The Case of April Wilkens and SB 1835 with Tracey Lyall & Colleen McCarty Artwork

Shift Out Loud with Tracy Spears

Hosted by Tracy Spears, speaker, co-author of two best selling leadership books, founder of The Leader Lab, coach, and head cheerleader for anyone trying to play bigger. Shift Out Loud is a podcast designed to inspire you to play bigger. You'll hear from real live people sharing what their shift was, when it happened, and why it was out loud. What you think is true, and when you move from the external locus of control to the internal locus of control, your shift can happen and anything becomes possible. This podcast is your invitation to listen to others who have made the shift, and also serve as a catalyst for you to play bigger.

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Shift Out Loud with Tracy Spears

The Case of April Wilkens and SB 1835 with Tracey Lyall & Colleen McCarty

October 14, 2025 • Tracy Spears • Episode 66

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I have not one, but two incredible guests for this timely and important episode of Shift Out Loud. We’ll be exploring the case of domestic violence survivor April Wilkens, who was recently denied a shortened sentence for a crime directly related to her abuse: the murder of her long-time rapist and abuser.

Tracey Lyall is the CEO of Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) in Tulsa and a Licensed Social Worker with years of direct service and advocacy for victims of DV and sexual assault. Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice co-founder Colleen McCarty has been a key advocate in pushing for survivor justice reform through the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act (SB 1835), which passed the OK Senate 46-0 and the OK House 86-4.

In this impactful conversation, Tracey and Colleen discuss why SB 1835 is vital legislation for Oklahomans, how it compares to similar measures enacted in other states, and why April Wilkins should be granted relief and be reunited with her family.

Listen now to discover:

The details of April’s horrific story and the current status of her legal case
Why April’s denial was so shocking and what you can do to help support her cause
The potential impact of SB 1835 on Oklahoma’s incarcerated women

Guest bios: Tracey Lyall is a Licensed Social Worker and the CEO of DVIS in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2013, along with the board of directors, she led the organization’s $24 million capital campaign to build a new shelter, transitional housing, and counseling office. She has worked in the areas of poverty, DV, crisis intervention, and mental health. Attorney Colleen McCarty has served as Policy Counsel and Deputy Director of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform. She is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and was instrumental in passing medical parole reform in 2020 (SB 320).

Timestamps:

01:51 Intro

03:56 Meet Tracey Lyall & Colleen McCarty

07:00 Passing SB 1835

09:16 Oklahoma Appleseed & SB 1835’s strengths

14:33 DV stats, stigma & retaliation

20:27 April’s case

31:12 Colleen’s work

34:00 Tracey’s reaction

36:13 Support for April

41:46 Current actions & influences

45:14 Colleen’s final thoughts