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Artwork for Personally: Agent Layla
Society & CultureDocumentary

Personally: Agent Layla

CBC

When she was 20 years old, something terrible happened to Vienna Luke. And for more than a decade, the truth of that night remains buried. But when Vienna becomes a mother, she realizes she must confront the past and uncover the truth – whatever the consequences for her family. Her sister Shawnessy comes aboard in the role of dogged detective and Vienna plays the secret agent in a relentless search for answers and justice. Personally: Agent Layla is a gripping true story about memory, family and how far one woman must go to set the record straight. Hosted by Jodie Martinson. 


Episode one is available wherever you get your podcasts, September 21. 


---ABOUT PERSONALLY---

Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human.

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  • 23 episodes
  • Avg 32 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • S11 · E4
    October 12 · 37 min

    Episode 4: ‘I Get To Tell The Truth’

    <p>Vienna Luke fights for justice in the courtroom and works to take back control over her life and story.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://agentlayla.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://agentlayla.ca/</a></p>

  • S11 · E3
    October 5 · 43 min

    Episode 3: ‘Are You Recording This?’

    <p>Vienna confronts her abuser face-to-face chasing a confession that could hold up in court.</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Agent Layla now, early and ad-free, on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/channel/cbc-stories/id6443681642" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts</a>.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://agentlayla.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://agentlayla.ca/</a></p>

  • S11 · E2
    September 28 · 40 min

    Episode 2: The Sister Detectives

    <p>Vienna and Shawnessy break off contact with their brother-in-law and something about becoming a mother makes Vienna ready to dig for the truth about what he did to her.</p><p><br></p><p>Can’t wait for next week’s episode? Hear all episodes of Personally: Agent Layla now, ad-free, on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/channel/cbc-stories/id6443681642" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>https://agentlayla.ca/</p>

  • S11 · E1
    September 20 · 39 min

    Episode 1: The Sin That So Easily Entangles

    <p>Vienna Luke grew up in a loving Christian family. All that changed when her brother-in-law entered the picture.</p><p><br></p><p>Can’t wait for next week’s episode? Hear all episodes of Personally: Agent Layla now, ad-free, on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/channel/cbc-stories/id6443681642" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts</a>.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://agentlayla.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://agentlayla.c

  • September 14 · 2 min

    Introducing: Agent Layla

    <p>Vienna Luke became an undercover police operative to figure out what really happened to her on the worst night of her life.</p><p><br></p><p>Make sure you follow Personally, so you know when the series becomes available on September 20.</p><p><br></p><p>https://agentlayla.ca/</p>

  • S10 · E5
    June 29 · 33 min

    Discount Dave (and the Fix), Episode 5: The Good Girl

    <p>Becca tries to find out more about Discount Dave. But the more she learns about him, the more she questions her own behaviour. She attends his trial, and as she listens to the testimonies, buried secrets are revealed. Hurled into her truth, and this time with nowhere to run, Becca is finally forced to reckon with herself. Her salvation. Her dog.</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Discount Dave (and the Fix) now, early and ad-free, on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/chann

  • S10 · E4
    June 22 · 18 min

    Discount Dave (and the Fix), Episode 4: Crazy from the Heat

    <p>Back home in Vancouver, Becca gets a job in a debaucherous French restaurant where they encourage their staff to drink. One day, Talia comes to town. Talia, now a nurse, has her life together. A husband, kids, the whole enchilada. She gives Becca her perspective of the Discount Dave night, but it’s not what Becca remembers. Talia dishes a hard truth - Becca attempts an escape - but this time, she takes Talia with her and their reunion takes an unexpected turn.</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episod

  • S10 · E3
    June 15 · 16 min

    Discount Dave (and the Fix), Episode 3: I Liked it

    <p>Becca is on a mission and The Plant Lady is calling the shots. Unsure of what she really wants, she tries out New York City because, because, because… that’s what actors do. But New York is hot. It’s a hustle. Until she meets a charismatic musician. Obsession kicks in. It’s better than blow.</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Discount Dave (and the Fix) now, early and ad-free, on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/channel/cbc-stories/id6443681642" rel="noopener noreferrer"

  • S10 · E2
    June 10 · 26 min

    Discount Dave (and the Fix), Episode 2: Sweet Boyfriend

    <p>Two years before Becca gets duped by Discount Dave, she falls in love with Sweet Boyfriend. They are young and wild. Loving hard and partying harder until tragedy strikes. Becca finds herself in Winnipeg doing a one-woman show but she’s just surviving. Eventually, isolation drives her to escape. She seeks solace from her parents, and they send her to see “The Plant Lady”.</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Discount Dave (and the Fix) now, early and ad-free, on <a href="https://

  • S10 · E1
    June 10 · 19 min

    Discount Dave (and the Fix), Episode 1: I Runneth with the Devil

    <p>Becca, a hedonistic actor, spots a familiar face in a courtroom, and is hurled back to a cocaine fueled night 14 years earlier, when her best friend’s date with David Lee Roth took an unexpected turn. In the past, when Talia tells Becca she’s going out with the lead singer of the iconic rock band Van Halen, Becca wants a piece of the action. So she invites the two of them to come party backstage at the Shakespeare festival she’s working at. It’s a wild night that becomes Becca’s go-to party s

  • June 5 · 1 min

    Introducing: Discount Dave (and the Fix)

    <p>Introducing an upcoming season of Personally, called Discount Dave (and the Fix). When David Lee Roth crashes the backstage party at a Shakespeare Festival, Becca — a hedonistic young actor, is set on a path of self-reckoning. A harrowing and hilarious blend of memoir and auto-fiction, Discount Dave (and The Fix) is the true-ish story of a fake rockstar, a real trial and what it means to stop running, face yourself and fight to heal.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Episode one of this series, "I Runne

  • S9 · E9
    June 1 · 44 min

    Creation Myth: Life After Memoir

    <p>Avery Trufelman interviews Helena de Groot about the making of Creation Myth, and how it transformed some of the most important relationships in her life. Including special guests! Also Helena introduces the next season of CBC’s Personally, it’s called Discount Dave (and the Fix) and episodes one and two are coming on June 10.</p><p><br></p><p>Want to stay in touch? Follow Helena on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenavelikaja/</p>

  • May 12 · 47 min

    What If Closure Never Comes? | From A Slight Change of Plans

    <p>Helena joins Maya Shankar on her show, A Slight Change of Plans from Pushkin to talk about her story: what happened, how she questioned and re-questioned her decisions, and how she found peace within uncertainty.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Find A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get your podcasts, and here: <a href="lnk.to/SCPPersonally" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lnk.to/SCPPersonally</a></p>

  • S9 · E8
    March 24 · 43 min

    Creation Myth, Episode 8: Yes

    <p>When Helena was still married to David, she lived through something she doesn’t often revisit—it was too big, too scary. But now she’s ready to talk about it with two friends who were there: Chris and Bernadette. They are a generation older and do not have children. Together, they finally answer the question. What does purpose look like without kids?&nbsp;</p>

  • S9 · E7
    March 17 · 35 min

    Creation Myth, Episode 7: Orb of Calm

    <p>Four of Helena’s friends are pregnant. They’re spending more time with other mothers and mothers-to-be. Will there still be room for her? And while her friends experience the biggest transformation, Helena clings to her routines. Why can’t she be more spontaneous—like her sister! Her sister once got on a boat to the North Pole with six strangers to see vegetarian orcas. It did not go well. But it taught her the biggest truth on planet earth. Can Helena learn it too?</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all

  • S9 · E6
    March 10 · 36 min

    Creation Myth, Episode 6: The Nuclear Option

    <p>Since she can’t decide if she should get sterilized or not, Helena asks a stranger. A guy named Sam who doesn’t have any stake in her life. Sam regretted having his kid. He didn’t realize at the time what he was getting into, what he would be giving up. But he understood the moment his son was born. So when Helena asks, “Should I have a kid or no?” Sam is ready for it, “I thought you'd never ask.”</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on <a hr

  • S9 · E5
    March 3 · 35 min

    Creation Myth, Episode 5: All of it

    <p>Just like her grandmother, her great-grandmother, and her aunt, Helena gets depressed. She sits down with her mother Annika, to really talk about it.&nbsp;“It was as if your skin no longer fit,” her mother says. Together they unearth the painful moments that have shaped their relationship. After years of struggling with her mental health, Helena is left wondering what to do with the time she has left?</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on <

  • S9 · E4
    February 24 · 38 min

    Creation Myth, Episode 4: Freedom Form

    <p>With her sterilization scheduled, Helena sits down with her new lover to explain her decision. But the conversation leads in an unexpected direction. More confused than ever, she reaches out to Alejandra, a woman who underwent the same procedure and doesn’t regret her decision—it confirmed her true identity. Helena is not so sure. The clock is ticking. What is she scared of?</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on <a href="https://podcasts.ap

  • S9 · E3
    February 17 · 41 min

    Creation Myth, Episode 3: Doors Do Close

    <p>After her abortion, Helena’s marriage is at a tipping point. David still wants kids, and she wants her tubes tied. In a moment of despair, a conversation with Ama the poet shifts Helena's understanding of what a good life can look like. Maybe she can center her pleasure?</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally: Creation Myth now, early and ad-free, on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/channel/cbc-stories/id6443681642" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBC Stories Premium

  • S9 · E2
    February 10 · 36 min

    Creation Myth, Episode 2: Pregnant

    <p>Helena does not want kids. Her husband does. For years they’ve battled it out. Then, while he is on his way back from a surfing trip, she finds out she’s pregnant. What will she tell him? What should she do? She calls her dear friend Joshua for help: he’s wise, he’s a parent, he knows her well. But she doesn’t have a lot of time. Her husband will be home in an hour.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>This episode was a 2025 Tribeca Official&nbsp;Selection.</p><p><br></p><p>Hear all episodes of Personally

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