103: Living a Double Life as an Undercover Cop

Morgan Berry shares her story of becoming a mother to identical twin girls, Bailey Grace and Ally, whose lives would be shaped by an incredibly rare genetic disorder. What began as a seemingly normal pregnancy and the challenges of caring for newborn twins quickly turned into years of unanswered questions as Morgan noticed developmental delays and unusual seizure activity in both daughters. After countless appointments, extensive genetic testing, and a search for answers that eventually led them to the National Institutes of Health, the girls were diagnosed with HECW2, a disorder so rare that very little was known about what their futures might look like. As their medical needs became increasingly complex, Morgan found herself navigating around-the-clock care, difficult decisions about their quality of life, and the constant uncertainty of what might come next.

Alicia shares her story of growing up in a close-knit Christian family, building a successful career in real estate, and entering a marriage that eventually left her feeling more like a roommate than a wife. After losing two of her closest friends and becoming estranged from the church community she had been part of for years, Alicia developed a friendship with an older, married man through their shared involvement in the horse racing industry. What began as a business partnership eventually turned into a four-year affair that left her struggling with secrecy, emotional dependence, and thoughts of suicide. Despite repeatedly trying to end the relationship, Alicia found herself caught between the man she had fallen in love with and the life she knew she could never openly have with him.

Sarah Hayes shares her story of growing up in a family where sexual abuse began at an incredibly young age and continued for years at the hands of her older brother. With the adults around her repeatedly failing to intervene, Sarah was left to grow up alongside abuse while also taking on a caregiving role with her youngest sister, Dani, who she describes as being like her own baby. Years later, Sarah would become Dani’s legal guardian while still trying to navigate the effects of her own childhood. What followed would leave Sarah carrying a devastating loss alongside the trauma she had already spent much of her life trying to understand.

Sonny Von Cleveland shares his story of being trafficked by his mother from the time he was three until he was twelve, surviving years of abuse, and growing up without the intervention or support he needed. As a child, getting into trouble became an unexpected form of safety, eventually leading him into the juvenile justice system and then prison at sixteen, where he was SAed during his first week. In the years that followed, Sonny became involved in gangs and violence, returned to prison with fifteen additional felonies, and eventually found himself facing years in solitary confinement.

For our 100th episode and Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, Chell shares one of the most difficult and personal stories she has ever told: losing her friend David to suicide. David was a successful businessman and philanthropist who was known for his generosity, but behind the life people saw, he was struggling with drugs, alcohol, and his mental health. When David reached out to Chell during a crisis in November 2017, she spent hours trying to keep him talking and convince him that what he was feeling was temporary. What happened over the course of that night would leave Chell carrying an experience she never could have prepared for.