After listening again to my conversation with Sandra Champlain, host of the podcast We Don’t Die, what stayed with me most wasn’t any single topic we covered. It was the unmistakable thread of connection running through the entire dialogue. Sandra creates a space where people feel seen, and within that space, the deeper purpose of advocacy becomes unmistakable: we speak because we want others to feel less alone and we want them to heal.
Connection
In this episode, I had the chance to talk about my path as a homicide survivor, my work with Domino Effect of Murder, and the resources that support victims long after the headlines fade. I also introduced listeners to the Innocence Project, my books, and other tools survivors can lean on. But beneath all of that was something quieter and more powerful: the reminder that meaningful advocacy doesn’t begin with a podium—it begins with connection.
When survivors connect with one another, something fundamental shifts. Isolation loosens. Courage returns. And advocacy stops feeling like a burden and becomes an extension of relationship—one person reaching back for another who’s still finding their footing on this long, lonely, uphill trek.
This is, in many ways, the heart of what is coming in 2026 with the Aftermath Conference. That gathering is more than an event. It’s a meeting point for stories, strengths, and people who understand the long shadow that violent loss casts. It’s a space where survivors, advocates, and professionals can look around and finally see the larger family they belong to. And from that family, advocacy grows naturally. Connection fuels it. Connection sustains it. (As of this writing, registration has opened. Simply email us at: aftermathofhomicide@gmail.com)
My hope is that this episode with Sandra becomes an example for anyone who feels that inner nudge to speak out but hasn’t yet found the channel. Podcasts, public conversations, community circles—these are simply vehicles. The real engine is the connection you form with another human being when you tell the truth of your experience.
Call to Action: Where Connection Becomes Advocacy
The Aftermath Conference on September 11, 2026, is one clear example of what can happen when survivors, advocates, and professionals gather with courage and intention. It will be a place where stories meet, where people find themselves reflected in one another, and where the long work of justice and healing feels a little less lonely.
But the heart of advocacy doesn’t begin or end with a single event.
If listening to this conversation sparked something in you—an urge to step forward, to connect, or to speak for someone who can’t yet speak—start where you are. Share your story with one trusted person. Reach out to a survivor-led group in your area. Offer support to someone newly grieving. Join a community that feels like a fit for your truth.
Advocacy is built one human connection at a time.
There is room for your voice, your experience, and your strength—whether it leads you to the conference in 2026 or to a quieter beginning closer to home.
