Believe Her

Lemonada Media

Believe Her is true crime, upside down. In September 2017, young mom Nikki Addimando shot and killed her partner, Chris Grover. She was sentenced to nineteen years to life in prison for murder. Through rare access to police audio, a month-long trial, conversations with Nikki, and original reporting, journalist Justine van der Leun lays out the killing, the evidence, and the aftermath. As this six-part series unfolds, listeners will put together different pieces of a disturbing puzzle. One thing is clear: perception ≠ reality. Believe Her is a riveting chronicle that grapples with assumptions we make about domestic and sexual violence, the long reach of trauma, and the ways in which survival is criminalized, leaving us shocked at how far people will go to avoid seeing what's right in front of them. From Lemonada Media and Spiegel & Grau.  

  • 37 minutes 22 seconds
    Happier with Gretchen Rubin: Did We Get Everything Done on Our “25 for ’25” Lists?

    Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully. 

    As part of “Design Your Year,” each of us made a list of 25 things we wanted to accomplish in 2025; here, we report on what we got done—and what we didn’t.

    Resources & links related to this episode:


    If you want to hear more episodes, follow Happier with Gretchen Rubin wherever you get your podcasts, or head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/happierfd

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    21 December 2025, 8:30 am
  • 59 minutes 19 seconds
    Featuring: Julia Gets Wise with Ruth Reichl

    Because Thanksgiving is basically Ruth Reichl season (the holy trinity of food, family, and feelings) we’re serving you a special episode of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' lovely conversation with her from Season 1 of Wiser Than Me.


    On this episode of Wiser Than Me, Julia gets enlightened by 77-year-old food writer, magazine editor, and author Ruth Reichl. From her infamous New York Times review of Le Cirque to greenlighting a controversial David Foster Wallace article in Gourmet, Ruth is as gutsy as they come. Ruth talks to Julia about living with a mom who has bipolar disorder, processing grief through food, and why you should always do things that scare you. Plus, Julia asks her mom Judith for a recommendation on what to cook when Ruth accepts an invitation for dinner.


    For more episodes, follow Wiser Than Me wherever you get your podcasts or head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/wiserthanmefd

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    27 November 2025, 8:30 am
  • 1 hour 12 minutes
    A Special Listen: Julia Gets Wise with Roz Chast

    On the latest episode of Wiser Than Me, Julia Louis-Dreyfus sits down with 70-year-old New Yorker cartooning legend Roz Chast, whose humor and unforgettable illustrations Julia has adored for decades. They dive into Roz’s anxieties, obsessions, and the worldview behind her award-winning memoir “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” Roz chats about raising kids through constant worry, caring for her aging parents, and how her work helps her make sense of the chaos. Plus, Julia’s mom Judy recalls how she handled the sex talk with Julia when she was growing up.

     

    For more episodes, head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/wiserthanmefd or follow Wiser Than Me on Instagram and TikTok @wiserthanme and on Facebook at facebook.com/wiserthanmepodcast. Find us on Substack at wiserthanme.substack.com.

     

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    24 November 2025, 8:30 am
  • 59 minutes 35 seconds
    Listen Now: Julia Gets Wise with Jane Curtin

    Today on the premiere episode of Wiser Than Me’s new season, Julia Louis-Dreyfus sits down with 78-year-old comedy icon and Saturday Night Live original cast member, Jane Curtin. They reminisce about the 50th anniversary celebration of SNL and the enduring friendships Jane formed with the women of that first cast. Jane shares the story of meeting her husband of 50 years, Patrick Lynch, their hands-on parenting, and navigating grief after his recent passing. Plus, Julia’s 91-year-old mom, Judy, recalls Julia landing the SNL job.


    After you listen, search Wiser Than Me, for more episodes wherever you get your podcasts or you can head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/wiserthanmefd

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    12 November 2025, 8:45 am
  • 19 minutes 3 seconds
    Nikki is Free

    On January 4th, 2024, Nikki Addimondo was released from prison and reunited with her family. To celebrate, we are sharing two excerpts that were previously only available to our Lemonada Premium subscribers. These two conversations speak to the range of the incredible reporting in this series – one touches on the heart of Nikki’s personal story and the other reminds us that Nikki was not the only person put behind bars for trying to save her own life – this is an issue still impacting so many others.



    Resources:

     

     

    Believe Her is created in partnership with Spiegel & Grau. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @spiegelandgrau.

    Follow Justine on Twitter at @justinevdl and on Instagram at @jvanderleun.

    Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/believeher/

     

    Interested in bonus content and behind the scenes material? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium right now in the Apple Podcasts app by clicking on our podcast logo and the "subscribe” button.

     

    Stay up-to-date on everything in the Lemonada world by becoming a superfan at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/believeher shortly after the air date.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 January 2024, 8:30 am
  • 8 minutes 56 seconds
    Amazon Music Presents COLD: The Search for Sheree

    Sheree Warren left her job in Salt Lake City on a mild October evening in 1985. She told a coworker she was headed to meet her estranged husband, Charles Warren, at a car dealership. But she never made it, Sheree vanished. When her car mysteriously surfaced weeks later, hundreds of miles away in Las Vegas, no one could say how it got there.

    When a young mother disappears under unexplained circumstances, police always turn suspicious eyes towards the husband. And although there was distrust around Charles Warren, he wasn’t the only suspect when Sheree went missing. She also had a boyfriend, a former cop named Cary Hartmann, who lived a sinister double life.

    Season three follows two suspects– men who both raised suspicion for investigators. But with two strong persons of interest with competing facts and evidence, it muddied the murder investigation. This season, host Dave Cawley, digs into the lives of these two men, the details of the case and examines the intersections between domestic abuse and sexual violence. The COLD team seeks to answer the question: what really happened to Sheree Warren?

    Hey Prime Members, listen to the Amazon Music exclusive podcast, COLD, in the Amazon Music App. Download the app today: www.amazon.com/COLD_us_pfd_AA_110122.

     

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 November 2022, 8:30 am
  • 22 minutes 28 seconds
    BONUS: Criminalized Survivor Sandra Brown on the Criminal Legal System

    In this bonus interview, Justine sits down with Sandra Brown, the criminalized survivor who you heard from in Chapter 6. Sandra was recently released from prison, where she worked on rebuilding herself over the course of 21 years, and is now working toward her Ph.D. This conversation has been edited for time and clarity.

     

    Resources:

     

    Justine van der Leun is the host and lead reporter. This series is produced by Justine van der Leun and supervising producer Kristen Lepore. The associate producer is Giulia Hjort. The production assistant is Rory James Leech. Additional reporting by Kristen Lepore and Giulia Hjort. Mixing and sound design by Kegan Zema. Music by RRA aka Sara Abdelaal. Fact checking by Justin Kloczko. Additional audio engineering by Ivan Kuraev. Story editing by Jackie Danziger. Story consulting by Amy Metsch. The executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Jessica Cordova Kramer, and Spiegel & Grau.

     

    Believe Her is created in partnership with Spiegel & Grau. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @spiegelandgrau.

    Follow Justine on Twitter at @justinevdl and on Instagram at @jvanderleun.

    Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Believe Her podcast community on Bookclubz at www.bit.ly/believeherbookclubz and our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/believeher/

     

    Interested in bonus content and behind the scenes material? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium right now in the Apple Podcasts app by clicking on our podcast logo and the "subscribe” button.

     

    Stay up-to-date on everything in the Lemonada world by becoming a superfan at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/believeher shortly after the air date.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    2 December 2021, 8:30 am
  • 41 minutes 24 seconds
    Chapter 6: Criminalized Survival

    In the final episode of Believe Her, Nikki reflects on the shocking outcome of her appeal and what this means for others in similar situations going forward. Justine talks to criminalized survivors across the U.S. about how and why they were incarcerated for their attempts to protect themselves or loved ones from abuse.

     

    Resources:

     

    Justine van der Leun is the host and lead reporter. This series is produced by Justine van der Leun and supervising producer Kristen Lepore. The associate producer is Giulia Hjort. The production assistant is Rory James Leech. Additional reporting by Kristen Lepore and Giulia Hjort. Mixing and sound design by Kegan Zema. Music by RRA aka Sara Abdelaal. Fact checking by Justin Kloczko. Additional audio engineering by Ivan Kuraev. Story editing by Jackie Danziger. Story consulting by Amy Metsch. The executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Jessica Cordova Kramer, and Spiegel & Grau.

     

    Believe Her is created in partnership with Spiegel & Grau. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @spiegelandgrau.

    Follow Justine on Twitter at @justinevdl and on Instagram at @jvanderleun.

    Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Believe Her podcast community on Bookclubz at www.bit.ly/believeherbookclubz and our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/believeher/

     

    Interested in bonus content and behind the scenes material? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium right now in the Apple Podcasts app by clicking on our podcast logo and the "subscribe” button.

     

    Stay up-to-date on everything in the Lemonada world by becoming a superfan at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/believeher shortly after the air date.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 November 2021, 8:30 am
  • 49 minutes 14 seconds
    Chapter 5: The Missing Evidence

    A 12-person jury convicted Nikki of murder, but they didn’t see the whole picture. Many key pieces of this puzzle didn’t make their way into the courtroom. In this episode, Justine follows up on disturbing gaps in the evidence. Through conversations with Nikki’s lawyers, digital forensic experts, Nikki’s therapists and Nikki’s children’s therapist, Justine explores what was not shown at trial. 

     

    Resources:

     

    Justine van der Leun is the host and lead reporter. This series is produced by Justine van der Leun and supervising producer Kristen Lepore. The associate producer is Giulia Hjort. The production assistant is Rory James Leech. Additional reporting by Kristen Lepore and Giulia Hjort. Mixing and sound design by Kegan Zema. Music by RRA aka Sara Abdelaal. Fact checking by Justin Kloczko. Additional audio engineering by Ivan Kuraev. Story editing by Jackie Danziger. Story consulting by Amy Metsch. The executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Jessica Cordova Kramer, and Spiegel & Grau.

     

    Believe Her is created in partnership with Spiegel & Grau. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @spiegelandgrau.

    Follow Justine on Twitter at @justinevdl and on Instagram at @jvanderleun.

    Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Believe Her podcast community on Bookclubz at www.bit.ly/believeherbookclubz and our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/believeher/

     

    Interested in bonus content and behind the scenes material? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium right now in the Apple Podcasts app by clicking on our podcast logo and the "subscribe” button.

     

    Stay up-to-date on everything in the Lemonada world by becoming a superfan at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/believeher shortly after the air date.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 November 2021, 8:30 am
  • 55 minutes 7 seconds
    Chapter 4: Victim or Master Manipulator?

    Is Nikki a victim or is she a master manipulator who planned and plotted Chris’ murder? This question was at the heart of Nikki’s trial. There, the defense team put forth a cache of evidence of abuse. But the prosecution suggested that Nikki wanted attention, tried to destroy her credibility and asked: if the abuse was so bad, why didn’t Nikki leave? Justine unpacks the trial, and what the verdict says about how our criminal legal system views self-defense laws when it comes to people in abusive relationships.

     

    Resources:

     

    Justine van der Leun is the host and lead reporter. This series is produced by Justine van der Leun and supervising producer Kristen Lepore. The associate producer is Giulia Hjort. The production assistant is Rory James Leech. Additional reporting by Kristen Lepore and Giulia Hjort. Mixing and sound design by Kegan Zema. Music by RRA aka Sara Abdelaal. Fact checking by Justin Kloczko. Additional audio engineering by Ivan Kuraev. Story editing by Jackie Danziger. Story consulting by Amy Metsch. The executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Jessica Cordova Kramer, and Spiegel & Grau.

     

    Believe Her is created in partnership with Spiegel & Grau. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @spiegelandgrau.

    Follow Justine on Twitter at @justinevdl and on Instagram at @jvanderleun.

    Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Believe Her podcast community on Bookclubz at www.bit.ly/believeherbookclubz and our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/believeher/

     

    Interested in bonus content and behind the scenes material? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium right now in the Apple Podcasts app by clicking on our podcast logo and the "subscribe” button.

     

    Stay up-to-date on everything in the Lemonada world by becoming a superfan at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/believeher shortly after the air date.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 November 2021, 7:30 am
  • 53 minutes 29 seconds
    Chapter 3: The Silencing

    Nikki was abused, doubted and silenced from a young age — and yet, there were still too many so-called “bad facts” that helped the prosecution build their case against her. This week, Justine talks to one of Nikki’s childhood friends about witnessing the early abuse and the cycle of trauma that followed. 

     

    Resources:

     

    Justine van der Leun is the host and lead reporter. This series is produced by Justine van der Leun and supervising producer Kristen Lepore. The associate producer is Giulia Hjort. The production assistant is Rory James Leech. Additional reporting by Kristen Lepore and Giulia Hjort. Mixing and sound design by Kegan Zema. Music by RRA aka Sara Abdelaal. Fact checking by Justin Kloczko. Additional audio engineering by Ivan Kuraev. Story editing by Jackie Danziger. Story consulting by Amy Metsch. The executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Jessica Cordova Kramer, and Spiegel & Grau.

     

    Believe Her is created in partnership with Spiegel & Grau. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @spiegelandgrau.

    Follow Justine on Twitter at @justinevdl and on Instagram at @jvanderleun.

    Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    If you want to continue the conversation with other listeners, please join our Believe Her podcast community on Bookclubz at www.bit.ly/believeherbookclubz and our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/believeher/

    Interested in bonus content and behind the scenes material? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium right now in the Apple Podcasts app by clicking on our podcast logo and the "subscribe” button.

    Stay up-to-date on everything in the Lemonada world by becoming a superfan at https://joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    To follow along with a transcript, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/believeher shortly after the air date.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 October 2021, 7:30 am
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