An Interview With Yitzi Weiner
Leadership is doing the right thing even when you believe there is no one there to follow you. Speak up, shine the light, and act with courage. Eventually, people will wake up and they will join a leader of integrity.
As a part of our series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, we had the pleasure to interview Cynthia L. Clack.
Cynthia L. Clack is a Texas lawyer, author and fierce advocate. After 48 years of practicing law, her new book “Discovering the Club: Piecing Together the Puzzling Network of Parental Pimping, Ritualistic Abuse, and Sex Trafficking” was released to the public this week on July 28, 2026. On the first day, her book hit Best Seller Ranking by Amazon as Number 1 in the Child Advocacy category and Number 35 in True Crime.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was born and grew up in a small town in West Texas. My parents were both very influential in my life with my mother passing on her love of teaching and being a reading specialist and my dad being a lawyer and later a District Judge. I am the middle child with both of my brothers being debaters in high school and we all three attended college and law school at Baylor University. Education, reading, church, and extracurricular activities were important to all of us.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
I loved the Nancy Drew books when I was a girl. She was smart and adventurous.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake was perhaps one of my most embarrassing moments. I had flown from Midland to Austin for a State Bar meeting with important lawyers. I thought I was sharply dressed and looked pretty cute that day. Much to my horror when I got home, I had a big hole in the fabric of my skirt right where I had been sitting all day. The lesson learned is to check my clothing and don’t get too arrogant — I just might have my butt exposed!
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
People need to wake up to this horrific issue that the sexual predators and their protectors are operating in plain sight. We need to listen to the children who make these outcries and quit calling them liars.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
Each story is interesting to me so this question is hard to answer. In the year 2001, I turned in our local Chief of Police to the Federal authorities for having child pornography on his home computer. He plead guilty and went to federal prison. At the end of the year, our local newspaper ranked the top stories of the year and this was ranked #1. The number 2 story of the year was September 11th with the twin towers attacked and the #3 story was local hometown boy, George W. Bush, being sworn in as President of the United States. It is rare for a divorce lawyer to get headline news for the work I do but that year it beat out other national stories in the ranking in the newspaper.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
I had been to a funeral on July 29, 2023. When I came home in a quiet moment of meditation, my Inner Voice told me to start writing the book. Although I didn’t know exactly what I was going to write nor did I have an outline, I got out my Bic pen and notebook paper and started writing.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
My client “Janice” has lived through tremendously tough litigation as we have learned together the breadth and depth of her children’s sexual abuse, sex trafficked by their father, witnesses to murders and other horrific abuse. We are both still standing and working together today as we continue seeking safety and healing for them and other survivors.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Listen to the children who are making reports of sexual abuse.
- Have compassion for survivors of sexual abuse and honor their stories.
- Investigate and enforce the laws against the predators — no matter how wealthy, powerful or influential they are.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is doing the right thing even when you believe there is no one there to follow you. Speak up, shine the light, and act with courage. Eventually, people will wake up and they will join a leader of integrity.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1. Listen to your Inner Voice and know what that is.
2. In all things be thankful. Even when something I really wanted didn’t come about, eventually I realize it was the best thing that could have happened. I have been saved many times from the things I wanted only to realize later that it would have been a disaster had I received it.
3. Don’t get your feelings hurt when people reject you. I was the 3rd woman lawyer in Odessa, Texas in 1978. My husband had been hired by a prestigious law firm but no one would hire me, even though we had the same education and credentials. Finally, after about 49 interviews and rejections, I was hired on the 50th try. All I needed was a chance.
4. Don’t put people on pedestals. Be respectful and learn from them but remember that everyone is human.
5. Be confident but never arrogant. There is a difference. Confidence combined with being humble and kind is the best foot forward. It is also okay to admit you don’t know something. We are all learning.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“In all things be thankful”. I deal with some really hard cases and harsh facts. I can be thankful for my clients and my ability to help them or try to help them. I work in a field where I have the opportunity to make a huge difference in people’s lives. I do pray that I do that well.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would like to meet Melinda French Gates. I have read her books and I admire her courage and integrity. We have many things in common except I’m not a billionaire or a computer genius. We both have a desire to uplift the women and children in this world
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Facebook — Cynthia L. Clack
Instagram — discoveringtheclub Cynthia L. Clack
LinkedIn — Cynthia L. Clack
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About The Interviewer: Yitzi Weiner is a journalist, author, and the founder & Editor-In-Chief of Authority Magazine. The guiding principle behind all of Authority Magazine’s content is that good stories should be beautiful to heart, mind, and eyes. Yitzi is also the CEO of Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator, which has guided dozens of leaders to become trusted authorities in their field after becoming syndicated columnists, authors, and media commentators. Yitzi is also the author of five books. At Authority Magazine, Yitzi has conducted or coordinated more than 4000 empowering interviews with prominent Authorities like Shaquille O’Neal, Floyd Mayweather, Kelly Rowland, Bobbi Brown, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Lindsay Lohan, Cal Ripken Jr., Jillian Michaels, Derek Hough, and the C-Suite executives of companies like eBay, Kroger, American Express, MasterCard, 3M, L’Oréal, Walgreens, Intuit, Virgin, Campbell, Walmart, CVS, Wells Fargo, AT&T, Oracle, ZOOM, Udemy, Samuel Adams Beer, Zappos, Adobe, Capital One, Lockheed Martin, Gallup, Procter & Gamble , Anheuser-Busch, Chipotle, Starbucks, and thousands others. A trained Rabbi, Yitzi is also a dynamic educator, teacher and orator. He currently lives in Maryland with his wife and children. If you are a successful leader in your field, and think you would be a good fit for the Thought leader Incubator, feel free to reach out to Yitzi anytime.
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Cynthia L Clack Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.