Aliia Roza’s early life was marked by her training as an intelligence officer in Russia, where she was involved in complex operations. After many successful and dangerous missions targeting drug and human traffickers, and multiple traumatic experiences, she made a life-altering decision to leave that career behind, moved to Europe and reinvented herself, entering the fashion and media industries. Aliia built a successful public relations firm and became a well-known figure in luxury events and high society. Today, she leverages her platform to empower women globally, offering mentorship and advice on resilience, transformation, and personal branding. Aliia’s story is a testament to the power of reinvention and the pursuit of purpose in life. She is also involved in various philanthropic endeavors and frequently speaks at conferences and events focused on women’s empowerment and leadership.

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John: Hitting the target means in your business when your old business 20 years ago, the target expires.

Aliia Roza: Targets were people in my missions, like important people for example, like criminal gang’s leaders. I wouldn’t go further about my previous targets.

John: But they were important people and your mission was for them to be gone?

Aliia: Either to be gone completely, either to make them my informers. My loyal informers. Sometimes they wouldn’t even know, but they would give me certain information without even knowing. The Vladimir mission, that’s exactly who he became. He became this informer without even him knowing and understanding that he was passing me important information because eventually my target was the termination of the criminal gang who was supplying drugs from Afghanistan to Russia. That was my mission and he was my target, but he was my informer.

John: How many targets did you have to go after in your career, if you were to guess? I know there’s no way of remembering perfectly, but in your career and what you did as an agent, was there 100 targets that you had to go after? 200?

Aliia: It’s almost like asking me how many people you sleep with. I will explain why. Because some missions were very short. Some were longer and serious. For example, short missions, it’s basically quickly to find an informer and get one answer for one question. Missions were completely different, sometimes I would just be a bait for someone and I would just ask some questions and I’m gone.

John: When you went on these missions, sometimes you had a whole team of people backing you up. Sometimes you didn’t have to make the person expire. They took care of that for you.

Aliia: Agents would never work alone. Like James Bond, he has this team behind him, or like any superhero, like Batman has Alfred. You have to have the brain behind you, like a manager who will cover you up or back you up if something happens. Force majeure can happen. Whatever can happen. A car accident can happen. You must have somebody who can…

John: Unforeseen circumstances.

Aliia: Quickly and very professionally. Of course, you cannot do missions by yourself. No.

John: Like we talked about earlier, sometimes your target was a woman as well.

Aliia: Yes. Women, they were much easier. All these women are much easier.

John: Why?

Aliia: Because women are more emotional than men.

John: So you could use your techniques on women and make them fall in love with you or trust you even faster than you can do that with a man.

Aliia: Yes, because I’m a woman and other women with me, they feel more safe. Because like I’m same gender, so they feel they can trust me and I can easily find topics which would be sort of like, in her opinion, similar to my experience. I kind of like would adapt myself to a woman, her needs to find out and then make her to be my friend, like the best girlfriend. Then from there, you don’t even need to sleep with her because sometimes it also can hurt relationship. You just need to become a good friend.

John: Was all of your missions in Russia or some of them exotic outside of Russia in other parts of the world?

Aliia: That’s the second season.

John: Wait a second. Are we breaking news here that you’re going to be doing a second season of To Die For?

Aliia: Definitely. It will be the second season. The point is that right now we are working on the kind of like content. It will be hopefully in scripted TV series, but also the kind of like thinking about documentary too. But the second season, definitely yes. I am not sure I can release some information right now about the political situation. I mean like in a year or maybe so. But in the future, definitely yes, because I lived in many countries like England and Italy and France and Switzerland and Greece after Russia.

John: There’s going to be more. Let’s just say this. There’s going to be a lot more to the Aliia Roza story.

Aliia: Definitely yes. Definitely. I’m just like thinking the way I should present it.

John: Tease it a little bit without breaking any rules or breaching any… By the way, is Neil Strauss working with you on that?

Aliia: We discussed that in the beginning, because my story in European countries is so big and wild. Then I have experienced much after that last mission with Vladimir, I had another situation. More dramatic, seriously. It’s still going on. It didn’t stop. I’m still kind of like solving that problem, if it does make sense. I didn’t go back to Russia for 15 years, but I still have some problems coming out from Russia. I’m still kind of connected, even if I don’t want to, but I still. We discussed that and we decided with the first season just to share the whole story from the beginning till the last mission. Because the story itself is too long, honestly. I don’t know how many seasons it would be. Another maybe two or three.

John: So it’s going to continue with other people and other platforms in the future?

Aliia: I don’t know. Maybe it will be with Tenderfoot and Neil. We didn’t start working on it, but it’s definitely there. I definitely want to continue to explain people really, because I have received so many questions about the podcast, because in the end it’s like, what happened next? You didn’t really escape? Do you have your freedom? Did you continue working, but you didn’t really get out? What really happened? I didn’t want to lie when I said that I don’t know how to explain, because I really don’t know even know how to explain in the right way not to risk my life and not to be killed like Navalny.

John: No, that’s the last thing we want to happen. I’m going to go into a couple other questions. Did you ever in all of your missions fall in love?

Aliia: No.

John: Never?

Aliia: No, unfortunately. I really wish, to be honest, John.

John: You’re still a very young woman and you have a huge future in front of you.

Aliia: I’m working on it. It’s still not happening, unfortunately.

John: I would love to experience love. I want to go into that in a little while. But you did along the way have a son?

Aliia: Yes.

John: But that wasn’t the love of your life you had the son with. It was just the father of your son?

Aliia: It was a mission.

John: He’s no longer with us, I understand.

Aliia: No longer with us, unfortunately.

John: Understood. But your son, I think, thankfully, is with you and he’s healthy and he’s growing and everything like that.

Aliia: He became American completely. He’s like, America is my favorite country. I want to live here. I don’t want to go anywhere. I don’t like Italy or France or England. That’s it. America.

John: That’s so cute. How old is your son, by the way?

Aliia: He’s 14.

John: Fourteen?

Aliia: Fourteen, yes.

John: That’s a great age. One thing I learned along the way, and then we’re going to go into some of the other stuff. One thing I learned along the way was just when I stopped being just a listener to your, again, amazing story, we’re going to go into the other side of the story of healing and wellness and that journey is that Aliia Roza is not even your name.

Aliia: No, it’s not.

John: No, it’s what you said. Let’s see if my homework was correct. It’s about your fifth name or so. Definitely more than one. You definitely have more than one.

Aliia: Aliia is probably the stage name, but I have changed my name for more than three times.

John: More than three times. Very interesting. Talk a little bit about now at the end of the show, like you said, I could see why all the questions came in about what’s the next steps and where are you now and how did you get out? How did you decide? When was your epiphany? Obviously, I don’t want to give more than what we’ve talked about away. There was so much trauma to you in the process, both emotional, psychological, physical, not only sexual, but beatings. When did you say you have to get out at all costs?

Aliia: From that experience?

John: Yes. Being part of the drug enforcement, Russian military.

Aliia: That’s a great question and so difficult. You know, John, why? Because I understood that the whole system is very corrupted and I will not be able to do and change and do impact by myself at all when I was at the war. Honestly, at the time, I just wanted and I didn’t know how to get out. So it was like, you know what? I’d rather die. I was so emotionally exhausted. Exhausted the way that you just don’t even see anything in front of you. That was the way of my condition that time. Like this condition, this feeling where you just don’t want to even stand up from laying. I don’t know. Was it depression or something? I don’t know.

John: Wendy, but how old were you when you said I’m going to live a different life. I’m going to take what I learned and use what I was taught to use for malice, which wasn’t trained to you in malice, but it was ultimately in retrospect not used for the greater good and use it for empowerment and impact and all the great things you’re doing now with the recovery, mental health and wellness, trauma, healing. When did you decide you were going to live a different life than what you started off at at 18?

Aliia: That’s beautiful. The beautiful thing that I realized that only when I received the first message in Instagram from a girl who at that time was 16 years old and she said, “I want to suicide and the only one person I want to know is you because I just admire you and your story and everything.”

John: After the podcast? Was that after the podcast?

Aliia: It was before and I just started to share about my life. I mean, it just kind of went viral without even, I mean, that was a crazy story what really happened but it happened. People started to read articles about my story and then they found my Instagram and my Instagram was always about fashion because in the end of the day, as I told my dad, I love fashion. I literally went and studied and I got my master’s degree in the top fashion universities in London. My Instagram was all about fashion, still is. I love fashion. This girl, she texted me at 2 a.m. I remember it was like and I didn’t sleep, thank God. So I started to speak with her and chat with her in Instagram direct and eventually she came down. I mean, I did use some neuro-linguistic techniques on her. So she came down, she was okay. So she was ready to jump from the high floor of her building just because she lost the belief and she couldn’t tell her parents the way she felt. I was thinking how many girls, no, I was thinking that it was me many years ago. It was exactly the same condition when I was just ruined after the sexual assault. She had a similar situation. You know how many women text me and say, “I’ve been sex trafficked. I’ve been molested when I was like 8 years old. I’ve been raped by my dad’s friends, my mom’s friends.” I mean, it’s crazy what women send me in terms of like, this is the real world. That’s what’s happening while we’re talking right now. That’s what some women are experiencing and also boys. Those future men.

John: It’s a little bit overwhelming honestly what’s going on.

Aliia: Yes, and I don’t want to say names here, but you know what’s happening right now in the entertainment business. This is another evidence of that’s what’s really going on and it’s already a problem. You cannot solve really this problem because it’s already happened. So what you need to do is to prevent. To prevent is to educate, to bring awareness. That’s what I’m kind of trying to do. If you bring awareness and you teach girls, do not drink anything from random people. Do not leave your drink on the table when you go to the restaurant. Do not go and sit in the car. Any sort of transportation to people you don’t know. Do not trust everyone because not everybody is like don’t be so naive. Always calculate. Think what may happen to you. Be very careful. This is the real world and unfortunately because of big money in this industry like human trafficking and drug trafficking, those people try to put this kind of shadow in our eyes and our kids’ eyes so they don’t see what really happens in the world. We are so distracted by entertainment and a lot of things. I don’t know how many accounts really speak about this sort of problems in social media, and I think some organizations have to really disclose this more and more so kids can learn instead of watching TikTok about how to get a new bag from a sugar daddy. When I see this content, I’m like what the hell? I was shocked but unfortunately, that’s what’s going on and it’s very sad where our new generation is going and heading because I have my son. I’m really worried about his future.

John: Let’s talk about a couple things. First of all, if you’ve just joined us, it’s more than an honor to have Aliia Roza with us today, former intelligence officer in Russia, now an entrepreneur, obviously a media personality with over a million followers on Instagram and a compelling public speaker. You can find Aliia at todieforspy.com, also at aliiaroza.com, Roza with a R-O-Z-A. These will all be in the show notes and I want to mention, and this will also be in the show notes, if you are a victim of sexual trauma you can go to rainn.org, or call 1-800-656-4673 free confidential 24-7 support. That will also be in the show notes. Aliia, I know we can keep going and we’re going to keep going but I want to ask you, you moved around a lot, you got your master’s degree in fashion and you were, as you said, in Switzerland, Greece, Italy, [Inaudible] if I’ve got that right, when did you move to the United States? Given what you just mentioned with Navalny and the things that we’ve seen in the media, obviously there’s a lot more we don’t even see that’s not in the media, talk a little bit about moving to the United States with your son, raising your son now and your safety. Your safety prior to the podcast, making the decision to do the podcast with Neil and your safety post-podcast. Talk a little bit about that trilogy of feelings of safety pre making the decision, big decision, to do it with Tenderfoot and Neil Strauss, the great Neil Strauss, and then your post-life post. When did you feel safe? Have you never felt safe? Do you feel safe today?

Aliia: Great question. I’ll just reply to the last one quickly and then I will go back. You know what, this is one of the important things for everyone to feel safe and I would say I feel safer in the United States rather than in any other countries. I just came back from Europe. I was there for a month and I didn’t feel safe at all.

John: Let me ask you this. I just want to make it clear. As a citizen, as a tourist, you didn’t feel safe or because of your background and what your history was, did that add to your level of feeling unsafe?

Aliia: Everything. As a tourist, my background, everything.

John: I wanted to just understand that differential. Got it.

Aliia: The problem I think another one which I faced after my past is that I do not feel safe anywhere. It’s really hard to explain. It’s almost like I can never relax. I can relax when I’m sleeping but yet if I hear a little noise, I would straight wake up and I would check. That’s something that I think you sacrifice when you have this sort of experience in life. That’s about safety. I don’t know. I just don’t have it. I don’t feel safe.

John: Do you feel safer because you did the podcast and now have made a much bigger name and brand for yourself and your story has gotten out there and was handled, I thought, as just a consumer and listener and as a dad and as a husband, I thought it was handled amazingly sensitively by Neil Strauss and Tenderfoot and I thought you did a brilliant job sharing the stories but I never thought you went into anything negative or you weren’t campaigning against anybody or doing anything, saying anything that was really out of bounds. Do you feel safer now really as a personality and a media figure and a media personality that you’re famous or less safe as you become famous?

Aliia: The number one reason why I actually went public with this former spy stuff, because I didn’t even tell anyone about my stuff, my past, is because of them. During that time, I still had sort of blackmailing and threatening from the Russian government and just before the Ukrainian war, I’ve been contacted again and I didn’t want to, I wanted to completely get out from that, so I wanted another life, I wanted to be free, especially in America. So America became for me a home, I love this country, I’m very grateful for everything this country gives me, for people who is around me honestly, as I said, I just came back from Europe and I was like, my God, God bless America! I don’t know how to explain to people living here how amazing this country is. Of course, there are a lot of minorities too, and it’s normal but I lived in many countries and if you compare America to any other country’s lifestyle, this is the best country to live. Guys, you are lucky. I wish I was born in the United States, I wish, but I wasn’t. I’m happy that I have a chance to live in America right now I honestly don’t want to live in any other country.

John: You’re very young, you still have a huge life in front of you, life expectancy is now close to 100, if not more you’re still a very young woman, so although you’ve had a lifetime of experiences packed into the last 25 years or 20 years of your life, let’s say, you still have a huge blue sky or runway in front of you, so that’s beautiful.

Aliia: Thank you, John. Yes, I’m happy to…

John: You’re a citizen now of this country, you’re a citizen?

Aliia: Not yet.

John: Not yet, but that’s in process.

Aliia: I have my green card.

John: The same thing with your son, he’s going to be a citizen too?

Aliia: Yes, I mean, theoretically yes, we’re supposed to be one day, hopefully very soon, so that would be ideal of course, and once I will get it, I don’t want to live in any other country, I want to stay here and I want to pay my taxes and work in this country.

John: So because of the podcast, do you feel safer now?

Aliia: My colleague actually, and I do believe she was killed, because when I begged her to give an interview for the podcast, who actually advised me to go public, I was like, please advise me as a 55 years old active agent, like seeing many things which I haven’t seen, please advise me what to do to feel safer and to just have sort of like security and insurance and get out of all that, because that time it was just before the Ukrainian war so it was really intense. Those former agents were approached by the FSB especially whoever lived in the United States, you remember that big huge case when 10 active agents were deported from America to Russia, you remember it was a huge case and there were a lot of female agents too so obviously, I wanted to be completely clean. I wanted to just sort of like apologize and regret and kind of confess sort of willingly, and I wanted to get out from that trap where I’ve been all these years so my colleague, she advised me she said, “Why don’t you go public and just share to the press about your past, because then you kind of like, that’s it once your face is there, nobody will touch you, you become a media person and you’re pointless.” I agreed doing that, and then we started to work on the podcast with Neil, and then I asked her to give an interview to Neil about her previous missions and all that, but I promised to help her with political asylum here, so she could move from Russia to America and literally just in three weeks I called her, called her, she didn’t pick up and then eventually her, I think her nephew yes, so he told me, “She died.” I mean she’s 55, I just spoke with her a couple of weeks ago, what are you talking about? He’s like, “She suddenly out of the blue, and she lived by herself, no kids, no husband, obviously she wasn’t allowed. She felt bad, so either herself or somebody, I don’t know, called emergency, she came to the hospital and she died like that.” It’s exactly how it was with my beloved man, who actually died like literally the same way, like we had a dinner, in one hour he felt bad, went to the hospital dropped dead, straight, so the poisons there are very advanced, and so advanced, then in literally like 24 hours’ even if you do like autopsy, you cannot find it, and the doctor would say, it’s probably, like heart attack. Natural causes, whatever, but like they wouldn’t find it, and it’s a perfect weapon to use, because like it’s always clean, no blood so that unfortunately happened, so I feel like…

John: Does that mean they were listening to you, listening to her, following her following you, or a combination thereof?

Aliia: You mean like this woman?

John: Yes.

Aliia: It happened in Russia, I mean, I went public, I didn’t give any names. I wasn’t really like going harsh…

John: No, you weren’t specific at all, you were giving general storytelling.

Aliia: It’s my story. I’m not like giving all the secret information like Navalny gave, or Litvinenko gave.

John: No, not at all.

Aliia: I mean like killing me, it would be like really sort of like silly action, to be honest. It would cause even more drama and all this like situation, so that’s why being in Hollywood right now, it actually helps my it helps my security and my safety. So that was the first reason why I was doing that.

John: You lived in all those countries after your life as an agent, we’re going to say agent. When did you start your journey of mental health and wellness? Realizing that you had so much of a burden from your trauma, your PTSD, and everything else that you’ve endured, your life. When did your mental health journey and journey to wellness start?

Aliia: That’s a great question. You know why? Because people, as I also, like I never did, realize that we have really deep traumas. Unfortunately, we just like don’t realize it till the moment we would have like a really big breakdown. I very rarely, very rarely, I would have a breakdown, like very rarely. But then this happened exactly when we started to work on the podcast, and it was so bad, like it was really bad. So for a long time, I think like it’s in the second or maybe third episode where Neil speak about it, because he called me and I was like, I mean, this was the worst. I just don’t know how to explain where you feel like you don’t want anything, like completely like nothing. All you want, you want just to die. That’s it.

John: Wait a second, this is shocking to me. I have to be honest with you. After listening to so many of the podcasts and then other interviews you’ve done and reading about you, you didn’t start this journey till the podcast? I thought this had started way before because…

Aliia: Yes, I always work with therapists, on the problem of being raped and abused. I did not know that I have much bigger trauma till this podcast. Because I just say to that life completely. So I pretend it wasn’t my life. I pretended that I just don’t remember it was like a nightmare or something like, so I decided like my life completely that much that I just moved into a new life living as a mother, as just like normal human being with just like routine. What happened there, I was like, nobody needs to know and I will not tell anyone. That’s it, I’ll just close this door and pretend that this never happened. When like Neil slowly, slowly started to open these layers one to one, one to one, at one point, I just, it just like, I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I couldn’t go to that memories because it was so painful. Because of the guilt, the guilt literally just like ate me alive.

John: It was repressed guilt?

Aliia: Yes. I would come to the therapist, I would say, “I have problems with men.” Why do I have problems with men? Like I cannot fall in love, I cannot like build like a normal relationship and I’m like this way and then like I don’t want any relationship in the end of the day. We would work on this like sexual abuse, past blah, blah, blah. But like to go deeper, I didn’t know I had that layers inside. Like I didn’t know that I have that problems. So I realized that only when we started to work on the podcast, because I had to go through these memories again. I leave this once, I close the door and that’s it. Then I had to open all this like all this rubbish again and smell it and like live through all this very dirty smell, and it was disgusting.

John: PTSD though, it’s like version of PTSD, right?

Aliia: Yes, I don’t know, like it was even worse. Very rarely, I mean, maybe like, I tried to suicide when I was like after there. So when I was a teenager, that was a really big deal. Then something happened.

John: You attempted suicide as a teenager before the military?

Aliia: Before the military, yes. I already was with a lot of like pressure in my family. It’s another story, but it’s very sad.

John: It goes back to the history of Semi-traumatic upbringing, even though it wasn’t by on purpose by your family, it was still upbringing with trauma that you had to carry that burden?

Aliia: Right. Then the second time it happened after the whole military situation.

John: You were already a mother or not a mother then?

Aliia: No, not mother yet. So I didn’t see the point of my life after that guilt. After so many deaths and I felt the blood in my hands. Then I became think like this kid, my son, it was my blessing. If not him, I don’t know where I would be, seriously. Like, it’s my biggest motivation.

John: So when you got pregnant by one of your targets?

Aliia: Yes, I was 24.

John: The pregnancy was it planned or unplanned at that point?

Aliia: I think it was planned of the whole mission, yes.

John: It was planned?

Aliia: I guess planned. I mean, it would be better to have a kid rather not to have. Like how, you never know if you would get pregnant or not. Like, I mean, how do we know that? It’s only with the God. But we think, if I would get pregnant, would it help me or would it like hurt me? So it would help me.

John: So the mission would help you. So getting pregnant was fine with you at that point?

Aliia: Yes, it helped me completely. But like, it helped me, my mental state.

John: That was an added benefit. That wasn’t planned, but that was an added benefit?

Aliia: Yes, because like once my son arrived, I never ever since that moment had any suicidal thoughts. Never. So it was my, like my platform, my foundation, where I was like, I’m a mother now, I need to take care and I need to raise this kid.

John: Let’s pause there for a section. I didn’t ask you during this whole interview, or even when we’re off the air, when we were talking before, when we started, where are your parents now and are they, do you have a relationship with them today?

Aliia: I do have relationship with them where we speak on the phone. I haven’t seen them, unfortunately, for a few years, but because I don’t go to Russia, they are in Russia. I go to, let’s say, Turkey or like any other country and I would sit there.

John: Do they know you as your birth name or do they know you as Aliia Roza?

Aliia: No. I mean, like they know Aliia Roza, but they call me obviously…

John: Your birth name, what they named you.

Aliia: They would just call me like daughter. “Hey daughter, how are you?”

John: But so you still have a nice relationship with mom and dad and they’re alive?

Aliia: Yes, we just don’t speak about certain topics. We are not allowed. So we don’t speak about it due to many reasons. We just speak about like just the life in general.

John: How your son is or how your family is and how you’re doing personally and things of that such and how they’re doing personally, how their health is. Like other mother, daughter, father type of discussions.

Aliia: I don’t know.

John: Sort of, sort of. But you’re not talking about, “Hey dad, tell me about your past missions. I’ll tell you about my past missions.” You’re not talking about missions on the phone.

Aliia: No. Anyway, it’s secret information. Even if we would sit together, he wouldn’t tell me.

John: No, I got you. Talk a little bit about you had one type of upbringing and it was one that was your father was doing the best he could and your mother was doing the best he could with what tools that they were given by their parents in a very different country, in a very different world than most people have grown up with. They did the best they could.

Aliia: Yes, as any parent, we want the best for our children.

John: They did the best, and they loved you and they still love you and things of that such. How is your parenting as a single mom different with your son? What do you, is it overt decisions? Is your memory of your childhood so strong and are you constantly guided by, this is what I had to endure? I’m not going to let my son go through that. I’m going to do this with my son. Are you constantly going through what you lived through as a child and what your son has gone through and how you’re trying to create a different reality for him?

Aliia: Different reality is already happened because we live here.

John: That’s right. That just by that fact, physically. That’s a big reality change.

Aliia: That’s a big reality change, which I gave to him because [Crosstalk] I sacrificed a lot.

John: Which is a big gift, a big gift on your part.

Aliia: Like a lot, and I still risk a lot. But I would say this. I think the most important in my situation with my past, by this age, my son knows exactly if something happened with me and he’s by himself completely, he knows exactly where to go and what to do. So I know it sounds maybe crazy for some parents, but I sort of like educate him with those situations which could be unpredictable. Like what if the war happens? What if the earthquake happens? What if like, I’m just gone? Like, what do you do? Then certain skills in life which will help you to survive. Not just like make money and so on, but we speak a lot about his future, how he sees his future and what career he wants to do. I’m kind of like explaining him and aligning like different possibilities for him because like, I know his character, I know what he likes, what he doesn’t like and all that. So, and I’m explaining like, so this profession, you can make that much money, you can do like this. So if you want to do this, you need to like learn these subjects and like put your accent into this and this and this. So I try to raise him, not like my dad did raise me, but in a way that maybe it’s not good and maybe it’s not, it’s really harsh that he doesn’t have this like childhood where he knows that mommy will do everything for me. Because I’m this way and he doesn’t have a second parent and I don’t have man next to me who could be his stepdad. I really feel guilty about that, but I just didn’t give him this father, I mean, like the father role figure, unfortunately, but I mean, like it’s again, another sacrifice. I just want him to be able to survive if I won’t be there to support him.

John: I take it because of your celebrity status now in the podcast. Again, for our listeners and viewers who haven’t listened to the podcast yet, the podcast is To Die For. It’s one of the top podcasts that were dropped this year on Apple and other great podcast platforms. I urge you to listen to it. It’s beyond compelling. This show that you’re listening to today is just going over the highlights. There’s much more to the stories, each story you go into in depth. He’s heard the podcast and he knows your past.

Aliia: He knows my past, he doesn’t know anything about sex, Spanish stuff. He just knows that mom was a secret agent and she was sort of like James Bond sort of stuff. When he watches James Bond, he’s like, is it the same way? It’s funny. But he doesn’t know, he didn’t hear the podcast. I don’t want him to listen to it yet. He’s too small. Second, he doesn’t know all these details. Thank God I have with him, I built with him like this very trust relationship where he tells me everything about him and his relationship with his girlfriend and his friends. I just like being this sort of mom. He calls me like, “You’re cool mom.” So I like being this cool mom.

John: I got us off track a little bit about your going into deeper healing and mental health and wellness during the podcast. So you hit a wall and it was, things became overwhelming when you were doing the interviews with Neil over that, what, about a year and a half of interviews?

Aliia: Yes.

John: So was that when you went deeper and got some new therapists and started working with people like Emily Mackus and people like that?

Aliia: Yes, I actually hired four therapists that time because like different therapies, different…

John: Specialties.

Aliia: Yes, and sometimes I needed a little bit more this, more that. So I had one therapist, I still have for like 16 years. That’s a lot. It’s almost like I would just call on a regular basis and say like, that’s what’s happening in my life. I have fears about this, this, this, let’s work on it. So we will work on these fears and blah, blah, blah. But when, and that’s why I was kind of like more or less stable. But when I completely became unstable and when I hit that wall and I had the breakdown and like, I completely got lost, like completely, like got lost in a way where I started to think about suicidal stuff. I mean, like even thinking about that, I had these thoughts, it’s already scares, scares me a lot. Like I, because like I always really focus and very concentrate and control myself and my emotions. Then out of blue I’m crying and I’m like all emotional. Like I just, I just don’t understand what’s happening. Therapists of course help a lot. I think everybody has to have somebody with whom they can speak and like somebody who is professional and know how to put you into the right state of mood. Definitely, yes. But I would say another important thing is to having healthy relationship, healthy lifestyle. So I’m talking about healthy food, sleep, supplements and all that.

John: Sex?

Aliia: Yes. So that time I did drink alcohol even though like, I’m not really a fan of alcohol, but like when you have trauma, when people have traumas, they consume alcohol.

John: They medicate themselves with different things, whether it’s sex, food, drugs, alcohol, they numb themselves.

Aliia: Yes, to reduce the pain because pain is too much. Like painkiller.

John: So you were using alcohol as your numbing agent.

Aliia: So what I did basically I, the pain was so bad and so high and so strong, like working on the podcast because I remembered all that. So I started, which I don’t really like alcohol. So I started drinking and then I started taking psychedelics and it just ruined me completely because I started to have paranoia. Even I went into a worse place ever. So what I’m saying is to not to get there, working with therapist, yes, for sure. But also you need to control what do you consume. In my situation, I come, I mean like if I wouldn’t take this stuff, probably I would be better. But I also took that to numb myself and it got me into a worse reaction. The worst result could be. So I honestly scared of alcohol. I don’t drink. Like I really scared of alcohol because like if I drink some more than enough, like two glasses, I may go back to this dark side. I don’t want to.

John: So you know yourself.

Aliia: So it’s very important.

John: Did the therapy during the podcast help? Are you better today on the other side of the podcast? Was a couple of things? Did the therapist and the, let’s just call it, the eggs that you cracked open during that podcast, was some of the traumas that were revealed and revisited?
Have you found relief for them now? Was the podcast itself a form of therapy and healing?

Aliia: Yes, the podcast is sort of like therapy and healing for everyone because when we share our traumas in authentic, vulnerable way, we’re sort of healing our self. The most scary is to share. That’s the most scary thing ever for anyone because you only think like what people will think about me. It’s like, will they judge me? Like, people judge me. I understand like when I read negative comments, it’s just like, it’s so painful to hear. But I’m like, I understand. People are different. Opinions are different. What can I do? Mostly, of course, like those people who write me in Instagram and leaving comments, they’re amazing and beautiful. I’m so grateful because they just support me. That’s actually what makes me to go ahead and makes me like driven even more to what I do. It’s amazing. But I think that if you have a trauma, and we all do.

John: We all do.

Aliia: Definitely start to work on it as soon as possible. Do not say later, maybe, or wherever. Like, start to work on it, even if you do it like once a month, better once a week, of course. But just find professional. I know it’s also quite, it could be quite expensive, but try to find somebody who is affordable for your like budget. You must take care about your mental health. Otherwise, at one point, you’ll just have a breakdown and who knows what may happen.

John: You were able to catch yourself. Others, as we know, who aren’t as strong as you, once they break, there’s no coming back.

Aliia: Yes, it’s like a cancer. Like, you need to be able to catch the cancer before. It’s like, it would go to a big, like…

John: Stage one is fixable. Stage four, probably…

Aliia: Yes, exactly. So it’s like, it’s our health. So it’s like maintaining a car. Like you need to maintain the car all the time, like to put the new oil and all this stuff. So it’s the same thing.

John: The way I look at it is if, why is it okay for us to go to the gym to keep our body strong, but then not do anything for our brain?

Aliia: Some people do not go to the gym.

John: That’s true. You’re right. That’s correct. Let’s just say this. We both agree, since I have a therapist, I’ve had therapists the last 20 years of my life, and I don’t know where I’d be without them, that we both agree that mental health and mental wellness is paramount for just getting through this complicated, messy journey that we all face. Some have it tougher than others. Obviously, yours was unbelievably full of trauma and all sorts of other burdens that you didn’t deserve, but you’ve got the right professionals. It sounds like from the podcast, Emily Mackis was one of them, and she’s helped you tremendously. There’s others that you’ve been working with as well to help you get to the other side.

Aliia: It’s important to listen another opinion. Because we are stuck in this situation inside. Somebody can give you a really good perspective on this situation from another angle, so you need to have this person.

John: Instead of just our own narrative, we get another opinion, and that’s important. Talk about the other side. Let’s talk about the podcast is over. It drops. It becomes one of the top podcasts and Apple and Spotify and others, and as just a consumer and listener, of course, it was fascinating and entertainment, but real life has consequences. Talk a little bit about the other side. Are you ultimately happy you did it?

Aliia: Yes.

John: Is there a happy ending to your story? Your story has a long way to go. I don’t even want to ask that question. How is the story going to continue to end well, and what’s the journey ahead for Aliia Roza? Because there’s going to be, just the fact that you’re here today and you’re able to share as much as you did, to me, shows you’re a winner. You’re a survivor. You’re not just a survivor. You’re a thriver.

Aliia: Thank you.

John: It’s the truth. What you’ve been through, many others would never have made it through, never be here today, never accept doing interviews with folks like me and many others that you’ve done really, really helpful interviews with. How’s the response from the general public as you said, from other men and women who have endured horrific trafficking or traumas that are almost unbearable to hear about? Have they reached out to you? Then when you go to sleep at night and you lay in bed and say, “Has this been worth it?” You say, “Yes, I got that DM today or that email today and I helped this person. I made them feel not so alone.” How has that been going since the podcast came out?

Aliia: Yes, thank you. Thank you for beautiful, kind words. That’s exactly how I feel when I go to bed every day because every day I receive a new message, a new email, which is fantastic. I hear these beautiful words and I just so grateful. On another side though, in Russia, I kept a few properties and some properties, which were on my name, got arrested. My bank account with some Russian rubles, which I obviously couldn’t use because of the swift cancellation in Russia. It was just like money was just there. Also got arrested and all money are gone. So I faced my own circumstances after the podcast in that way. But you know what? How to explain? I sort of like when did it happen? It’s actually happened a month ago. So it just was recent.

John: The podcast just came out months ago as well. So this is a recent, you’re in many ways a recent celebrity in many ways.

Aliia: I mean, Russian news, they wrote about my podcast that I gave it da-da-da. The situation there is really difficult. Even if you are a blogger or YouTuber and you say something against the government, they put you to jail straight away. If you even discussing with your friends on the phone about the Russian government, they also come and like put you to jail seriously, give you penalties and all that. So the situation is really, really difficult. So all of them, they go to jail because from jail they go to the war. That’s the only one way the government actually can find soldiers for the war. Because obviously men run away from there. I mean, like young men, they run away from Russia because they don’t want to go to the war and they don’t want to be killed. So the only one way is to just take those people from kind of like terrorist communication about like Ukraine and put them to jail and then send them to the war. So that’s what they do. When the podcast was out, eventually I received the letter where it stated that it will be court. At the same day when I received the letter, they just blocked my account and they put the rest of my properties. I’m like, here we go again. So that was another side of the podcast. So if I do something, I never regret because there is no point of that. So I’ve done it already. So I don’t regret and I just move forward and I will move forward.

John: Talk about your future. Let’s talk about a couple of things. First of all, you said there’s going to be future storytelling of furthering of your story and your journey either in television or podcasts or some version thereof, both. So there’s going to be more content produced by you with regards to your fascinating and compelling journey.

Aliia: Yes, we are working on it. I’m actually having every day a lot of meetings with different producers and showrunners. I don’t know how long will it take, but hopefully very, very soon people can see the whole story on the screens instead of just listening it. So yes, I’m working on it, many, many projects.

John: I’m going to ask a silly question and then we’re going to go back to serious. Silly questions, who do you hope plays you on the big screen one day?

Aliia: We speak about that a lot. So the point is that I’m Asian-looking.

John: Yes, but you’re also partially Jewish. Aren’t you 13% Jewish?

Aliia: Yes, that’s great.

John: Did my homework Aliia.

Aliia: Nobody actually knows about it. Maybe I mentioned a few people. So I did my DNA test in America and I was like, what, that’s cool. So yes, partially Jewish. But you know what, a lot of Russians, they have the Jewish blood, of course.

John: But where does the Asian looks come from?

Aliia: Kazakhstan. So I don’t actually, according to DNA, I don’t have any Russian blood at all. Yes, so it’s Kazakhstan. I have like all this Mongolian blood and all this Central Asia blood. So yes, here I am. So I don’t know who can play me. I kind of like, I don’t know. It’s really hard. It’s really hard because somebody has to play me 20 years ago. So I don’t know, we’ll see.

John: That’s interesting. Anyway, that’s a fun dilemma to have and that’s a good problem to have, I would think. If you’re…

Aliia: It’s a fun problem.

John: That’s a fun problem. Out of all the problems to have, that’s a fun problem. Let’s go back to your professional life though now. We all have to pay the rent. We all have to pay bills and children, as we know, raising children isn’t for free. Talk a little bit about how you’re going to leverage this wonderful and important podcast that is going to help a lot of people feel not so alone and also seek mental wellness and health and seek to get better from their traumas. That’s all a tremendous benefit that you’ve created in this world and a tremendously great impact. Talk a little bit about paying the bills though. You have over a million followers on Instagram and you have a website, aliiaroza.com and, and of course todieforspy.com. Talk a little bit about your intention in terms of public speaking and mentoring and coaching on a professional basis. Where do you want to spend your time in the future doing that? Obviously for fee basis.

Aliia: Thank you. That’s a great question because it’s a future and I think a lot about what heritage, what usefulness, what impact can I actually do in my life? I cannot leave, it’s just me. I just cannot leave a simple, let’s say a simple, stable, good life. Like work for someone from nine till six. I don’t know, like having two dogs or whatever. I mean, I love dogs and cats and animals, I’m just talking about normal life. I probably wanted to have that life and I did try a few times, but it just didn’t work out because I guess my destiny is my destiny and I don’t want to go against that. Since I was a little girl and I was looking at all these homeless kids from three years’ old who were starving to death on the streets, I like that feeling where you’re so helpless because I was a kid myself. Growing, I said, I promised myself when I will grow up and I will become an adult, I want to build an orphanage for those kids who are really like alone and they really need it and just give them an opportunity for a future, giving them skills. Then when I learned that secret intelligent techniques based on the KGB program, I understood that government doesn’t allow people to know a lot about these certain knowledges because then the government would give power to people and people become leaders. So that’s why most of people are sort of like followers and just like 1% are leaders. But how about building an orphanage and teach those kids this leadership and these techniques which will make them much more advanced? How about raising them to a certain point where they become adult and them to come to this world and teaching others of this lifestyle techniques and knowledges which are secret, but it’s like really important. That slowly, I see the way of changing the world to a better place through knowledge and education. It’s like planting seeds. So I want to plant these seeds during my life and when I will be gone, I know these seeds will become beautiful trees and these beautiful trees will give more seeds and more seeds and more beautiful trees. That’s how I see my living legacy after my life and that’s how I see my mission and everything I do even now in terms of coaching. I always start my coaching from bringing that best version of the person because once you understand that you’re so unique and you are amazing and you have your gifts and talents which you can just craft and make it to another level and just be really the best version of yourself and have the life you want. If you really put your mind to it, that’s the most important thing. Then using this art of communication techniques, you can just go and based on my experience being a former agent and then in a few years being drinking tea with the Queen Elizabeth and King Charles of the Royal Family of Britain it’s a good example.

John: It’s a great example.

Aliia: It’s possible and like it’s not me.

John: You did it. It’s not me.

Aliia: I did it so you can do it too.

John: So let’s go over this. Your goal is to build an orphanage one day. Is that in the United States, your goal?

Aliia: Like it doesn’t matter really where it would be. The most important that I just want to bring kids as I would be able to.

John: But you want your DNA and your legacy in it so it would be close to wherever you’re living at that time, probably somewhere.

Aliia: Wherever, like it doesn’t really matter the location. The most important, like I want to open these doors for any kids who really need it, who don’t have family.

John: On terms of your professional future you’re going to be a coach, a personal coach for people, men or women, to learn the skills that you were trained as so they can be better in their own profession, have more success in either their personal relationships or their professional relationships?

Aliia: Personal, professional, like they own personal growth as well because if you raise your self-esteem and confidence, of course your personal goals and growth changing. It’s not just like coaching, but it’s, I would think it’s more like, mentorship, like something like that. Sharing my knowledge to people who really need it through any platforms like social media or like, I don’t know, unscripted TV series, books, graphic novels.

John: Will you be writing a book like Neil wrote this great book, The Game? Will you write your own version of The Game to put out your information?

Aliia: Definitely yes, but working on it.

John: But this is part of the happy ending of your story, all the success that you’re going to get in the future and the different ways you’re approaching it.

Aliia: Like I’m planning to, but again, it’s with God’s will. I hope we will have enough time to do that because again, the world situation is so unstable. So as I said, I’m ready any moment for anything may happen. So I hope we have enough time to execute all our dreams.

John: But you’re also can be hired to speak in front of large and small groups for public speaking to share the lessons you’ve learned.

Aliia: I’m happy to do that because I feel that honestly, like I love speaking with people when it’s a big amount, because it’s just performing at the stage as a singer or like any other performer, it’s cool. You have like this energy. It’s not only just that, it’s just be able to see people’s eyes. It’s so beautiful. It’s just, I love being on the stage. I love speaking to people and I love sharing whatever I know, and I’m happy to answer any questions.

John: Do you get what you give in life in terms of your journey, the more you share and the more people that respond and you see their response, does that help you in your wellness journey and your healing as well?

Aliia: Yes. You know why? Because if you want to heal yourself, help someone else. So healing someone will actually heal you. I discussed yesterday that it’s so funny, honestly, like I receive a lot of messages saying this, “My God, I listened to your story and I feel much happier knowing that somebody has worse trauma than me.” It does make sense. It really does. That’s what I say, like when your brain creates this condition, this like virtual reality where everything is so bad, like this didn’t work. So the life is like finished. It’s so bad. Then when you listen, someone else, “My God, this guy doesn’t have legs, arms and like this guy doesn’t have anything.” He’s still like living and you know, like being happy or whatever. You feel like, my God, my problems are nothing compared to his problems.

John: So when people write that to you, they figure, “If you made it through this Aliia, then I’m going to make it through whatever I’m going through. Because maybe I think it’s a little bit less than what you did. I can make it too, because you made it through too.”

Aliia: Or even more than I did. But that’s the whole thing. I’m kind of like a living example. Like the phoenix bird, let’s say, whatever may happen to you, no matter how you would be burned, it’s hard. I’m also a human being. I also have my sad, black days. I do.

John: But we all do.

Aliia: But that’s the whole thing. Like, I’m not just like a superhero, like a Spider-Man who’s just like completely like a superhero, but yet I’m also a human being.

John: But you’re also honest. You’re very honest, because that would be a false representation of, I think, anybody being impervious to the ups and downs of life, right?

Aliia: Yes. So I feel like people need to give themselves also support. I also tell my students a lot, like, you’ve done this and this and this great. Did you tell yourself how amazing you are? It’s like another technique where you really give yourself love, your inner child love, because that’s what we all need. Like really stand in front of the mirror and say, “Well done, you did a good job. I’m so proud of you. Well done. I love you so much.” It’s so helpful. Everybody should do it like every single day, and say, you did great. I’m so proud of you, and be proud of small, even achievements.

John: So your students are in groups or one-on-one usually?

Aliia: Different. Sometimes in groups, sometimes we have workshops. Sometimes it’s one-to-one, so it’s all different.

John: Sometimes it’s in person. Sometimes it could be webinars too, right?

Aliia: Yes. We actually have a webinar on 24th. So that’s an interesting webinar about how to prevent yourself from manipulation.

John: Do more men sign up for that or women sign up for that?

Aliia: This is for everyone because the manipulation is like we live in manipulation.

John: How much do you charge for something like that?

Aliia: Twelve dollars.

John: That’s unbelievably fair. How many people sign up for these things?

Aliia: Last time it was about like 800 people. I’m not doing this by myself only. I have another person who is actually an expert of hypnosis. Sometimes like when we watch news or when we see advertisement, we don’t understand sometimes, but we’ve been hypnosed by the ad or wherever to buy certain product. Or if you would find out that like sometimes when you negotiate with someone, somebody tried to like persuade you, but also using hypnosis techniques. So if you know how to, how does it work, you can prevent yourself of being hypnosed and do what this person wants. This is another important stuff. So for example, nobody can, I mean, not nobody, but like, even like professional manipulators, they cannot manipulate me because I can see it straight. I’m like, well done. Let’s move on. Like, come on. I got it. It’s like it’s funny. My son, I use a special technique raising him. So the special technique is also great for any parents. You never speak with your kid. Like you did it not right. You like this and that it was your fault. So instead you put your position, like your feelings, like, I feel so disappointed that this happened. I feel I failed as a parent because this happened. So this, but this is very subtle, like kind of like subtle manipulation because you make your kid to realize you feel bad because this happened, but you don’t accuse him that he’s bad because you don’t want him in the future. Feel like I’m, I’m a loser. So kind of like, right. Change the situation and the whole perspective. So I said it to him, like, because he did something like silly in the school. I was like, I feel like I’m failed as a mother. I feel so upset. He looked at me and he’s like, “Mom, good job. Don’t forget. I’m your son.” I’m like, all right.

John: That’s beyond sweet.

Aliia: It was so funny. Like, I was like, oh my God, like I cannot use these techniques on my son because he gets it straight away.

John: He’s learned from you. You’re the master teacher at that stuff. So it’s a masterclass.
He’s got a lifetime of masterclass from you. How so that’s good. He’s learned.

Aliia: So I want people to realize that they are sometimes being manipulated, so they wouldn’t do silly things like, or like which would, wouldn’t be beneficial for them. So it’s very important to see through manipulation.

John: Hire you for speaking at public events for organizations, large and small, or for mentorship or and to hire you one-on-one or for groups, how do they go about hiring you? What’s the best way for everybody’s sake?

Aliia: I have actually agency United Talent Agency. I am represented by them and people can reach me out by like through Instagram, through my email address over there. So, I actually received like couple public speaking events for, I love charity and I do a lot of charity stuff. So it’s like a couple of big charities. I’ve done a few public speaking for United Nation as well about women empowerment. So it’s not just like about that. It’s about the impact you do. It’s not about a thesis or something. It’s about like, what really like message do you send and how can you inspire people? If it’s really your call not. So every time I do it, it’s like the best way to estimate if it’s, if you did a good job, it’s when you receive a positive response, but also you feel like you got a lot of positive energy and exhausted. This is not the right…. But if you feel like you just can run another like five miles, like do another public speaking for another few hours, it means that everything is good. You’re on the right path.

John: When you talk to your therapist and your work through your past trauma and the burdens that you’ve been placed under how far away are you from meeting Mr. Wonderful and falling in love?

Aliia: My God. My God.

John: Come on. Come on. Break a little news here. Break a little bit. You got to be coming close to that one day, one day.

Aliia: I’m ready. So the good thing is that before I had complete problem with men in terms of just, I looked at men in a very special way as a spy looks at the target. Always like that.

John: That was the lens you were trained to do and that’s the lens you have. I got it.

Aliia: Then working with therapists, they kind of like changed my perspective where right now I look at men as, I generally speak in love men. I adore men because before I sort of like, I was scared of men and I was scared of emotional bond because I couldn’t build it. I was just always hiding or running away. So I was always in that position running away. Anytime the emotional bond may happen. So it’d be just like, no, block see you never. Now, actually, I’m doing a really big progress. So I started from building emotional bond through friendship. So I have very close friendship relationship with men, which I never had before. So it’s a big progress.

John: So the evolution’s happening and you’re moving in the right direction, let’s say.

Aliia: Yes. So about Mr. Wonderful, I think that, I gave myself time for that because I want to, like, I really focus right now on my work and I really want to make it and it’s just like so important for me, but if there would be a man who really shares my vision for the orphanage and everything I do, or he works in the industry or he’s, could be my manager, for example, I don’t know, like whatever, but like, would be in my industry. I don’t really believe in relationship where couple live in different cities or countries.

John: Doing your own thing.

Aliia: Stop. Yes. So it’s just like, so less like interest between each other. So if this Mr. Wonderful appears in my life, or if you hear me, let me know. I’m joking, but like, I’m open, you know what? I’m open to the universe. He’s somewhere for sure, but I just want to make it like in a proper way, in a right way without running and doing all this crazy stuff. It’s just like, I’m okay. So I’m open.

John: Do you feel that with all the therapy you’ve done and the work on yourself and the podcast and the positive affirmations you’ve gotten back from so many people on sharing your story, are you becoming more open to feeling your feelings now than ever before? Is this, and getting over the history you had of disassociation?

Aliia: Being a human being, it’s so painful. I didn’t know. Nobody told me like.

John: Nobody told any of us.

Aliia: Nobody. Why didn’t they tell me this before? I probably wouldn’t agree to do that.

John: Is it getting better? Is the disassociation of that learned behavior becoming more, are you open to feeling your feelings more than ever before?

Aliia: Yes, and it’s painful. That’s what I’m saying.

John: It’s painful for all of us.

Aliia: I don’t know. How do you live? I really don’t know. I don’t understand. It’s so hard. It’s really hard. Like it’s, I’m still like, yes, I’m experiencing a lot and it’s really hard for me.

John: But the one thing you’ve proven to your listeners, to the people who listen to your great podcast, and we’re going to put everything in the show notes, all these contacts and, and, and platforms, but although we all know that we really can’t change our past, what you’ve proven and you’re living proof of is that you could change your future.

Aliia: Yes, for sure. You can change your path for sure. You can’t, but you definitely can change your future and your life. Even your present, even now, like a small little action can change everything.

John: For our listeners and viewers to find Aliia Roza, a former intelligent officer, who’s now a media personality and a public speaker using her message for the good of the people who hear her very compelling message of overcoming and surviving and winning and thriving and courage and bravery. Please go to, todieforspy.com. Of course, Aliia Roza has a very big Instagram account as well. AliiaRoza.com as well. You could go to www.AliiaRoza.com and contact her through her own website, if not todieforspy.com. Also, if you’re a victim of sexual trauma, or you know, someone who’s been a victim of sexual trauma, please go to RAINN.org 1-800-656-4673 for free confidential 24 seven support. If you have any thoughts of suicide, or any of those tendencies, or you have a friend or relative that does or is in trouble, the beauty now is there’s a phone number 988 you could text or dial and these 24 seven help for you. We will have all of those platforms and, and websites in our show notes. Also, remember, if you want to listen to the very fascinating, compelling story of Aliia Roza, please go to Die For, the podcast itself, done in conjunction with Tenderfoot and the great Neil Strauss who wrote the game. That podcast to Die For is on Apple, Spotify, and all the great podcast platforms out there. Aliia, it’s been an honor and a pleasure. But truly, it’s been it’s been an honor to just have you on today and for you to share all that you’ve shared with our listeners and viewers around the world. All the great impacts you’ve already made, the lives you’ve positively affected, and you’re going to positively affect in the next 60 years ahead. You’re a very young woman with a huge, with a huge future in front of you. I just wish you continued health, wellness, mental health and wellness, physical health and wellness, and just continued success in the future to keep doing all the great work and impactful work you’re doing. The world is better because you’re here, and the world is better because you’ve shared your journey so openly and unvarnished with all of us to hear. Thank you. Thank you so much again.

Aliia: Thank you so much, John. It’s been my pleasure. Thank you for making such a big impact in the world of like, also sharing our stories as your guests. Thank you so much for everything. Thank you guys for listening.

John: This edition of the Impact Podcast is brought to you by Engage. Engage is a digital booking platform revolutionizing the talent booking industry. With thousands of athletes, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, Engage is the go-to spot for booking talent for speeches, custom experiences, live streams, and much more. For more information on Engage, or to book talent today, visit letsengage.com. This edition of the Impact Podcast is brought to you by ERI. ERI has a mission to protect people, the planet, and your privacy, and is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States and maybe even the world. For more information on how ERI can help your business properly dispose of outdated electronic hardware devices, please visit eridirect.com.

–If you are struggling with the aftermath of sexual trauma and need assistance, visit rainn.org or call 800-656-HOPE.

–If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts call or text the suicide hotline at 988 for emotional support