Badass in Heels

Edición Especial: Doris Beaton

This is a Special Edition episode recorded in Spanish.  Retired SSA Doris Beaton has 27 years of federal government experience, 25 of those dedicated to the FBI. Doris started her career in the FBI in 1997 as a Clerk at the HIDTA High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, then was promoted to FOIPA PA Paralegal Specialist. In the year 2000, she attended Quantico and became a Special Agent. During her career, Doris worked in San Juan, Puerto Rico and at HQ in Washington, DC. Doris worked investigations related to crimes against children, domestic and international terrorism, and, counterintelligence and espionage. She was the SSA for the domestic terrorism squad, HUMINT squad, and was a CHS Coordinator for the entire SJ office. Doris led counterintelligence efforts under the oversight of the White Office and she and her team received accolades and citations for their extraordinary work. Doris was also a firearms instructor, providing instruction for 15 years in the San Juan and in the Jacksonville, FL offices. Doris retired after 25 years from the Jacksonville office.

Episode 9, Part 2: No One is For Sale

Retired FBI Special Agent Ida D'Antonio Hangen shares with us her journey into the law enforcement world and talks to us about her 22-year career in the Bureau. Ida who had a remarkable 28 year career in law enforcement, worked against human trafficking, crimes against children, and Indian Country Crime. From heart-wrenching cases to tips that can save our children and teenagers, this episode is not to be missed! Listener discretion is advised as there is sensitive content related to violence, sexual abuse, and suicide.

Episode 9, Part 1: No One is For Sale

Retired FBI Special Agent Ida D'Antonio Hangen shares with us her journey into the law enforcement world and talks to us about her 22-year career in the Bureau. Ida worked against human trafficking, crimes against children, and Indian Country Crime. In this episode we learn about Ida and what motivated her to join law enforcement, from becoming a probation officer, to a cross-trained firefighter and police officer, to joining the FBI! A true Badass! She then talks to us about human trafficking. From heart-wrenching cases to tips that can save our children and teenagers, this episode is not to be missed! Listener discretion is advised.

Episode 8: 9/11 - 22nd Anniversary- Let’s Never Forget

This episode is dedicated to everyone who was affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to all of those who lost their lives that day, to their families, to everyone who responded from civilians to first responders, and to all of those whose lives were taken post 9/11 due to cancer and other health issues that arose from being at ground zero. Retired Special Agent Amy Loughney-Bytof, who had just joined the Bureau in 1998, and who was loving life in the Big Apple, joined me on the 22nd Anniversary of the attacks to speak about what it was like to be in the city that morning. Full of emotions, good and terrible memories from that tragic day, Amy reminisced about that morning. She is one of the many heroes nobody knows about. Amy put on her invisible cape and ran towards the epicenter to assist, not giving it a second thought; and, even as the towers were engulfed in flames, she searched for personal belongings and body parts at ground zero and at Fresh Kills landfill.  Luckily, she survived and was able to share with us her experience. She reminds us to never forget. God Bless America.

Episode 7: Let’s Follow the Money

Let's immerse ourselves in the world of retired Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Debra LaPrevotte. SSA LaPrevotte is an expert in Kleptocracy! In her 20-year career with the FBI, she seized over one billion dollars from foreign corrupt officials. But, she did not just sit at a desk examining boxes and following the money trail, she also did some badass work for the Evidence Response Team (ERT) processing crime scenes and disaster scenes. From bank robberies to identifying corpses! Since her retirement, SSA LaPrevotte has continued to work against human injustice, atrocities, and corruption in the most corrupt areas of the world! She has done this by being a Senior Investigator for the Sentry, which is owned by George Clooney and John Pendergast! How badass is she!

Episode 6, part 2:The world of an FBI hostage negotiator

In this episode, retired Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Zorka Martinovich talks to us about some of the hostage cases she worked, some heartbreaking and some with a positive resolution. From kidnappings in the Caribbean to kidnappings by terrorist organizations, Zorka gets real. Perhaps my most thought-provoking content thus far, it'll get you thinking about the US hostage policies. Zorka also talks to us about her post-FBI life and some of the training that she has imparted.

Episode 6, Part 1: Becoming an expert hostage negotiator

Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Zorka Martinovich, who has 30 years of public service experience, 22 of which were dedicated to the FBI mission,  takes us on the hostage negotiation journey! Zorka is a renowned subject matter expert on hostage and crisis negotiations. Listen to the first part of our conversation and get immersed in her journey, from being born and raised in Chicago to becoming a hostage/crisis negotiator FBI. We conclude part 1 with her first hostage case! Make sure to tune in on 8/30 for part 2!

Episode 5: Let’s go to Quantico!

Retired Supervisory Special Agent Michelle Pickens takes us to Quantico. SSA Pickens has served the Bureau for 24 years, and since 2020, she has been an instructor at the FBI Academy. In this episode, SSA Pickens gives us a brief glimpse of her pre-Bureau life and talks about her motivations to join the FBI. She then takes us back to Silence of the Lambs and discusses what it's like to be an instructor at Quantico and what it's like to be an Agent at Quantico- taking us back to 1999 and bringing us to today. She tells us what it takes to survive and succeed in Quantico and how to prepare.

Episode 4, Part 2: An FBI woman in Hoover, Afghanistan and Quantico

Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Marella Ruelas and I have a conversation about her time as a Supervisor at Headquarters, the different units she worked, particularly the International Operations Division. Marella talks to me about what it was like being a woman at Hoover, Afghanistan and Quantico. We also discuss the benefits of working for the Bureau, recruitment of women New Agents, and her plans for the future as a retired FBI woman.

Episode 4, Part I: Retired SSA Marella Ruelas takes us to the Borderlands -”Operation Dark Shadows”

Retired Supervisory Special Agent Marella Ruelas takes us into her law enforcement journey, from training with U.S. Marines to bringing down a corrupt Custom and Border Protection Inspector, who was working for the Gulf Cartel. Learn about the advantages of being bilingual in the Bureau and what it was like to be a woman opening up one of Puerto Rico's satellite offices!