Building Community & Protecting Kids with SAFEchild’s Nakisha

Jen and co-host Dejah open by joking about aging, “over the hill,” and Halloween as they prepare to take Deja’s unfinished travel bus on its first campground trip for their annual decorated Yogi Bear/Jellystone Halloween outing (complete with fog machines and adult Jell-O shots). They welcome guest Nakisha, a Texas-raised new Raleigh resident and director of the Child Advocacy Center at SAFEchild, who discusses starting over in her 40s, how she tried to make friends through a community post, and what the Advocacy Center does: providing a safe, coordinated place for children to share abuse details once through non-leading forensic interviews, medical evaluations, and family advocacy with partner agencies. The conversation also covers secondary trauma support for staff, self-care, the importance of funding/donations, and ends with light Q&A, including the “hot dog sandwich” debate and a listener voicemail about speaking up. 00:00 Turning 41 and Over the Hill 00:45 Bus Trip and Campground Plans 02:21 Halloween Camping Traditions 04:57 Meet Nakisha from SAFEchild 08:37 Texas to Raleigh and BBQ Talk 11:14 Making Friends as an Adult 21:51 Inflatable Unicorn and Bio Bits 26:18 What SAFEchild Advocacy Center Does 29:28 Forensic Interviews Explained 33:55 Why Supporting Kids Matters 40:18 Secondary Trauma and Staff Care 41:13 SEA CERT Explained 42:53 Coworker Support Limits 44:38 Team Intervention Moment 48:48 Funding and Staff Needs 49:47 Funny Tummy Feelings Impact 55:57 Parent Trust in Interviews 58:35 After Work Self Care 01:02:12 Rapid Fire Fun Questions 01:10:20 Listener Voicemail on Speaking Up 01:20:33 Closing Thanks and Takeaways