When Chris Bergoch writes a movie, he doesn’t shy away from social advocacy topics that can be seen as controversial. At Stand Up Speak Up, we try to raise awareness around important social issues, so when Karla discovered the work of Chris Bergoch, she couldn’t wait to have him on the podcast. Two of Chris’s biggest credits are Tangerine, a movie about a transgender sex worker who discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her, and his latest, The Florida Project, about a young mom w...
Jan 23, 2018•32 min•Season 2Ep. 31
If you’ve listened to Stand Up Speak Up before, then you’ve heard the voice of host Karla Stephens-Tolstoy. Usually, she’s helping tell the story of others, but you might not have known that Karla herself has led a pretty interesting life! She’s a Canadian-born & raised entrepreneur, businesswoman, volunteer, mom… and those are just a few of her titles! Karla overcame learning disabilities, and eventually landed the title of CEO at Vodafone, one of the biggest telecom companies in the world....
Dec 26, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 28
It’s estimated that illegal trade accounts for one-fifth of the global GDP. In his 2009 book McMafia, Misha Glenny outlined the growth of organized crime around the world, from drugs and sex trades to internet frauds and money laundering, documenting various mafia organizations. McMafia is now serving as inspiration for a big TV show of the same name, being produced by BBC & AMC, and starring James Norton. It’s expected to air in 2018. In Misha’s time as a journalist and writer, he’s seen th...
Dec 12, 2017•45 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Most of us have enjoyed a good action movie, but the difference between a movie and Don Mann’s life, although it may sound like something from a movie, is that his life is completely real. No written storyline. No special effects. Don is the author of Inside SEAL Team Six: My Life and Missions with America's Elite Warriors. This book details his experiences as a member of the most elite team in the U.S. Navy, the mental and physical strain needed to join, and the inner workings of the minds of t...
Nov 28, 2017•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Prepare for some raw true crime discussion, as we chat with Christian Cadieux of Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaners. What’s just another day at work for Christian, could very well be traumatizing for most of us. Christian shares some of the not-so-pleasant about the work that his company does, but we also delve into some pressing subjects. Being on the front lines of death in Canada, Christian sees first-hand some of the problems we’re faced with, such as drug overdose and suicide. Host and Produ...
Nov 14, 2017•33 min•Season 3Ep. 25
When tragedy strikes, Christian Cadieux and his team at Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaners are called in to handle the cleanup. With crews across Canada, there’s nothing they haven’t seen, and nothing they’re afraid of. Some content in this episode may be disturbing. In today’s Stand Up Speak Up Halloween special, Christian talks with Karla about unwanted entities that can appear at crime scenes and other places. His new venture, Paranormal Contractors, uses what Christian claims to be a 100% eff...
Oct 30, 2017•39 min•Season 3Ep. 24
We trust law enforcement to do the absolute best job keeping communities safe, conducting investigations, and bringing criminals to justice. But, what about when they don’t live up to their duty? As we saw with the Shelley Desrochers case, there appeared to be a lot more to the story than police were able or willing to discover. These occurrences are more common than one might think, and have been for a long time. We look at the case of Christine Rothschild, a University of Wisconsin student who...
Oct 13, 2017•48 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Maryalice Ashbrook was born into a family that seemingly had it all. Her grandfather was president of a huge company that listed a movie studio among its subsidiaries. Her mother counted Joan Crawford and Jane Russell among her friends. So how did Maryalice end up being sexually abused by a foster carer? Her mother’s pill addiction and divorce from her father led her to give up Maryalice’s brothers up to foster care. Meanwhile her mother’s continuing struggle with pills meant Maryalice spent tim...
Aug 16, 2017•59 min•Season 3Ep. 22
After a dramatic episode 8 of Finding Shelley Desrochers, we now bring the series to a close. Karla shares her final thoughts on the case and an update on police involvement. We’ll hear from Dr. Pauline Boss, an educator, and researcher, widely recognized for her research on ambiguous loss –the loss of somebody with no finality or resolution. To close out the series, we’re raising money to establish a memorial bench in Shelley’s honour, with Stand Up Speak Up donating the first $1000. For additi...
Jun 20, 2017•28 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We call in the London Police after making a gruesome discovery. Karla and Chris Williams P.I. enter dangerous situations while trying to uncover the truth about Shelley Desrocher’s disappearance. At this point in time, we’ve been led to a group of individuals and one theory that seems highly likely. These possible suspects seem to be exhibiting strange behaviour after our meddling. The pieces seem to start falling into place after one source becomes hysterical while describing a party that took ...
Jun 15, 2017•35 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Karla and private investigator Chris Williams of Canadian Private Investigation Services spent an entire day in London, Ontario in the area where Shelley was last seen. They speak with people who live in the neighbourhood, other sex workers, and drug users who live in the crack houses that Shelley frequented. While interviewing, Karla & Chris started hearing a few names mentioned repeatedly, along with eerie stores and rumours about these individuals possibly harming Shelley. You’ll hear an ...
Jun 10, 2017•41 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Karla took to the streets of London, with Chris from Canadian Private Investigation Services, to see what they could find out with regards to Shelley’s disappearance. Karla talks about what that experience was like, visiting crack houses, and talking to people on the street. We also hear two dramatic stories that shed a light on some of the serious things happening in our very own cities that we may not even realize. Next time, a full slate of interviews and updates from the streets of London. H...
Jun 05, 2017•31 min•Season 1Ep. 18
By now you’ve heard Shelley’s story. You’ve heard about her troubled childhood, her time in the foster care system, how she was trafficked into sex work, and everything we know about Shelley’s disappearance. We now wanted to make the most of all the attention this series has received, so we take a look at the foster care system and programs available today, to see if anything has changed. Plus, Karla finds a private investigator willing to look into some of the leads that we’ve uncovered during ...
Jun 01, 2017•44 min•Season 1Ep. 17
We take a look at the Finding Shelley Desrochers series so far. You’ll hear some of Karla’s radio interviews, and then get an inside view of what it’s been like behind the scenes working on this podcast and dealing with the flood of information that has come in. Have you seen Shelley Desrochers? E-mail [email protected] London Police Missing People: www.londonpolice.ca/en/about/Missing-People.aspx Host and Producer: Karla Stephens-Tolstoy Editor Co-Producer: Joel at East Coast Radio Creat...
May 17, 2017•21 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Shelley Desrochers hasn’t been seen since January 2016. She’s one of three women who lived a “high-risk lifestyle” to go missing from London, Ontario, Canada in the last decade. In this series, we go beyond the police and news reports to take an in-depth look at Shelley’s life, ask questions surrounding the case and speak with guests and experts such as Mike Arntfield, host of “To Catch A Killer” and former London police officer. Part Three explores the difficult question of “What happened to Sh...
May 13, 2017•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 15
Shelley Desrochers hasn’t been seen since January 2016. She’s one of three women who lived a “high-risk lifestyle” to go missing from London, Ontario, Canada in the last decade. In this series, we go beyond the police and news reports to take an in-depth look at Shelley’s life, ask questions surrounding the case and speak with guests and experts such as Mike Arntfield, host of “To Catch A Killer” and former London police officer. Part Two looks at the timeline of her disappearance, the efforts b...
May 10, 2017•45 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Shelley Desrochers hasn’t been seen since January 2016. She’s one of three women who lived a “high-risk lifestyle” to go missing from London, Ontario, Canada in the last decade. In this series, we go beyond the police and news reports to take an in-depth look at Shelley’s life, ask questions surrounding the case and speak with guests and experts such as Mike Arntfield, host of “To Catch A Killer” and former London police officer. Part One - Getting To Know Shelley features exclusive interviews w...
May 04, 2017•46 min•Season 1Ep. 13
As a child, Michael James knew that life with his parents was not what it was supposed to be. Their drinking was taking its toll on his childhood and it led Michael to approach the police to take him away to a more stable environment. Instead, he landed at MacLaren Hall in El Monte, California. This was just one of a series of centers that failed to provide support and eventually a plan for what he would do when he turned eighteen. This started his sad descent into homelessness, drug abuse, suic...
May 02, 2017•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Patricia Rodenbaugh was turned over to the L.A. foster care system at the tender age of 12. By her later teen years, she had given birth to two children and married just to escape the system. While Patricia had a rough start, she was determined to ensure a better life for her kids. We hear about Patricia’s experience in the foster care system, including time at the notorious MacLaren Hall Children’s Center, and a troubling event that forced her into juvenile detention. Patricia shares how she ga...
Apr 18, 2017•43 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Reporter Drew Penner tracks down four very different but important perspectives on the evolving harm reduction movement. This episode will take you from the east coast of the United States to London, Ontario, to Vancouver's downtown eastside. And we'll even wade into the thorny topic of an illegal, but promising therapy. Harm reduction isn't for the faint of heart, but the stories we bring you today are empowering tales. Producer and Host: Karla Stephens Tolstoy Co-producer, researcher, lead jou...
Apr 04, 2017•54 min•Season 1Ep. 10
While researching for our episodes on the foster care system, we came across Scott Inman and felt he deserved an episode all to himself. Scott's story begins like so many others forced into the foster system - his father passed away when Scott was only 10, leaving him and two sisters with a mother who suffered from mental illness and could not properly care for them. Where Scott's story turns to remarkable is in how he was able to rise above the seemingly endless obstacles that faced him. This e...
Mar 29, 2017•52 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Reporter Drew Penner travels with Anita, the mother of a 16-year-old native girl named Delaine who went missing in 2016. We retrace her last known steps, in an effort to get a better understanding of the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada. Host and Producer: Karla Stephens-Tolstoy Researcher, Interviewer, Editor, and Co-producer: Drew Penner Receive our newsletter, contribute show ideas and feedback by emailing: [email protected] Support the show: www.standups...
Mar 13, 2017•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 8
This is the first episode in a series about missing and murdered native women in Canada. We head to Kenora, Ontario to tell the story of Delaine Copenace, a 16-year-old aboriginal girl who went missing in 2016 and was found in Lake of the Woods a month later. We speak with her mother Anita Ross, who is still trying to make sense of her daughter’s death. Host and Producer: Karla Stephens-Tolstoy Researcher, Interviewer, Editor, and Co-producer: Drew Penner Production: Thanks to the Vancouver Publ...
Mar 04, 2017•36 min•Season 3Ep. 7
There is a disproportionate number of homeless LGBTQ teens on the street, but most people don't talk about it. House of Mayhem is talking about it. House of Mayhem is a new tv series about LGBTQ youth in the foster system. It gives today's teens hope that they will find acceptance and love. We speak with creator/writer David Pumo about the plight of LGBTQ youth. We also speak with actress Quei Tann, former America's Next Top Model contestant and one of the stars of House of Mayhem. The once home...
Feb 20, 2017•54 min•Season 1Ep. 6
We talk a lot about mental health and fighting your inner demons. But what happens when those demons take over? It's a sad conversation, but one that we need to have. That's why this episode takes a look at serial killers. But there's a twist. Instead of looking at their actions, we look at their poetry. We delve into their minds and try to understand more about what made them that way. And we try to understand if there's anything we can do to prevent more murders from happening. Host and Produc...
Feb 03, 2017•44 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Jenny Maher has been through a lot. Growing up with a mentally ill mother, she was in and out of the foster system. Jenny experienced some bad things in her childhood, but she managed to overcome them. Today, she is an inspiration to anyone facing challenges in life. She's the author of Never Give Up, a book that goes into even more of the obstacles she's faced in life. In this episode, we talk about the issues in the foster care system and take a look at some of the mental effects it can have o...
Jan 25, 2017•25 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Who pays for sex? Why do they pay for sex? Often, without even knowing it, Johns are supporting sex trafficking operations. In this human trafficking awareness series, we examine prostitution from John's point of view. Host and Producer: Karla Stephens-Tolstoy Co-Producer: Danielle Gallagher Editor: Cesar Del Castillo Receive our newsletter, contribute show ideas and feedback by emailing: [email protected] Support the show: www.standupspeakup.ca/give/ See Privacy Policy at https://...
Jan 07, 2017•19 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Part of our human trafficking series, this episode delves into the mind of a pimp. How does he think? How does he control the victims of sex trafficking? Listen for some answers. Understanding modern-day slavery is the first step towards ending it. Host and Producer: Karla Stephens-Tolstoy Co-Producer: Danielle Gallagher Editor: Cesar Del Castillo Receive our newsletter, contribute show ideas and feedback by emailing: [email protected] Support the show: www.standupspeakup.ca/give/ ...
Dec 30, 2016•16 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Human trafficking is a hard conversation to have, but it needs to be spoken about. This episode is part of our human trafficking series, a series designed to spread awareness about the prevalence of modern-day slavery. We look at human trafficking from a victim's point of view. Learn who can be a victim of sex trafficking and how it happens. Host and Producer: Karla Stephens-Tolstoy Co-Producer: Danielle Gallagher Editor: Cesar Del Castillo Receive our newsletter, contribute show ideas and feedb...
Dec 29, 2016•14 min•Season 1Ep. 1
