Episodes

  • #120 - Green Jackets: A Veteran-Centered Approach to Justice

    #120 - Green Jackets: A Veteran-Centered Approach to Justice
    Mar 29 2026
    What happens when the men and women who served their country come home and don’t receive the welcome they expected?

    On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we explore how Vietnam veterans turned that experience into action: building a nationwide movement of support, and helping create a new kind of justice system designed specifically for those who served.

    We’ll hear from Vietnam-era Navy veteran and Green Jackets founder Frank D’Aversa, along with retired Navy Commander Grace Mehl, as they share the history behind Vietnam Veterans of America and the roots of Veterans Treatment Court.
    Show more Show less
    25 mins
  • #117 - Healing the Body While Doing the Work with Dr. Mike Sredniawski

    #117 - Healing the Body While Doing the Work with Dr. Mike Sredniawski
    Mar 22 2026
    In this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we sit down with chiropractor Dr. Mike Sredniawski to explore the often-overlooked physical toll of working in and experiencing the criminal justice system. From chronic stress and burnout among advocates to untreated pain in individuals returning home from incarceration, we discuss how these experiences live in the body, and what can be done to heal. This conversation is all about shifting the focus toward self-care, recovery, and sustainable wellness for those doing the work and those rebuilding their lives.
    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • #116 - Laurie Farber and the Future of Sustainability

    #116 - Laurie Farber and the Future of Sustainability
    Mar 8 2026
    She’s a teacher, environmental steward, and community visionary who believes the path to a sustainable future begins with education, nature, and empowering the next generation. This Women’s History Month, as we celebrate women Leading the Change, we spotlight Laurie Farber, founder of Starflower Experiences, whose work is inspiring communities across Long Island to protect the planet and shape a healthier future for us all.
    Show more Show less
    29 mins
  • #115 - From Supervision to Serving: Chris Hynes' Second Chance in Action

    #115 - From Supervision to Serving: Chris Hynes' Second Chance in Action
    Mar 1 2026
    What happens when a knee injury ends your career… but launches your purpose?

    In this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we’re catching up with fan-favorite Chris Hynes, and trust me, this update is powerful.

    Since we last spoke, Chris has become a Certified Peer Recovery Advocate and a Certified Peer Specialist and now works with others on supervised release to rebuild their lives.

    He didn’t just survive the system. He studied it. He observed it. And now he’s working inside it. From construction worker to criminal justice change-maker, this is what transformation truly looks like.

    You do NOT want to miss this conversation.
    Show more Show less
    29 mins
  • #114 - Belief Beyond Barriers: A Conversation with William Clyde, Jr.

    #114 - Belief Beyond Barriers: A Conversation with William Clyde, Jr.
    Feb 22 2026
    What does it take to change the trajectory of a young person’s life?

    For nearly 50 years, one man has stood in the gap for students who didn’t meet traditional college standards, helping them not only enter higher education but also graduate. In this episode of Legal Aid Radio, host Debra Sterling Walters speaks with her former mentor, William Clyde, Jr., for a full-circle conversation about access, advocacy, and why sustainable solutions for our youth require more than dreams; they require opportunity.

    This is one you don’t want to miss.
    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • #113 - From Incarceration to Impact with Jeff Ball

    #113 - From Incarceration to Impact with Jeff Ball
    Feb 1 2026
    What if the moment that nearly broke you became the moment that built you?

    What if instead of walking away from pain, you chose to turn it into purpose?

    On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we sit down with Jeff Ball, a Suffolk County native who didn’t just come home from incarceration… he came home with a mission. Jeff Ball could have walked away and started over quietly, but instead, he chose purpose over comfort. In this powerful Legal Aid Radio interview, Jeff shares his journey from growing up in Wyandanch to earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and why he committed his life to supporting people returning home from prison, even when it meant confronting his own past.

    This is a conversation about resilience, reinvention, and what’s possible when you choose to let your past fuel your future rather than define it.
    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • #112 - Build to Grow: Eddie Ellis on Youth, Purpose, & Lifelong Learning

    #112 - Build to Grow: Eddie Ellis on Youth, Purpose, & Lifelong Learning
    Jan 25 2026
    On this episode of Legal Aid Radio, Eddie Ellis is back. Advocate, educator, and community leader Eddie Ellis joins us to discuss youth empowerment, life skills, and what it truly means to stay energized as a lifelong learner. From conference stages to hands-on workshops, this conversation is about growth, purpose, and building futures that last. Tune in to be inspired!
    Show more Show less
    29 mins
  • #111 - Think Outside the Cell Community

    #111 - Think Outside the Cell Community
    Jan 18 2026
    Programs end. Classes end. But community doesn’t. We have more access than ever—more information, more social media, and more ways to connect, yet real human connection feels harder to find. For people coming home after incarceration, that gap can be everything. You can have the tools, the knowledge, even the motivation, but still feel like you’re rebuilding alone.

    In this episode of Legal Aid Radio, we’re talking about what happens when people stop trying to do it all by themselves and start showing up in the same room.

    Joe Robinson joins us to talk about building real community, real conversations, and real support because transformation doesn’t happen in isolation.
    Show more Show less
    32 mins