Episodes

  • It Was God Who Heard My Cry with Jackie Stuckey

    It Was God Who Heard My Cry with Jackie Stuckey
    Sep 17 2024
    As a Reality existential therapist, Jacqueline Stuckey shares with her patients the "choices" they indeed have to improve their lives but may not realize it. She also helps patients assess how they understand their existence in this life. Jackie’s background is in drug and alcohol counseling. Sometimes all you might need is an ear to listen to your most intimate of moments. That’s where she comes in. Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Some of our fierce topics today: [00:02:46] I wanted to stop (drinking), but I didn't know how because I was surrounded by people who drank and nobody was interested in stopping and I couldn't get advice. [00:05:26] I was in a domestic violence situation. So, I'm a survivor. That was hard to deal with. So, I was in two situations. I married two men who were know violent. And not only that, but they were also addicts. The second husband was an addict, and it kept setting me back. Every time he would use, you know, he would run away from the house. He would steal from the house, steal from me. I was working on my undergraduate at the time. And it's very difficult to go to school when you don't know where your husband is, or if he's dead or alive. [00:08:12] It was God who heard my cry when I was drinking and down. I didn't know how to stop; no earthly measures could help me. So I remember praying one night, uh, actually it was one day for God to take my life because I just couldn't continue on that way. [00:16:25] I wanted to be a counselor. I wanted to give back. And so, because she made the enrollment process so comfortable for me, it seems like God just opened the doors for me. [00:23:10] It hides in the dark and it tells you can't talk to anybody about these things. But you can. And once you start talking about shame, when you expose it, but of course you must have a safe space to do it. Then, as you said, the healing can begin. [00:29:35] People shouldn't be afraid to talk about tough, scary, unpleasant issues. About Jacqueline Stuckey: In her stunning memoir, Restoring the Southpaw: Abused Stalked Restored, Jacqueline Stuckey shares that regardless of a life dominated by parental and partner mental and physical abuse, teen pregnancies, addiction, phobias, and anxiety, she came back from the brink of desperation, renewed her strength, and reclaimed a positive productive life beyond her wildest dreams. She restored her life. Links mentioned in this episode: Jacqueline Stuckey: Jackie’s book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/7Zafn8i https://www.facebook.com/jackie.m.stuckey ____________________________________ Toby Dorr: Books and Audiobook Website Patreon YouTube Instagram Facebook 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/
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    45 mins
  • From a Life Sentence to Walking in Love with Katrina Butler

    From a Life Sentence to Walking in Love with Katrina Butler
    Sep 3 2024
    Katrina Butler is a certified social impact consultant and a restorative justice facilitator. She is also the author of a book written for children of incarcerated parents. Katrina is a resilient woman who transforms life’s adversities into opportunities that inspire others. She believes in paying it forward by advocating for second chances, trauma-informed care, alternative sentencing and giving voice to those individuals let down by society. Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Some of our fierce topics today: [02:30] I was one (incarcerated parent) that was not lucky enough to have regular visits from my children, or even regular phone calls from my children because they had to take care of themselves. When I left, my 18-year-old daughter got custody of my three younger underage children and they were just trying to make it through life the same way I was on the inside. [05:58] (My book) I took it from my lived experience, but it was just put in my heart to make the character a little boy and him losing his father. So it's about the initial shock of a child losing their parent. The mother is upset. He's saying how his house is just so quiet now, void of the father's presence. He doesn't want to play with his friends. And then in talking to one of his close friends, he finds she has a secret too. [09:13] I left them at a very important part of their life. I missed my youngest daughter's graduation and that hurt me. Especially when I heard her during a phone conversation. She says, Mom, I never thought my graduation would be this way… And yeah, they are incarcerated in their own prison as well with dealing with their own emotions trying to figure things out without the parent there. [00:10:32] trauma comes out in bits and pieces here and there as things happen or things are triggered. [00:12:32] I took my very last check and incorporated my business, Different Souls of One Accord. I got the website, the logo, and it's been existing since. And I am a social impact, project consultant company where I collaborate with different nonprofits and I help build programs that focus on things that I believe will be instrumental to the successful re-entry for individuals. I also provide legal services for men on the inside as well. [00:13:26] I use my lived experience to build programs, the infrastructure for programs that I know will communicate and speak the same language and support those coming home. [00:19:54] It's okay to stand up and say, you know what, this doesn't feel good. This doesn't work for me. And you don't have to be ugly or rude about it. About Katrina Butler: Katrina Butler’s unwavering commitment to advocacy is deeply rooted in her strong spiritual beliefs. With the support of her network, family and close friends, she continues to uphold and promote her principles with integrity, compassion, and determination. Katrina firmly believes in the power of truth and the importance of acknowledging one’s roots. She is known to live by the words, “Never forget where you came from and stand on your truth no matter what.” It is only when we stand on our truth that we can foster personal growth and work toward the betterment of humanity. Links mentioned in this episode: Katrina Butler: https://www.differentsouls1accord.com/ www.sofarsoclose.org So far, So close: Children Coping with the Incarceration of their Loved Ones by Katrina McCutchen Butler ____________________________________ Toby Dorr: Books and Audiobook Website Patreon YouTube Instagram Facebook 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/
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    44 mins
  • From Safe to Fierce: Fierce Conversations with Toby Podcast Trailer

    From Safe to Fierce: Fierce Conversations with Toby Podcast Trailer
    Aug 31 2024

    Welcome to Fierce Conversations with Toby—where stories of struggle, strength, and transformation take center stage. I’m Toby Dorr, and I believe that every conversation has the power to change lives. Here, we dive deep into the raw, unfiltered moments that shape us, challenge us, and ultimately, set us free. From personal reflections to compelling interviews, join me on a journey of fierce honesty, courageous healing, and bold transformations. Let’s turn pain into power and conversations into catalysts for change.

    Watch the video here!

    Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

    Some of our fierce topics today:

    [00:42] - choose the second definition (of fierce) showing a heartfelt and powerful intensity.

    [1:25] - The average person can make a difference and be part of righting a wrong.

    [2:05] - I am not a small talk kind of woman.

    [2:35] - My life's mission is to empower women, leading them to embrace the hard things in their lives and break free from whatever prison confines them.

    About Your Host, Toby Dorr:

    Toby Dorr is a transformational speaker, best-selling author, and the courageous voice behind Fierce Conversations with Toby. Known for her powerful journey from incarceration to inspiration, Toby’s story is one of radical redemption and fierce determination. Through her memoir, Living with Conviction, her poetry collection, and her transformative workbooks in The Unleashed Series, Toby guides others on a path of deep introspection and personal change. She brings her lived experience and fierce grace to every episode, creating a space for honest, impactful conversations that challenge, heal, and inspire. Toby’s mission is to help women break free from their past and reclaim their lives, one fierce conversation at a time.

    Learn more about Toby:

    Books and Audiobook

    Website

    Patreon

    YouTube

    Instagram

    Facebook

    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/
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    3 mins
  • Deciding Who Gets to Be Human with Bex Gunn

    Deciding Who Gets to Be Human with Bex Gunn
    Aug 20 2024

    Bex Gunn considers herself a nomad. She’s lived in 8 different states and seems to be able to find herself at home in just about any social circle. Music, tattooing, and poetry are the hobbies she’s most passionate about. But her biggest purpose is helping people through the human experience, with love and kindness.

    Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews!

    Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/

    Some of our fierce topics today:

    [02:45] The hardest decision that I ever had to make was leaving my kids behind because I was in active addiction and I had to leave the state because I couldn't stop using.

    [14:45] Therapy is what helped me. And the reason I think that is because everybody that I know who has a form of addiction has an underlying mental illness that's not being treated. And I think that's, where we're failing as a society is because we're looking at mental illness and addiction as two separate things.

    [20:38] People who are incarcerated need some sort of advocate for their basic human rights - to be treated like human beings.

    [00:25:52] They're breeding recidivism just to make money. And, I don't think they're doing it just inside the correctional system. I think it's inside the judicial system too, because every time you take an inmate from El Paso County jail, (yeah, I'm calling them out) - every time they take an inmate from El Paso County Jail over to the courthouse, they get $100.

    [00:29:50] I mean, honestly, it's like our country has gotten so big and full of itself that we've decided who gets to be human beings and who doesn't. And that's really disappointing.

    [00:35:30] Accountability is super important, and it took a long time for me to get to that point where I was like, oh, I did this. I'm responsible for that because the only thing I can control, the only emotions and behaviors I can control is me. And so, I need to make sure that I control that because, like you said, if I'm putting out like anger and negative energy and vibrations, that actually attracts those kind of vibrations towards you.

    [00:40:45] And you're really only living half of a life. You're not unlocked because you're still holding stuff in for yourself and you gotta get rid of that. You gotta shed that part of your life so you can build a new one. I've lived like eight lives in this lifetime.

    About Bex Gunn

    Bex Gunn is a unique individual, rich with wisdom from life’s lessons. A conversation with her will open your eyes. Here’s one of my favorite Bex quotes, “music is what feelings sound like.”

    Links mentioned in this episode:

    Bex Gunn:

    https://www.facebook.com/florasunshine

    ____________________________________

    Toby Dorr:

    Books and Audiobook

    Website

    Patreon

    YouTube

    Instagram

    Facebook

    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/

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    50 mins
  • Life's Turning Points with Alexa Bigwarfe

    Life's Turning Points with Alexa Bigwarfe
    Aug 6 2024
    Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Alexa Bigwarfe is a USA Today best-selling author and the founder and CEO of Write|Publish|Sell, a company dedicated to helping authors professionally self-publish and market their books. Her courses and training focus on author platform growth and creative ways to market books, especially for those who know nothing about marketing. She is also the founder and host of the Women in Publishing Summit and owns two publishing houses. In her spare time, she writes RomComs, usually set in Paris, France. Some of our fierce topics today: [09:48] You can't run from it. I mean, trust me, I tried and one of my scenarios was I just kept myself as busy as I didn't realize that I was doing it, but until years of therapy showed me this, but I just kept myself so busy and just adding more and more and more. And, you know, stuffing it all down. [12:58] When the event is super, super traumatic, it's really hard to find gratitude. [16:59] But one of the things that it's ironic, God places people in your life that you just need to know, about a year and a half before she transferred and, became the commander of our organization, her 20 year old was killed in an accident. And, she had also lost a baby at birth. Even though I had left the military by this point in time, we stayed in touch. She was just a beacon of light for me. [00:18:16] I have been very rich when it comes to finding people who have mentored me and helped me through different pieces of this journey, and I'm just, I'm so grateful to them, and so I try to also give that back to other people whenever the opportunity arises. [00:24:05] I chose to not stay stuck where I was. And that was really scary because when you've lost a child, it's very hard to stop grieving because you feel like you're afraid that you may forget them or that you're doing a disservice. I named my first company after her Kat Biggie Press and it's kept her very, very present in everything that I do. About Alexa Bigwarfe: Alexa Bigwarfe is the founder of Kat Biggie Press, Write-Publish-Sell, and the Women In Publishing annual Summit. Over the last decade she’s helped thousands of authors through webinars, conferences, coaching, and services. Her team learns from and improves, honing skills as experts in the publishing and book marketing world, with every project they touch. Alexa is passionate about her role as an author advocate. Links mentioned in this episode: Alexa Bigwarfe: https://writepublishsell.com/ https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/ https://katbiggiepress.com/ ____________________________________ Toby Dorr: Books and Audiobook Website Patreon YouTube Instagram Facebook 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/
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    36 mins
  • To Hear Grandpa's Voice with Michael Thompson

    To Hear Grandpa's Voice with Michael Thompson
    Jul 23 2024
    In this episode, Michael Thompson discusses his writing path which began at the age of 13. Learn how one teacher’s attempt to devalue his doodling led to his creative mentor. I pop into my local Barnes and Noble bookstore several times a month just to feel surrounded by books. When my trip happens to be on a weekend, I often come across local authors signing their books. A few weeks ago, I met Michael Thompson who told me, “Oh, I just sold the last copy of my book.” I congratulated him and discovered that he has quite the writing story to tell and invited him to be on my podcast. I think you’ll delight in his journey as an author! Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Some of our fierce topics today: [02:07] Becoming a full-time author is kind of a scary decision. It’s not exactly a traditional job and you wear a lot of hats. [03:54] I was always creating from a very, very young age, and I was always drawing in class and creating all kinds of different characters. Epic battles were filling the margins of my notebooks. I couldn't help myself. And some of my teachers didn't like that. [04:36] It was at summer school that I met the greatest teacher that I'd ever had, Mr. A. He said, “we're going to make our own comic book”. And that was the first assignment. My mom contacted the principal and had me transferred into his class for the fourth grade. And it was there that I created Chicken Boy, my first ever character. [07:48] I loved reading my stories with my grandfather, and he had a great voice. And I always really enjoyed writing something just so I could hear him read it to me in his voice. [08:57] My grandpa passed away when I was in the middle of college. And the book hadn't come out yet. And I had just kind of a placeholder name for the currency. It was like, you know, kind of like your classic gold doubloon type looking thing. And I just called them pieces and I didn't know what to call them yet, but I wanted something unique. When it came time to do those final polishing up edits. I still needed a name for the currency. And I found a stack of my grandfather's edits and in his handwriting, he had circled that placeholder and I think he meant to write silver or something, but he abbreviated it SIV, S I V. So I named the little treasure pieces Siv. [33:05] I love the research process of these books. I call it the real-world tether. Each story has this root in reality or in real-world legends. So if you happen to search any of the creatures that Winslow sees on his voyages, you'll be, really excited to see it's like a whole bunch of old newspaper articles detailing other people's alleged encounters with those same myths. About Michael Thompson: Michael Thompson is an award-winning author and illustrator from Northern Virginia. He began his career at thirteen with the publication of his action-packed Chicken Boy series. His debut YA portal fantasy novel, World of the Orb, earned international acclaim in the Feathered Quill Book Awards alongside his sea adventure novel, Winslow Hoffner's Incredible Encounters. Michael continues to produce immersive stories across multiple genres while sharing the theme of plunging ordinary characters into extraordinary situations, with emphases on adventure, humor, and heart. Links: Michael Thompson: If you want to see life as an opportunity, meet Michael! https://www.michaelthompsonbooks.com ____________________________________ Toby Dorr: Books and Audiobook Website Patreon YouTube Instagram Facebook 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/
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    36 mins
  • The Keel and the Anchor with Christian Dorr

    The Keel and the Anchor with Christian Dorr
    Jul 9 2024
    My guest today is my husband. Christian Dorr. While listeners may find it interesting to hear his perspective on my story, he has a powerful story of his own! When I got out of prison, I had no intentions of ever getting married again. I was done with men, done with all the whole mess. I was just going to live my own little quiet life and then in walks Christian Dorr. And it became apparent that living a quiet life wasn’t in the cards for me. Chris is my biggest fan. Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Some of our fierce topics today: [03:08] Every part of my story has always been with one foot out the door. My future was always a confusing arc. There was no way to predict where my next step was going to take me. [12:13] I took some nosedives along the way, got mixed up in drugs and alcohol for several years, and it destroyed a lot of my character and my will to live. It took me a long time, maybe 20 years to recover from just a couple of years of severe drug abuse. [13:23] God stepped in at a point where I was so desperate, 38 cents in my pocket, about ready to die and didn't care if I did. And he changed everything. That story is one that it would take another few episodes of our podcast to explain, but ultimately God healed me nearly overnight. [22:13] I don't remember where I read it somewhere about an old man, he fears no one. He lives his life day to day with his heart on his sleeve, and will say whatever is on his mind, because there's nothing to lose, because when you get to be old, you start realizing that every minute of every day is just, it's all borrowed time. [00:52:36] John Manard was everything I expected. I talked to him on the phone, read his entire courtroom transcript, and had insight from my wife, who was an ex-lover and friend of his. He lived up to all of what I expected. He was charming, handsome, polite, and respectful. I needed him to know and you to know that I'm not afraid of John Manard, your history, or the event and you going on the run together for a 12-day vacation in Tennessee. There's nothing to be afraid of here. About Christian Dorr: Boston-Born and Maine-raised, Christian Dorr worked his dad’s commercial blueberry farm until joining the US Navy, which took him to exotic places as well as naval combat in Desert Storm aboard an aircraft carrier in 1991. After the Navy, Chris worked on a commercial scallop dragger off the coast of Maine. Chris claims to be the fastest scallop shucker on the East Coast, but substance abuse and a troubled marriage forced changes in Chris’ life. He accepted Christian principles in 1995 and listens to God’s direction to this day. As a field service engineer for Intel, Chris traveled to Japan, Korea, Ireland, Israel and many more. Today, Chris supports and shares Toby’s vision to end wrongful and indiscriminate imprisonment imposed by an archaic law known as Felony Murder. Links mentioned in this episode: Christian Dorr: http://christiandorr.com/ ____________________________________ Toby Dorr: Books and Audiobook Website Patreon YouTube Instagram Facebook 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/
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • The Blessing of Uphill Journeys with Karen Mitchell Grant

    The Blessing of Uphill Journeys with Karen Mitchell Grant
    Jun 25 2024
    William, my oldest son is 33 years old. He's autistic, blind, and non-verbal. I decided to do a marathon and when I told William, he wanted to participate. My daughter joined in and it became a family affair. We had to push William in a wheelchair because he’s blind and it would be too difficult to lead him. Most of the race seemed to be uphill. But we finished! Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Some of our fierce topics today: [04:25] It was as if God had said “I'm going to send you some earth angels to come alongside you”. There were at least eight to twelve people who helped us up those hills. Pushed William up the hill. And one woman's name was Grace and she stayed with us the whole race. [06:24] My daughter and a few of the people that she had met, cause she's a socialite. So she met plenty of people going up that Hill. And she sent help my way, “if you see a woman in a yellow sweatshirt, that's my mom.” [08:05] And let me tell you something that was the best experience of that entire walk with all these different people. There was no competition because you got to understand that when you're doing a race, you're also getting timed. So everyone forgot about their time and helped us. I could do nothing but thank the Lord and just realize how much he is in my life. [00:11:35] Discovering at 18 months old that William was autistic took me by surprise, and it took my husband by surprise. And, um, the one thing I really loved about our, our marriage and he's passed away. He just was a little cutie. And they said, you know, he's nonverbal. He's autistic. And I thought, okay. All right. Well, let's just go from here. And so we did all the things that every, uh, parent does when they find out they have a special needs child. But William's the one that led me. He, he really, he's the one that really showed me what he was willing to do and what he was not willing to do. [00:14:40] Don't feel sorry for me. I think you have to look at how someone responds. I got a loving son. About Karen Mitchell Grant: Karen Grant is a Life Empowerment Coach, with Master’ Degrees in Conflict Management and Business Administration. After retiring from her management position as a Registered Nurse Karen began pursuing her passion, working with women. Nicknamed the Encourager that is what you will often find her doing. Karen loves to encourage women to know who they are and what they are capable of becoming. Karen believes in sharing her faith with others. Karen enjoys walking and training for 5K and 10K races with her two adult children. In 2024 she plans on running her first half-marathon. Links mentioned in this episode: Karen Mitchell Grant: https://www.instagram.com/coaching_change_with_karen/ ____________________________________ Toby Dorr: Books and Audiobook Website Patreon YouTube Instagram Facebook 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/
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    46 mins