Voices of Light.
Stories of Strength.
Join Jaél de Pardo in conversations with visionaries, experts, creators, and survivors, exploring resilience, insight, and the journey from challenge to strength. Each episode uncovers practical wisdom, personal stories, and thought-provoking perspectives designed to help you navigate life with clarity, courage and purpose.
It’s a space for truth, inspiration, and connection. Whether exploring personal growth or professional insight, each episode offers takeaways you can apply in your own life.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
In recognition, the Jaél podcast spotlights experts, honors survivors, and reveals the untold strategies to reclaim power.
Episode 1:
The Quiet Power of Naming Psychological Abuse
with Maureen Curtis, Vice President, Criminal Justice and Court Programs of Safe Horizon
In this episode, Jaél sits down with Maureen Curtis, who trained the NYPD on responding to domestic violence calls, to unpack the subtle tactics of emotional and covert abuse - from gaslighting to coercive control. They explore how naming these patterns can help survivors reclaim power. Jaél also reflects on her own experience being wrongfully arrested as a victim when she called for help, highlighting the urgent need for awareness, training, and systemic change.
About Maureen:
Maureen Curtis has spent over 30 years transforming how New York City responds to crime and domestic violence. At Safe Horizon, the largest U.S. agency for victims, she created programs that put trained advocates in every police precinct, trained law enforcement and community members, and helped survivors get the support they need. Her work has reshaped systems, empowered thousands, and set a new standard for survivor-centered justice.
Episode 2 [Coming Soon!]
Breaking the Cycle: Leadership, Care, and Change
with Liz Roberts, CEO of Safe Horizon
Explore why domestic violence is a societal issue, not just a private one, with ripple effects on families, communities, and generations. Jaél and Liz discuss how emotional abuse affects mental health, how friends and family can support survivors, and how leadership can transform systemic responses.
About Liz:
Liz Roberts is CEO of Safe Horizon, the largest victim services agency in the U.S., and a national leader on domestic violence and child abuse. With over 30 years of experience, she has shaped survivor-centered programs and groundbreaking prevention initiatives. As former Deputy Commissioner for NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services, Liz advanced programs addressing domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse, and chaired the agency’s first Task Force on Racial Equity and Cultural Competence.
A trained trauma therapist, Liz has taught at Columbia University and Wheelock College, and has been featured in Good Morning America, NPR, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Her leadership has been recognized with honors including the New York Non-Profit Excellence Award and the 50 Over 50 Award.
“The doors to the world of the wild self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.” - Clarissa Pinkola Estés
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