the talK podKast

Join Joel and Cristina as they take a deep dive into Cristina’s imagination around collaborating with celebrity imagineers, high clout, capital, connections and counsel benefactors who could help bring KOZ to life as our big-thinking, long-game-minded impact investors. Listen in as they talk about demystifying the nature of celebrity, media, advertiser messages and all the influences that impact all users of the internet, including kids. Full of big IMAGINE moments and metaphors, this is Cristina’s version of cosplay, virtually that is. We are delighted to be ending our first season with this episode, and with you, thank you for listening and following our storytelling about my own coming back journey. Thank you, George Lucas for imagining this rich storyscape for we Gen X’ers to grow up to. Here’s to all of our IMAGINATIONS, may we nurture and nourish ours for the entirety of our lives. IMAGINE? Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on January 28, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025. All rights are reserved.

Join Joel and Cristina as they talk about the important distinction when it comes to talking about what the world calls “special needs” and “accommodations.” A long time ago, Cristina chose to shift her vocabulary around how the world treats, supports and perceives those with disabilities, different needs and neurodivergences that require SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS to be met in order to live a fuller life. In the world of KOZ, the talK, and Cristina’s brain, there’s an unwavering focus on making the world a better place for the most vulnerable in society. As a Disability and Divergence Advocate and Ally, and as a mentally disabled, multiply neurodivergent social entrepreneur, herself, Cristina has always believed that words matter, and this important distinction is no exception. Joel and Cristina start by delving into a meaty MHM (Mental Health Moment), before announcing (and then un-announcing) some big shifts for the talK, KOZ and Cristina’s coming back journey. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on March 20, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025. All rights are reserved.

Enjoy this interesting and inspiring talk of fresh takes around marketing and digital strategies for KOZ and the talK. Witness the organic vibe between old friends, fellow mega nerds, and longtime career peers Teresa and Cristina. Teresa shares her digital strategy expertise through her fresh takes and questions about Cristina’s ideas and plans for KOZ and the talK. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on March 20, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025. All rights are reserved.

Content awareness & sensitivity note: references to suicide content found on the Internet, and references to grooming and control in Cristina’s marriage is discussed. Join social-media-met-14-year friends Beth and Cristina as they host the first of many talks about the good, bad, and ugly about social media. From the good of making friends with shared interests, to unbelievably bad and harmful content being seen by unprotected youth, to the ugly (and sometimes) fatal consequences of sextortion, to the fakery that’s curated to showcase only the good in life, to the very real impacts of social media on our mental health, to the grooming and control over social media messaging by Cristina’s ex-spouse and abuser, they talk about their lived experiences and concerns as some of the earliest original users of social media. In light of these social media realities, they talk about KOZ’s place as a safe digital community (NOT social media) in the tech terrain of big tech and social media. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on March 12, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025. All rights are reserved.

CONTENT SENSITIVITY NOTE: managing grief after loss of a family member is discussed in this episode. The first of many pods with our Spotlight Guest Diane, join her and Cristina and for a good, authentic, intimate talk between two Internet friends who met and connected over Cristina’s mental health blog. Diane shares the grief she holds following the recent passing of her dear father, Gill. The shining image of her father, Diane is an active grandma, mom, daughter and community advocate, a KOZ alumni, and such a bright and joyous light of a human being. Listen in to hear the good vibes as we organically talk about loss, friendship, KOZ, safety for children, being a survivor of childhood trauma, the power of personal anthems (hi P!nk!), neurodivergence, stimming, music, little-lady-Di, some talK fresh takes, and Diane’s incredible approach to life in spite of her losses and hardships. We are delighted to welcome and introduce Diane to the talK community. This first pod with Diane is dedicated to her late dad, Gill. He would have loved this! Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on February 3, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025. All rights are reserved.

Starting UP is a form of starting over as is the case for long standing career-mates and startup entrepreneurs Michael and Andrew who met over a decade ago over some competitive, finger-breaking foosball. As our KOZ Biz Advisor, Michael joins us for a second talk, this time with his cofounder Andrew, to talk about mental health and startup entrepreneuring. Impressively, mental health has been a part of their startup culture and key part of their brand since their start. From their initial honeymoon naivete to the fears of actually “walking the plank,” to living with constant anxiety, the loneliness of being an entrepreneur, and having to learn to become a master at coping with failure, the unknowns and all the challenges that come with starting up a new business, Michael and Andrew talk with Cristina and Joel about their startup journey as it is happening. Enjoy this authentic talk about the ups and downs on the humbling journey of being a startup entrepreneur, and all the reasons to go for your dream in spite of all of that. Michael as our resident “Gandalf” wisely advises our listeners to first be honest with yourself before you make the decision to venture into the world of entrepreneurship, and if it’s to get rich fast, he suggests you might want to reconsider. They highlight the power of passion for a purpose and how that can be the driving force to keep on going. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on February 11, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights are reserved.

Continuing with our focus on childhood friendships and the importance of them, join Joel and Cristina as they host their friend and KOZ Alumni Rodan as they talk about starting over (even later) in life to find our true passion, Rodan’s newish-found love for teaching, their shared passion for keeping kids safe online and the importance of caring for our mental health, their (unexpected) mutual love of tennis, entrepreneuring, the differences between classic extroversion and extroverted introversion and being their authentic selves (like Joel’s penchant for breaking out in theatrical English on a dime). Rodan shares his fresh takes on the new strategic direction for KOZ, and the reason for the talK, all shared from his unique perspective as a business professor and consultant who also has an intimate view on KOZ. They also got into their shared interest and understanding of the Star Wars analogy for KOZ, and naturally, as Rodan is a Papa Bear to a Bernese Mountain Dog (AKA “a bear”) they gushed over their shared love of dogs. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on February 2, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights are reserved.

CONTENT SENSITIVITY NOTE: references to aspects of both Carey and Cristina’s childhood trauma, specifically childhood sexual abuse, are made in this episode. Please listen with the appropriate care and caution. Joined by her childhood friend Carey, Cristina hosts their intimate and personal talk about their lifelong anxiety, childhood memories, their shared love for kids and KOZ, and their childhood sexual abuse trauma in this special bonus episode. Carey is not only one of Cristina’s closest friends, she is also a part of KOZ as our Admin Lead. Listen in on their undeniable passion to build a safer world for today’s kids. Friends like Carey were a special bright light in Cristina’s childhood and they were her main source of joy during her early years. Childhood friendships will also be an integral part of what will make KOZ a safe space for kids online. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on October 24, 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights are reserved.

…start the conversation about some of the most heinous harms that happen to kids on the internet: human trafficking. Join Cristina and Joel as they host law enforcers Terry (also KOZ’s Safety & Security Advisor) and Jaclyn as they share some of their experiences supporting and protecting vulnerable kids. Terry and Jaclyn give a peek into the slivers of bigger investigations that they sometimes see and work on, and their thoughts on how best to be aware of things that could lead to kids being more exposed, and even exploited on the web. This episode is related to Cristina’s coming back startup project, KOZ, her solution to keeping kids safe online. To hear more about KOZ, please tune into pods 4 and 11. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on January 30, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025. All rights are reserved.

Cristina shares an intimate closer looK at her journey as a vulnerable warrior like so many of her peer survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. In this look into her own coming back journey, Cristina talks with Joel about the hardest parts, the highlights and different lessons from her years of emerging from her IPV trauma. They talk about her personal meaning of “underdog rising” and how it’s a key part of her life story, and the talK podKast. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on December 10, 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025. All rights are reserved.

This episode gets down to the financial strategies behind Cristina’s vision for KOZ. It is the perfect pod for startup impact investors, anyone interested in being involved in KOZ’s purpose to keep kids safe online, and everyone who enjoys rooting for the underdog, and seeing a good mission come to life. This is the sequel to our fourth episode where KOZ was first introduced to the world. As an instrumental part of Cristina’s coming back journey, KOZ is her unexpected startup concept that has been the focus for much of her neurodivergent brain power since the moment she conceived it. While more detailed info is reserved for the most serious of interested parties, this pod will give our listeners a much deeper understanding about KOZ, and all that Cristina, her vision and the KOZ team are set out to do, with the right resources in place. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Want to read real-time thoughts and updates in Cristina’s new blog? Subscribe at thetalkpodkast.substack.com For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on January 7, 2025 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights are reserved.

Isolation and inadequate support is a stark and unfortunate reality for many trauma survivors, particularly survivors of relational trauma, especially childhood trauma. Cristina is no exception. It took Cristina, and it takes survivors a lot of courage to ASK FOR HELP, and there’s no easy answer or way to learn how to do so. We have to take the leap, and indeed it is very hard. Join Joel and Cristina as they talk about how Joel became Cristina’s safe person for life. You’ve already come to know Joel as a dear childhood friend of Cristina’s, now you can take a closer looK at this important side of their special relationship. Cristina talks about the importance of being our own safe person FIRST, and shares her definitions on the different types of “safe people.” Joel shares his (very humble) tips for other safe people, and how he’s benefitted from being one. Customary to all of our episodes, they warm up their talk with an MHM (Mental Health Moment), Cristina’s coming back story updates and clarifications & additions related to prior episodes. CONTENT SENSITIVITY NOTE: reference to aspects of Cristina’s darkest times pursuant to her IPV abuse are made. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on December 3, 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. For more info, visit our website thetalkpodkast.podbean.com COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights are reserved.

Relational trauma like complex childhood trauma impacts the intimate relationships of adult survivors in wide-reaching, life-changing and deeply impactful ways, and at very alarming rates. With reports citing numbers as high as 80%, Cristina was one of the lucky ones in that she was with loving, caring intimate partners who were mindful of her past. Everything drastically changed when she met her last intimate partner, her abusive ex-husband, in her late 40’s. Her marriage shattered everything with Intimate Partner Violence, crashing her life and mental health to rock bottom. Cristina survived covert narcissistic abuse for years, enduring emotional, psychological, physical and financial abuse. The IPV deeply triggered Cristina’s childhood trauma and the mental disabilities she lives with because of it, arresting her life to a halt. Recovery from this trauma, and all of its impacts on Cristina’s life, is her “coming back” journey that you are bearing witness to, as it happens, here on the talK. CONTENT SENSITIVITY NOTE: reference to Cristina’s IPV are made in this episode, please listen with caution and care. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected] Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on November 19, 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights are protected.

Meet Charlotte. Just shy of 19, Charlotte is KOZ’s resident youth, first ever Core Youth Officer, a Niece-by-Choice (NBC) of Cristina’s, eldest daughter of Joel’s, and one of KOZ’s originals. Join them as they talk about their goals and dreams, travelling, KOZ, growing up around entrepreneuring, coming of age, mental health and more. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected]. Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on October 24, 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights protected

Meet sport-tech & health-tech entrepreneur Michael, KOZ’s tech and business Advisor. Listen in as Joel, Cristina and Michael talk (KOZ) shop, mental health and entrepreneuring, starting over, startup stress, coping with shame and guilt, their gratitude for failures, and how KOZ is entirely feasible as a startup concept. When it comes to delivering KOZ’s purpose to keep kids safe online, Cristina has been hypervigilant in every aspect of her vision for KOZ’s Safety Formula, and Michael has been instrumental in vetting her concepts and strategies. Nobody considers safety in the same way a childhood trauma survivor does, and this is why KOZ is an integral part of Cristina’s coming back and healing journey. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected]. Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot on October 29, 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights protected

Every family has an origin story that affects its unique dynamic. Individual, collective and intergenerational trauma can really run deep and affect every member of it. Listen in for a first looK at Cristina’s only family by blood…her family of origin. Hear the familial traumas that impacted her family, her life, and the complex dynamics of their complicated relationships. Get to know more about Cristina and the remarkable life roots that made her into who, and how, she is today. As usual for the talK, Cristina and Joel start today’s podcast with a coming back update and a Mental Health Moment. This episode was shot on November 26, 2024. EMOMO and Content Awareness Alert: bring your tissues as family trauma and estrangement are discussed. Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected]. Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot at the end of 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights protected

…talk about the safety of kids online. The harms met by today’s kids on the internet have undeniably and terrifyingly changed the landscape of childhood trauma. The first of many conversations on this important topic, Joel and Cristina talk with Terry, a fellow law enforcement officer to Joel, a childhood friend of Cristina’s, and KOZ’s Safety & Security Advisor. Listen in as they talk about the darker sides of the internet for kids, and the things that will make KOZ different and able to keep them safe online. There’s no one more committed to keeping kids safe than a neurodivergent childhood trauma survivor who grew up to be an entrepreneur. Hear their real knowledge and inspiring vibe and vision of it all. #underdogrising #comingback #startingover #startingUP Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected]. Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot in late 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights protected

Childhood trauma costs today’s societies trillions of dollars. It impacts adults who have survived it, immeasurably. Join Cristina and Joel as they share the first intimate looK at Cristina’s childhood trauma. Learn how it’s the foundational reason she is building KOZ, her unexpected startup she created while healing her childhood abuse and neglect, to keep kids safe online. 🖤 Content sensitivity note: while there is no trauma dumping shared, references to Cristina’s childhood trauma are made in this podcast. Please listen with care. “If it takes a village to raise a child, it will take a nation to support an adult from a shattered childhood.” ~ Cristina Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected]. Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot at the end of 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights protected

Meet Beth in this BONUS episode! Beth is the talK’s faKtifier and one of the original KOZ volunteers as our Knowledge ambassador. Committed to sharing the facts with our listeners, Beth is also the Kurator of the talKipedia, the talK’s library of linKs, background info, behind-the-scenes sneaK peeKs, and cool closer looKs at things historic to KOZ, the talK, our team and our hosts. We are so grateful for Beth! Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected]. Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot at the end of 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights protected

KOZ is Cristina's kids' digital media startup that she created when healing her own childhood trauma. An inspiring tale of an underdog rising from the ashes of horrible traumas, Cristina's "coming back story" is incomplete without KOZ, her digital fortress she hopes to build to keep kids safe online. #entrepreneur #mentalhealth #startup #recovery #underdogrising #comingback #startingover Thank you for joining us! Please FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW our podcast, it really helps us be seen and heard by many others like you. Want to talK? Email us at [email protected]. Interested in KOZ? Email Cristina at [email protected] This episode was shot at the end of 2024 in our virtual studio. Sound quality may differ between speakers. COPYRIGHT 2025 All rights protected