Podcast
Nobody Should Believe Me
Hosted by True Story Media · EN
Author Andrea Dunlop is looking for answers. When her older sister was first investigated for Munchausen by Proxy abuse more than a decade ago, it tore her family apart. This catastrophic series of events sent Dunlop on a journey to understand this most taboo form of abuse. In this groundbreaking podcast, she talks to some of the top experts in the world to explore the criminology and psychopathology behind Munchausen by Proxy and to reveal the wide swath of destruction these perpetrators leave in their wake.
In each season, Dunlop investigates a case: speaking to friends, family members, doctors, law enforcement, child protection workers, and experts. Nobody Should Believe Me unravels these complex and terrifying stories, shedding light on an unspeakable crime.
"A rich and harrowing chronicle of the condition." --The New York Times
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61episodes
Episodes
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S05 Ep02: Spiritual Warfare
Jan 9, 202500:55:50Summary readyIn the second episode of season 5, Andrea dives into how Sophie’s Evangelical Christian beliefs colored her worldview. From claiming that adopting a child from Zambia was God’s path for her life to allegedly performing an exorcism, Sophie’s faith is an integral part of this case. We hear from Dr. Lauren Turek, an Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and author of To Bring the Good News to All Nations: Evangelical Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Relations, gives us a context about Evangelical Christianity in the US and abroad and helps us understand Sophie’s religious upbringing and worldview. Andrea is then joined by some of the Nobody Should Believe Me team: Senior Producer Myrriah Gossett and Lead Researcher/Producer Erin Ajayi to attempt to fill in the many blanks left by Sophie’s memoir about her time in Zambia. The three of them lay out a timeline leading up to Sophie’s adoptions of M and C, while at the same time examining the series of omissions and half-truths riddling Sophie’s story.***Links and Resources:Learn more about Dr. Lauren Turek: https://laurenturek.com/Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by ProxyCatch Andrea and Mike at their Seattle Book Launch Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/andrea-dunlop-and-mike-weber-the-mother-next-door-tickets-1097661478029Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlopBuy Andrea's books here.To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.comThe American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast
Jan 9, 2025Summary readyIntroducing What Is Your Life's Purpose? | Oprah's Book Club with Eckhart Tolle from The Oprah Podcast.Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast BUY THE BOOK!“A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose” by Eckhart Tolle available here. “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” by Eckhart Tolle available here. "Stillness Speaks" by Eckhart Tolle available here. For more information you can visit Eckhart Tolle’s website. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks offers a conversation with global thought leader Eckhart Tolle about his groundbreaking work, "A New Earth," which has sold fifteen million copies worldwide. Oprah says it has had more effect on her than "any other book by a living author." Eckhart talks about overcoming cancer and reveals simple, transformative lessons on diminishing ego and becoming a more conscious human being. Oprah and Eckhart also engage readers, including the actor Chris Evans, as they share their favorite teachings and quotes from the book. Eckhart and Oprah are joined by a live audience at the Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building® store for conversation over the new Starbucks Cortado, a small but robust coffee classic made with three Starbucks® Blonde Roast ristretto shots and velvety steamed milk.Whether you're new to Eckhart's work, or have been forever changed by his wisdom, this is the conversation for our times. SUPPORT THE SHOW Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social:InstagramFacebookTikTokListen to the full podcast: SpotifyApple Podcasts#oprahsbookclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.
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S05 Ep01: Sophie Saves Zambia
Jan 2, 202500:45:02Summary readyWe begin the season by delving into Sophie Hartman’s 2016 memoir about her time in Zambia, Crowns of Beauty, where we learn about how a young woman from Michigan came to be the adopted mother of two Zambian girls by the age of 25. We learn about Sophie’s deep roots in evangelical Christianity and her state of mind prior to and during the adoptions of M and C; examining the way she portrays herself as both a martyr and savior. We’re also joined by Chad Goller-Sojourner, a performance artist and transracial adoption coach, to help listeners understand the complexities of transracial adoptions. ***Links and Resources:Chad Goller-Sojourner’s Sitting in Circles with Rich White Girls: Memoir of a Bulimic Black Boy will be adding show dates in spring 2025. Click HERE for more information. More information on Chad’s background with transracial adoption: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q76t_IpbJil2vWQVsNnw7f8Ms8p_lstK/viewPreorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by ProxyCatch Andrea and Mike at their Seattle Book Launch Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/andrea-dunlop-and-mike-weber-the-mother-next-door-tickets-1097661478029Check out You Probably Think This Story's About You: https://brittaniard.com/podcastClick here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlopBuy Andrea's books here.To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.comThe American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Case Files 10: The Psychology of Perpetrators with Dr. Cathy Ayoub
Dec 26, 202401:30:26Summary readyIn this last bonus episode before our season 5 premiere next week, we’re airing Andrea’s conversation with Dr. Catherine Ayoub, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, APSAC member, nurse practitioner, and counseling and consulting psychologist. Cathy tells listeners about her background and first encounter with Munchausen by Proxy. She and Andrea chat about the different groupings of perpetrators and the characteristics/background that may signal that an abuser can be rehabilitated. Cathy dives into family dynamics, and her current study on the long-term effects of this abuse.***Links and Resources:More about Dr. Cathy Ayoub: https://www.childrenshospital.org/directory/catherine-ayoubPreorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by ProxyClick here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlopBuy Andrea's books here.To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.comThe American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Season 5 Trailer
Dec 20, 202400:03:18Summary readySeason five of Nobody Should Believe Me tells the story of Sophie Hartman: a young, white midwestern evangelical missionary who travels to Zambia and comes home with two vulnerable sisters in her care. When she returns to the states, she lands far away from her family in Seattle, WA where she embarks on a medical odyssey with her younger daughter, C, reporting a variety of alarming symptoms: from chronic vomiting, to seizures, to days-long episodes of full-body paralysis. Eventually, C is diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood. Sophie weaves a tale of a child who could “leave us anytime” and uses the child’s illness to fundraise tens of thousands of dollars for special equipment and medical expenses, takes C on a Make-A-Wish trip, posts constantly about her family’s plight on her prolific social media accounts, and even writes a memoir about the story of her journey to adopt her. But is Sophie really the heroic mother of a sick child, or is she the ultimate unreliable narrator? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Case Files 09: Jesika Jones Part 4 with Detective Mike Weber
Dec 19, 202400:55:48Summary readyIn the final part of our miniseries covering the Jesika Jones case, Andrea is once again joined by Detective Mike Weber, who shares the series of events from Jesika’s first bond violation through to her 60 year sentencing, from his perspective as law enforcement. He shares the differences in how seriously child abuse cases are taken when there’s a male vs female perpetrator, and the politics behind trying Medical Child Abuse cases in court. Andrea and Mike wrap up their conversation by talking about the systemic changes that need to happen, not only to protect kids from this abuse, but also to help families after the damage has been done.***Links/Resources: Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by ProxyClick here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlopBuy Andrea's books here.To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.comThe American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Case Files 08: Jesika Jones Part 3 with Derek Jones
Dec 12, 202400:53:00Summary readyWelcome back to the 3rd installment of our 4-part series on the Jesika Jones case. In this episode, Andrea is wrapping up her conversation with Derek Jones. Derek recaps the fallout after Jesika’s lies finally start to unravel: the frustrating journey of working with the DA on the case, Jesika’s sentencing, and how his kids are doing today. Stay tuned for the final episode next week, where Andrea is once again joined by Detective Mike Weber.***Links/Resources: Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by ProxyClick here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlopBuy Andrea's books here.To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.comThe American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Introducing: THREE
Dec 6, 202400:44:06Summary readyAfter midnight on July 6th, 2012, three teenage girls walked into the thick Appalachian woods somewhere along the Mason-Dixon line. Hours later, under the glow of a nearly full moon, only two walked out.The very last time Dave and Mary Neese saw their only child Skylar was in a grainy black-and-white video. In it, she's sneaking out of her ground-floor bedroom in the middle of the night, her purse over her shoulder, her brown hair swinging as she hurries across the small parking lot to a waiting car.What happened to Skylar Neese has become gothic American lore: the odd girl out in a vicious teenage triangle. But in the ten years since that fateful night beneath the West Virginia stars, a fuller portrait of what happened has emerged. From award-winning journalists Justine Harman and Holly Millea comes a gripping 10-part series featuring Skylar's family, closest friends, and law enforcement who lived the case—and are still living it.***Listen to THREE on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5tFRuwruLTrGfQFx51bl5J?si=35d6689b4b3d4e6bListen to THREE on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three/id1728272114 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Case Files 07: Jesika Jones Part 2 with Derek Jones
Dec 5, 202400:56:16Summary readyIn the second episode of Andrea’s coverage of the Jesika Jones case, she’s joined by Derek Jones, Jesika’s then-husband. Derek bravely tells the story of how he and Jesika met, their home life, and the decline in their daughter's health. Talking to Derek gives listeners insight into the manipulative nature of perpetrators, not only with their victims, but also with everyone around them, and the mental toll of coming to terms with such a monumental breach of trust.Stay tuned for part 2 of their conversation, coming next week.***Links/Resources: Preorder Andrea and Mike’s new book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by ProxyClick here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.Follow Andrea on Instagram for behind-the-scenes photos: @andreadunlopBuy Andrea's books here.To support the show, go to Patreon.com/NobodyShouldBelieveMe or subscribe on Apple Podcasts where you can get all episodes early and ad-free and access exclusive ethical true crime bonus content.For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.comThe American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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You Probably Think This Story's About You | Season 2 Trailer
Dec 3, 202400:02:52Summary readyBrittani Ard returns to the tangled web of memories, wounds, and connections that shape our lives. After sharing her own story in the first 8 chapters, she’s pulling on the delicate threads that tie our histories to who we are today.Brittani knows that even though our pasts shape who we are, we hold the power to make sure it doesn’t define who we want to be. It’s not just her story anymore—it’s about the people she’s met, their experiences intertwined with hers, and the universal truths hidden in the most personal details. A woman embarks on a quest to find a photograph of her abusive ex. A foster youth trades black trash bags for her voice. The story of returning to an old relationship with new found power and finding love.You Probably Think This Story’s About You isn’t just an unraveling—it’s the messy, beautiful, sometimes painful ways our pasts can shape us, and the power we have to chase joy during the highest and lowest moments.***Catch up on season 1 of You Probably: https://brittaniard.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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