Send us a text

🎙️ Podcast Summary:

In this compelling episode, Yolanda sits down with Lena Sisco — former Department of Defense interrogator, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and body language expert. Lena shares her extraordinary and unexpected journey from archaeology to military intelligence, revealing the mental and emotional endurance it takes to interrogate high-value detainees, including at Guantanamo Bay. She discusses her development of a rapport-based interrogation method, the power of empathy and listening, and her experiences training law enforcement and corporate leaders in communication and human behavior.

🔥 Top Juicy Subjects Covered:

• Becoming an Interrogator: Initially hesitant, Lena was recruited into one of the first IPW (Interrogation of Prisoners of War) programs allowing women.
• Training Breakdown: Describes grueling military training meant to strip ego and rebuild resilience and open-mindedness.
• Gitmo Deployment: Shares raw insights from her first real-world assignment at Guantanamo Bay, including sensory overload, nerves, and how she learned on the job.
• Empathy vs. Aggression: Advocates for building trust over fear, even in high-stakes scenarios, challenging old-school macho interrogation styles.
• Strategic Listening: Talks about how real listening uncovers both information and motivation, critical to interrogation and everyday communication.
• The Birth of Her Method: After rejecting traditional aggressive techniques, Lena created a rapport-based system that has since trained law enforcement and businesses.
• TV Series "Killer Performance": Behind-the-scenes look at analyzing real serial killers’ behavior on a true-crime TV series.
• Her Favorite Interrogation Win: Tells a powerful story about a detainee named Abdulaziz who turned informant simply because Lena was “too nice to lie to.”
• New Books in the Works: Lena is working on two more books, including one on dark psychology aimed at helping everyday people navigate manipulation.

Biography

Lena Sisco is the CEO and Founder of two companies, The Congruency Group and Sector Intelligence. She is a former Naval Intelligence Officer and Marine Corps-certified interrogator who conducted hundreds of interrogations during the Global War on Terror.

Lena Sisco is an expert in body language (voted top 11th in the world by GlobalGurus), communication techniques, lie detection, and leadership. She was voted the top #11 body language expert worldwide and has appeared on multiple news outlets, such as FoxLiveNow, Newsmax, and CourtTV. She has been an expert witness on the HBO Series “Burden of Proof,” Reelz Series, “Killer Performance,” and an Emmy-nominated court TV show. She is a TEDx speaker, a keynote speaker, and an expert panelist for SPYEX and the SPY Museum in Washington, D.C.

Since 2003, Lena has trained the Department of Defense, government agencies, law enforcement, special forces, and private sector industries in body language, interviewing, statement analysis, detecting deception, elicitation, executive presence, and change leadership.

Lena is certified in Organizational Change Management and received her certificate in the Psychology of Leadership from Cornell University. She has a Master's degree in archaeology from Brown University and a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Rhode Island. She is the author of “You’re Lying,” “Honest Answers,” and “The 13 Power Moves of Dark Psychology.” You can reach her at [email protected] or at +1 703.898.6364. Her websites are: www.thecongruencygroup.com and www.sectorintell.com.

Security Circle ⭕️ is an IFPOD production for IFPO the International Foundation of Protection Officers