When the Dog Bites is now Joy Is My Middle Name, the natural next step for host Allison Joy's own journey to joy. Season 1 was all about stories of resiliency. Season 2 is focused on how others are finding their own joy, even through their own Dog Bite moment.
Come for the gripping, engaging true stories from real humans. Stay for the laughter and joy, even through the hardest times.
Episode 7: Coffee with a Lawyer, Pete Trosclair of Lovins Law
Have you ever had a question for a lawyer, but didn't know the first step to take?
What happens if you're in a car wreck? Who do you call first? What about if you're bit by a dog? What if you have a lawyer, but want to switch? Do you have to pay and when?
Allison sits down with Pete Trosclair, founding partner and attorney at Lovins Law, to ask the questions that many have, but might not ever ask.
Pete dives into everything and gives his honest, trustworthy response. Learn why they have almost all referrals and why you'll trust a lawyer after this episode.
Reach out to Pete and Lovins Law for a free consultation and to learn more: https://ltlegalteam.com/contact-us/
8 May 2026
Episode 6: Anisha Holla, @DallasTX_Foodies
If you live in Dallas, you've probably heard of @DallasTX_Foodies. This is a gigantic brand with the best go to spots for local restaurants in the DFW area with a huge reach.
But let's meet the creator! Her name is Anisha Holla and she is passionate about changing the trajectory of small businesses.
Whether it's helping a mom and pop pie shop come back from closing their doors to helping tell the story of a family-owned Italian restaurant, she's here to take small businesses to the next level.
Join host Allison Joy as she interviews Anisha on this beautiful journey.
@Dallas_TXfoodies on Instagram
www.foodifyapp.com
8 Apr 2026
Episode 5: Caelie Dunn, Psychotherapist
How can you find the joy through loss? What if something you've really wanted doesn't work out?
Or what if it happens again -- how do you reframe your mind and work through the pain to get to the joy?
Join host Allison Joy as she interviews psychotherapist Caelie Dunn of Growing Insight about her own journey with loss.
In this personal, deeply moving episode, you'll also learn about the ways she helps her clients and things that help her too.
You can reach out to Caelie through her website or Instagram:
- Website: www.mygrowinginsight.com
- Instagram: @growinginsight
10 Mar 2026
Episode 4: Margot Stacy
Margot Stacy is a "film historian, cultural critic, radical merch creator and narrative junkie," as told by Lena Dunham.
But she's also a community advocate and activist. And kind of even a superhero, a term that she's not used to yet.
Allison sits down with Margot to learn about her journey, what inspires her, what has taught her to be brave and so much more.
What started as an Instagram post has had an incredible ripple effect on the Oak Cliff community. You won't want to miss this episode!
You can find Margot at @misc_en_scene on Instagram or www.miscenscene.com.
20 Feb 2026
Episode 3: Aime Nunez of Pegasus Creative Reuse
Aime Nunez is the owner of Pegasus Creative Reuse: Affordable art supplies. Endless creative possibilities.
The beloved art shop in Oak Cliff is a vibrant, art-reuse shop dedicated to keeping creative materials out of landfills and putting them into the hands of makers, dreamers, teachers, and tinkerers.
But Aime's journey to joy wasn't always this clear. A year of intense grief led to creating art. She channeled her sadness into making beautiful pieces and she credits art with saving her.
This passion of wanting to help others through art made taking over as the owner of Pegasus an easy decision.
Her story is beautiful, inspiring, and reminds us you're never too late to take a big leap to get closer to what fills your soul.
Follow along on her journey:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pegasusreuse/
- Website: https://www.pegasusreuse.com
7 Feb 2026
Episode 2: Amanda Smith of Dallas Girl Gang
We're kicking of Season 2 of Joy Is My Middle Name with Amanda Smith, Founder and CEO of Dallas Girl Gang.
Amanda's path to joy and business ownership was not a straight line. She was a teacher during Covid and when we she went back to the classroom, she realized she had a gift to bring joy to so many others in a different way.
Fast forward to one of the biggest, most influential communities in Dallas with over 100,000 active members where membership is an action.
Events, meet-ups, conferences, She Means Business networking group -- Amanda is constantly innovating and evolving what Dallas Girl Gang means.
Learn about her journey, get inspired, and get involved. You can sit with us!
https://dallasgirlgang.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dallasgirlgang
https://www.instagram.com/dallasgirlgang
22 Jan 2026
Joy Is My Middle Name Launch
After a successful season one of When the Dog Bites, why change the name? Why are journeys to joy so important? Is Joy really Allison's middle name?
Find out the answer to all of these questions and more as host Allison Joy is interviewed by Ron Corning.
And stay tuned for impactful, gripping, and emotional tales of joy during this season of, Joy Is My Middle Name.
All episodes are recorded at little joy cafe, a place for community where all are welcome in the heart of Oak Cliff in Dallas, TX.
14 Jan 2026
Episode 9: A Ketamine Experience
For many people experiencing PTSD of any kind, they've probably done a lot of different therapies.
But what about ketamine?
Allison sits down to chat with Reese Ormand, CEO of Neuroglow, the leading ketamine therapy in North Texas, to learn about his own dog bite moments and what led him to changing his entire life after a transformative experience.
As we wrap up this season, you won't want to miss this deeply impactful episode .
27 Oct 2025
Episode 8: A Time to Leave
Meaghan Hurley recounts her experiences in an abusive marriage to Allison, describing the pivotal moments that led to her decision to leave, highlighting her resilience in the face of adversity in this interview.
28 Jul 2025
Episode 7: A Tale of Being Lost at Sea
Allison interviews Chris Mabry, tech VP, who recounts his harrowing experience of being lost at sea and how it forged his enduring perspective on resilience.
24 Jun 2025
Episode 6: A Pottery Studio
Jane Parsons recounts her harrowing journey of overcoming suicidal ideation and domestic abuse to establish a pottery studio as a sanctuary, in this interview episode.
30 May 2025
Episode 5: A Coffee Shop
Sam Higdon recounts co-creating Saturn Road Coffee in Brooklyn after her mother's passing, offering a raw and unfiltered story of resilience and finding purpose through grief in an interview with Allison.
12 May 2025
Episode 4: A Place on the Line, How Chef Sean Chang Reimagined His Kitchen
A car accident in college left Sean Chang living with paraplegia. His route to med school was flipped upside down and he decided to follow his inner voice and passion: Become a chef.
His journey to becoming the chef at Mukja, a Korean American Fried Chicken hot spot in Atlanta, has been nothing short of miraculous.
Tune into this inspiring, one-of-a-kind story of resilience.
25 Apr 2025
Episode 3: A Happy Divorce
Meggie, also known as @heartmeggieheart on TikTok, shares her experience of how she found herself during her marriage and now happy divorce. But she also found how to supercharge her intuition along the way and wants to share this with women everywhere. Tune into hear Meggie's resiliency story, learn from her magic, and hear what it's like to interview one of your closest friends!
25 Apr 2025
Episode 2: A Principal During the Pandemic
You remember the pandemic. But have you ever imagined what it was like to be a principal of a 5A high school during the pandemic? Allison interviews Claudia Vega and learns about what it was like during that time, and what led her to open up her multi-cultural bookstore in Oak Cliff, Whose Books.
25 Apr 2025
Episode 1: The Dog Attack
Allison sits down and interviews the person who has had a front row seat to the past year, her husband, Russell. They unpack what happened in a really raw and beautiful conversation to talk about the inspiration, the pain, and ultimately the triumph that comes with a life changing event.
16 Apr 2025
Welcome to When the Dog Bites Podcast
Come along on this journey to hear incredible, shocking, and ultimately inspiring stories of resilience from real people. Allison Macalik is a dynamic, vulnerable host who lets guest feel safe and empowered to tell their stories.
Who has been a guest on When the Dog Bites
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Meaghan Hurley
Chris Mabry
Jane Parsons
Sam Higdon
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
46
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Contact When the Dog Bites
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