Learning Courage Podcasts

Learning Courage
  • 5.0 (1)
  • EDUCATION

These podcasts capture a range of topics related to sexual misconduct in K-12 schools. Our goal with them is to help listeners understand sexual misconduct in schools, including how to reduce incidents and how to respond in ways that are survivor-focused, trauma-informed and resiliency-based. Our guests include professional practitioners and individuals who have experience and opinions that we believe are valuable.Learning Courage is a nonprofit membership organization that works with K12 independent schools to reduce incidents, improve responses and support healing from sexual misconduct and abuse by guiding and advising on best practices, tools, and resources.www.LearningCourage.org

Episodes

  1. 08/18/2025

    Poetry and Healing: Gang Intervention Through Creative Expression with Chris Henrikson

    Poetry and Healing: Gang Intervention Through Creative Expression with Chris Henrikson Discover how poetry became a revolutionary tool for healing trauma and building community in one of America's most challenging environments. Chris Henrikson, founder of Street Poets, shares three decades of insights from his groundbreaking work in LA County juvenile detention facilities, where he discovered poetry's unique power to create safe spaces for vulnerability and transformation among gang-involved youth. This episode explores the profound connection between childhood sexual abuse and gang involvement, revealing how creative expression can break through the hardest shells to reach places of deep healing. Chris shares practical wisdom about creating circles of trust, navigating institutional challenges, and the ripple effects that occur when young people find the courage to share their stories. In this episode, you'll learn: How poetry provides protective "cover" for sharing traumatic experiencesStrategies for building authentic relationships in institutional settingsThe healing power of vulnerability and storytelling in community buildingPractical approaches to addressing childhood sexual abuse disclosureMethods for creating transformative partnerships between schools and outside organizationsFeatured Guest: Chris Henrikson transformed his personal crisis as a Hollywood screenwriter into a 30-year calling serving gang-involved youth. His Street Poets organization has become a model for arts-based healing interventions, demonstrating how creative expression can break cycles of violence and trauma while building authentic community. Visit Learning Courage: learningcourage.org Connect with Chris Henrikson: Street Poets, Los Angeles Website - https://learningcourage.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/learningcourage Instagram - @learningcourage LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-courage/

    48 min

  2. 02/06/2023

    Learning Courage: Independent Investigations of Abuse - Part 2

    Join us for Part 2 of our discussion about investigators of sexual misconduct in independent schools. Your host Jamie Forbes, the founder and CEO of Learning Courage, speaks with attorneys Mary Beth Hogan and Hailyn Chen who share their extensive experience with cases involving sexual abuse in schools. Find out what school leaders need to consider when facing allegations of past abuse, how schools and school boards can handle future allegations of abuse, and what has changed in recent years. Topics covered: - How transparent should schools be when disclosing historical sexual abuse and handling future cases?  - What happens when school boards start investigations eager to uncover the truth when some members are reluctant or become reluctant as an investigation moves forward? - Find out how independent school board leadership can engage with outside investigators, and fully understand what could happen during an investigation of sexual abuse. - What impact can new laws, like the new New York Child Victims and Adult Survivors Act, have on investigations? - What happens when school boards do not realize that investigating lawyers are not always there to protect the Board from lawsuits?  - Why experienced attorneys say that an investigating law firm needs to be independent of the school being investigated. - Find out what school boards and survivors of sexual abuse can do to reduce anxiety during an investigation, and how to maintain confidentiality throughout the process.  Episode guests: Attorney Hailyn Chen  Hailyn Chen is a litigation partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.  Since 2019, Hailyn has served as one of two firmwide Managing Partners of MTO, which comprises around 200 lawyers, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.  Her practice focuses on complex litigation, internal and government investigations, and crisis management.  Hailyn has extensive experience handling sexual misconduct and sexual abuse matters, including representing the University of California and other universities in internal investigations, government investigations, and litigation.  Hailyn was recently recognized for her work with The Thacher School, leading an investigation into decades of sexual abuse at the elite boarding school. Hailyn J. Chen (mto.com) Attorney Mary Beth Hogan Mary Beth Hogan is Co-Chair of Debevoise & Plimpton’s Litigation Department. She has a broad-gauged litigation and investigations practice that focuses on sensitive investigations for educational institutions, corporations and other organizations, including board-directed independent investigations of sexual abuse or harassment. Ms. Hogan’s work in this area also includes advising boards of corporations, educational institutions, and nonprofits on #MeToo-related governance issues. She is recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US and Benchmark Litigation, which has named her as one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation.” In 2015, Ms. Hogan was named “Lawyer of the Year for Private Practice” for gender diversity in the profession by Chambers & Partners.   Mary Beth Hogan | Professionals | Debevoise & Plimpton LLP  Website - https://learningcourage.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/learningcourage Instagram - @learningcourage LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-courage/

    40 min

  3. 01/09/2023

    Learning Courage: Independent Investigations of Abuse - Part 1

    Part 1 of a two-part series exploring how independent schools and school boards have historically handled sexual abuse investigations, how investigations of independent schools have evolved over the past five years, and how transparent schools should be when disclosing sexual abuse. Your host Jamie Forbes, the founder and CEO of Learning Courage, will speak with two wonderful and very generous attorneys: Mary Beth Hogan and Hailyn Chen. Topics covered: - What does it mean for a society to expect that institutions will be transparent in releasing the findings of an investigation into historic sexual abuse or sexual misconduct? - What happens when the school wants to be the one communicating the findings of an investigation? - Find out what schools can do to restore the trust of survivors of sexual abuse. - What happens when there is not full disclosure by schools? - The challenges of historic abuse cases before the time of digital record keeping. - When investigators talk with friends or relatives, how does a survivor decide whether to come forward or not. - How law enforcement agencies and police departments across the country can adopt trauma-informed interviewing practices. - How the relationships of the school board with respected teachers and administrators can impact investigations, and how everyone concerned should maintain confidentiality. Episode guests: Attorney Hailyn Chen  Hailyn Chen is a litigation partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.  Since 2019, Hailyn has served as one of two firmwide Managing Partners of MTO, which comprises around 200 lawyers, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.  Her practice focuses on complex litigation, internal and government investigations, and crisis management.  Hailyn has extensive experience handling sexual misconduct and sexual abuse matters, including representing the University of California and other universities in internal investigations, government investigations, and litigation. She has also represented companies in a broad range of industries in internal investigations and government investigations involving alleged fraud, corruption, and abuse. Hailyn was recently recognized for her work with The Thacher School, leading an investigation into decades of sexual abuse at the elite boarding school. Hailyn J. Chen (mto.com) Attorney Mary Beth Hogan Mary Beth Hogan is Co-Chair of Debevoise & Plimpton’s Litigation Department. She has a broad-gauged litigation and investigations practice that focuses on sensitive investigations for educational institutions, corporations and other organizations, including board-directed independent investigations of sexual abuse or harassment. Ms. Hogan’s work in this area also includes advising boards of corporations, educational institutions, and nonprofits on #MeToo-related governance issues. She is recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US and Benchmark Litigation, which has named her as one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation.” In 2015, Ms. Hogan was named “Lawyer of the Year for Private Practice” for gender diversity in the profession by Chambers & Partners.   Mary Beth Hogan | Professionals | Debevoise & Plimpton LLP  Website - https://learningcourage.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/learningcourage Instagram - @learningcourage LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-courage/

    25 min

  4. 07/11/2022

    6 Key Learnings for Supporting Survivors of Historic Misconduct

    Learning Courage CEO Jamie Forbes joins Executive Director Amy Wheeler to discuss 6 Key Learnings for schools handling incidents of historic misconduct based on research and work with survivors. One perhaps surprising finding is that caring for survivors is not best only for the individuals who have been harmed, but it is also in the best interest of the institutions where the harm took place. Jamie and Amy draw on their personal experiences as survivors bringing to light the importance of compassion, commitment, and support in addition to the role and responsibility of the institution when dealing with incidents of abuse. While this episode is focused on historic misconduct, these key learnings also apply to how we can support survivors outside the school setting. For more information on the items discussed in this episode or to learn more about Learning Courage please check out the links below: Website - https://learningcourage.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/learningcourage Instagram - @learningcourage LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-courage/

    27 min

  5. 11/16/2021

    Social Norms and Their Impact on Beliefs Around Masculinity

    Cindy Pierce, a social sexuality educator, storyteller, speaker, and author, joins Learning Courage's Jamie Forbes to discuss how to support male survivors of sexual abuse. Pierce shares anecdotes from working with young men and provides insight and suggestions for families and schools on how to support healthy sexual relationships by engaging in conversations around how to support survivors. This episode explores how social-cultural norms impact our beliefs around masculinity and how we, as a society, can work to support males through changing the dialogue and expectations around sexuality. For more information on the items discussed in this episode or to learn more about our guest, check out the links below:   - Cindy Pierce: https://cindy-pierce.com/ - Emma Brown's To Raise A Boy: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/To-Raise-a-Boy/Emma-Brown/9781982128081   Website - https://learningcourage.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/learningcourage Instagram - @learningcourage LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-courage/

    38 min

  6. 09/09/2021

    COVID’s Impact on Students’ Mental Health & Technology Use

    World-renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair joins Learning Courage’s Jamie Forbes and Amy Wheeler to discuss how the global pandemic impacted both mental health and dependence on technology among K-12 students. Dr. Steiner-Adair provides insight and specific suggestions for school leaders and teachers for how to support students as they return to school this fall.  For more information on the items discussed in this episode or to learn more about our guest, check out the links below:  - Catherine Steiner Adair -   Catherine Steiner-Adair Ed.D. | Clinical Psychologist, Consultant, Author, Speaker (csadair.com) - Naomi Osaka Time Magazine Article - https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/ - Authentic Connections - https://www.authconn.com/ - John Palfrey - Born Digital - https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/john-palfrey/born-digital/9780465053926/ or MacArthur Foundation Bio macfound.org/about/people/president Website - https://learningcourage.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/learningcourage Instagram - @learningcourage LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-courage/

    25 min

  7. 09/09/2021

    Creating Safe Spaces for Students to Discuss Identity and Sexuality

    World-renowned clinical psychologist and expert in adolescent youth, Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair joins Learning Courage’s Jamie Forbes and Amy Wheeler to discuss the importance of creating and maintaining safe spaces for students where they can feel comfortable discussing topics related to sexuality and identity   Website - https://learningcourage.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/learningcourage Instagram - @learningcourage LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-courage/

    37 min
  • 7 Episodes

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About

These podcasts capture a range of topics related to sexual misconduct in K-12 schools. Our goal with them is to help listeners understand sexual misconduct in schools, including how to reduce incidents and how to respond in ways that are survivor-focused, trauma-informed and resiliency-based. Our guests include professional practitioners and individuals who have experience and opinions that we believe are valuable.Learning Courage is a nonprofit membership organization that works with K12 independent schools to reduce incidents, improve responses and support healing from sexual misconduct and abuse by guiding and advising on best practices, tools, and resources.www.LearningCourage.org

Information

  • Creator
    Learning Courage
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Learning Courage Podcasts
  • Show Website
    Learning Courage Podcasts