Welcome to Ramblings of a Restless Mind, where curiosity leads the way! Join Jen Bordeaux and DeJah Debon as they journey through random thoughts, wild ideas, and deep dives into everything from life’s big questions to quirky obsessions. Each episode explores topics ranging from philosophy and pop culture to the thoughts that keep us up at night. If you love to laugh, think, and ramble along with us, this show is for you!
Building Community & Protecting Kids with SAFEchild’s Nakisha
Jen and co-host Dejah open by joking about aging, “over the hill,” and Halloween as they prepare to take Deja’s unfinished travel bus on its first campground trip for their annual decorated Yogi Bear/Jellystone Halloween outing (complete with fog machines and adult Jell-O shots). They welcome guest Nakisha, a Texas-raised new Raleigh resident and director of the Child Advocacy Center at SAFEchild, who discusses starting over in her 40s, how she tried to make friends through a community post, and what the Advocacy Center does: providing a safe, coordinated place for children to share abuse details once through non-leading forensic interviews, medical evaluations, and family advocacy with partner agencies. The conversation also covers secondary trauma support for staff, self-care, the importance of funding/donations, and ends with light Q&A, including the “hot dog sandwich” debate and a listener voicemail about speaking up.
00:00 Turning 41 and Over the Hill
00:45 Bus Trip and Campground Plans
02:21 Halloween Camping Traditions
04:57 Meet Nakisha from SAFEchild
08:37 Texas to Raleigh and BBQ Talk
11:14 Making Friends as an Adult
21:51 Inflatable Unicorn and Bio Bits
26:18 What SAFEchild Advocacy Center Does
29:28 Forensic Interviews Explained
33:55 Why Supporting Kids Matters
40:18 Secondary Trauma and Staff Care
41:13 SEA CERT Explained
42:53 Coworker Support Limits
44:38 Team Intervention Moment
48:48 Funding and Staff Needs
49:47 Funny Tummy Feelings Impact
55:57 Parent Trust in Interviews
58:35 After Work Self Care
01:02:12 Rapid Fire Fun Questions
01:10:20 Listener Voicemail on Speaking Up
01:20:33 Closing Thanks and Takeaways
6 Oct 2026
SafeChild, Special Victims Work, and Finding Strength: Ramblings with ADA Melanie Shekita
In this episode of Ramblings of a Restless Mind, co-hosts Jen and Dejah welcome Melanie Shekita, an assistant district attorney in Wake County with nearly 28 years at the DA’s office and team leader of the Special Victims Unit, longtime SafeChild partner, and former volunteer firefighter. Melanie shares how she became involved with SafeChild, the growth of the organization and its Child Advocacy Center, and why a nonprofit-based, child-friendly forensic interview model matters for reducing retraumatization and improving accountability. The conversation covers the far-reaching impact of sexual abuse on families, the need for CAC services across counties, and the realities of secondary trauma for prosecutors and investigators, along with Melanie’s coping outlets like cycling and her rescue dogs. They end with lighter listener questions and opinions on everyday debates.
00:00 Bravery and Healing
00:36 Show Intro and Jingle
01:37 Meet Melanie Shekita
03:35 Bio and Firefighter Life
04:41 Belichick Side Rant
06:19 SafeChild Gala Story
08:08 One in Four Kids
11:46 DA Path to SVU
13:57 Building the Advocacy Center
17:02 New SafeChild Facility
18:41 Fundraising and Foster Care
24:12 Volunteer Firefighting Origin
26:14 Coping With Trauma
34:10 Remote Testimony for Kids
35:28 Safe Child Forensic Interviews
36:44 Expanding CAC Services
39:38 Hot Dog Sandwich Debate
41:03 Song Stuck on Repeat
42:05 AI Fears and Regulation
46:48 Voicemail Petty Hills
52:36 Cancel Culture and Comments
57:00 Wrap Up and Dog Talk
22 Sept 2026
West Coast Road Trip, Bus Build Updates, Concert Controversy & Remembering Dolly Parton
Jen and DeJah return from a summer hiatus to recap recent meaningful episodes (including a Mother’s Day special with their mom and a guest appearance by Tim “Big Sarge” from Sons of Liberty, with a live shoot planned in October). They ramble about highlights from a largely unplanned West Coast trip—San Francisco (Alcatraz, Ghirardelli, driving the Golden Gate Bridge), the Redwoods, Humboldt County ranch stay with dispensary tours and an infinity-pool “spiritual” moment, and Portland during Pride Weekend, including an Airbnb heat/AC struggle and a late-night “plum massacre.” Joe describes a Michigan family trip to a deer farm and updates progress on DeJah's bus-to-RV conversion. The conversation turns to politics and free speech around Macklemore being removed from an Ed Sheeran lineup by stadium owners, potential concert cancellation impacts, voting-roll concerns, and a tribute to Dolly Parton’s legacy and Imagination Library support.
00:00 Back From Hiatus
00:54 Recapping Big Episodes
01:45 Joe Joins On Camera
03:03 Summer Heat Talk
03:46 West Coast Trip Begins
04:22 San Francisco Highlights
07:16 Humboldt Ranch Retreat
08:23 Redwoods And Portland
09:43 Plum Tree Airbnb Chaos
12:50 Cooling Hacks And Pride Weekend
14:44 Back Home And Fall Hopes
14:58 Joe Summer And Boone Heat
16:26 Michigan Trip Deer Farm Debate
18:21 Barndominium Airbnb Talk
19:35 Albino Deer Banter
20:09 Bus Build Update
21:38 Tariffs And Gas Rant
22:57 Ed Sheeran Show Risk
24:08 Macklemore Controversy
27:44 Free Speech And Money
32:26 Sponsor Break
33:43 Concerts As Safe Spaces
37:26 Dolly Parton Tribute
45:28 Dolly Quotes And Legacy
47:08 Wrap Up And Vote
Who has been a guest on Ramblings of a Restless Mind
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
David Hughes
Christopher R Hicks
Cy Harold
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
50
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Ramblings of a Restless Mind
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Ramblings of a Restless Mind
Who hosts Ramblings of a Restless Mind?
DeJah host the show. Published by Jen Bordeaux and DeJah Debon.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Ramblings of a Restless Mind take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of Ramblings of a Restless Mind?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
