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Fierce Conversations with Toby is a transformative podcast that delves into the power of personal stories and the courage to overcome life’s toughest challenges. Hosted by Toby Dorr, a woman who turned her own life around after a period of intense adversity, this podcast is a space for honest, raw, and inspiring conversations. Each episode brings you closer to the heart of what it means to heal, grow, and transform your story. Whether you’re seeking motivation, comfort, or a new perspective, ...
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Welcome to The Storytellers Porch, a cozy podcast featuring real stories with collective impact. As you begin to listen to each episode, we ask you to imagine yourself on your favorite porch somewhere, sitting with your favorite beverage in a comfortable rocking chair, and relaxing with your favorite people. Perhaps the sun is setting, the fireflies are beginning to flicker, you hear an owl hoot, and you watch the fire glow. Our host Jill Davis brings out a tray of delicious snacks and treat ...
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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…
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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…
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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/…
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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 cou…
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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 autho…
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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 w…
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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. Bu…
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Trigger warning/disclaimer: This episode contains discussions about child abuse, divorce, and personal trauma, 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. R…
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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 an…
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"We are not defined by our mistake... We are defined by our character." - Toby Dorr, bestselling author, host of Fierce Conversations with Toby, and today’s guest on The Storytellers Porch Welcome to The Storytellers Porch! Join Jill as Toby recounts her experiences of resilience, reinvention, and redemption. Through a poignant narrative, Toby reve…
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"I met Donny Osmond. The moment was real. I had to keep telling myself that it was real, though. I had to focus pretty hard to understand it was really happening.” - Kerry Kruegler, today’s guest on The Storytellers Porch Welcome to The Storytellers Porch! Experience the magic of Kerry’s journey as she recounts her quest to meet her childhood idol,…
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Remember all that you have accomplished. Today on the Porch, Heather Wilde joins Jill while sipping coffee and Bailey’s. Come on over and grab a seat with your favorite drink while Heather and Jill discuss Heather’s teaching career, her belief in being a good person, and the legendary pillowcases she gave to her students upon their graduation. Link…
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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 …
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“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 Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https:/…
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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 Head to https://www.yo…
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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.” - Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., clinical psychologist award-winning children’s book author, fiction author, playwright, and today’s guest on …
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Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ “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 e…
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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 yo…
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“I feel like it's gotten to the point where we're so scared of crossing a boundary that we just say nothing.” - Hannah Rumsey, developmental editor & writing coach for Sara Connell Coaching, Inc., creator and host of the podcast “Friends Missing Friends”, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby. Find the video interview here! Transcript…
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Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ 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 D…
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Find all interviews at https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ 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 Nonfic…
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Head to https://www.youtube.com/@fierceconversationswithtoby to find all video interviews! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ http://www.bfa-ministry.org/ Gina Hanna founded Beauty for Ashes Ministry with her husband Derk in 2009. Their vision was to drastically reduce recidivism in prisons across the United States by p…
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Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ When we know the hard choice is right, in a way, it's not hard because we can't not do it. - Kimberly Braun, TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations with Toby Join us as Kimberly Braun shares her extraordinary life jou…
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Trigger warning/disclaimer: This episode contains discussions about cancer, including personal experiences and journeys. The content may be emotionally intense and could be triggering for individuals who have had personal experiences with cancer or are sensitive to health-related topics. If you find these discussions distressing, it may be advisabl…
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Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ "The lost art of what's been going on is people have forgotten how to have a conversation and how to say, 'Can I help you?'" - Laura Spetter, 14-year Air Force veteran and today’s guest along with Geoff Spetter, a 21-year Army veteran, on “Fierce Convers…
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Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ “A road can always be found between two hearts.” - Leslie Ahmadi, language coach, cross-cultural/diversity consultant, author of the upcoming book Road Between Two Hearts: A Black American Bride Discovers Iran, and today’s guest on Fierce Conversations w…
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Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ “I have a weekly conversation with my mentees. We do once a month face to face. And it really makes a difference. People know that you care.” - Marla Smith, Christian care provider, clinical researcher, mentor for the Welcome Home Reentry Program and tod…
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Content warning: This episode discusses the journey of one our guests to recovery with an eating disorder. While this episode, and all episodes of Fierce Conversations with Toby, are designed to facilitate healing for all, some listeners may be troubled by the subject matter. Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr…
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Contennt warning: This episode discusses death, including the death of a fellow inmate by execution because of the death penalty and the death of our guests husband to cancer. While this episode, and all episodes of Fierce Conversations with Toby, are designed to facilitate healing for all, some listeners may be troubled by the subject matter. Watc…
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Content warning: This episode discusses the healing journey of Moira Dadd after experiencing childhood abandonment, stays in multiple orphanages, and the death of her mother by suicide. While this podcast is intended to facilitate healing and hold space for all, some listeners may be troubled by the subject matter. Watch the video interview here! T…
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Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ "Sometimes you can be significant by being insignificant... We all have it within us to make a difference. You don't have to be wealthy. You don't have to be famous. You don't have to have a title." - Toby Dorr, host of and the interviewee on today’s epi…
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Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Embracing Resilience: Ali Freeman's Inspiring Journey of Healing Through Art Content warning: This episode discusses the healing journey of Ali Freeman after the miscarriage of her daughter Morrison, as well as discussions of the loss of Toby’s daughter,…
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Sisterhood Behind Bars: The Unbreakable Bonds of Women in Prison Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ "Don't ever give up. Don't ever, ever, ever, give up. I could not see a life this beautiful when I was dealing with the legal process or even when I was a young single mother... whatever ha…
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From Zoom Calls to Lifelong Bonds: Unleashing the Power of Connection Watch the video interview here! Transcripts available at https://tobydorr.com/podcast-schedule/ Content warning: Mentioning and brief discussion of the death of one of our guest’s 5-year-old son. While this podcast is intended to facilitate healing and hold space for all, some li…
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Check out the video of this interview here! “Allow yourself to feel. To grieve. To mourn. Oftentimes with life, people wanna keep moving. We have our responsibilities, but in the midst of that you should be comfortable to be able to process those feelings and deal with how you're feeling and grieve in real time.” - Kathryn C. Boxill of BeDoLove, LL…
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Check out the video of this interview here! “I think that that's one of the overlooked traits that we have as an entire community is that we tend to not listen. And I think that if we take time, take a minute to sit back and actually listen to what the community is asking for, then we can better serve them.” - Frederick Johnson, therapist, barber, …
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Check out the video of this interview here! “Your perspective is a superpower that you have in your pocket at all times. And it doesn't matter what level of situation you're in, whatever you can control or what you can't control around you, whether you like it or you don't, that perspective is the one thing that's pretty unchanging, so long as you'…
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Check out the video of this interview here! “I kept going at it and the best thing of it all is that my band director said to me, you know what? I see the determination. You can't give up.” - Lisa Plasse, composer of The Fierce Conversations with Toby theme song and today’s guest, on her first experience with the flute – which took Lisa 7 months of…
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Check out the video of this interview here! “If a movie was made about your life, who would play the lead role?” This classic conversation-starter question was actually answered for Toby Dorr! For Toby, the face of the lead role was Catherine Bell when she played Toby in the Lifetime movie Jailbreak Lovers. Since Jailbreak Lovers was created from p…
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Check out the video of this interview here! Chris Turner. Clifton Yarborough. Charles Turner. Timothy Catlett. Our guests today spent 30+ years behind bars, being a number and not a name. We made sure their names are right at the very beginning to honor Chris, Cliff, Charles, and Tim as human beings who were never just numbers. The Catherine Fuller…
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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…
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Content warning: This episode contains dialogue that includes mentions of the death of our guest’s 5-year-old son. While this interview is intended to facilitate healing and hold space for all that have been affected by loss, some listeners may be troubled by the subject matter. Check out the video of this interview here! Wendy Elle’s precious five…
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Check out the video of this interview here! Two groups of people face the perilous path called reentry: astronauts and inmates. Our guest today is Carla Anderson, a reentry coordinator for a national nonprofit in Washington, D.C. Through her impactful work, Carla helps inmates to rise above societal prejudice, return to their families, and overcome…
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Check out the video of this episode here! George Floyd. Derek Chauvin. Bill Cosby. Kyle Rittenhouse. Vicky White. Today’s guest, Laura Collins, has been there for all of them. Laura reported from Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing unrest, and then returned for Derek Chauvin’s trial. She was in the courtroom during Kenos…
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Check out the video of this interview here! An eye-opening look into our broken justice system, one where innocence may not protect you from incarceration — or even the death penalty. Today’s guest is Justin Brooks, the Director and Co-Founder of the California Innocence Project, an organization that has secured the release of dozens of innocent pe…
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“Every time we started to go to school, the old gray mare would wait till we got out on the road, right by our house, and then she'd go back into the ditch with the buggy that she was hitched to and head for the barn.” Welcome to the Storytellers Porch! Today, Jill is joined by Mrs. Barbara Ewing and her daughter Jacquie. Mrs. Ewing (who just celeb…
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“The reason my great-great-grandparents came over here was for freedom and hope for their family. To start this generation and to give generational hope and freedom of living. Some place like here.” - Deb Nyenhuis, today’s guest on The Storytellers Porch Following the trend of last week’s episode with Dr. Mark Wright on The Storytellers Porch, Deb …
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Trigger warning: This episode contains dialogue of life on a sheep farm, which includes mentions of hunting and the death of animals. No animal cruelty is discussed. “When somebody walks in my practice, they're in my house. I want them to be at home.” - Mark H. Wright, DDS, today’s guest on The Storytellers Porch Today’s story on The Porch at The F…
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“I can look to the seasons, and I can look to the controlled burns and the growth that comes up a week later and use that as a reminder: that nature, and the seasons, and those cycles have been here long before we have and will be here long after. And I think that's really all the hope I need.” - ­Gracie Jenkins In our last adventure out to Stockpo…
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What do you do when you get a call saying you have to fix your 130-year-old barn that is falling down and causing a hazard to your neighbors? You grab some friends, some beer, some food, and some love and figure it out. In today's exciting episode, Jill Davis and Emily Chase Smith talk about the hardship that came when Jill had to say goodbye to th…
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