Jo starts to make big strides within their personal life. From building community and finding friends, to finally being able to take care of themselves in a way that feels safe. They’ve even rediscovered their love for cheerleading. But just as they’re starting to forge a new relationship with their body, an injury causes a major setback. We talk to two of Jo’s closest people–their therapist Angie and their roommate Spencer–about watching Jo struggle through this difficult time, and gain insight...
Aug 01, 2024•43 min•Season 4Ep. 7
When Jo begins sharing their experiences online, they get a request from the producers of nationally broadcast television show “The Doctors” to tell their story to an audience of millions. During their dramatic confrontation on air, Donna continues to gaslight Jo and deny the abuse; Jo nonetheless finds healing and release in opening up about the truth. But even as Jo begins to break away, Donna finds ways to pull them back in and distort their reality. *** Links/Resources: Watch Jo’s episode of...
Jul 25, 2024•45 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Today we look back at Jo’s revelation in their twenties that they’d been a victim of Munchausen by proxy abuse: a moment that turned their world upside down. As Jo forges a path forward – reviewing their medical records and even confronting their childhood pediatrician – they discover how complex healing from this abuse truly is. Jo also opens up about their experiences with Dissociative Identity Disorder. We speak to Jo’s therapist, Angie, about their complicated system of coping mechanisms. We...
Jul 18, 2024•58 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Jo reconnects with their friend, Kristin, who took them in as a homeless teenager after Jo was removed from Donna’s care due to her alcoholism. As a young mother in the midst of her own difficult situation, Kristin’s relationship with Jo had its challenges, but as they recount their time together, it’s a healing and clarifying moment for both of them. Jo continues on their rocky road to freedom from their mother’s clutches as they look for help from the medical community outside their mother’s i...
Jul 11, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 4
As we dig deeper into Jo’s history, we tackle one of the many confusing aspects of their childhood: their paternity. We navigate the many twists and turns around the father figures in Jo’s life. From abusive men in the home to a secret father they never knew about, we unravel another complex layer of Donna’s deceptions. We hear more from Jo’s sister Crystal and talk to Jo’s biological father, Reza, about what it was like to be on the other side of the big lie. *A note that this episode does incl...
Jul 04, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In this very special crossover episode with our friends at The Dating Detectives, Andrea joins private eye Mackenzie Fultz and comedian Hannah Anderson as they delve into a case of medical mystery and romantic deception. Mila joins us to tell her harrowing story about how her girlfriend’s tragic battle with brain cancer turned out to be something far more sinister. *** Check out The Dating Detectives ! Follow The Dating Detectives on instagram . Follow Hanna and Mackenzie on instagram. Preorder ...
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min
While visiting their hometown, Jo reconnects with their older sister, Crystal, to have the deeply honest and heart-wrenching conversation their mother never wanted them to have: one where they share the hard truths about the abuse they both suffered at her hand. Crystal and Jo reach a new level of understanding of their shared experiences and their love for each other. We also speak to Munchausen by proxy expert Bea Yorker to talk about the process of discovery and recovery for survivors. *** Li...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 4 of Nobody Should Believe Me! This season we are following the story of Jordyn Hope as they unravel the secrets of their childhood. After revelations that they were abused as a child, Jo bravely returns to their small, deeply religious hometown to attempt to unravel their many lingering questions about their upbringing. Was their abuse a secret? If not, why didn’t anyone help them? Jo connects with her first grade teacher and childhood best friend as they begin their search fo...
Jun 20, 2024•51 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Andrea Dunlop interviews Madison McGhee, host of the Ice Cold Case podcast, about her personal journey investigating her father's unsolved murder in 2002. They discuss the emotional complexity of the investigation, the challenges of maintaining objectivity, and the broader implications of failings in the justice system. Madison shares insights into how her podcast developed, her experiences with family backlash, and her determination to find answers. * * * Listen to Ice Cold Case . Follow Madiso...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 4 min
What if you woke up one day and discovered that your whole life had been a lie? When Jordyn Hope learned about Munchausen by proxy in a college psychology class, their life was immediately turned upside down. Everything about their history was suddenly cast in a new light: from the mysterious illnesses they’d been plagued with since birth to the constant emergency room visits to the gaslighting from their mother. Now, years later, Jo returns to their small, rural hometown of Hutchinson, MN to tr...
Jun 11, 2024•5 min
Welcome to the Season 3 mailbag episode! Andrea is joined by Dr. Bex (aka Secret Florida Doctor Friend), to sort through all the commentary and listener feedback from Season 3. They tackle the good, the bad, and the just plain weird from the comments, and answer burning questions about the Kowalski case. We hear what it was like to cover this case in real time and to go on the road to meet some of the key players. Come down the rabbit hole with us! * * * Preorder Andrea's new book The Mother Nex...
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr 13 min
This week Andrea is joined by Kathleen Strader, the National Director for Healthy Families America, the signature home visiting program of Prevent Child Abuse America. Following the Take Care of Maya film and media coverage of so-called "medical kidnapping" and misleading coverage of child abuse, we move the conversation to solutions: what can we do to prevent child abuse? We delve into Kathleen's background dealing with child abuse cases and her work supporting families through home visiting pr...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 4 min
This week Andrea is joined by Dr. Marc Feldman as she dives into the complexities and controversies surrounding medical child abuse and the developing story in Lehigh, PA about "overdiagnosis". They delve into the media’s role in shaping perceptions and the potential for a moral panic about doctors "falsely accusing" parents of child abuse. Andrea and Dr. Feldman address the challenges in protecting children, critiques of the healthcare and legal systems, and the broader social and political mov...
May 23, 2024•37 min
Join Andrea as she delves back into the ongoing legal battle of Kowalski v. Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, with Ethen Shapiro, the lead defense attorney for Johns Hopkins All Children's. They discuss the grounds for a retrial based on allegations of juror misconduct and the potential chilling effect on mandatory reporters following the substantial amount of money awarded to the Kowalski family by the jury. We also look at the the broader societal impacts on mandatory reporting and the pr...
May 16, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 19
This week's episode delves into the intricate details surrounding Beata Kowalski's death, which was central to the Kowalski's lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children's, as well as the documentary 'Take Care of Maya'. In court, Beata's death was presented as an act of maternal sacrifice and heroism. Through interviews and court deposition excerpts, we'll explore the odd circumstances leading up to and immediately after Beata's death that suggest a far more complex story might lie beneath the s...
May 09, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 19
As we prepare to launch Season Four next month, we’re revisiting the subject of Season Three—the landmark Kowalski v. Johns Hopkins All Children’s verdict, in which a jury awarded Jack Kowalski more than $200 million dollars in damages following the suicide of his wife Beata while their daughter Maya Kowalski was in state custody because a medical child abuse investigation. Though the media has been largely sympathetic to Kowalski’s case—thanks in large part to the popular Netflix film “Take Car...
May 02, 2024•41 min
On this week's episode, Andrea is joined by Roberta Blevins, creator and host of the Life After MLM podcast, and Terra Newell, who was featured in mega-hit Dirty John podcast and has since created and hosts Terra's Baddy Club. The audience gets to listen in as these three women talk about about the pros and cons of having a personal connection to the topics of their podcasts, how that affects their coverage of the topic, and the intersection between Munchausen by proxy, MLMs, and domestic violen...
Apr 25, 2024•43 min
Listen to an episode we're releasing from our subscriber vault -- Andrea's full conversation with Hope Ybarra, whose story we've been revisiting in our look back at season one of the show. This conversation gives listeners a peek into the mind of a perpetrator and inspired the name of the show "Nobody Should Believe Me". * * * Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlop Buy Andrea's books here . To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe ...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 25 min
In the final episode of our look back at season one, Andrea reflects on her experience interviewing Hope Ybarra, how it impacted her in regards to her sister, and audience reactions to the conversation. * * * Andrea has made an intense connection with Hope Ybarra's family, and asked experts, doctors, and the detective so many of her burning questions about Munchausen by Proxy. But she's become increasingly fixated on talking to Hope herself as she comes to realize that it may be her only chance ...
Apr 11, 2024•45 min
After a look back at season 1 episode 7, Can They Be Saved?, Andrea reflects on how her thoughts regarding the psychopathology of Munchausen by Proxy has evolved over the years, as she has spoken to experts, survivors, and perpetrators of this abuse. * * * Andrea delves deep into her questions around the psychopathology of Munchausen by Proxy perpetrators. Floored by the similarities in the many cases she’s researched, she talks to two of the world's foremost experts on the disorder—Dr. Marc Fel...
Apr 04, 2024•46 min
During this look back at the 6th episode of our first season, we hear the story of twin sisters who survived Munchausen by Proxy at the hands of their foster mother. At the end of the episode, we get a visit from very special guest, Erica Blake (then Handt), one of the sisters we interviewed almost 3 years ago. Andrea reconnects with her to chat about life since that interview. *** As Andrea contemplates what the future looks like for survivors of Munchausen by Proxy, she gets an unexpected mess...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 17 min
This is the 5th episode of our look back at season one of the show. We revisit Andrea's conversation with two more dads who were a part of Munchausen by Proxy cases. At the end of the episode, Andrea gives a brief update on one of the dads and shares her thoughts on how gender roles play into these cases and why such a high percentage of offenders are women. *** As we learn from Detective Mike Weber, the father in a Munchausen by Proxy case can be the most important ally--or the biggest obstacle...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr
Andrea connects with Dr. Jessica Pryce, an expert on the frontlines of child wellfare work, research, and reform. She talks to Andrea about her book, Broken: Transforming Child Protective Services , the child welfare system as a whole, and how her work applies to the needs of children and families affected by Munchausen by Proxy. * * * Learn more about Dr. Jessica Pryce here . Purchase Broken: Transforming Child Protective Services here . Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: ...
Mar 19, 2024•58 min
During this re-aired episode, we revisit our conversation with 2 fathers affected by Munchausen by Proxy. At the end of the episode, we reconnect with George Hunnicut to discuss how life has been for him and his children after speaking to us on the show two years ago. *** As we learn from Detective Mike Weber, the father in a Munchausen by Proxy case can be the most important ally--or the biggest obstacle--in protecting child victims from abuse. We learn more about how Andrea’s own family became...
Mar 14, 2024•1 hr 21 min
We take a look back at the third episode of the show. At the end of the episode, we catch up with Detective Mike Weber, friend of the show and expert in the investigation of Medical Child Abuse. *** Andrea speaks to Deanna Boyd, the crime reporter who broke the Hope Ybarra case and discovers that Hope's was one of many Munchausen By Proxy cases in Tarrant County that Deanna unearthed; all of which had flown under the radar. What's going on here? Why are there so many cases in this one area? As A...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr 25 min
We take a look back at the second episode of the show. Stay tuned to hear Andrea share the story of how the show almost didn't air and what she learned from it. To learn more details about Andrea's sister's case, check out "Megan". *** We delve deeper into the story of Hope Ybarra, a young mother whose family discovers she’s been faking her eight-year-long battle with terminal cancer and begins to suspect her own health isn’t all she’s lying about. We talk more to Hope’s family and her ex-husban...
Feb 29, 2024•48 min
We're going back to the beginning with an extended version of our very first episode! Be sure to stay tuned until the end for a special postscript with Andrea as she gives a behind-the-scenes look at how this show began. *** We meet accomplished novelist and loving mother Andrea Dunlop as she embarks on a journey to understand the series of events that tore her family apart. We learn that her older sister has been investigated twice for Munchausen by Proxy abuse, which inspired Andrea to learn e...
Feb 22, 2024•42 min
In this bonus episode you’ll hear host Andrea Dunlop's full interview with Dr. Sally Smith’s son, Patrick. They discuss the impact of the slanted and sensationalized media coverage of Dr. Sally Smith’s work on him and his family. Patrick shares his pride in his mother's career as well as fears over the impact of the media coverage and the verdict in the Kowalski case. The full unbridged interview with Dr. Sally Smith will be available to subscribers. In the meantime, we are hard at work on seaso...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 13 min
In this bonus episode you’ll hear host Andrea Dunlop's full interview with Ethen Shapiro, lead attorney for John Hopkins All Childrens Hospital. Shapiro offers shocking insights into the trial and the media coverage of the Kowalski case, as well as what’s next for the defense team. We are hard at work on season 4, stay tuned and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. *** Munchausen Support accepts donations and volunteers at www.munchausensupport.com Click here to view our sponsors. Remember...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this bonus episode you’ll hear host Andrea Dunlop's full interview with friend of the show Detective Mike Weber. Mike—who wrote the FBI guidelines on investigating medical child abuse—digs into the police report about Maya Kowalski and helps Andrea put it in context, revealing the serious and disturbing nature of the case. NOTE: We recorded this interview in September before the Kowalski v Johns Hopkins All Childrens trial, so information revealed during the trial will not be reflected. *** M...
Jan 25, 2024•1 hr 27 min
