March 29, 2026

Ep 323 The Unthinkable Revisited: Coercive Control, Advocacy and Change with David Challen

Show Notes

Laura and David Challen, son of Sally Challen and author of The Unthinkable, unravel the insidious and lifelong harm coercive control causes a child.

David speaks candidly about his lived experience, the realities of growing up with a coercively controlling father, and his horrifying experience at his mothers’s trial where she was convicted of his fathers’s murder.

Listen and find out what David discovered when he went through all the trial transcripts. It angered him so much he started to campaign for his mother’s appeal and eventual successful release.

David also recently joined Laura for an exclusive live event and the recording is available now in the Squad for those who want to go deeper on this conversation. This conversation was compelling and eloquently gives language and insight into living with his abusive and coercively controlling father.
You can listen to David’s first interview on Crime Analyst here: Ep 261: The Unthinkable: A Story of Control, Violence and My Mother with David Challen

#SallyChallen #CoerciveControl #DavidChallen #PowerAndControl #DomesticAbuse #CrimeAnalyst #TrueCrime #Podcast #WarningSigns #Manipulation #UnthinkableBook #DomesticViolence

Clip

https://youtu.be/fnfmFm-T5jA?si=MC-GNmXZVnzEFxyK

Sources  

Buy David’s Book The Unthinkable: https://www.amazon.com/Unthinkable-Story-Control-Violence-Mother/dp/1914240278
Ep 261: The Unthinkable: A Story of Control, Violence and My Mother with David Challen

www.dashriskchecklist.com  

https://www.thelaurarichards.com/resources/coercivecontrol  

https://www.thelaurarichards.com/resources/books

https://www.thelaurarichards.com/my-two-cents/serial-and-high-risk-stalkers-and-domestic-abusers

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