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Speaker 1: When it started to go a little too far. He

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Speaker 1: would sometimes show up the studio wearing bandages on his hands,

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Speaker 1: and he would say that he was mastering how to

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Speaker 1: manipulate and start fire from his hands.

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Speaker 2: I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal, a show about

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Speaker 2: the people we trust the most and the deceptions that

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Speaker 2: change everything.

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Speaker 1: The students reached out to me and they were the

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Speaker 1: ones who told me that they got out of a cult.

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Speaker 2: That's Alicia. It isn't her real name. We've had to

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Speaker 2: anonymize everyone in this episode, and you'll see why in

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Speaker 2: a minute.

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Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, I don't know where to start. Let's

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Speaker 1: go to the beginning. I guess.

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Speaker 2: Alicia grew up in the eighties in a chaotic home.

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Speaker 2: One of her parents struggled with addiction, so Alisha ended

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Speaker 2: up helping raise her older brothers and in a way,

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Speaker 2: raising herself.

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Speaker 1: I pretty much had to be the provider, maybe cook

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Speaker 1: food or meals as much as I could, so that

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Speaker 1: was a little stressful as a younger kid.

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Speaker 2: When she was seven years old, her dad signed her

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Speaker 2: up for dance and it changed her life.

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Speaker 1: It definitely saved me.

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Speaker 2: In one of her very first classes, Alicia remembers feeling

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Speaker 2: out of place.

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Speaker 1: I was the little scraggly kid in the back. It

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Speaker 1: was funny because one time I went to class and

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Speaker 1: I was wearing jeans, and I was like mortified because

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Speaker 1: I didn't have my tights or anything.

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Speaker 2: But the dance instructor put Alicia at ease.

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Speaker 1: She made me feel seen and like it was okay,

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Speaker 1: and you know, I was just there to dance and

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Speaker 1: no one was looking at me to try to judge me.

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Speaker 1: She was awesome, And then after that I was hooked.

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Speaker 2: That instructor became a mentor.

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Speaker 1: She stayed my role model all the way through my

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Speaker 1: dance career at that studio until I pretty much graduated

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Speaker 1: high school.

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Speaker 2: It was a classical studio, so Alicia trained in ballet,

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Speaker 2: tap and jazz from age seven on. She joined every

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Speaker 2: class she could.

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Speaker 1: It was a way for me to escape what was

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Speaker 1: going on at home. It was my way to walk

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Speaker 1: into the studio and just be somewhere else, be something else.

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Speaker 1: I was able to escape through the music, through the movement.

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Speaker 1: It just became my safe space.

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Speaker 2: When she went off to college, she kept dancing and

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Speaker 2: eventually she began teaching it.

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Speaker 1: It became this full circle moment of being able to

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Speaker 1: do the things that my mentor had done for me

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Speaker 1: give that back to a kid that might have not

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Speaker 1: felt seen.

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Speaker 2: She returned to her childhood studio.

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Speaker 1: After college, I wound up venturing back to my old

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Speaker 1: studio that I originally grew up at. I wanted to

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Speaker 1: make kids feel empowered, to make them feel good about themselves,

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Speaker 1: express themselves in the ways that they needed.

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Speaker 2: Alicia had dozens of students. One of the standouts was

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Speaker 2: a young dancer named Kim.

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Speaker 1: One of our students was Kim. I started working with

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Speaker 1: her when she was twelve or thirteen years old. I

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Speaker 1: remember her being this fun, quirky, sassy girl.

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Speaker 2: But Kim was incredibly talented.

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Speaker 1: She just had this natural ability to her, this natural

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Speaker 1: flexibility that people only dream of. She was always really

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Speaker 1: willing to work hard, and I knew she would go far.

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Speaker 2: I knew she was going to make it. Alicia took

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Speaker 2: her under her wing. That year, Alisha met another dancer

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Speaker 2: we're going to call Kevin. He was Alisha's age, just

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Speaker 2: finishing college.

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Speaker 1: Kevin. He was cute and I thought it was pretty

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Speaker 1: impressive to see someone that could dance as well as

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Speaker 1: he could. He had that natural ability and that natural talent,

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Speaker 1: and there's something attractive about that, like especially seeing a

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Speaker 1: guy dance in that way.

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Speaker 2: Kevin wasn't trained in a classical studio. He was mostly

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Speaker 2: self taught, and he was mesmerizing.

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Speaker 1: Special tea was hip hop, so all the traditional styles

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Speaker 1: of hip hop, which would be breaking, popping, locking, b boying.

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Speaker 1: It was something that was new to me, being more

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Speaker 1: of a traditionally trained ancer, and he definitely made it

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Speaker 1: seem effortless.

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Speaker 2: They started off as friends, taking classes, going out and

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Speaker 2: bonding over their tough childhoods.

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Speaker 1: He would ask me questions about my upbringing and wanted

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Speaker 1: to know a lot about what happened growing up, and

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Speaker 1: he was very attentive with that. I told him my

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Speaker 1: life story and that I didn't have the best upbringing

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Speaker 1: and Howie had to grow up pretty quickly. And then

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Speaker 1: it turned out that he wound up having the same

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Speaker 1: type of family issues.

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Speaker 2: They both had a parent that struggled with addiction, and

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Speaker 2: Kevin seemed genuinely interested in hearing about Alicia's background. Alisha

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Speaker 2: was amazed to meet someone who shared her love for

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Speaker 2: dance and also had a traumatic upbringing.

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Speaker 1: For the first time, I felt seen and I felt

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Speaker 1: heart in a way that others couldn't really understand, and

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Speaker 1: it felt very validating. But I didn't pick up on

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Speaker 1: his signals about, you know, getting a little bit more

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Speaker 1: than just friends.

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Speaker 2: After a few months, Kevin confessed his feelings for her.

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Speaker 2: He bought flowers, wrote love notes, and made mixtapes.

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Speaker 1: He even got me this necklace. It was like a

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Speaker 1: little diamond pendant necklace that he said symbolized me shedding

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Speaker 1: my last tear and that he wouldn't ever hurt me

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Speaker 1: so I would never have to cry again. And that's

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Speaker 1: when I took the leap of faith and we started

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Speaker 1: up the relationship. He just seemed like this very kind,

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Speaker 1: very sensitive person, and he seemed like a hopeless romantic

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Speaker 1: despite all the mistreatment that he experienced at home. So

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Speaker 1: it was pretty much the same thing as me.

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Speaker 2: Kevin had big career ambitions. This was the late nineties,

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Speaker 2: and he wanted to work with pop stars like in

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Speaker 2: Sync and Britney Spears, but he was struggling to find

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Speaker 2: long term work. So Alicia brought Kevin into the studio

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Speaker 2: where she worked to teach hip hop.

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Speaker 1: I approached the studio owner and he thought that it

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Speaker 1: would be a good idea, so Kevin had a couple

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Speaker 1: of classes to start with, and he was great at it.

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Speaker 2: Kevin's classes became a hit. Alicia's student Kim enrolled. Kim

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Speaker 2: had her sight set on becoming a professional dancer, and

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Speaker 2: Kevin saw the same potential in her that Alisha did.

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Speaker 1: They started to have a bond in a relationship, and

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Speaker 1: he wanted to help her as well.

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Speaker 2: The studio was like a little family. Mentoring Kim and

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Speaker 2: students like her brought them closer. Kevin and Alicia spent

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Speaker 2: every day all day at the studio. She was really

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Speaker 2: falling for him.

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Speaker 1: He would bring out the best of me, and he

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Speaker 1: let me be myself like I was able to be

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Speaker 1: fun and quirky, and he encouraged that. You know, I

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Speaker 1: never felt self conscious around him. He would always look

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Speaker 1: at me in ways that made me feel like I

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Speaker 1: was the only person.

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Speaker 2: A few years into their relationship, he surprised her with

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Speaker 2: a trip to New York, made a reservation at a

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Speaker 2: famous restaurant, Windows on the World. It was on the

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Speaker 2: top floor of the World Trade Center, and that night

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Speaker 2: at dinner.

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Speaker 1: All of a sudden, he got down on one knee,

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Speaker 1: and then I look up behind me and my best

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Speaker 1: friends standing there recording, and he popped the question. He

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Speaker 1: was very nervous, but he said that he wanted to

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Speaker 1: be my partner for the rest of my life. I

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Speaker 1: don't know if I even remember hearing the rest of

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Speaker 1: what he said, because I just started crying and I

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Speaker 1: was just overwhelmed with joy, and it just felt like

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Speaker 1: such a special moment.

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Speaker 2: She felt like she was marrying her best friend getting married.

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Speaker 1: I always pictured having somebody that is going to make

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Speaker 1: me feel safe, because that's something that you know, just

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Speaker 1: growing up with childhood trauma is one thing that you

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Speaker 1: don't always feel all the time.

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Speaker 2: The wedding day was emotional, even though Kevin had a

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Speaker 2: tense relationship with his family, they all came to celebrate him.

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Speaker 1: I started walking down the aisle and I saw him.

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Speaker 1: I became emotional because I could just see our future

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Speaker 1: together and us building this great family, and he started

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Speaker 1: getting emotional. So it was just us trying to get

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Speaker 1: through our vows and being so choked up. I was

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Speaker 1: a little embarrassed by that because I thought I could

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Speaker 1: try to compose myself, and you don't want to have

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Speaker 1: like an ugly cry in your wedding pictures, But it

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Speaker 1: almost felt like that.

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Speaker 2: Some of their DAN students even came to the ceremony,

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Speaker 2: like Kim and her mom.

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Speaker 1: Just looking out and seeing her and some of the

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Speaker 1: other students that were so excited for us to get together.

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Speaker 1: It was great to be able to include them in that.

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Speaker 2: Once they were married, Alicia encouraged him to visit his

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Speaker 2: parents more often. They didn't live far, but Kevin still

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Speaker 2: harbored resentment about his childhood. When he was around his family,

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Speaker 2: he was a shell of himself.

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Speaker 1: And he would sulk and he would change his whole

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Speaker 1: personality on the way there because he was upset about

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Speaker 1: even having to go there, and he was going to

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Speaker 1: have to put on a fake face and pretend that

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Speaker 1: everything was okay.

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Speaker 2: So they kept their visits to holiday weekends.

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Speaker 1: Those were the only times that we would go over there.

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Speaker 2: But when he was at home with Alicia, Kevin was

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Speaker 2: animated and loving. They started daydreaming about raising kids together.

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Speaker 1: He always knew that I wanted to have kids and

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Speaker 1: have a family of my own. That was one of

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Speaker 1: the things that we always talked about.

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Speaker 2: They already knew they both loved kids. They were surrounded

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Speaker 2: by them every day. One of their star students, Kim,

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Speaker 2: had become Alicia's teaching assistant, and Kevin was helping Kim

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Speaker 2: get her dance career off the ground, so.

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Speaker 1: We kind of played the dual role of mentoring her,

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Speaker 1: and then eventually she started assisting some of his classes

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Speaker 1: as well.

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Speaker 2: By this point, Kevin had been with the studio for years.

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Speaker 1: He just became the staple at the studio, and all

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Speaker 1: these kids just flocked to him, you know, for guidance

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Speaker 1: and inspiration. The kids loved him, the parents all loved him,

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Speaker 1: but there was one person that didn't quite love him,

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Speaker 1: and that was my mentor. They didn't seem to be

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Speaker 1: clicking for some reason, and I thought that was unusual.

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Speaker 1: They just were not really on the same page.

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Speaker 2: Kevin's theory was that this older teature was jealous of

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Speaker 2: how popular his classes were.

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Speaker 1: And not too long after that, that's when one of

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Speaker 1: the kids started saying something to their parents about a

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Speaker 1: conversation that Kevin had with them in the classroom.

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Speaker 2: A parent complained about something Kevin said to a student.

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Speaker 2: We don't know what it is because Alisha never got

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Speaker 2: the full story. Kevin denied saying anything inappropriate, but the

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Speaker 2: studio owner decided to keep an eye on Kevin, and

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Speaker 2: a few months after.

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Speaker 1: That, the owner decided that he was going to let

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Speaker 1: him go. He said that there were some artistic differences

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Speaker 1: and that it was time to.

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Speaker 2: Part Kevin called Alisha outraged.

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Speaker 1: Kevin pretty much made me feel like they were ganging

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Speaker 1: up on him, and that no one understood him and

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Speaker 1: they were jealous.

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Speaker 2: It seemed like a horrible misunderstanding. And she believed Kevin

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Speaker 2: when he said this was rooted in jealousy, especially considering.

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Speaker 1: The parents and the kids were still very supportive of Kevin.

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Speaker 1: They couldn't believe what happened, and they started attacking the

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Speaker 1: studio owners, saying to him that he didn't know what

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Speaker 1: he was doing, he didn't know how to conduct business.

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Speaker 1: How can he let him go?

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Speaker 2: At first, Alicia assumed she would keep her job and

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Speaker 2: Kevin could find a new place to work. But for him,

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Speaker 2: this was a matter of right and wrong, and he

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Speaker 2: wanted Alisha to be on his side.

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Speaker 1: He said, this environment was supposed to be my second

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Speaker 1: home and like my family, and look how they're treating

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Speaker 1: my husband. So I had no other choice but to

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Speaker 1: support him at that time, so then I had to

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Speaker 1: leave the studio as well. I was heartbroken because here

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Speaker 1: was this community that just felt like such a safe

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Speaker 1: space for me, someplace that I grew up at for

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Speaker 1: pretty much my whole life. At this point, everything that

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Speaker 1: I had worked hard for, you know, now it's all gone.

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Speaker 2: Heartbroken, Alicia turned in her keys and left the studio

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Speaker 2: she'd grown up in.

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Speaker 1: At the time, I felt very hurt because I felt

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Speaker 1: like no one really came to me and said anything.

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Speaker 1: Looking back, I realized the only version of the story

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Speaker 1: I was getting was Kevin's story. So of course I'm

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Speaker 1: going to believe him. He's my husband, but he was

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00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:31,800
Speaker 1: hiding something from me, something bigger, something darker.

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Speaker 2: After Kevin was fired from the studio, his favorite students

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Speaker 2: rallied around him. He'd been working with many of them

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Speaker 2: for years, and they wanted to keep taking his classes.

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Speaker 2: The next step seemed obvious for Kevin and Alicia.

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Speaker 1: That's when I was saying to him, oh, I always

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Speaker 1: wanted to open up my own dance studio. I decided that, hey,

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Speaker 1: now we had the opportunity to create that safe space

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Speaker 1: of our own, so we could do it the way

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Speaker 1: that we wanted to why not just give it a go.

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Speaker 2: Their own studio. It would be a pre professional program,

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Speaker 2: no expensive costumes or recitals, just dance.

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Speaker 1: We turned this pretty empty warehouse, which was six thousand

259
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Speaker 1: square feet, into this beautiful studio.

260
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Speaker 2: They wanted to prepare kids for real careers and dance,

261
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Speaker 2: and Kevin was perfectly positioned to make that.

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Speaker 1: Happen since he was one of the only male hip

263
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Speaker 1: hop dance teachers at the time. We wound up establishing

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Speaker 1: his own hip hop company.

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Speaker 2: They had one hundred students upon opening. Many of his

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00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,240
Speaker 2: former students put down a deposit to join Kevin and

267
00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:07,040
Speaker 2: Alisha's new studio. With Kevin being the lead instructor, they

268
00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,680
Speaker 2: needed a plan for oversight and safety for everyone's sake.

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Speaker 1: I had observation windows. I had cameras because you always

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Speaker 1: want to make sure that the parents feel comfortable and

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Speaker 1: feel safe, especially with a male teacher, because you know,

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Speaker 1: you always hear stories of different things happening, and I

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Speaker 1: never wanted that to ever be an issue. He never

274
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,920
Speaker 1: wanted that to be an issue, So I always had

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Speaker 1: those things in place so we didn't never have to

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Speaker 1: worry about that.

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00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,680
Speaker 2: Alicia was thrilled when Kim came on board to help

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Speaker 2: them open this studio. Kim was now a college student

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Speaker 2: and she became their first employee.

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Speaker 1: She started out helping me with the front desk, doing

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00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:53,560
Speaker 1: those types of things at first. Then we started to

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Speaker 1: give her some classes of her own, since she didn't

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00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:00,560
Speaker 1: really have that before, and we definitely became a life closer.

284
00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:05,520
Speaker 2: Alicia managed the business while Kevin worked tirelessly to recruit

285
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Speaker 2: a hip hop crew, and when the group was assembled,

286
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Speaker 2: it was undeniable. The crew had the it factor.

287
00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:16,640
Speaker 1: Once we got up on our feet. His hip hop

288
00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:21,480
Speaker 1: crew started doing a lot of performances all over the area.

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00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:27,320
Speaker 1: These kids were really turning heads and winning a lot

290
00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:32,560
Speaker 1: of different awards and were pretty much neck and neck

291
00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:36,040
Speaker 1: with some professional dancers on the scene, and they would

292
00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:38,840
Speaker 1: get recognized because they were so young at the time

293
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,440
Speaker 1: and people couldn't believe how good they were.

294
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Speaker 2: The kids in Kevin's crew ranged in age from thirteen

295
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Speaker 2: to nineteen.

296
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Speaker 1: They were a bunch of kids who came from diverse

297
00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:55,600
Speaker 1: backgrounds who all were able to rise up above adversity

298
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Speaker 1: and beat life's obstacles.

299
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,280
Speaker 2: Within two years, the kids were winning national titles, booking

300
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:06,040
Speaker 2: huge auditions even making it onto TV shows.

301
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Speaker 1: I didn't even expect it to blow up the way

302
00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:13,560
Speaker 1: that it did, especially around this particular crew. I felt

303
00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,360
Speaker 1: like I was on cloud nine. Things were coming together,

304
00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:20,359
Speaker 1: so it was just thrilling to be the studio owner,

305
00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:21,800
Speaker 1: like it felt really good.

306
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,960
Speaker 2: In the chaos of starting a new business, Alisha and

307
00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:30,600
Speaker 2: Kevin's marriage started to drift.

308
00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:37,680
Speaker 1: There wasn't any intimacy. I was realizing that we were

309
00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:42,399
Speaker 1: more friends than anything, more like business partners than a

310
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Speaker 1: married couple.

311
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Speaker 2: Along the way, Alisha had put one of her own

312
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Speaker 2: dreams to the side.

313
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Speaker 1: At this point. I am now in my thirties and

314
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Speaker 1: I just wanted to go back to the original goal

315
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Speaker 1: of having children of my own.

316
00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,399
Speaker 2: But Kevin seemed more interested in his crew than starting

317
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Speaker 2: a family with Alicia.

318
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Speaker 1: So there came a breaking point, and I built up

319
00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:14,080
Speaker 1: enough courage and strength to have that conversation with him.

320
00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,359
Speaker 2: She finally sat him down and told him that she

321
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,280
Speaker 2: wanted to separate. She was bracing for his emotional reaction,

322
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,679
Speaker 2: but Kevin seemed completely unfazed.

323
00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,919
Speaker 1: He pretty much just looked at me and said, Okay,

324
00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:34,480
Speaker 1: I'm like, what, how is that possible? I couldn't believe it.

325
00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,159
Speaker 1: I'm like, well, maybe he didn't hear me, maybe he

326
00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,399
Speaker 1: just didn't hit him. I just couldn't believe it. And

327
00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:41,960
Speaker 1: then he said, okay, well, well, what do you think

328
00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,560
Speaker 1: I should do? Just move out? I said, okay, yeah,

329
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Speaker 1: I guess. I was just still baffled at the fact

330
00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:49,440
Speaker 1: that he was just so calm about it, and he

331
00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:50,080
Speaker 1: just said okay.

332
00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:55,160
Speaker 2: Kevin moved out that night, and they stayed amicable through

333
00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:59,880
Speaker 2: the whole divorce process. It was shockingly easy.

334
00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,600
Speaker 1: After we decided to separate, I almost had a sense

335
00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,879
Speaker 1: of calm come over me, and I started to realize

336
00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,840
Speaker 1: that I didn't need to still be in a relationship

337
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:13,840
Speaker 1: with him in order to keep the studio going.

338
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,560
Speaker 2: The dance students and their education was the most important

339
00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,320
Speaker 2: thing to both of them. There were only a few

340
00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:24,080
Speaker 2: uncomfortable moments, Like with Kim.

341
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,439
Speaker 1: It was a little awkward for her to be in

342
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,800
Speaker 1: the middle of our split because she was really good

343
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,480
Speaker 1: friends with him. She just became a little bit more distant.

344
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,359
Speaker 2: Alicia felt as though Kim was picking a side, and

345
00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,760
Speaker 2: she noticed that with the students too. She chalked it

346
00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:42,160
Speaker 2: up to them processing the.

347
00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:45,119
Speaker 1: Divorce, but then all of a sudden, like a lot

348
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,560
Speaker 1: of the kids were starting to fight more, and there

349
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,080
Speaker 1: was a lot of tension, and there just seemed to

350
00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:53,560
Speaker 1: be something that was off.

351
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,760
Speaker 2: Then one day, one of the younger students came to

352
00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:00,760
Speaker 2: Alicia to talk one on one. The girl was in Kymn's.

353
00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:05,359
Speaker 1: Class, so I had a student approach me and wanted

354
00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:09,080
Speaker 1: to talk to me. She started saying that she didn't

355
00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,240
Speaker 1: like the way that Kim and Kevin were acting, and

356
00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,560
Speaker 1: what they were doing was disgusting. How could they do

357
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:20,200
Speaker 1: something like that? And I really wasn't sure what she

358
00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,240
Speaker 1: was talking about, but I let her vent and I

359
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,280
Speaker 1: just listened to her, and I tried to just let

360
00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:29,280
Speaker 1: her finish what she was saying while not giving away

361
00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:31,439
Speaker 1: the fact that I didn't know any of this at

362
00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,560
Speaker 1: the time. What she was trying to tell Alisha was

363
00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,120
Speaker 1: that Kevin and Kim were together.

364
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,560
Speaker 2: In the moment, Alicia maintained her composure. She didn't want

365
00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,479
Speaker 2: the student to think she'd done anything wrong by coming

366
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:48,800
Speaker 2: to her.

367
00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:51,800
Speaker 1: I just told her, don't worry about it, we'll figure

368
00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:52,120
Speaker 1: it out.

369
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:57,359
Speaker 2: After the conversation ended, Alisha was shaken. She assumed the

370
00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:01,840
Speaker 2: girl must be confused. Had known Kim since she was twelve,

371
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:05,280
Speaker 2: or thirteen. They even had her at their wedding.

372
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,240
Speaker 1: I couldn't even process the thought of them being together,

373
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,199
Speaker 1: Like the thought of it just made me sick. I

374
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,520
Speaker 1: just didn't understand, and I didn't know if it was

375
00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:16,040
Speaker 1: even true.

376
00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:20,080
Speaker 2: But her gut told her to check the security cameras,

377
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,240
Speaker 2: so she did. Starting with the previous night.

378
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,119
Speaker 1: It was a late night session. Everyone was hanging out

379
00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,760
Speaker 1: in the lobby, and that was the first time I

380
00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,359
Speaker 1: noticed him. He was like rubbing her back. But the

381
00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:35,800
Speaker 1: way that he was doing it, like very like loving

382
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,320
Speaker 1: that kind of thing. I was like, Okay, WHOA. So

383
00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:45,280
Speaker 1: I was freaking out. It made me start to question everything.

384
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,919
Speaker 1: I was furious, I was nauseated. I didn't know what

385
00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:51,200
Speaker 1: to think or what to do.

386
00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:56,639
Speaker 2: At this point, Kim was in her early twenties, Kevin

387
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,160
Speaker 2: was nearly forty, so Alicia felt like she couldn't do

388
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:01,280
Speaker 2: anything about it.

389
00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,359
Speaker 1: I just had to maybe even step back at this

390
00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,760
Speaker 1: moment and say, Okay, well, we're all adults here, Like

391
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:11,159
Speaker 1: she wasn't a minor or anything at the time, and

392
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:13,920
Speaker 1: she was a young adult, and what am I gonna do?

393
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,359
Speaker 2: Kevin and Alicia's divorce had been finalized a few months prior.

394
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:23,280
Speaker 2: For her own sanity, she needed further confirmation that this

395
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,960
Speaker 2: was really happening. So the next night, she followed them

396
00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,560
Speaker 2: after rehearsal.

397
00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,080
Speaker 1: I waited in my car and I followed them to

398
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:38,280
Speaker 1: the diner and I waited there until they finished eating.

399
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:40,639
Speaker 1: So I literally sat in my car, like in the

400
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,640
Speaker 1: side parking lot, waiting for them to come out. And

401
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,840
Speaker 1: when they came out, they started to embrace, and that's

402
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:53,000
Speaker 1: when they started to kiss. It was true. I just

403
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,440
Speaker 1: couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that this person

404
00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,520
Speaker 1: who I had mentored from such a young age was

405
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:03,200
Speaker 1: now with my ex husband.

406
00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:08,760
Speaker 2: It wasn't just betrayal, it was something deeper. It was

407
00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:14,600
Speaker 2: a contamination of her whole reality. The past ten years

408
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:19,360
Speaker 2: with Kevin, their business together, it all started to look different.

409
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,919
Speaker 1: There's no words to describe the feeling of him being

410
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:28,960
Speaker 1: with somebody that we both mentored. It was creepy and disgusting.

411
00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:34,120
Speaker 2: She couldn't go to Kevin because now she didn't trust him.

412
00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:38,080
Speaker 2: She was questioning everything. So Lisha reached out to a

413
00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:40,840
Speaker 2: trusted former student who was now an adult.

414
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:45,560
Speaker 1: I asked her how long Kevin and Kim were together,

415
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:50,280
Speaker 1: and her whole demeanor completely changed, and she just let

416
00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:53,760
Speaker 1: out this big sigh and she said, it's been some

417
00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:58,600
Speaker 1: time now. It's been probably going on for several years.

418
00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,520
Speaker 1: She said that it was something that was just not

419
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,240
Speaker 1: spoken of, but it was known. It was kept a

420
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,720
Speaker 1: secret for so long. But now that I knew about

421
00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,879
Speaker 1: Kevin and Kim, then that's when it seemed like the

422
00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:17,440
Speaker 1: right time for people to come and start telling me more.

423
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 2: Word spread among former students that Alicia knew about the affair,

424
00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,440
Speaker 2: and one by one they started contacting her.

425
00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:30,480
Speaker 1: The students reached out to me. They were the ones

426
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,520
Speaker 1: who told me all about what was happening.

427
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:39,080
Speaker 2: What was happening went far beyond Kevin and Kim's relationship.

428
00:25:39,680 --> 00:26:02,200
Speaker 1: They were telling me that they got out of a cult.

429
00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,840
Speaker 2: After she found out about Kevin and Kim's affair, it

430
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,800
Speaker 2: was like the levee broke. Former students who Alisha thought

431
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,239
Speaker 2: had left the studio on good terms, began telling her

432
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,480
Speaker 2: about an entirely different side of Kevin, one that was

433
00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:20,880
Speaker 2: completely hidden from her.

434
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:24,960
Speaker 1: They were telling me that they got out of a cult,

435
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:26,240
Speaker 1: a cult.

436
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,760
Speaker 2: That word hit Alisha hard. It seemed Kevin had gone

437
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,800
Speaker 2: to extreme lengths to keep Alisha in the dark. Now

438
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:36,879
Speaker 2: she had to get to the bottom of what was

439
00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:41,440
Speaker 2: going on, so she began asking former students what happened.

440
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,800
Speaker 1: And then I started to piece a lot of the

441
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:46,600
Speaker 1: story together.

442
00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,080
Speaker 2: Kevin told his crew that he used to be a

443
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:54,000
Speaker 2: backup dancer for Britney Spears and other pop artists, which

444
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:54,760
Speaker 2: wasn't true.

445
00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,960
Speaker 1: He would pull up a video and basically someone was

446
00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,840
Speaker 1: standing there in the background and you say, oh, look,

447
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:01,199
Speaker 1: that's me.

448
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,480
Speaker 2: It was an incredibly powerful lie because the students all

449
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,639
Speaker 2: dreamed of an opportunity like that, and it made them

450
00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:13,920
Speaker 2: want to do anything to impress him. Then Kevin would

451
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:18,520
Speaker 2: initiate what he called life chats. He would approach a

452
00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:22,000
Speaker 2: student after class to talk about their goals and dreams.

453
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,760
Speaker 2: They would be flattered that he was interested in them,

454
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:26,680
Speaker 2: and after that.

455
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,440
Speaker 1: He would talk to them a lot over the internet

456
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:34,119
Speaker 1: through Messenger. He would get them to open up to

457
00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:37,520
Speaker 1: him and tell him everything he needed to pretty much

458
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:38,960
Speaker 1: understand who they were.

459
00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:44,880
Speaker 2: Kevin tailored his influence to each student. He became whatever

460
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,159
Speaker 2: that student needed most.

461
00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:50,520
Speaker 1: Some people needed a best friend, other people needed a therapist.

462
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:53,879
Speaker 1: Other people needed someone they can confide in. Then a

463
00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:56,000
Speaker 1: father figure for some because some of them come from

464
00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:57,840
Speaker 1: broken home, So then he would become that.

465
00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,600
Speaker 2: He would shape shift into whatever for each student needed

466
00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:05,920
Speaker 2: him to be. After that connection was established, Kevin wanted

467
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:07,720
Speaker 2: to be in constant communication.

468
00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,800
Speaker 1: It became like a twenty four to seven connection with him.

469
00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:16,760
Speaker 1: Like he wanted them to always write back if he

470
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:19,600
Speaker 1: texted them or if they had group chats going, and

471
00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,280
Speaker 1: he had a lot of different chats and different side

472
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:25,560
Speaker 1: conversations going on all the time, so they never really

473
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,120
Speaker 1: had any real privacy because he would always be involved,

474
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,720
Speaker 1: and then he would get really upset if they never

475
00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:32,760
Speaker 1: texted back or they didn't respond.

476
00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:35,800
Speaker 2: He made it clear to the students that he could

477
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:39,120
Speaker 2: make or break their careers, and when they wouldn't reply

478
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:41,160
Speaker 2: to his texts, he.

479
00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,080
Speaker 1: Would tie it into well, if you have an agent,

480
00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,000
Speaker 1: then you know you have to be able to respond

481
00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,040
Speaker 1: right away or you lose your job. So then it

482
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:48,360
Speaker 1: just became a normal thing.

483
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:52,480
Speaker 2: Then he started controlling what they wore and how they looked.

484
00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,840
Speaker 1: He would try to change the way they would dress.

485
00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,520
Speaker 1: Some of them needed to develop a little bit more

486
00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,000
Speaker 1: and change their look or their style or their hair

487
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:06,200
Speaker 1: or whatever. He would relate it back to that's how

488
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:08,719
Speaker 1: it is in the dance industry, and then he would

489
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:14,160
Speaker 1: find ways to use more of the manipulative.

490
00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:22,240
Speaker 2: Tactics, manipulative and highly inappropriate tactics. Because after he had

491
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:26,440
Speaker 2: emotional control over the students, Kevin started talking to the

492
00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:30,440
Speaker 2: kids about sex and their sexuality. He said it would

493
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:33,800
Speaker 2: help them become a better dancer. And keep in mind

494
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,440
Speaker 2: some of the students were as young as thirteen.

495
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,840
Speaker 1: He would say that they needed to learn how to masturbate,

496
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,400
Speaker 1: and he would teach them how to do that. He

497
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:46,160
Speaker 1: would show them the pictures and the videos to clarify

498
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,160
Speaker 1: what he meant, and then they had the report back

499
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,959
Speaker 1: so he can tell them if they did it right

500
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,560
Speaker 1: and if what they're experiencing was right. He was able

501
00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,360
Speaker 1: to tie that all back to dance because it would

502
00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:01,680
Speaker 1: make them able to express them and you know it

503
00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:04,400
Speaker 1: was normal because you wanted to be able to do

504
00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:06,760
Speaker 1: that as an artist. He said that it would help

505
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:08,880
Speaker 1: them to be a more sensual dancer.

506
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:14,640
Speaker 2: He started manipulating their romantic and sexual relationships with each other.

507
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,520
Speaker 1: He started to encourage them to date each other. He

508
00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,080
Speaker 1: would set up different group chats with different people to

509
00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:25,200
Speaker 1: have them talk about sex and getting together. He would

510
00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:30,760
Speaker 1: even drive students over to other people's houses for them

511
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:34,320
Speaker 1: to have sex so they weren't of age because they

512
00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,040
Speaker 1: weren't driving at the time, so he would drop them off.

513
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:41,800
Speaker 1: A lot of times he would drive students home from dance.

514
00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,800
Speaker 1: They would get permission from their parents, and those were

515
00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:47,120
Speaker 1: the drives that some of them said that they felt

516
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:50,120
Speaker 1: uncomfortable in a way where you know, like when someone's

517
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:53,440
Speaker 1: trying to hit on you or trying to suggest something like.

518
00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,080
Speaker 1: They kind of got that feeling, but they just didn't

519
00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:58,600
Speaker 1: engage in that, but they felt like if they were

520
00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:02,280
Speaker 1: to give green light, something could have happened.

521
00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:10,040
Speaker 2: Alicia was deeply concerned if Kevin ever touched them inappropriately,

522
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:14,320
Speaker 2: but when she asked the students about it directly, they

523
00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:14,960
Speaker 2: all said no.

524
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:20,200
Speaker 1: He would tell some of them I know too, in

525
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,440
Speaker 1: particular that he was their sole mate and that they

526
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:26,960
Speaker 1: were twin flames and they had a deeper connection, like

527
00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:31,160
Speaker 1: he was the only person that would understand what they

528
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,320
Speaker 1: went through from their past life experience.

529
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:38,240
Speaker 2: Past life, not as in their past a few years ago,

530
00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,280
Speaker 2: but as in a lifetime they lived before this one

531
00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:45,240
Speaker 2: one that only he could see, one where they were

532
00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:46,680
Speaker 2: always meant to find each other.

533
00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,960
Speaker 1: He was morphing into all these different personas, from the

534
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,360
Speaker 1: good mentor to the peer, to you know, the father figure,

535
00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:57,840
Speaker 1: to the friend to now all of a sudden, this

536
00:31:58,200 --> 00:31:59,960
Speaker 1: enlightened figure, the light warrior.

537
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:04,760
Speaker 2: Kevin told the students he was a light warrior, that

538
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:09,000
Speaker 2: he had superhuman abilities, that he had a divine power.

539
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:15,000
Speaker 1: He would sometimes show up the studio wearing bandages on

540
00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:19,280
Speaker 1: his hands, and he would say that he was mastering

541
00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:23,520
Speaker 1: how to manipulate and start fire from his hands. Another

542
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,520
Speaker 1: time he showed them a video of him supposedly turning

543
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:30,240
Speaker 1: on a street lamp with just his mind. There were

544
00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:33,360
Speaker 1: times where he would make them stand outside and look

545
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:35,440
Speaker 1: at these lamps to see if they can do it too.

546
00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:39,760
Speaker 1: One time he came into the studio in a wheelchair

547
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,400
Speaker 1: because he said he was very weak from controlling things

548
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:44,080
Speaker 1: with his mind.

549
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:46,600
Speaker 2: He also claimed to have visions.

550
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:49,760
Speaker 1: He would tell them he could see when they were

551
00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,440
Speaker 1: having sex because he can see their auras. He would

552
00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,200
Speaker 1: encourage them to try things with each other, and he

553
00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,680
Speaker 1: was the puppet master making a lot of that happen.

554
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,760
Speaker 2: By the time Alicia learned the full extent of it,

555
00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:07,680
Speaker 2: Kevin wasn't just a dance coach. He was a prophet,

556
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,920
Speaker 2: and she started to understand why the students had stayed

557
00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:15,080
Speaker 2: silent for so long. Their whole world was tied up

558
00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:15,920
Speaker 2: in the dance crew.

559
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,960
Speaker 1: A lot of them said that they've invested so much

560
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,280
Speaker 1: time and money that they felt like they couldn't leave

561
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:23,520
Speaker 1: and then they would lose all their friends and everything

562
00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:24,160
Speaker 1: they ever known.

563
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,720
Speaker 2: To keep the kids quiet, Kevin used threats and intimidation.

564
00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:32,240
Speaker 2: He made sure that the cost of leaving wasn't worth it.

565
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:37,920
Speaker 2: Leaving meant exile. Kevin also made them believe that leaving

566
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,880
Speaker 2: the crew or breaking his rules would ruin their chances

567
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:43,120
Speaker 2: of dancing professionally.

568
00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:47,600
Speaker 1: After they were telling me all these stories, it made

569
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:51,560
Speaker 1: me face what was happening, and then I realized, Wow,

570
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:55,040
Speaker 1: he is not a mentor. He's pretty much a monster,

571
00:33:55,720 --> 00:34:00,160
Speaker 1: and he cannot be around these kids. That's when I

572
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:04,280
Speaker 1: decided I needed to go and talk to a lawyer.

573
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,719
Speaker 2: She got a recommendation for a criminal lawyer and drove

574
00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:09,879
Speaker 2: to his office right away.

575
00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:13,680
Speaker 1: He basically told me that I probably should shut the

576
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:17,400
Speaker 1: studio down immediately, so I left his office. I immediately

577
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:19,400
Speaker 1: contacted my father. I told him a little bit what

578
00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:19,920
Speaker 1: was going on.

579
00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:22,720
Speaker 2: Her dad met her at the dance studio.

580
00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:25,359
Speaker 1: He came and he helped me change the locks. I

581
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,640
Speaker 1: grabbed all the stuff, like the files and the stuff

582
00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:32,640
Speaker 1: to contact families and parents and anything I can get

583
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:35,720
Speaker 1: my hands on. And it was early afternoon. I remember

584
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,840
Speaker 1: it clearly was her Friday, and I know he comes

585
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,799
Speaker 1: to the studio around four and sometimes he might come

586
00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,120
Speaker 1: a little bit early. And I was literally shaking, and

587
00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:47,759
Speaker 1: I grabbed what I could and I put a sign

588
00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,120
Speaker 1: up on the door saying we were no longer in business,

589
00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:52,600
Speaker 1: and then I ran out of there. I don't even

590
00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:53,759
Speaker 1: know how I made it to my car because I

591
00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:55,319
Speaker 1: thought I was going to pass out, because I was

592
00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:57,319
Speaker 1: so petrified that he was just going to pull up

593
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,239
Speaker 1: and see me and chase me down once he's all

594
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,839
Speaker 1: that sign on the door. I had no idea who

595
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,160
Speaker 1: he was or what he was capable of.

596
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,400
Speaker 2: She drove home and a few hours later Kevin called, confused.

597
00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:11,320
Speaker 2: When he asked what was going on.

598
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:15,000
Speaker 1: She just said one sentence, you can talk to my lawyer,

599
00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,480
Speaker 1: And that was the last time I ever talked to

600
00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:20,719
Speaker 1: him and had any correspondence with him.

601
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,600
Speaker 2: After she closed down the studio, Alisha braced herself for

602
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:31,920
Speaker 2: calls and emails from the parents of her dance students,

603
00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:36,160
Speaker 2: but to her surprise, she was met with radio silence.

604
00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:40,480
Speaker 1: That's the part that I still don't understand that no

605
00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:42,560
Speaker 1: parents really came to me or said anything.

606
00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:47,080
Speaker 2: It's possible the parents didn't turn to Alicia because they

607
00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:49,640
Speaker 2: thought she was in on it, or at the very

608
00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:53,160
Speaker 2: least turning a blind eye. She knew she'd done the

609
00:35:53,239 --> 00:35:54,960
Speaker 2: right thing by closing the studio.

610
00:35:56,719 --> 00:35:59,960
Speaker 1: Once I closed down the studio, it finally gave permission

611
00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,399
Speaker 1: for the ones that were struggling to leave, the ones

612
00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:04,080
Speaker 1: that were coming to me saying they weren't sure they

613
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:06,759
Speaker 1: wanted to leave, So it finally gave them the opportunity

614
00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:08,919
Speaker 1: to leave and disconnect from him.

615
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,120
Speaker 2: But Kevin still had a grip on a devoted circle

616
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:12,800
Speaker 2: of students.

617
00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:17,760
Speaker 1: He still had a handful of loyal followers, so he

618
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:21,680
Speaker 1: basically had them do all his dirty work. And they

619
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,320
Speaker 1: were calling me and texting me telling me how awful

620
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:26,640
Speaker 1: I was and how could I do this to them,

621
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:30,200
Speaker 1: and that I was an awful person. I was so

622
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:36,120
Speaker 1: heartbroken hearing those things. I could cry now. Actually, the

623
00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:38,960
Speaker 1: only thing I could say to them was that I

624
00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:42,000
Speaker 1: was sorry, and that one day they will understand.

625
00:36:43,719 --> 00:36:46,800
Speaker 2: She couldn't undo what had happened, but she wanted to

626
00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:49,960
Speaker 2: make it right and to keep Kevin from ever doing

627
00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:53,239
Speaker 2: it again. Alicia and her lawyer took the case to

628
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:56,560
Speaker 2: the prosecutor's office. She started at the beginning with the

629
00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:59,640
Speaker 2: revelation that Kevin and Kim were together.

630
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,640
Speaker 1: And I could immediately sense that he felt like, oh,

631
00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:09,000
Speaker 1: you know, she's just upset because you know, the situation

632
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:12,479
Speaker 1: happened and they weren't together. I felt like he wasn't

633
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:13,239
Speaker 1: really listening to me.

634
00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,120
Speaker 2: After that, she wanted to make it clear that this

635
00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:18,320
Speaker 2: wasn't a case of a messy divorce.

636
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:23,960
Speaker 1: So after that conversation, I immediately wrote an email explaining

637
00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:26,920
Speaker 1: everything that I was finding out. I gave him a

638
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:30,080
Speaker 1: list of names and different people that he could reach

639
00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:31,920
Speaker 1: out to and talk to, as far as students.

640
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:35,520
Speaker 2: Some students even reached out to the office directly to

641
00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:43,360
Speaker 2: share their stories, but they never heard back. After a

642
00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:46,720
Speaker 2: few months, Alicia's lawyer came back to her with bad news.

643
00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:50,360
Speaker 2: The prosecutor's office wouldn't be taking the case.

644
00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:53,400
Speaker 1: I'm like, what does that mean? Like I don't understand

645
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,120
Speaker 1: what that means, Like how are you not interested in

646
00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:03,120
Speaker 1: something that seems so sickn magnificant, especially with kids involved,

647
00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:06,600
Speaker 1: miner's teens, And he said they only go with cases

648
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:09,680
Speaker 1: that they feel like they can win. And they came

649
00:38:09,719 --> 00:38:13,400
Speaker 1: back and said that it seemed mild on the list

650
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:16,799
Speaker 1: of sex crimes to them. He said, if he was

651
00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:20,080
Speaker 1: playing Devil's advocate, that I came across as an ex

652
00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:22,640
Speaker 1: wife scorned who was trying to take down her husband

653
00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:25,160
Speaker 1: and was jealous of him being with a younger woman.

654
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,600
Speaker 2: She was stunned. She thought about the students talking to

655
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:33,080
Speaker 2: the police, but then her lawyer explained.

656
00:38:33,200 --> 00:38:36,440
Speaker 1: The prosecutor's office was the sale and all they were

657
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,080
Speaker 1: going to be the ones that would bring about charges.

658
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:44,600
Speaker 2: So Kevin was never charged for anything. Even though Kevin

659
00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:48,320
Speaker 2: was telling kids to masturbate or manipulating them into having

660
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:51,960
Speaker 2: sex with each other, the prosecutor couldn't charge him with

661
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:56,160
Speaker 2: a crime. And for a few months after the studio closed,

662
00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:58,680
Speaker 2: Kevin was able to keep his crew going out of

663
00:38:58,719 --> 00:38:59,600
Speaker 2: his own space.

664
00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:03,279
Speaker 1: He was pushing really hard with this new business that

665
00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:05,840
Speaker 1: he had created with them, and they all had to

666
00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:09,239
Speaker 1: recruit ten new people. And if they weren't recruiting that

667
00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:12,360
Speaker 1: he was flipping out, and they didn't want that, because,

668
00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:15,000
Speaker 1: like I said before, if you're on his bad side,

669
00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:15,960
Speaker 1: you're on his bad side.

670
00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:20,720
Speaker 2: Slowly, his remaining students began to leave, and when they did,

671
00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:24,759
Speaker 2: the other students would direct them to Alisha.

672
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:26,319
Speaker 1: I was able to let them know that they were

673
00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:29,479
Speaker 1: safe and that they can leave and that it's gonna

674
00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:32,839
Speaker 1: be okay. And one of the students who had sent

675
00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:36,040
Speaker 1: me the text of telling me that I was the

676
00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:40,320
Speaker 1: most awful person wound up texting me and she apologized

677
00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:43,680
Speaker 1: and she said, You're so sorry for everything that she

678
00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:47,759
Speaker 1: said to me, And I said to her, like, I'm

679
00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:50,880
Speaker 1: so sorry, it's not you at all. I was the

680
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:52,640
Speaker 1: one that should have been there for you.

681
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:56,840
Speaker 2: Alicia's entire career had been about providing a safe space

682
00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:01,120
Speaker 2: for kids through dance, a place for express and growth.

683
00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:05,360
Speaker 2: Kevin had taken all that was good and pure about

684
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:09,000
Speaker 2: that purpose and ruined it. Alicia felt like the only

685
00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:12,960
Speaker 2: good decision she'd made in the end was to immediately

686
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:13,920
Speaker 2: close the studio.

687
00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:20,160
Speaker 1: I felt completely embarrassed at the fact that I couldn't

688
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:23,200
Speaker 1: see these types of behaviors that were happening right underneath

689
00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:26,000
Speaker 1: my nose, and I know a lot of it isn't

690
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:32,520
Speaker 1: my fault, but it just really broke my heart for them.

691
00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:40,240
Speaker 2: In a few months after the studio closed, students continued

692
00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:44,239
Speaker 2: leaving Kevin's crew. It sent him into a tailspin. He

693
00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:47,319
Speaker 2: moved back in with his parents. Apparently, Kevin was in

694
00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,400
Speaker 2: such a dark place that one day, his sister reached

695
00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:53,960
Speaker 2: out to Alicia. She wanted to meet in person to

696
00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:56,480
Speaker 2: better understand what was going on with her brother.

697
00:40:57,719 --> 00:40:59,799
Speaker 1: We weren't that close, so it just came out of

698
00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:02,719
Speaker 1: no where that she actually wanted to meet up.

699
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,120
Speaker 2: The two women agreed to meet for coffee. Within the

700
00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:11,360
Speaker 2: first few minutes, Alicia realized Kevin's sister had no idea

701
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:12,760
Speaker 2: what happened with the studio.

702
00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:17,719
Speaker 1: She basically just sitting there looking at me, confused. I

703
00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:19,799
Speaker 1: told her a little bit about the story of what

704
00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:23,280
Speaker 1: I'd been learning about Kim and Kevin and the relationship.

705
00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:26,239
Speaker 1: That's when she just started to cry and break down.

706
00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:29,239
Speaker 1: She didn't really understand what I was saying, and she

707
00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,680
Speaker 1: was like, I can't believe this is happening. And that's

708
00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:34,440
Speaker 1: when I started to ask your questions about him.

709
00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,880
Speaker 2: Alicia knew Kevin had a fractured relationship with his family

710
00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:40,920
Speaker 2: when they were married, they only saw his parents and

711
00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:45,319
Speaker 2: siblings a handful of times. Sitting with his sister, it

712
00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:48,279
Speaker 2: was clear she needed to start from the beginning. So

713
00:41:48,320 --> 00:41:52,040
Speaker 2: Alicia brought up Kevin's past and his difficult childhood.

714
00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:55,080
Speaker 1: And then I said to her, well, what about your dad, Like,

715
00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:57,600
Speaker 1: your dad's an alcoholic, and you know, he was talking

716
00:41:57,600 --> 00:41:59,440
Speaker 1: about all these times that he was in these fights

717
00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,000
Speaker 1: with him, and he even told me about a surgery

718
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:03,920
Speaker 1: he had to go have because he had a broken

719
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,760
Speaker 1: rib from being kicked on the steps. And she said, whoaoo,

720
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,239
Speaker 1: what are you talking about. My dad isn't an alcoholic,

721
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:12,799
Speaker 1: Like he doesn't drink at all. And she's like, I

722
00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:14,960
Speaker 1: can tell you. We had a really good upbringing. We

723
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:17,959
Speaker 1: had a good childhood. He had everything that he needed.

724
00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:20,960
Speaker 2: Back When Alicia and Kevin first met, he told her

725
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:25,840
Speaker 2: about his traumatic upbringing and his alcoholic parent. It bonded

726
00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:30,040
Speaker 2: them together because Alisha also had a troubled childhood with

727
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:35,200
Speaker 2: an alcoholic parent. But now she discovered that shared experience

728
00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:37,600
Speaker 2: was fiction a long calm.

729
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:42,400
Speaker 1: He pretty much formed this persona that would trauma bond

730
00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:46,239
Speaker 1: with me and match all the things that I went

731
00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:49,560
Speaker 1: through in order for us to become relatable, for us

732
00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:50,480
Speaker 1: to become closer.

733
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:54,120
Speaker 2: It was the same thing he'd done with the students.

734
00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:57,000
Speaker 2: He told them whatever they needed to hear to trust him.

735
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,400
Speaker 2: This revelation brought a clarity about how deeply disturbed Kevin

736
00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:09,720
Speaker 2: really was. Their entire life together was one lie built

737
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:13,719
Speaker 2: upon another lie. The only thing Alicia could do was

738
00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:18,400
Speaker 2: rebuild a new life. Alicia went to talk to that

739
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,920
Speaker 2: old studio owner, the one who had fired Kevin years ago.

740
00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:25,560
Speaker 2: It was also the studio where they'd met Kim back

741
00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:28,239
Speaker 2: when she was twelve or thirteen, So.

742
00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:33,200
Speaker 1: When I asked him about Kevin and Kim, he said

743
00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:37,040
Speaker 1: that there were rumors that they might have been together

744
00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:43,319
Speaker 1: when she was underage. So regardless of whether he did

745
00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:48,320
Speaker 1: anything physically with her, that coerce of control definitely started

746
00:43:48,719 --> 00:43:50,120
Speaker 1: way back when she was young.

747
00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:53,319
Speaker 2: Alicia sees Kim as Kevin's victim.

748
00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:56,560
Speaker 1: She always has, and it breaks my heart to know

749
00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,279
Speaker 1: that he did that to her and she was so

750
00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:00,000
Speaker 1: special to make.

751
00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:08,480
Speaker 2: In the years since Kevin and Kim got married and divorced,

752
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:12,040
Speaker 2: Alicia tried to go back to teaching dance at her

753
00:44:12,080 --> 00:44:13,120
Speaker 2: old studio.

754
00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:18,040
Speaker 1: But it was never the same so I started trying

755
00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:21,399
Speaker 1: to focus on what I can do to maybe help

756
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:23,600
Speaker 1: make the dance industry a little bit better.

757
00:44:24,320 --> 00:44:28,040
Speaker 2: Today, she wants to help other studios catch what she

758
00:44:28,239 --> 00:44:29,000
Speaker 2: didn't see.

759
00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:32,719
Speaker 1: I want to spark a deeper conversation about the dance

760
00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:36,720
Speaker 1: industry and how victims of abuse have gone through similar

761
00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:42,240
Speaker 1: things in a very unchecked, highly unregulated system.

762
00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:44,920
Speaker 2: And she teaches pilates to senior citizens.

763
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:48,160
Speaker 1: That was a good way to give back and feel

764
00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:52,320
Speaker 1: like I'm doing something positive while I'm working on trying

765
00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:55,040
Speaker 1: to make change in the dance industry.

766
00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:01,280
Speaker 2: We end all of our weekly episode with the same question,

767
00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:03,800
Speaker 2: why do you want to share your story?

768
00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:07,960
Speaker 1: I wasn't able to have children on my own, so

769
00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:11,400
Speaker 1: this is why this is such a passion project for me. Now.

770
00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:16,799
Speaker 1: I want to help other students, other children feel seen, validated,

771
00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:19,440
Speaker 1: and then create a safe environment for them to be

772
00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:23,520
Speaker 1: able to enjoy dance, because dance is something that is

773
00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:26,680
Speaker 1: so powerful and it could be such a beautiful thing

774
00:45:27,280 --> 00:45:30,279
Speaker 1: when you're able to express yourself freely and have a

775
00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:34,879
Speaker 1: safe environment. This is my way of taking control of

776
00:45:35,040 --> 00:45:38,520
Speaker 1: the situation that happened with me and making it into

777
00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:39,520
Speaker 1: something positive.

778
00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:48,760
Speaker 2: On the next episode of Betrayal Weekly.

779
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:54,120
Speaker 3: The person that sent these letters out was saying, I

780
00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:59,440
Speaker 3: have proof, So unless you confess your sins and repent,

781
00:46:00,719 --> 00:46:03,360
Speaker 3: then I'm going to release some tapes.

782
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:11,440
Speaker 2: Before we end the episode. I have some exciting news Betrayal.

783
00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:14,359
Speaker 2: We'll be doing our first ever live show as part

784
00:46:14,440 --> 00:46:18,160
Speaker 2: of the Virgin Voyages True Crime Cruise. We'll be answering

785
00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:22,440
Speaker 2: listener questions and discussing them live on stage with Stacey

786
00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:25,840
Speaker 2: and Tyler from Betrayal season three, as well as Caroline

787
00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:28,759
Speaker 2: from season four. So if you have a question for us,

788
00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:32,239
Speaker 2: please email us at Betrayalpod at gmail dot com with

789
00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:35,719
Speaker 2: the subject line listener question and if you want to

790
00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:38,600
Speaker 2: join us on the Caribbean cruise, there are still spots

791
00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:45,879
Speaker 2: available search Virgin Voyages dot com slash true crime. If

792
00:46:45,880 --> 00:46:47,799
Speaker 2: you would like to reach out to the Betrayal team

793
00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:50,640
Speaker 2: or want to tell us your Betrayal story, email us

794
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:55,359
Speaker 2: at Betrayalpod at gmail dot com. That's Betrayal Pod at

795
00:46:55,360 --> 00:46:59,840
Speaker 2: gmail dot com, or follow us on Instagram at Betrayal Pod.

796
00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:03,040
Speaker 2: You can also connect with me on Instagram at It's

797
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:07,319
Speaker 2: Andrea Gunning. To access our newsletter, view additional content, and

798
00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:11,080
Speaker 2: connect with the Betrayal community. Join our substack at Betrayal

799
00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:15,160
Speaker 2: dot substack dot com. We're grateful for your support. One

800
00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:17,479
Speaker 2: way to show support is by subscribing to our show

801
00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:20,240
Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts and don't forget to rate and review

802
00:47:20,239 --> 00:47:23,719
Speaker 2: Betrayal five star reviews go a long way. A big

803
00:47:23,800 --> 00:47:27,120
Speaker 2: thank you to all of our listeners. Betrayal is a

804
00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:30,239
Speaker 2: production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group

805
00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:34,080
Speaker 2: and partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced

806
00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:37,560
Speaker 2: by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Fason, hosted and produced by

807
00:47:37,640 --> 00:47:42,120
Speaker 2: me Andrea Gunning, written and produced by Monique Leboard, also

808
00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:47,480
Speaker 2: produced by Ben Fetterman. Associate producers are Caitlin Golden, Olivia Hewitt,

809
00:47:47,640 --> 00:47:52,520
Speaker 2: and Kristin Melcurie. Casting support from Curry Richmond. Our iHeart

810
00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:56,279
Speaker 2: team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krincheck. Audio editing by

811
00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:59,920
Speaker 2: Matt Dolvecchio, mixing and mastering on this episode by day

812
00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:05,359
Speaker 2: say An. Additional audio editing by Tanner Robbins. Betrayals theme

813
00:48:05,440 --> 00:48:10,120
Speaker 2: composed by Oliver Bain's music library provided by mybe Music

814
00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:13,959
Speaker 2: and For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app

815
00:48:14,080 --> 00:48:20,520
Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts,