Stacy Phillips and Friends

The Woman Behind Serial: Rabia Chaudry on Freeing Adnan Syed, Fixing a Broken System, and Finally Fixing Herself

In this episode of Stacy Phillips & Friends, Stacy sits down with co-host Deborah Martin and the remarkable Rabia Chaudry. Rabia is an attorney, activist, bestselling author, and the woman whose relentless belief in one man's innocence sparked a cultural phenomenon called Serial. What starts as a conversation about one of the most famous wrongful conviction cases in American history quickly becomes something much more personal: a candid, warm, and surprisingly funny exploration of justice, identity, faith, and what it means to fight for other people for decades while finally learning to fight for yourself. Rabia knew Adnan Syed since he was twelve years old. When he was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hamin Lee in 2000, she couldn't walk away. And she didn't for 24 years. She sat through both trials. She built a podcast. She helped exonerate 18 people. She took on federal law enforcement, immigration cases, and the Muslim ban. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, she also lost 100 pounds, wrote a hilarious memoir called Fatty Fatty Boom Boom, and became one of the most quietly extraordinary women you'll ever hear from. This episode is also a love letter to women who do too much for everyone else and are only now learning to do something for themselves. It's smart, stirring, and a little bit hilarious. ✨ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS * How Rabia went from wanting to be a corporate lawyer to becoming the woman who helped free Adnan Syed — and why she says she never had a choice * The Serial effect: what it was like to watch a podcast turn into a global phenomenon — and a Saturday Night Live sketch * 18 exonerations in 7 years — and the pattern Rabia sees in nearly every wrongful conviction case * Post-9/11 civil rights work, the Muslim ban, and why immigration and criminal justice are more connected than people think * The Muslim-Jewish alliance work that got her ostracized from her own community — and why she'd do it again * Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: losing 100 pounds, ditching dieting forever, and the strength training revelation that changed everything * Why women over 40 are set up to fail when it comes to weight — and what actually works * What's next for Rabia 🔗 FOLLOW Stacy Phillips Website: stacydphillipsesq.com/my-podcasts Instagram: @stacydphillipsesq Deborah Martin Instagram: @deborahmartin (with an H) Rabia Chaudry Website: rabiachaudry.com Instagram: @rabiasquared2 Facebook: Rabia Chaudry

The Real Clarice Starling: Jana Monroe on Serial Killers, Stilettos, and Shattering the FBI's Glass Ceiling

In this episode of Stacy Phillips & Friends, Stacy sits down with co-host Linda Victor to welcome Jana Monroe, a former FBI Special Agent, one of the first female criminal profilers in the Bureau's Behavioral Analysis Unit (yes, the one behind Criminal Minds), bestselling author, and the woman who inspired Jodie Foster's portrayal of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. But here's what you won't find on Jana's official bio: she caught a bank robber by kicking off her heels and chasing him down an alley. She got called into her boss's office over polka dot shoes and didn't back down. She sat in the back row of a consultation she wasn't supposed to speak in, answered a question anyway, and got the job. Jana Monroe has spent a lifetime walking into rooms she wasn't expected to dominate and quietly, brilliantly, running the whole thing. Her book, Hearts of Darkness: Serial Killers, The Behavioral Science Unit, My Life as a Woman in the FBI, is the kind of read you finish in one sitting and then immediately text three people about. Stacy and Linda get the stories from Jana, the real ones. The crime scene photos pushed across the desk in a job interview, the day she schooled her own interviewer about his tennis coaching past, the Jodi Foster conversations about how a real FBI agent actually talks. And Jana delivers with warmth, humor, and the measured calm of someone who has genuinely seen it all. ✨ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS * The polka dot shoe showdown and the bank robbery three days later that settled it for good * What it was actually like to be one of the FBI's first female profilers (spoiler: not like the TV show) * The job interview where Jana pushed back on her future boss and somehow still got hired * Advising Jodie Foster on Silence of the Lambs: the words she changed, the obstacle course she wouldn't let her skip, and what "inspiring" a performance actually looks like up close * What true crime gets wrong and why the victims deserve better than the sensationalism 🔗 FOLLOW Stacy Phillips Website: https://www.stacydphillipsesq.com/my-podcastsstacydphillipsesq.com/my-podcasts [https://www.stacydphillipsesq.com/my-podcasts] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacydphillipsesq/@stacydphillipsesq [https://www.instagram.com/stacydphillipsesq/] Jana Monroe Website: https://jdmonroeenterprises.comjdmonroeenterprises.com [https://jdmonroeenterprises.com] Book: Hearts of Darkness: Serial Killers, The Behavioral Science Unit, My Life as a Woman in the FBI (available on Spotify and wherever books are sold) 🕒 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Stacy introduces Jana 01:42 — The Behavioral Analysis Unit interview: crime scene photos, a tennis coach, and a power move Stacy does not recommend 03:44 — Sent to observe, not speak and the underwire bra detail that cracked the case 04:58 — The polka dot shoes and the SAC who had a problem with them 06:53 — The bank robbery, the dye pack, the alley chase, and the shoes left behind 09:17 — Linda on being the only woman in corporate sales and the pranks that meant you'd been accepted 11:12 — What it was like being one of only two married couples in the Bureau and how Jana and Dale navigated it 13:12 — What Jana is doing now: speaking to underserved youth, exploring a podcast, and a novel that could sidestep pre-publication review 15:08 — What true crime gets wrong and why accuracy matters when real victims are involved 17:46 — Jodie Foster, Silence of the Lambs, and the Yellow Brick Road obstacle course Jana wouldn't let her skip 24:23 — What Jana tells young women who want to join the FBI 25:54 — How do you compartmentalize hundreds of gruesome cases? 27:39 — What's next for Jana: speaking, security consulting, and a novel in the works

The Jeweler Who Closed Her Store to Find Her Joy: Anne Sisteron on Sobriety, Scaling Back, and Going Viral Over a Quiche

In this episode of Stacy Phillips & Friends, Stacy sits down with co-host Abbe Feder — fertility advocate and host of Women's Wellness with Abbe Feder — to welcome Anne Sisteron, the GIA-trained gemologist, fine jewelry designer, and accidental Instagram sensation whose pieces have graced the pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Forbes, and Elle. But this isn't just a jewelry story. Anne was born in Paris to Danish diplomat parents, discovered on a beach at 15, shot a worldwide Maybelline campaign, married a man she met in a Parisian nightclub at 17 (yes, same husband — yes, still going strong), and built a Beverly Hills fine jewelry brand and a flagship store that could double as a museum. Then she walked away from all of it. Because none of it was making her happy. What followed was a pivot so unexpected it almost sounds made up: a goodbye sale, a scaled-back collection, one Instagram live about a White Lotus-inspired beaded necklace — and suddenly 300,000 highly-engaged followers, sold-out drops, and a new store opening three doors down from the old one. Oh, and somewhere in all of this, she got sober. Three and a half years in, and she'll tell you it's the best thing she's ever done. ✨ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS * From Paris to Beverly Hills — Anne's extraordinary journey from diplomat's daughter to supermodel to GIA gemologist to fine jewelry founder * Why she walked away from a multimillion-dollar business with 20-plus employees (and why it was the right call) * The goodbye sale, the pivot, and how one Instagram live about beaded necklaces reached Kuwait, Qatar, and beyond * From 100K to 300K+ followers in three months — and what changed when Anne started showing up as herself * The frittata debate that broke the internet (or at least her comments section) * Her sobriety story — hidden for years, life-changing when finally addressed, and the conversation with her son that made it all worth it * Manifesting from age 10 — and why feeling worthy is the whole point * Her husband: the man who founded LA's top venture capital firm, Upfront Ventures, and the one she'd choose all over again * Why closing her store opened everything 🔗 FOLLOW Stacy Phillips Website: stacydphillipsesq.com/my-podcasts Instagram: @stacydphillipsesq Abbe Feder Podcast: Women's Wellness with Abbe Feder Instagram: @abbefeder Anne Sisteron Website: annesisteron.com Instagram: @annesisteron 🕒 TIMESTAMPS 01:13 — Anne's "forever collection" and the earring origin story (spoiler: Stacy bought both colors) 02:33 — Born in Paris, raised everywhere — life as a Danish diplomat's daughter 03:09 — Tea with Diana, the Oval Office, and a childhood that reads like a novel 03:32 — Discovered on a beach at 15 — and why she almost said no to the photographer 05:03 — Eileen Ford comes to dinner in Copenhagen to recruit Anne (her parents said no) 07:33 — When a roadblock is actually a door opening: becoming a GIA gemologist 11:18 — The accidental influencer: why she closed the big store and went back to her roots 13:37 — One Instagram live, sold-out koi necklaces, and reaching Kuwait 14:12 — From 100K to 338K followers in three months — and the moment Brené Brown started following her 17:28 — The crustless quiche that went viral (and the frittata police who came for her) 19:17 — Anne reveals she's sober — three and a half years in, and why it changed everything 26:09 — The conversation with her son that made sobriety worth every hard day 27:22 — Why sobriety made her scrutinize her life — and gave her permission to choose joy 30:29 — Manifestation, worthiness, and the 10-year-old girl who knew she'd lunch at Hotel d'Angleterre one day

The Woman Who Out-Pinterested Pinterest: Kristine Locker on Building Something From Scratch

The Woman Who Out-Pinterested Pinterest: Kristine Locker on Building Something From Scratch In this episode of Stacy Phillips & Friends, Stacy sits down with co-host Katie Cazorla — comedian and entrepreneur — to welcome Forbes-recognized founder Kristine Locker, the woman behind the shopping platform everyone's about to be obsessed with: Locker. It started the way the best ideas do — with a problem. Kristine was keeping a Google spreadsheet of products she wanted to buy and thought there has to be a better way! What followed was a leap from commercial real estate broker to tech founder. Now shes raised $3.5 million, created partnerships with major retailers like Neiman Marcus, and found success with viral TikToks that bring in 5,000 new users overnight. Oh, and she's pregnant. No big deal. Think of Locker as what you'd get if Pinterest and an influencer network had a baby — a visual, social shopping platform where anyone can save, share, and actually earn from the things they love. And with women receiving just 2% of venture capital dollars, Kristine's story isn't just inspiring — it's a little bit radical. This episode is also pure fun but also reveals an incredible truth - betting on yourself is the only business plan that actually holds up. Pull up your phone, open a new tab, and maybe start thinking about what you'd put in your locker. ✨ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 1. From Google Spreadsheets to $3.5M raised — Kristine's unexpected path to founding Locker 2. What Locker actually is — and why "Pinterest meets influencer network" finally makes online shopping make sense 3. How a user cold-messaged Kristine about investing — and ended up writing a $1M check 4. Why women receive only 2% of venture capital dollars (and what we can do about it) 5. The viral TikTok that got 2 million views and 5,000 new users in a single week 6. Kristine's advice for anyone with a big idea and no idea where to start 🔗 FOLLOW Stacy Phillips Website: stacydphillipsesq.com/my-podcasts Instagram: @stacydphillipsesq Katie Cazorla Instagram: @officialkatiecazorla Kristine Locker Website: wantlocker.com Instagram: @kristinelocker TikTok: @kristinelocker / @wantlocker Got it! Here they are: 🕒 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Stacy and Katie introduce Forbes founder Kristine Locker 01:47 — The Google spreadsheet that started it all 02:40 — Building v1 with two college students hired off Upwork 04:26 — How a user cold-messaged Kristine and ended up writing a $1M check 06:07 — How Locker works — saving, sharing, and earning from what you love 07:42 — "Locker" — a name that's also a last name (and a very good pun) 07:56 — Baby news! Kristine announces she's pregnant 08:23 — Growing the team from one to ten 09:03 — The TikTok that got 2 million views and 5,000 new users overnight 11:13 — If Pinterest and an influencer network had a baby 12:29 — Katie's nail printer, her mall cart at the Americana, and a wild idea from China 13:24 — From nail salons to the Kookaburra Lounge 14:50 — Signed with Gersh and a Lionsgate development deal in the works 16:14 — Stacy is a brick-and-mortar girl — so how does Locker work for her? 17:21 — Neiman Marcus, in-store data, and the gap Locker wants to close 21:28 — Women get 2% of venture capital dollars 22:47 — Kristine's advice for anyone with a big idea and no clue where to start 23:03 — Your network is your net worth — and time-blocking your success metrics 23:55 — We plan, God laughs — on saying yes when you least expect it 27:01 — Where to find Kristine and Katie online

The Beauty Director Who Traded Magazines for Mindset: Tai Beauchamp on Burnout, Bali, and Finding Your Person

In this episode of Stacy Phillips & Friends, Stacy sits down with co-host Jade Nikolaou and the incomparable Tai Beauchamp — wellness visionary, former beauty director at 17 Magazine (yes, at just 25 years old), and the woman behind the Morning Mindset with Tai platform. What starts as a conversation about Tai's dazzling media career quickly unfolds into something much more personal: a candid, warm, and genuinely funny exploration of burnout, spiritual awakening, self-trust, and what it actually means to stop doing and start being. Tai has had bylines at Oprah Magazine, Essence, Good Housekeeping, and Harper's Bazaar — but she'll be the first to tell you that all that striving came with a cost. She's burned out more than once, exited a beauty brand she founded, and made a seven-and-a-half-week solo trip to Bali to figure out what came next. Spoiler: what came next is pretty great — including a new TV show she's set to host and produce, a Bali retreat she's leading in April 2026, and "her person" who slid into her DMs (87% women followers and somehow he found her — universe at work). This episode is also a masterclass in Stacy and Jade being their fully unfiltered, wonderfully relatable selves — debating what to call your partner when "boyfriend" sounds too high school, confessing their love for Hallmark movies, and connecting over the shared struggle of being type-A women learning to trust their gut and let go of the shoulds. It's the kind of conversation you want to have with your most inspiring friend over a really good glass of something. Pull up a chair. ✨ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 1. From 17 Magazine to Morning Mindset — Tai's unexpected path from beauty media powerhouse to wellness trailblazer 2. What "transformational wellness" actually means (hint: it's about way more than green juice and gym selfies) 3. Burnout as a blazing trail and why Tai says "if you're blazing trails, there's going to be some fire" 4. The seven-and-a-half-week Bali trip that changed everything 5. The "shoulds" that keep women stuck — and how to start honoring what you actually need 6. Jade's Bali moment with a spiritual teacher who told her: "You're not going to find peace because you don't want it" 7. Stacy on trusting your gut and the courtroom story that proved her right all over again 8. What's coming next for Tai: a new TV show, the Bali retreat, and a life lived more intentionally 🔗 FOLLOW Stacy Phillips Website [stacydphillipsesq.com/my-podcasts ] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stacydphillipsesq/] Jade Nikolaou Website [https://www.letsgleaux.com/home] Tai Beauchamp Website [morningmindsetwithtai.com ] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/taibeau/] 🕒 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Stacy and Jade introduce Tai 01:35 — Tai on being a girl's girl and why she's in a different season now 02:38 — Why Tai exited her beauty brand for transformational wellness 03:20 — What transformational wellness actually means — all 8 dimensions 06:06 — The power of just being — plus Tai's new TV show 06:47 — Why women carry everyone's emotions (and do 97 million things a day) 07:39 — What do you even call your person when "boyfriend" sounds like high school? 09:52 — What Stacy actually loved about the Golden Bachelor 10:33 — Burnout as a blazing trail — Tai on burning out at 26 12:36 — Non-linear paths, burnout, and why social media makes it worse 13:46 — Stacy on the shoulds — and how she was raised by them 14:47 — Hallmark movies as self-care — true confessions 15:32 — How Tai met her person (he slid into her DMs) 16:33 — Why Stacy closed her firm and joined Blank Rome after 26 years 19:35 — Living in a world of chaos — and the only real antidote 20:44 — Jade's Bali trip and the spiritual teacher who told her the hard truth 21:58 — Tai's seven-and-a-half-week Bali trip — that started as three weeks 23:25 — Tai's April 2026 Bali retreat: Unleashed — Wellness and the Writer Within 25:29 — Jade on resetting in Thailand — beach cleanup, elephants, and finding calm 25:47 — Why "reset" has "rest" hiding inside it 27:22 — Trusting your instincts — a courtroom story and a Mother Teresa quote 30:31 — Why women don't trust themselves enough to act on what they already know 31:39 — The perimenopause awakening — and learning to trust yourself