A Survivor’s Tale. Jan Canty’s Incredible Story of Bravery and Resilience
There is not a lot written about homicide survivors for a couple of reasons. One is because their stories are not as attractive to the audience as the details of the crimes, and another reason could be because homicide survivors tend to hide for long periods. The thirst for blood doesn’t care about the survivors’ feelings or what PTSD is doing to them. The media or even known people would ask stupid questions, make jokes, or painful comments regardless of what the survivor might be going through. Today, we have the opportunity of hearing the story of a homicide survivor from Jan Canty.
Jan Canty earned a Ph.D. in psychology; she is an author, a podcast host, and a speaker. She has traveled to 5 continents, completed 6 triathlons, fought cancer, and adopted two special-needs sisters who are now grown.
Jan had a happy marriage for 11 years, enjoying sports and spending quality time with her family and extended family. One night, her husband didn’t come back from the office, and her life changed forever. For the last 18 months before that night, her husband lived a double life. He got in a relationship with a prostitute and her pimp, spending the marriage’s savings in the process, around $300,000.
After being chased by the media for two years after the murder, Jan decided to change her name and start a new life; she was 38.
30 years later, a series of nearly simultaneous events make her decide to come out of silence and tell her story about what happened. She wrote the book “A Life Divided” and started a podcast “Domino Effect of Murder,” where she interviews other homicide survivors, experts, and homicide detectives.
In this episode, Jan kindly shared the story of her husband’s gruesome murder and the details of how she dealt with being a survivor of such a horrible crime. We talked about the lack of empathy from the media and the people in general. She spoke about the opportunity of telling the story in her voice and what it meant to her. Finally, we talked about her work helping other survivors, her book, and her podcast.
Tune in to Episode 15 of Bravefull to hear more!
Some Questions I Ask:
- We are close to the anniversary of the launching of your book and your podcast. Could you tell us what you have done to achieve this breakthrough status? (1:05)
- I’m assuming the perpetrators of your husband’s murder were found guilty, and hopefully, they’re spending a long ass time in jail. Do they? (23:59)
- How do you continue to be self full and set boundaries as your story gets told over and over? (29:16)
- People, who are survivors of experiencing a violent murder, what’s the one thing you would want people to know that they can get from you? (32:10)
- How did you come up with the title “A Life Divided”? (46:25)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- A trip to Jan parent’s house that will change her life (3:16)
- A Sunday morning Jan would never forget. Visiting the morgue (12:01)
- Jan decides to start a new life (18:15)
- After 30 years, Jan decided to help other homicide survivors (24:59)
- Jan’s advice on how to help homicide survivors (52:18)
Resources:
- Jan Canty Ph.D. website
- Book: Jan Canty – A Life Divided: A psychologist’s memoir about the double life and murder of her husband – and her road to recovery
- Domino Effect of Murder Podcast
- Book: George Dawson – Life is So Good
- Book: Bill Jenkins – What to Do When the Police Leave: A Guide to the First Days of Traumatic Loss
- Book: Richard A. Chefetz – Intensive Psychotherapy for Persistent Dissociative Processes: The Fear of Feeling Real
- Homicide Survivors Inc. Arizona
- Marsy’s Law
Connect with Jan:
Let’s Connect!
Email: alqziegert@gmail.com
Bravefull 