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S1E10
Recognizing Grooming: The Psychology of Trust, Manipulation & Exploitation
•57:24

Recognizing Grooming: The Psychology of Trust, Manipulation & Exploitation

Recognizing Grooming: The Psychology of Trust, Manipulation & Exploitation
Liars and Lovers
0:00 57:24

The program

Liars & Lovers | Grooming, Trust & Recognizing the Warning Signs with Anna Sonoda, LCSW

What if the greatest danger doesn’t begin with a stranger—but with someone who becomes known, trusted, and invited into our lives?

On this powerful episode of Liars & Lovers, host Lisa Ribacoff sits down with Anna Sonoda, LCSW—grooming prevention expert, author, speaker, and host of Known and Trusted with Anna Sonoda, LCSW—for an important conversation about child grooming, sexual abuse prevention, predators, exploitation, trust, and recognizing concerning behaviors before they escalate.

With more than 20 years of clinical experience, Anna brings a unique perspective shaped by working with both convicted sexual offenders and individuals impacted by trauma, violence, and complex behavioral challenges. Her experience provides insight into the behavioral patterns, manipulation tactics, boundary violations, and influence strategies that can precede grooming and exploitation.

Lisa and Anna explore how grooming works, why predators often seek to become “known and trusted,” how manipulation can develop gradually, and why recognizing patterns may be more important than simply relying on intuition.

They also discuss:

🔎 What grooming can look like—and what it often doesn't look like🚩 Warning signs and concerning behaviors adults should recognize🧠 Manipulation, boundary testing, and psychological influence👨‍👩‍👧 How parents and trusted adults can build protective awareness🛡️ Teaching children about boundaries, safety, and strange behavior💔 Why trust can sometimes be exploited⚠️ How predators can position themselves within a child's circle of trust

Anna also shares insights from her books, Duck Duck Groom: Understanding How a Child Becomes a Target, Duck Duck Groom: A Guided Journal, and the award-winning children's book Wait…That's Weird! A Parent-Child Guide to Spotting Strange Behavior Together.

Predators rarely begin with obvious danger. Sometimes, they begin by becoming known, trusted, helpful—and eventually, invited.

This is a conversation about grooming prevention, child safety, trust, deception, behavioral patterns, sexual abuse awareness, and the importance of recognizing risk before it becomes harm.

🎙️ Listen now to Liars & Lovers and follow the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.