility to the impact that climate change and environmental injustice has on Indigenous communities. We talk through how violence against the earth relates to sexual violence in Indigenous communities, its associated lack of visibility in American society, as well as some of the root causes. She also helps us understand how reconnecting to the sacred is a violence prevention strategy.
Tony Porter from A Call to Men joins us to consider the question, "what's a man's role in ending sexual violence?" The #MeToo movement caused men across our society to wrestle with the realization that they could have done something harmful in their past. But “The Man Box”, or the way in which our society teaches young boys about what it means to be a man, taught all these men that what they were doing was right. Things get even more complicated when we consider how all of this intersects with racism and our society's lack of attention on men's mental health.
Across the United States, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, approximately eleven hundred sexual assault centers and programs respond to survivors of sexual violence. Responding to those calls are the advocates. The advocate is tasked not only with pulling from all their skills and understanding to support a survivor and their families, but must also adapt to unknown situations in real time and do so with care and compassion and trust. This work can be doubly complicated when working with groups targeted for victimization because of their status: those with disabilities, the elderly, and undocumented people, to name a few.
In this episode, we are joined by Sandra Henriquez, Peggie Reyna, and Ryssa Fleisher, who have a combined sixty plus years of work in the field, and will share their experiences in working with survivors to heal in the aftermath of sexual violence.
In this episode, we are joined by Sujatha Baliga, Jackson Katz, Maria LaGanga, Farah Tanis and Byron Hurt who dive into the issue of accountability and justice for survivors and communities impacted by sexual violence.
With overincarceration of people of color and the poor, high recidivism rates, and low probability of prosecution in sexual assault cases, this raises questions like: Are there other ways to think about meeting the needs of survivors that don’t involve the criminal legal system? Does incarceration really equal accountability? Who benefits from the criminal legal system? And, who does the system really serve?
In this episode, we are joined by Ashley Thomas and Patti Giggans and we ask ourselves the relationship between community safety and design. From the removal of Indigenous people across the US, to the construction of interstate highways in the 20th century, land development means progress and growth for some; but for many others it can mean being pushed to the margins, and the destruction of existing communities and habitats, which creates isolation and disconnect often fosters the conditions for violence.
Yet the most important thing to know is that these cities are created by design, by people. They're not naturally occurring things they are created and they can be recreated in different ways.
Messages are often subtle, or simply accepted as normal in our conversations but if we begin to listen closely, truly break down the way we frame stories where people experience harassment or abuse, we can begin to see the patterns and make the connections between the way we think and the way we speak. VALOR (formerly the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault) had a chance to speak with a few people who specialize in the role of language and its connection to sexual violence.
Jackson Katz, Maria La Ganga, and Matthew Baum walked us through person to person conversation, the way the media frames stories around sexual assault, and even how these stories actually set the tone and attitudes of an entire community.
When it comes to understanding the role we each have in creating more inclusive and safer communities, words matter. Language matters.
Sexual violence is not inevitable, or a logical outcome- it is preventable. Each one of us has the power to take small, yet impactful steps to address and change our behavior in order to impact our communities and society at large. In this episode, we speak with Farah Tanis, Byron Hurt and Patti Giggans- and dive into a conversation about the roots of the movement to end sexual violence and the conditions that lead for sexual violence to happen in the first place.