Understanding how a child becomes a target | Interview with Anna Sonoda

In this episode, Jeremy speaks with Anna Sonoda, author of Duck Duck Groom, about how grooming works and how adults—not children—must be empowered to recognize and interrupt it. Drawing from her experience working with sexual offenders, Anna explains the four stages of grooming—flattery, favoritism, forbidden fruits, and fear—and emphasizes that grooming is intentional, gradual, and observable. The conversation focuses on the need for adult education, strong communication with children, and community-wide action to prevent abuse before it happens.

Anna's bio.

Anna Sonoda, an Emory University graduate with degrees in Anthropology and French Studies, earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Georgia in 2006 and became a licensed clinician in 2009. With experience counseling sexual offenders, working in mental health settings, and providing anger management and domestic violence treatment, she developed a deep understanding of grooming behaviors. This led her to write Duck Duck Groom: Understanding How a Child Becomes a Target (2022) and Duck Duck Groom: A Guided Journal, offering resources for prevention and survivor healing.

Anna's links.

Website: https://annasonoda.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BYK4LV4Q

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