From Junkie to Judge: The Unlikely Path to the Bench

Guest Bio and Links:

Mary Beth O'Connor is a federal administrative law judge and the author of "From Junkie to Judge." She is a writer, speaker, trainer, and recovery advocate. Mary Beth’s journey from addiction to the bench is a powerful story of resilience and triumph over trauma.

Listeners can learn more about Mary Beth O’Connor at her website, or check out her book: From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, sits down with retired Judge, Mary Beth O’Connor whom opens up about her extraordinary path from a painful, abusive childhood to years of meth addiction, and ultimately, to finding sobriety and rising to become a federal judge. Mary Beth shares candidly about being introduced to drugs at a young age and how that set the stage for a 15-year struggle with addiction. She reflects on the turning points in her life, the strength it took to begin her recovery, and how she used a blend of academic insight and emotional support to rebuild.

Show Notes:

(0:00) Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum
(0:15) Sheryl welcomes guest, retired judge, Mary Beth O’Connor
(1:00) Early life struggles - a childhood of abuse and trauma
(2:30) Positive school experiences
(4:00) Violence beyond the home - sexual assault and relationships
(7:30) Crafting a path to sobriety
(9:00) “I always viewed myself as the decision maker, but also as a decision maker whose job was to keep her ears open, you know, and not just reject anything out of hand.”
(12:30) The road to law school
(14:30) Becoming a federal judge
(15:00) A spark of idea - to write a memoir
(19:00) Reflections on drug courts and recovery
(22:30) Maintaining sobriety and relationships
(30:45) ”Sometimes you can only find heaven by slowly backing away from hell.” -C.F
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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

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