Who Judges The Judge? Hosted By Jordana H. Goldlist
Jordana H. Goldlist spent her teens as a homeless, high school dropout; a junkie fully entrenched in street life by 17 years old. Today, she runs a boutique criminal law firm, owns property, invests in the market, and travels the world. She built the life she has today by recognizing and using skills she developed during the most trying times of her life, and she believes that some of the most successful people are those that find their strength through struggle and adversity. In “Who Judges The Judge?”, named after her TEDx Talk, Jordana invites listeners to explore the untold stories and unexpected backgrounds of her guests, all successful and productive individuals who have overcome adversity and the stigmas that society attaches to those of us who side step the status quo. From reformed criminals to the falsely accused, from former addicts to refugees escaping war and poverty, each episode will feature an individual who defies stereotypes and expectations and will navigate difficult conversations to highlight the personal journey of each guest.
Jordana’s unique perspective, grounded in her own tumultuous past but developed over a 15 year career in criminal justice, adds authenticity and depth to the conversation. Please join Jordana on “Who Judges The Judge?” a podcast that challenges both guests and listeners to question the way we judge ourselves, others, and the world at large.
Episodes
39 episodes
Christophe Lewis: The Reality of Life Sentences in Canada
Christophe Lewis was 20 years old when he made a decision that cost him the next decade of his life. Convicted of second-degree murder in 2011, he was handed a life sentence with a 12-year parole ineligibility period and sent to Millhaven Insti...
Audrey Hyams Romoff: How Childhood Trauma Changes DNA
Audrey Hyams Romoff's mother was one of the youngest children to survive the Auschwitz concentration camp, liberated at just 8 years old — and that childhood trauma shaped four generations of women in ways Audrey never fully understood until de...
Shana McCalla: Finding Ontario's Missing Black Boys
Shana McCalla, founder of Find Ontario's Missing Boys, discusses the crisis of Black boys aged 12 to 16 disappearing across Ontario and being found in trap houses as far as Thunder Bay and Saskatchewan. She explains how boys from two-parent, hi...
Melissa Lantsman: Crime, Addiction, and Canada's Future
Melissa Lantsman, Conservative MP for Thornhill and Co-Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party, discusses Canada's crime crisis, bail reform, addiction policy, and why young Canadians are losing hope. She explains the Conservative position on r...
Staxxx: Don't Let Anybody Edit Your Story
Staxxx Facts is a mental health advocate, certified life coach, and founder of Black Status Social Network who discusses breaking mental health stigmas, redefining success beyond money, and building authentic community. He shares how he navigat...
Marlee Liss: What Justice Looks Like Outside the Courtroom
Marlee Liss, founder of Survivors for Justice Reform (S4JR), shares her experience choosing restorative justice over criminal prosecution after being sexually assaulted by a stranger. She discusses why 94% of sexual assault victims don't report...
Markez Graham: An 11-Year-Old Future Mayor's Vision for Toronto
Markez Graham is 11 years old, in grade six, and he's got a plan to fix Toronto. He talks about lowering taxes to address the cost of living crisis, creating a three-month housing program that transitions people from homelessness to self-suffic...
Drew James: From Government Housing to Networking with the 1%
Drew James grew up in Mount Olive, Rexdale, where standing up for yourself was the only way to survive a neighbourhood filled with sharks. Today, he is a serial entrepreneur rolling through Palm Beach in a Rolls Royce and accessing rooms at Mar...
Shantelle Bisson: Building Success From Life's Most Difficult Chapters
Shantelle Bisson is an entrepreneur, author, and founder of multiple businesses including a marina acquisition that shocked her community. Having experienced childhood sexual abuse and domestic upheaval, Shantelle has built a reputation for tra...
Marco Sciarra: Corruption in the Justice System, Self-Defense & The Truth About Bail
Criminal defence lawyer Marco Sciarra explains why the justice system is holding on by a thread, the corruption behind the Maplehurst scandal where murder charges were stayed, and the reality of defending your home in Canada.Marco Sciar...
Chris Seecharan: From Bank Robber to Fentanyl Survivor
Ex-Bank Robber Chris Seecharan exposes the "Zombie Fold", why Fentanyl withdrawal lasts 30 days, and why standard 7-day detox programs are failing addicts.Chris Seecharan is a survivor of a 10-year heroin and fentanyl addiction who turn...
Poet KP: Turning Trauma Into Art
Poet, author, and youth mental health advocate KP PARKER exposes how childhood violence, 8 years of probation, and losing his father to gun violence nearly destroyed him - and reveals how poetry became his path from survival to helping incarcer...
Nital Gosai on Building a Law Firm That Fights for Justice
Nital Gosai, founder of Gosai Law and co-creator of the housing-tech platform Husmates, shares her journey from a turbulent childhood marked by mental-health stigma and family chaos to becoming one of Canada’s leading advocates for inmate right...
How to Stop the Cycle of Violence in Toronto With Marcell Wilson
What happens when someone who’s seen the cycle of violence firsthand decides to break it for the next generation?Marcell Wilson joins Jordana Goldlist to share his story of transformation, from growing up surrounded by fear and survival...
Cait Alexander: Surviving Violence, Exposing the System, Demanding Change
What happens when you survive attempted murder, have undeniable evidence, and still watch your case collapse in court? Actress and advocate Cait Alexander tells her true crime survival story, from a horrific domestic violence attack in Toronto ...
Solitair on Toronto gun violence, youth mentorship, and real solutions
Solitair — Toronto hip hop artist, mentor, and leader with the Forgiveness Project (Project F Word) and TO Wards Peace, co-founder at 4Sound Media Studios — breaks down youth crime, drill/hip hop’s influence vs. reflection, and why incarceratio...
Jeremy Persaud on Youth Crime, Jail Realities, and Building a Way Out
In this episode, I sit down with Jeremy Persaud, CEO of A1 Films and founder of The Commitment Program, who grew up in Toronto housing, entered the justice system at 14, and later pled guilty to firearm charges. Instead of letting prison define...
Nadia Ghanny: From Childhood Trauma to Criminal Justice Reform
Nadia Ghanny reveals how surviving family tragedy at 5 days old shaped her mission to transform the criminal justice system from within, working with offenders for over 20 years.In this episode, I sit down with Nadia Ghanny, a Universit...
How 'Of The Saint' Turned Every Opportunity Into Hip-Hop Success
In this episode, I sit down with Elijah "Of The Saint" de los Santos, a young media entrepreneur who transformed himself from a kid in Toronto housing projects into one of hip-hop's most sought-after photographers and videographers. His client ...
Richard Miller on the Chadd Facey Case, Police Accountability & Community Healing
Richard Miller of Keep Six speaks on police accountability after the death of Chadd Facey and shares how justice system failures continue to impact Black communities and trust in law enforcement.Richard Miller returns to the podcast to ...
Human Trafficking Survivor Timea Nagy on Trauma, Justice & Healing
Sex trafficking survivor Timea Nagy exposes shocking truths about victim vs criminal treatment, trauma healing, prison conditions & why the justice system fails both victims & offenders in this raw talk.In this explosive episode...
Why She Chose to Marry a Man Serving Life in Prison
Why she married a man serving life for murder—true crime, criminal psychology, parole denial, love behind bars, forensic justice, and what really happens when you fall for a convicted killer.In this episode, I sit down with B, a fierce ...
How Jenn Harper Built an Indigenous Beauty Brand That Landed in Sephora
How to build a beauty brand from nothing, escape addiction, redefine clean cosmetics, and disrupt the industry with sustainability, purpose, and Indigenous leadership—this story has it all.In this episode, I sit down with Jenn Harper, t...
How Deluxson Yogarajah Escaped the Criminal Justice System to Mentor At-Risk Youth
In this episode, I sit down with Deluxson Yogarajah, a youth violence prevention worker and psychotherapy student who went from committing fraud while studying criminology to mentoring the very kids he once could’ve become.Deluxso...
From Street Life to Million-Dollar Business: Mr. Wraptors' Car Wrapping Empire
In this episode, I sit down with Stanislav Kravtchouk—known worldwide as Mr. Raptors—who transformed from street life to building a million-dollar car wrapping empire.Stanislav opens up about immigrating to Canada at age 11 from Russia, ...
