Be VicTORIEus with Dr. Torie Williams

Be VicTORIEus Ep. 104

Got a question? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1962495/fan_mail/new] As part of our Cycle Breaker Graduate Series Dr. VicTORIEus reunites with Jerimiah Boyd Johnson, a former student she mentored since he was fourteen, for one of the most personal episodes of Be VicTORIEus yet.  Jerimiah grew up in Englewood and the Riverdale projects, graduated third in his class at Thornridge High School, earned his political science degree magna cum laude at Eastern Illinois University, and went on to a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law. He served on the front lines as an assistant public defender in Miami-Dade County and is now preparing for the Illinois Bar with a focus on civil rights litigation. They get into what actually shaped him: the fine arts, speech and theater, and the student board that Dr. VicTORIEus built her dissertation around, and why student activities are the heart and soul of the community, not an afterthought to athletics. They talk honestly about ACEs, restorative justice and the shift from what is wrong with a child to what happened to a child, the loss of a beloved teacher, book bans, cuts to education, and the affirmative action ruling. Jerimiah closes by opening up about his own healing journey and the adverse childhood experiences he carried, and why asking for help is a strength. Order the ACEs book and support the work at bevictorious.com. Contributions to the Be VicTORIEus Foundation help students take the next step. Buy Dr. Torie's  Book Today! https://www.bevictorieus.com/event-details/pre-order-your-book-today Make sure you share this show! https://youtu.be/o4CsnsOSd-8 00:00 Intro and why this reunion matters 02:00 Meet Jeremiah: Englewood, Riverdale, and the resume 05:30 The stereotype he defeats and the dissertation connection 08:00 Why student activities are the heart of the community 11:30 The foundation that prepared him to lead 14:00 ACEs, restorative justice, and what happened to that child 17:30 Losing Ms. Nesbitt and the show must go on 21:00 Cycle breaker defined and the Be Victorious Foundation 24:00 School to prison pipeline seen up close 27:00 Education failing, book bans, and affirmative action 31:00 Careers, trades, and not limiting our students 34:00 His mother, the original cycle breaker 37:30 What comes after the bar: civil rights litigation 40:30 The healing journey and the ACEs he carried 44:00 Closing charge and where to find Jeremiah Make sure you follow Dr. Torie everywhere.  @dr.victorieus #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador

Be VicTORIEus Ep. 103

Got a question? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1962495/fan_mail/new] Dr. Helena Fields first joined Be VicTORIEus back in episode 5, sharing her lupus journey from the dark. As part of our Cycle Breaker Graduate Series she returns as the newly minted Dr. Fields with a kidney transplant behind her, a doctorate in hand, and a story that turned this into an educational podcast about Adverse Childhood Experiences.  In this conversation with Dr. VicTORIEus, she breaks down what cycle breaking actually looks like, how ACEs show up in the body and not just the mind, and how she became the first in her family to earn a doctorate as a single Black woman. We talk lupus advocacy, generational trauma, special education teacher resiliency, parenting and legacy, and the support systems that carry you to the other side of a hard diagnosis. Buy Dr. Torie's  Book Today! https://www.bevictorieus.com/event-details/pre-order-your-book-today Make sure you share this show! https://youtu.be/GosokxTiLNM 00:00 Intro and why this episode matters 01:25 Welcome back Dr. Helena Fields 03:30 What it means to be a cycle breaker 05:40 Her lupus journey and kidney transplant 08:30 First in her family to earn a doctorate 11:30 Her dissertation on special education teacher resiliency 14:00 How ACEs awareness changed since episode 5 16:40 A poolside story on normalizing abuse 19:30 ACEs and the body, the link to chronic illness 21:50 Parenting, legacy, and raising her son Jordan 24:10 Lupus and kidney advocacy work 26:30 Advice for anyone starting their healing journey 28:30 Her upcoming book and where to find her 30:10 Closing and the Victorious Foundation Make sure you follow Dr. Torie everywhere.  @dr.victorieus #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador

Be VicTORIEus Ep. 102

Got a question? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1962495/fan_mail/new] Welcome to the launch of the 2026 Cycle Breaker Graduate Series. In Episode 102, Dr. Victorious sits down with her very first cycle breaker graduate, Correy Wright, for a full circle conversation eight years in the making. Along the way they break down what Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) really are, why everyone carries an ACE score, the power of therapy, and what it actually takes to break a generational cycle at home, in your family, and in your relationships. When one person heals, the whole family tree heals. Buy Dr. Torie's  Book Today! https://www.bevictorieus.com/event-details/pre-order-your-book-today Make sure you share this show! https://youtu.be/7quE070qvEk 0:00 Intro and ACEs book announcement 0:48 Welcome to Be VicTORIEus Episode 102 1:35 Launching the 2026 Cycle Breaker Graduate Series 3:10 Meet Correy Wright 4:55 Corey graduates from Xavier University 6:40 Life at an HBCU in New Orleans 9:30 Back to the beginning at Thornridge 13:20 The college application struggle 16:10 How a Xavier scholarship changed everything 19:40 The Columbia University reveal 23:30 What ACEs and ACE scores really are 27:15 Childhood trauma and the road to therapy 32:40 Breaking the cycle at home 37:50 Family, graduation, and joining Phi Beta Sigma 43:25 What mentorship really looks like 47:10 Advice for anyone afraid to step into who they are 51:30 Why therapy matters 56:00 Where to find Corey 58:20 Closing words from Dr. VicTORIEus Make sure you follow Dr. Torie everywhere.  @dr.victorieus #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador

Be VicTORIEus Ep. 101

Got a question? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1962495/fan_mail/new] On this episode of Be VicTORIEus Dr. Torie talks about what are the next steps for her Cycle Breaker mission.  Buy Dr. Torie's  Book Today! https://www.bevictorieus.com/event-details/pre-order-your-book-today Make sure you share this show! https://youtu.be/k6i7ikQTE2E Make sure you follow Dr. Torie everywhere.  @dr.victorieus #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador

Be VicTORIEus Ep. 100

Got a question? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1962495/fan_mail/new] On this episode of Be VicTORIEus Dr. Torie continues her new series on Cycle Breakers.   To talk about being cycle breaker she has on a very special guest to  share their journey with ACEs. You can find her on IG at @teenspiritpurpose Buy Dr. Torie's New Book Today! https://www.bevictorieus.com/event-details/pre-order-your-book-today Make sure you share this show! https://youtu.be/k6i7ikQTE2E Make sure you follow Dr. Torie everywhere.  @dr.victorieus #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador #aces #bevictorieus #adversechildhoodexperiences #cyclebreakers #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #aceambassador