Dear Katie: Survivor Stories: Recent Episodes
Katie Koestner
Katie Koestner, who appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine at age 18 as the first to speak out nationally as the victim of date rape, talks with survivors of sexual assault, rape, and abuse about what they went through and how it impacted their life afterward. Katie is joined by her co-host Claire Kaplan, Ph.D., who is a victim advocate, educator, and activist, as they delve into backlash, legal systems, campus reactions, family and friends, mental health, PTSD, substance use, body image, and the journey from hurt to healing and thriving.
'If she had asked, would I have told her?'
Living in fear of violence in his own home, young David is faced with an impossible situation. Unable to tolerate the abuse any further, he and his brother make the tragic decision to end the life of their abuser. Waiting in jail and confronted with the prospect of the death penalty, David finds faith and makes the powerful choice to do his time, not let the time do him.
David Garlock is a successful returning citizen, reentry professional, and criminal justice reform advocate. David and his brother received 25-year sentences in Alabama after taking the life of their abuser. A client of the Equal Justice Initiative, he was released on parole in 2013 after serving more than 13 years and pursuing several educational opportunities while incarcerated. He subsequently obtained his bachelor's degree from Eastern University and was the Lancaster Program Director for New Person Ministries, a reentry program for people convicted of a sexual offense and other returning citizens. He is a frequent speaker at colleges and universities, criminal and social justice conferences, and community events.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Jennifer Mondino has been a civil rights lawyer and advocate for survivors of gender-based violence for almost 25 years. She is currently the Senior Director of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund at the National Women's Law Center. The TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund was launched in January 2018, months after #MeToo went viral. It is the only nationwide resource for people facing workplace sex harassment and retaliation to connect with legal help, and the only legal defense fund that provides dedicated funding for legal representation and media and storytelling assistance in workplace sex harassment and retaliation matters.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'I didn't want to be known as the girl that this happened to.'
Enjoying Greek life as a young college student, Abby trusts a fraternity brother to walk her home after a late party. Taking his offer of refuge as it begins to storm, she falls asleep in his room. He assaults her in her sleep, and Abby reports him to the police. Over the next few months, she begins a journey of justice, advocacy, and healing.
Abby is a 20-year-old studying Social Work, and she cares deeply about helping others and giving back to her community. As a survivor, her experiences have shaped who she is and pushed her to turn something difficult into something meaningful. She has contributed to the passing of SB 358, a Kansas bill that removes bail after conviction for high-level offenders, and was also honored to receive the Community Champion Victim Service Award in Wichita. Abby is passionate about making sure people feel heard, supported, and not alone, and she tries to carry that into everything she does.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Joining us today is Tricia Gray, the CEO and Founder of Aditus Partners and the author of the much-anticipated memoir, A Lotus Legacy. After rising above the tragic loss of her mother to domestic abuse, she transformed her pain into a life of extraordinary purpose—becoming a top-tier healthcare executive and the Governing Board President for Women in Health Administration of Southern California. Her story is a powerful roadmap for anyone looking to bloom through the mud and redefine their own future. We’re honored to have her here to share how she built a legacy that is truly her own.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She is the host of the When Bearing Witness® podcast and facilitates the When Bearing Witness® Trauma-Informed Storytelling Certification Program. Her work helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Phoenix's pattern started early: as a teenager, she identified gaps in her own school's education system and set out to fix them. That instinct carried through her Air Force career, where she became the youngest Suicide Intervention Skills Instructor. That leadership turned into reigniting a student veteran association, founding veteran organizations, and serving the two oldest civil rights organizations. She's a mom whose daughter just graduated from a prestigious liberal arts high school, runs a consulting practice focused on civic engagement and education, and has carried her hope to run for office since fifth grade. She’s a biracial Tlingit and Haida tribal citizen, lover of art and fashion, cat mom, and former youth soccer coach.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Breaking negative emotional circuits is a challenge for many survivors of trauma. This week, we sit down with Laurel Mellin to discuss strategies for rewiring the brain and sitting with negative experiences to emerge into states of joy.
Dr. Laurel Mellin is a health psychologist and founder of emotional brain training (EBT), a method for rewiring trauma that can be integrated into self-care as well as psychotherapy. She developed EBT during her 42 years as a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She directs the Solution Foundation, which trains health professionals in EBT, and has a private practice in the method.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Laura Chiodo
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Returning to the Dear Katie Podcast, Dr. Winnie Li shares more insights on activism, advocacy, and healing.
Dr. Winnie M Li is an author, activist, and educator. A former filmmaker, Winnie’s life and career trajectory were severely disrupted at the age of 29, when she became the victim of a violent stranger rape in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her debut novel Dark Chapter (2017) is a fictional re-imagining of that assault and its aftermath, from the perspectives of both victim and perpetrator. Her subsequent novels Complicit (2022) and What We Left Unsaid (2025) also address the legacy of trauma, in workplaces and in families. Winnie’s doctoral research at the London School of Economics explored the emotional labour of ‘public’ rape survivors, and she is now an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham in the UK.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'I went in there to be safe... I couldn't protect myself.'
Partying on spring break as teenagers do, Carissa seeks safety among friends after drinking too much. She is taken advantage of in her vulnerable state, assaulted by the group, and recorded. Getting through her healing journey one day at a time, today she advocates and lobbies state legislators to lift the statute of limitations for sexual assault and child molestation. Her passion is speaking for others until they find their voice, and whether it's as a guest speaker or at the state house, she hopes to advocate for our survivors. She wants survivors to know that they too matter and that healing and finding your voice take time.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'I remember so much of it... In my previous traumas, I blacked out a lot of the very traumatic stuff... but this one was different.'
Today, we're joined by Lizzy Fowler, an ultra-marathon trail runner and award-winning documentary filmmaker. After finding her own passion for running while exploring the neuroscience of the "flow state" in her film work, Lizzy has gone on to complete grueling races like the Moab 240. Now, she's channeling that experience into her next challenge: a Fastest Known Time attempt on the legendary John Muir Trail, along with her mission ahead to empower other women along the way.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Isolated from her family and friends, Jenna finds herself on the receiving end of abuse from a serial cheater. Prompted to leave by her mother-in-law, she packs up in the night and gets back up on her feet with the help of Section 8. Today, she has dedicated her life to helping others get the second chance she did.
Jenna Ghisolfo is the Founder and CEO of Housing Consultants of America, a national consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals experiencing homelessness move off the streets and into safe, stable housing. With over 18 years of experience in the affordable housing industry, she partners with property owners, nonprofits, and housing agencies across the country to ensure compliance while expanding access to housing for vulnerable populations. Jenna is also a national speaker and advocate for domestic violence survivors, using her voice to raise awareness about housing stability and crisis resources. A former Section 8 resident herself, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her mission. She currently serves as the United States of America’s Mrs. Arizona, using her platform to empower, inspire, and uplift communities across the nation.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'Today, if I had to change course, I would still choose the Navy.'
Stephanie Gattas is a U.S. Navy veteran and mission-driven marketing and communications leader based in San Antonio, Texas. She’s the Founder and Executive Director of The Pink Berets, a nonprofit supporting women veterans and first responders through trauma-informed, holistic wellness programs. She’s also the CEO of Tactical One, a newly formed women’s safety technology company focused on building tools that help women feel safer in everyday life. Stephanie brings a blend of real-world leadership, advocacy, and practical strategy to every conversation. When she’s not working, she loves cooking, especially when it’s an excuse to gather people and take care of her community.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Surviving incredible normalized violence from a young age, Adama Nyama Bah lives in incredible pain in silence as her suffering is celebrated. Sharing her harrowing personal journey finding freedom after being repeatedly victimized, she finds power and healing by speaking up and fighting for the voices of fellow survivors. Adama is a strong advocate for survivors of sexual violence and aims to provide holistic support that will enable individuals to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
"Even just the honoring of 'it happened' ... is just so important."
Halli Lou Faulkner is a somatic therapist and trauma-informed trainer who specializes in creating healing spaces for sexual assault survivors. Drawing on body-based practices, mindfulness, and compassionate presence, she supports individuals and communities in reconnecting with their bodies and restoring a sense of safety, agency, and wholeness. Through her trainings and programs, Halli Lou helps women cultivate resilience, deepen embodiment, and build pathways toward collective healing. She loves reality TV, swimming in the ocean, and riding bikes with her six-year-old daughter.
For more information on Halli Lou Faulkner and her work, look here:
https://www.emdrandpsychotherapy.com/about/
https://www.hallifaulkner.com/trauma-informed-training
https://www.hallifaulkner.com/somatic-therapy
Trying to keep his head down after breaking the rules as a new Coast Guard officer, Julian is on his best behavior when he is invited to drink with some other officers. Trusting his new friends, he is drugged and raped, floating back to his room in a haze. Julian represses these memories for years, until a class brings old memories to the surface, and he shares his story openly with the instructor, beginning his healing journey.
Julian Bell is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer with 23 years of service and the founder of Safe Waters, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault and harassment in military communities. During his career, he served as a victim advocate and worked to elevate survivor voices and push for greater accountability within institutional systems. After witnessing the gaps in support for many survivors, he helped build Safe Waters to provide peer connection, resources, and community-centered healing. Julian is now preparing to pursue a graduate degree in counseling psychology so he can continue supporting survivors through trauma-informed care. He lives in California with his wife and children and remains deeply committed to advocacy, healing, and cultural change.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'What good would it do? I heard that over and over.'
Today’s guest is Leslie Crowe, a writer, advocate, and survivor who brings honesty and compassion to difficult conversations. Leslie is the proud mom of two sons and a longtime autism advocate who founded NeedQuest to help families navigate resources for children with special needs. She is also a breast cancer survivor and a fierce advocate for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. After many years of silence, Leslie found the courage to release her shame and speak openly about her experiences, using her voice to challenge silence and create space for healing, truth, and accountability.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'This is the only purpose I have.'
Dawn Jackson is a justice-impacted advocate, public speaker, and survivor whose life is a testament to resilience and transformation. After serving more than 25 years in prison, she received clemency in 2024 and now uses her voice to uplift survivors of sexual and domestic violence. A wife, mother of 11, and grandmother of 22, Dawn combines lived experience, education, healing, and faith to inspire others to reclaim their power. She is the founder of From Darkness to Dawn, LLC, and the author of the forthcoming memoir Suppressed Secrets. Dawn speaks nationally, reminding audiences that their past chapters do not define their future.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Inheriting a familial military legacy, Rachel joined the CIA after working a career in male-dominated spaces such as startups and as a military contractor. Discussing her experiences as a military family member, to living through a war in service, she shares a rare perspective on military life, culture, and survivorship.
Rachel Cuda made history as the first-ever CIA officer to approach Congress about the Agency’s treatment of sexual assault victims, advocating for systemic change. Leading generations of other survivors, she helped share their stories and was the first of only two CIA officers selected to testify before Congress under oath in closed-door hearings. In just eleven months, her efforts culminated in landmark legislation being passed as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that mandated reforms such as requiring the CIA establish a dedicated Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention office, improving reporting mechanisms, enhancing victim support, and ensuring independent investigations to address sexual misconduct more effectively. Previously anonymous to the public, Rachel came forward in Fall 2024, sharing her name and story with the world.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Pursuing her dreams of becoming an actress, Kaila takes many auditions that expose her to the dark exploitation of Hollywood. Unsure of what's normal and living a double life, she's pushed beyond the point of comfort and videotaped in a vulnerable position. Kaila spends years feeling like damaged goods, breaking through the shame with therapy and finding a path to healing.
Kaila Yu is an author based in Los Angeles. Her debut memoir, ‘Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty,’ was published in August 2025. She is also a luxury travel and culture writer and on-camera correspondent with bylines in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Bon Appétit, Conde Nast Traveler, and many more.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
"My grandfather had abused 13 of the 14 kids [...] you see a lot of repeated cycles."
Forced to lie for her family at 14, Priscilla spends her adolescent years living in turmoil and terror. Clawing her way toward forgiveness through faith, she draws on lessons from her own story to fight for justice and healing for both victims and perpetrators.
Priscilla Bordayo is a Michigan-based sexual abuse advocate. She has been sought out as a motivational speaker by numerous community organizations, such as law enforcement, the National Guard, prisons across the United States, and both public and private schools, to discuss her story of overcoming incest and bring awareness to familial abuse. Priscilla has been invited to speak before the Senate and House of Representatives and led the creation of the “Clean Slate Bill”, signed by Governor Whitmer in 2020. Her mission is to end the cycle of abuse, following the motto 'hurt people, hurt people'.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
"'I don't think you should be around him, he seems very forceful.' ... I didn't listen, of course."
Navigating visceral physical reactions, self-blame, and denial in the wake of extreme violation, Amy becomes a ghost of her former self, pushing through stories circling about her experience. Supported by her family, she reports her assaulter to the police, and he disappears. After years of numbing herself, she begins to heal with therapy and leans heavily on her support system, sharing her lessons and journey with us today.
Amy McKiernan is the author of the powerful book, More Than A Survivor: Eight Keys to Overcoming Sexual Assault and Finding a Path to Living a Fulfilled Life. In her book, Amy draws on her personal experience to outline the eight keys she discovered for not just surviving but truly flourishing after trauma. Combining a reflective journal with perspectives from her own support system, she provides a rare and valuable resource that survivors, family, and friends can connect with and learn from.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Desensitized to sexualization, young Marina is dazzled by Jeffrey Epstein's collection of Victoria's Secret Bottles and models for him, topless. Later testifying as Minor Victim #1 in the case against him, she shares a journey of exploitation, survival, escape, and ultimately, healing.
Marina is a girl from Brazil who survived abuse and is now determined to make a change. She uses her voice to help other women break their silence because she knows how powerful speaking out can be. Her hope is that by sharing her story, she inspires others to stand tall, so we can build a future where no one stays silent.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Find new insights from our incredible guest, Rachael Denhollander.
"How much is a little girl worth?"
Guided by a strong sense of justice since she was young, Rachael decided at ten that she wanted to be an attorney. However, her experience reporting abuse in her church comes with a terrible lesson: don't report unless you can prove it. Taking this to heart, when her gymnastics coach Larry Nassar sexually assaults her, she stays silent.
16 years later, supported by investigative journalists and public outrage, she reports her abuse, becoming the first whistleblower and rallying an army of survivors to bring Larry Nassar to justice. Today, Rachael Denhollander speaks across the country to make change in institutions ranging from the government to religious organizations, pursuing survivor healing and institutional transformation.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Living amongst a backdrop of great racial upheaval in South Africa, Nonku is brutally attacked in the backseat of a taxi and left for dead. Sharing lessons about survivorship and joy, she brings laughter and light into a story of overcoming violence and triumphing against all odds.
Nonku Shuping is an author and the founder of The Love Centre and Radiant Community nonprofit organizations. Beyond her writing, Nonku is a dynamic facilitator and speaker. She offers power-skills training, workshops, and keynote engagements designed to equip individuals and communities with tools for resilience.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Living amongst a backdrop of great racial upheaval in South Africa, Nonku is brutally attacked in the backseat of a taxi and left for dead. Sharing lessons about survivorship and joy, she brings laughter and light into a story of overcoming violence and triumphing against all odds.
Nonku Shuping is an author and the founder of The Love Centre and Radiant Community nonprofit organizations. Beyond her writing, Nonku is a dynamic facilitator and speaker. She offers power-skills training, workshops, and keynote engagements designed to equip individuals and communities with tools for resilience.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Dr. Winnie M Li is an author, activist, and educator. A former filmmaker, Winnie’s life and career trajectory were severely disrupted at the age of 29, when she became the victim of a violent stranger rape in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her debut novel Dark Chapter (2017) is a fictional re-imagining of that assault and its aftermath, from the perspectives of both victim and perpetrator. Her subsequent novels Complicit (2022) and What We Left Unsaid (2025) also address the legacy of trauma, in workplaces and in families. Winnie’s doctoral research at the London School of Economics explored the emotional labour of ‘public’ rape survivors, and she is now an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham in the UK.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'There are people who want to create change, and there are people who don't want to create change.'
This week, we are joined by the incredible Scott Berkowitz for an engaging and timely conversation on sexual violence advocacy. Listen in as Scott and Katie discuss the formative moments of over 30 years of activism, current resources available to survivors, and visions for hope.
Scott Berkowitz is the founder and president of RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. Under his leadership, RAINN has become a transformative national force; the organization has supported more than 5 million survivors and their loved ones since its start in 1994, and helped pass legislation that has taken thousands of rapists off the streets and prevented countless rapes. RAINN is dedicated to stopping sexual violence by supporting survivors, holding perpetrators accountable, and creating safer communities.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'There are people who want to create change, and there are people who don't want to create change.'
This week, we are joined by the incredible Scott Berkowitz for an engaging and timely conversation on sexual violence advocacy. Listen in as Scott and Katie discuss the formative moments of over 30 years of activism, current resources available to survivors, and visions for hope.
Scott Berkowitz is the founder and president of RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. Under his leadership, RAINN has become a transformative national force; the organization has supported more than 5 million survivors and their loved ones since its start in 1994, and helped pass legislation that has taken thousands of rapists off the streets and prevented countless rapes. RAINN is dedicated to stopping sexual violence by supporting survivors, holding perpetrators accountable, and creating safer communities.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thordis Elva is a writer, speaker, and activist from Iceland who specializes in violence prevention and has shaped national and international policy on digital rights and gender equality. In 2017, she gained worldwide recognition for her book South of Forgiveness, a memoir about her sexual assault and subsequent journey to healing in which Thordis collaborated with her perpetrator, making her the first rape survivor in the world to publicly do so. It has since been published across four continents, with the accompanying TED talk having been viewed over 10 million times.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Image Credit: Eva Schram
Thordis Elva is a writer, speaker, and activist from Iceland who specializes in violence prevention and has shaped national and international policy on digital rights and gender equality. In 2017, she gained worldwide recognition for her book South of Forgiveness, a memoir about her sexual assault and subsequent journey to healing in which Thordis collaborated with her perpetrator, making her the first rape survivor in the world to publicly do so. It has since been published across four continents, with the accompanying TED talk having been viewed over 10 million times.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Image Credit: Eva Schram
This week, we sit down with three more incredible activists from across the country, who share their experiences and expertise in advocacy.
Gia Lanteri is a recent graduate of Fordham University, where she studied Communications and Culture with a minor in Creative Writing. At Fordham, she served as the President of The Women’s Network, leading initiatives on professional development, equality, and mental health. She’s built professional experience in public relations, supporting technology and venture capital clients with media strategy and storytelling, and is now preparing to apply to law school.
Nicholas Bloodworth currently serves as the Director of Counseling Services at Campbellsville University while maintaining an active clinical practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. He is in the final year of his PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in children and adolescents, which has been a defining step in his professional journey. Throughout his career, he's worked in trauma care, crisis intervention, group therapy, and clinical supervision. He is passionate about advancing the field through evidence-based practice, leadership, and training the next generation of clinicians.
Molly Harris received a Bachelor of Arts from Juniata College where she worked as a Student Advocate and Peer Educator in the Office for the Prevention of Interpersonal Violence. She has worked in several roles at a domestic violence agency, including Shelter Advocate, Legal Advocate, and Director for Coordinated Community Response. While advocating for domestic violence survivors, she also earned a Master of Science in Victimology from the University of Portsmouth (UK). Currently, she is the Director of Interpersonal Violence Prevention & Advocacy at Bucknell University.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
This week, we sit down with three more incredible activists from across the country, who share their experiences and expertise in advocacy.
Gia Lanteri is a recent graduate of Fordham University, where she studied Communications and Culture with a minor in Creative Writing. At Fordham, she served as the President of The Women’s Network, leading initiatives on professional development, equality, and mental health. She’s built professional experience in public relations, supporting technology and venture capital clients with media strategy and storytelling, and is now preparing to apply to law school.
Nicholas Bloodworth currently serves as the Director of Counseling Services at Campbellsville University while maintaining an active clinical practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. He is in the final year of his PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in children and adolescents, which has been a defining step in his professional journey. Throughout his career, he's worked in trauma care, crisis intervention, group therapy, and clinical supervision. He is passionate about advancing the field through evidence-based practice, leadership, and training the next generation of clinicians.
Molly Harris received a Bachelor of Arts from Juniata College where she worked as a Student Advocate and Peer Educator in the Office for the Prevention of Interpersonal Violence. She has worked in several roles at a domestic violence agency, including Shelter Advocate, Legal Advocate, and Director for Coordinated Community Response. While advocating for domestic violence survivors, she also earned a Master of Science in Victimology from the University of Portsmouth (UK). Currently, she is the Director of Interpersonal Violence Prevention & Advocacy at Bucknell University.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Sydney Tiller
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Kristina Haight is a passionate advocate, healer, and mother who brings deep compassion and authenticity to her work. Her life was forever changed after surviving a random act of violence, a home invasion in which a stranger broke in and committed a robbery and sexual assault. That traumatic event marked the beginning of a long and courageous healing journey, ultimately leading her to become a hospital and hotline advocate for other survivors, holding space during some of their most vulnerable moments. Most importantly, Kristina's journey led her back to herself—one that has led her to a life she is now fully living, enjoying, and proud of.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
"How do you forgive without an apology?"
Vulnerable due to neglected parenting, Becky is targeted by bullies and abusers. Falling victim to a powerful school superintendent, her journey seeking safety and connection takes her through trials and tribulations. She finally finds healing through a technique called brainspotting; hear more about her story and her healing in her book Anger, Alcohol, and Healing through Brainspotting.
Becky Nulle is a full-time student and published author. She lives in a rural area in Wisconsin with her Doberman and eight ducks, as well as the best husband in the world. She spends each day waking up thinking of something to be grateful for.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Faced with sexual violence at 10, Farhan used personal reflection and healing to push past societal stigmas and cultural barriers to break his silence, consciously committing to living bravely and authentically. Today, Farhan Manjiyani is a compassionate, relentless, brave leader living his vision of ending sexual assault in the world by being the permission slip for others to begin their own healing. Proudly identifying as an Ismaili Muslim with deep roots in the South Asian community, he leverages his personal and cultural experience to engage audiences with vital conversations around male sexual trauma. His latest short-term goal is to perfect his butter-chicken recipe.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
For Donna Besel, words are her life. A dynamic writer, storyteller, and educator, she shares incredible insights from a lifetime of survivorship and reckoning, and how her truth rocked her small hometown. Donna's best-selling memoir, The Unravelling: Incest and the Destruction of a Family, provides an honest glimpse into the tolls of sexual violence on survivors and communities.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Leaving a successful football career for a new calling, Don McPherson has spent the last few decades challenging classic notions of masculinity. Giving us the ins and outs of 'locker room talk' and male-only spaces, he shares insights from years of lived experience and activism.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Leaving a successful football career for a new calling, Don McPherson has spent the last few decades challenging classic notions of masculinity. Giving us the ins and outs of 'locker room talk' and male-only spaces, he shares insights from years of lived experience and activism.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Fighting to be believed in the face of a famous abuser, Stacey Pinkerton left her entire life to put her experiences behind her. But as news of Bill Cosby's arrest reaches her decades later, she knows she must speak her truth. Now an advocate fighting tirelessly to make sure abusers are held accountable, she has been featured in several award-winning documentaries such as "We Need To Talk About Cosby" and "The Case Against Cosby".
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Fighting to be believed in the face of a famous abuser, Stacey Pinkerton left her entire life to put her experiences behind her. But as news of Bill Cosby's arrest reaches her decades later, she knows she must speak her truth. Now an advocate fighting tirelessly to make sure abusers are held accountable, she has been featured in several award-winning documentaries such as "We Need To Talk About Cosby" and "The Case Against Cosby".
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Our guest today is Danika, a Canadian author, traveler, and dance instructor who traded a conventional career path in sciences for a life of exploration and creativity. Moving abroad to teach internationally led her to unexpected opportunities—like teaching ballet in Iraq.
Her travel memoir, 'One Year and a One-Way Ticket', shares her journey of self-discovery through solo travel and breaking expectations. Her work has been featured in Intrepid Times, Go World Travel Magazine, and more. Today, she’s here to share her insights on solo female travel safety, adventure, and making space for authenticity—welcome, Danika!
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Clare Awada is a survivor of childhood grooming and sexual abuse. Now a wife, mother of 3 boys, and forensic/SANE RN, Clare is working on spreading awareness of childhood sexual abuse and the red flags of grooming by sharing her story.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Growing up disconnected from her culture, Cher Obediah details her path to reconnect with the missing part of her indigenous background. She reflects on how colonialism and generational trauma affected her in an abusive relationship. Now, she helps others turn their “pain into purpose.”
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Tammy Valicenti, LICSW, is an international psychotherapist and speaker. With expertise in trauma recovery, she has achieved remarkable success in co-transforming various forms of trauma and has developed Transformation Soulution™, a cutting-edge synthesis of Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and other evidence-based therapies. This approach accomplishes in weeks or months what traditional psychotherapy achieves in years. Tammy practices modalities of healing she has personally benefited from, and invites you to do the same.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Tammy Valicenti, LICSW, is an international psychotherapist and speaker. With expertise in trauma recovery, she has achieved remarkable success in co-transforming various forms of trauma and has developed Transformation Soulution™, a cutting-edge synthesis of Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and other evidence-based therapies. This approach accomplishes in weeks or months what traditional psychotherapy achieves in years. Tammy practices modalities of healing she has personally benefited from, and invites you to do the same.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
"I feel that the glass is both half full and half empty."
Rowena Chiu is a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein. In 1998, she was sexually assaulted by him at the Venice Film Festival and was coerced into signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which silenced her for over twenty years. In 2017, a New York Times journalist came to her home and doorstepped her husband of over a decade, revealing information about the assault and NDA. Rowena was featured in the subsequent NYT investigation, but she insisted on remaining anonymous. In 2019, she finally broke her story on the NBC Today Show, live in front of three million viewers. Rowena's story was featured in both the book and the movie, SHE SAID. She has given over 700 media interviews across four continents, for international news outlets such as ABC, BBC, CBS, and NBC, and has testified at the House of Commons, the Massachusetts State House, and the State Of The Union. Rowena is writing a memoir, a novel, and a screenplay, in addition to working as a global #MeToo activist, advocating for the rights of those who are oppressed or voiceless, in churches, schools, universities, and workplaces around the world.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
"I feel that the glass is both half full and half empty."
Rowena Chiu is a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein. In 1998, she was sexually assaulted by him at the Venice Film Festival and was coerced into signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which silenced her for over twenty years. In 2017, a New York Times journalist came to her home and doorstepped her husband of over a decade, revealing information about the assault and NDA. Rowena was featured in the subsequent NYT investigation, but she insisted on remaining anonymous. In 2019, she finally broke her story on the NBC Today Show, live in front of three million viewers. Rowena's story was featured in both the book and the movie, SHE SAID. She has given over 700 media interviews across four continents, for international news outlets such as ABC, BBC, CBS, and NBC, and has testified at the House of Commons, the Massachusetts State House, and the State Of The Union. Rowena is writing a memoir, a novel, and a screenplay, in addition to working as a global #MeToo activist, advocating for the rights of those who are oppressed or voiceless, in churches, schools, universities, and workplaces around the world.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Brutally raped by a stranger in a hotel parking garage, Kira Wahlstrom was faced with a choice: remain nameless or speak her truth. Choosing the path of justice, she sues the hotel for failing to protect her from this man, who had raped an employee just 11 days prior. Kira elects to have her face and name associated with the case, and after 6 years of fighting, she wins, setting an incredible precedent in the state of Massachusetts. Now a survivor advocate, Kira continues to share her story and fight for survivors, and is currently working on a film about her case.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Sydney Searchwell-Simpson is a writer, artist, yogi, permaculture practitioner, and lover of Life whose work (and embodied life) merges spirituality and social action. Inspired by insights on her spiritual journey, her experience of sexual and domestic violence, and a lifetime of activism, Sydney’s upcoming books and podcast explore how we can love and be free through and beyond what she calls “domination consciousness”. She walks a path of the Heart and is intentionally exploring how she can live, build, love, and create new ways of being and relating that are conducive to Life.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Sydney Searchwell-Simpson is a writer, artist, yogi, permaculture practitioner, and lover of Life whose work (and embodied life) merges spirituality and social action. Inspired by insights on her spiritual journey, her experience of sexual and domestic violence, and a lifetime of activism, Sydney’s upcoming books and podcast explore how we can love and be free through and beyond what she calls “domination consciousness”. She walks a path of the Heart and is intentionally exploring how she can live, build, love, and create new ways of being and relating that are conducive to Life.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Missing her uniform jacket after a long work day, Kelly runs back into the bar where she works to grab it. Ready to go home, she gets ready to unlock her car when a strange man appears from the darkness. Running for her life through a parking lot, Kelly screams for help when her assailant grabs her ponytail and beats her into the pavement. Dismissed by the police and blaming herself, she finds herself continually trying to prove her own worth. Continually challenging herself to physical extremes, Kelly begins to find balance and healing, becoming an advocate for other women in the health and fitness space.
Dr. Kelly Barron is a dedicated advocate for women’s health, specializing in empowering women to navigate menopause and other key life transitions with confidence and strength. She is a licensed chiropractor, menopause specialist, founder of Tempesta and host of The KellFire Show.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
'I also understand and see that the experiences that I have survived are the same experiences that many members of our community continue to experience today, particularly young people.'
Bamby Salcedo is a prominent and celebrated transgender Latina activist, known all over the world for her passionate and productive social, political, and economic influence. As the President and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition, Bamby steadily leads this nationally recognized organization that advocates for and addresses the issues of transgender Latinas throughout the United States. She received her Master’s Degree in Mexican and Latin@ Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, and also developed the Center for Violence Prevention & Transgender Wellness, a multimillion-dollar, multipurpose, multiservice space for Trans people in Los Angeles. Her life story has been the subject of two documentary films, TransVisible: Bamby Salcedo’s Story and LA QueenCiañera.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
As a high school teacher, Sophie Maddocks first noticed her students engaging with technology in novel, dark ways. Determined to protect the young people around her, she went on to study how technology has shaped the landscape of sexual abuse. Today, Sophie is an expert on digital abuse with 12 years of experience working across schools, universities, and non-profits. She is passionate about collaborating with young people to navigate the challenges of growing up online.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Catrina Aglubat
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Making waves across the country, three activists discuss their experiences organizing Take Back the Night, sharing insights into safety, survivorship, and making a difference.
Kori Koschalk-Newmister is a higher education professional focusing on eradicating interpersonal violence. Her 20+ years in prevention education have allowed her to educate, empower, and support thousands of individuals in her community. She is currently the Assistant Director of Interpersonal Relations at Bowling Green State University and pursuing her Masters in Popular Culture. When she's not on campus, you can find her with her wonderful partner, Mike, pups, Lily and Marvin, watching reality TV (specifically on Bravo).
Rebecca Pacheco (she/her) is the Development & Education Manager at Embrave: Agency to End Violence and the Coordinator of the Peel Committee Against Women Abuse (PCAWA). She is driven by her passion for gender equity, intersectional feminism and ending gender-based violence. She is a strong advocate for the policy and system-level change that is necessary to prevent gender-based violence and properly support survivors of violence.
Faith Fluker is a 22-year-old reproductive justice and sexual health advocate pursuing a degree at Auburn University. She started as a curvy and confused preteen, but has recently become a confident young woman who believes in sticking up for herself and those around her. Faith has worn many hats in the past, including President of her college’s Planned Parenthood chapter, where she hosted a Take Back the Night March. She is also a Spring ‘25 initiate of the Kappa Chi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Sydney Tiller
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'I remember Mark being a really good friend to me.'
Coping with grief after the loss of her father, Jeannie finds support among a small gathering of friends. Feeling safe enough to drink, one of her closest high school friends assaults her when she is unconscious in his bed. Recalling her sense of betrayal, Jeannie shares her journey through denial and doubt to owning her story and healing. Pouring her truth into her writing, she is the author of multiple nonfiction works, including Things We Didn't Talk About When I Was a Girl.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
In today's throwback episode, Zahabiyah Yamasaki, founder of “Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga”, gives us a glimpse of her work with trauma survivors. Due to her college stranger rape at the University of California - Irvine, Zahabiyah has dedicated herself to helping others who have also experienced trauma explore their mind body connection, feeling safe in their body, and healing. In her work, she emphasizes the importance of community through survivorship, where resilience and tenderness shine through.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
With over four decades of experience, Ann Simonton has dedicated herself to teaching media literacy, with a particular focus on exposing everyday sexism and promoting awareness of sexual abuse prevention. She has fearlessly engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience — resulting in 11 arrests — to highlight social hypocrisy, racism, corporate greed, and the perpetuation of misogyny under patriarchy and capitalism. Simonton has spoken globally on the various ways mainstream media encourages and invites harm to women and children using examples from advertising, film, pornography, radio, television, popular beauty pageants, and more.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'It doesn't go away.'
'It's there forever.'
Sharing her experiences in an industry known for superficiality, actor Sarah Hodkinson navigates trust, violence, and betrayal throughout her personal journey. She brings to light the ways that denial and dismissal rob survivors of justice in the face of sexual violence, using her voice and her story to push for change.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'I had a decision point of: either I am going to live or I am going to die.'
Speaking on the internal battles survivors face, the dynamic Jean Ibanez Payne shares hidden troubles with suicidal ideation and darkness while living the seemingly perfect life. Today, Jean stands as a powerful advocate for survivors of abuse, using her voice and her story to ignite hope in others. In 2014, she left her successful corporate career to start TI Verbatim Consulting (TIVC), with a mission to help people work better together. Through her speaking engagements and personal coaching services, she encourages women, particularly those who have faced similar battles, to embrace their vulnerabilities and see them as gateways to strength.
Host: Kate Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Speak truth to power with the incredible Jon Vaugh and Josh Rubin in this 2024 episode of Dear Katie.
This week we share the powerful voices of Jon Vaughn and Josh Rubin. Jon Vaughn made waves around the world as one of the few to publicly speak out against the abuse of University of Michigan doctor Robert Anderson in 2020, leading over 1000 survivors in a lawsuit against the university that settled in 2022. Today, he is a testament to the power of speaking out and advocating for what is right against all odds.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Rashan Legard is an International Motivational Speaker, Veteran, Storyteller, Poet, and Credentialed Survivor Advocate who strongly desires to create change in individuals and organizations. Through his company, Rashan Legard Speaks LLC, Rashan shares his message to a broader audience by providing powerful presentations and coaching infused with his personal experience to organizations around the world. By focusing on Resiliency Programs, Emasculation, Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention, Rashan helps organizations improve their training and effectiveness while bringing awareness to these critical issues.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Stephanie Mangan has been a Trauma Expert/Consultant for the past 16 years. Working with individuals who have experienced the highest levels of abuse and trauma, including but not limited to sexual violence, complex PTSD, sex trafficking, and substance abuse, Stephanie is passionate about helping individuals lead a life of healing and resiliency through a trauma-informed lens. More recently, she has also worked at the macro level through the non-profit Healing TREE, providing consulting services to film and arts professionals, ensuring their projects are trauma-informed and appropriate for their audiences/viewers. She also provides consulting for organizations seeking to bring in a Trauma Expert who identifies ways to apply trauma-informed business practices.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'When you look at it, in the bigger spectrum, we can talk about this [...] I mean, fifteen years ago, a high-schooler wouldn't be talking to you about consent.'
Pamela Zaballa has dedicated over 20 years to advancing support systems for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Her career spans various roles in the US and UK, including frontline services, shelter development, advocacy, children's services, and setting up programs for human trafficking victims. Pamela’s work also encompasses policy and communications, where she has developed multiple successful action-based campaigns.
As the Global Chief Executive of NO MORE, a foundation dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence, Pamela has been a trailblazer in finding comprehensive solutions to gender-based violence. She has fostered strategic partnerships such as the development of Commonwealth Says NO MORE and consultancy services for various governments, international organizations, and global corporations, aiming to unify efforts against domestic and sexual violence. Notably, Pamela developed the NO MORE Global Directory—the first global directory providing contacts for domestic and sexual violence support in over 200 countries—and has worked on award-winning public awareness campaigns like #listeningfromhome, which gained extensive exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out about NO MORE here.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Review this classic episode featuring Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet on making black survivors visible.
Sisters can either be torn apart or drawn together due to sexual violence. Rutgers professor and Pulitzer Prize winner Salamishah Tillet and her sister, artist and curator Scheherazade Tillet, drew together after Salamishah shared her rape story. Together they co-founded "A Long Walk Home" to help Black women and girls share their own stories of shame, dysmorphia, injustice, recognizing trigger issues, survival, managing memories, finding community, and locating resources for recovering.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Journalist Amanda Eisenberg shares her experiences reporting on sexual violence, informing us about her obligations as a journalist as well as her practices to ensure the safety of survivor interviewees. A Manhattan-based writer, her debut novel, People Are Talking, was released in April. She was inspired to write her book, which deals with sexual misconduct on a college campus, from her journalistic experience. Amanda hopes her novel will spark conversation among young adults around consent and how to critically engage men who have committed sexual misconduct, while also entertaining readers.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
'If I feel awful and disgusting, then I'm going to put on a mask.'
Exploring the psychological depths of sexual shame, Dr. Tina Sellers shares cutting-edge research on the cycles of guilt that inhibit our relationships. Bringing to light how our judgements can prevent us from living freely, she provides insight into how to heal from this shame and raise children who feel confident and assertive for their safety.
Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers is a licensed sex and gender feminist psychotherapist, best-selling author, researcher, emeritus professor, and media personality whose expertise spans sex therapy, spiritual intimacy, parenting, medicine, and social justice. Her revolutionary perspectives have been expressed on platforms such as Spirituality & Health, Refinery 29, Vocal, Medium, and Bust Magazines, along with many podcasts, radio, news, and TV outlets. Known for exposing the impact of patriarchy and sexual shame on our ability to securely attach to our partners, and instruct our children to attach to theirs, Dr. Sellers’ book Sex, God, & the Conservative Church – Erasing Shame from Sexual Intimacy has had a global impact. Her latest book, Shameless Parenting – Everything You Need to Raise Shame-free, Confident Kids and Heal Your Shame Too! was a New Release Bestseller in eight categories. She speaks worldwide on healing and raising shame-free, relationally confident children. In 2015, Dr. Sellers founded the Northwest Institute on Intimacy, a post-graduate institute to train psychotherapists, educators, clergy, and physicians in sexual health, healing sexual shame and trauma, and understanding their sexual biases. In 2023, Tina founded InannaRising.org: a private membership community for psychedelic-assisted therapists and medical providers to get ongoing clinical consultation, collaboration, training, and support in creating scholarships for the under-resourced, and participation in an indigenous reparation fund.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'Most people are good people... [they] most of the time have just been through horrific trauma.'
Dr. Renee Rosiecki is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in trauma-informed care. She has worked in various settings, including non-profits, correctional facilities, outpatient behavioral health, a hospital system, and a medication-assisted treatment facility. Her work has focused on survivors, from responding to college crises as an RA to serving as a Confidential Sexual Violence Advocate for a community Sexual Assault Response Team. Renee believes in justice for all victims of violence, including those who are incarcerated, and she continues to fight to make this justice a reality.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Listen and learn from our fantastic special guest in this classic interview on the Dear Katie Podcast.
In this week's episode, Claire and Katie sit down with Aishah Shahidah Simmons to discuss her survivorship, and the trauma and healing that would develop her artistic voice. Aishah’s lived experiences as a survivor of childhood and adult sexual violence, a Black feminist lesbian, and a long-term Buddhist practitioner inform the creation of her work.
Aishah Shahidah Simmons (she/her) is the creator of the 2006 groundbreaking Ford Foundation-funded film, NO! The Rape Documentary, and the editor of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology, love WITH accountability: Digging Up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse. Presently, she is a Soros Media Fellow completing her trilogy of cultural work that uses storytelling as a praxis to heal from, disrupt, and end sexual violence without relying on the carceral state.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Kelsey Styles
Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
'The body just reignites the horrible experience. It's just like you're there.'
Sanar Alixandyr is an Empowerment Coach whose mission is to uplift, support, and heal the planet by empowering those who are ready to step into their greatness and become their most powerful, authentic selves. Her passion is being of service to the greater vision of the transformation and evolution of women in the world and offers her own story, "Becoming Sanar" From Shadow to Light: A Journey of Self-Discovery, as an inspirational and healing experience for anyone who is ready to let go of their own personal past.
A Woman of Wisdom, Sanar was once described as a member of the First Wave of Healers to embark on this mission. She is happy to share her wisdom with those who are searching and finds it remarkable that she is discovering a whole New Wave of powerful women, ready to shine their Light and change the world!
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Dr. Nicole Bedera is a sociologist and author of the book On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence. Her research broadly focuses on how our social structures contribute to survivors’ trauma and make sexual violence more likely to occur in the future. Her scholarship has influenced sexual violence prevention programming across the country and her work has been featured in many popular outlets, including The New York Times, NPR, Time Magazine, and Teen Vogue. Nicole puts her work into practice as an affiliated educator at the Center for Institutional Courage and co-founder of Beyond Compliance Consulting.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Mary Ann Sieghart is a journalist, broadcaster, author, TED speaker, and consultant. Her bestselling book, The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About It came out in 2021 and has struck a chord around the world, resonating with many women devalued in working spaces. She is a Visiting Professor at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London and was Chair of the Judges for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2022. Her mission is to close the authority gap in as many workplaces as possible, and she has now set up The Authority Gap Consultancy to help organisations do just that.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Svava Brooks is a survivor of child sexual abuse and the co-founder of a nationwide child sexual abuse prevention and education organization in Iceland called “Blátt áfram.” She is also a certified instructor and facilitator for Darkness to Light Stewards of Children, as well as a certified Crisis Intervention Specialist, a certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, a BellaNet Teen support group facilitator, a Certified TRE® Provider, and a Trauma Recovery Coach. The mother of three children, Svava has dedicated her life to ending the cycle of child sexual abuse through education, awareness, and by helping survivors heal and thrive. She is a certified facilitator for Advance!, a program created by Connections to restore authentic identity. Every week, she writes about healing after trauma on her blog and also leads a discussion forum on child sexual abuse healing and recovery online, in her private Facebook groups and on her YouTube channel. After living in the US for 30 years, Svava now lives in Iceland and has a thriving practice offering somatic healing through TRE, and now has two self-published workbooks for survivors available on Amazon.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Find new insights from this classic episode featuring Greg Kolwicz and Marcel Anderson.
As a boy, Greg was groomed by an older friend, who showed him pornography for the first time and pushed him to engage in sexual acts. He struggled to accept that this abuse happened to him as a man and couldn’t share his experience for a decade.
As a young adult, Marcel suffered intense physical and sexual abuse after being held at gunpoint by an invader. His faith allowed him to survive the traumatizing experience that left him hospitalized.
Greg and Marcel are bound by survivorship; today, they both are advocates for male victims of sexual assault and use their voices to shatter the stereotypes about sexual violence. In this special episode, we share two different stories to spark a discussion about the shared steps in their journeys of pain and healing.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
'The adrenaline in my body was like nothing I've ever felt.'
Ten years ago, Derrick's world was rocked when his daughter was raped by a police officer. Fighting for justice in a system built against survivors, he pushes to have her voice heard. Derrick walks us through the experience of being a supportive parent during the aftermath of sexual assault, guiding us through the ways he cared for his daughter and fought for justice.
Derrick Hurley is a proud husband and father of three daughters. He spent his 37-year career in the Retail Technology industry and left his career early to advocate for survivors after his oldest daughter was assaulted in 2015.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'Sometimes I don't want to be a warrior anymore.'
Dianne Braley is a Massachusetts-based, multi-award-winning author and nurse. During the process of writing her second novel, a person in her family was charged and convicted of sexual assault. This turned Dianne and her family's world on its head and led her to take on writing the book in the voice of a secondary victim, the perpetrator's daughter. Although fiction, this book was largely inspired by this horrific crime and the ensuing trial.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
This week, walk through the inner workings of the mind with therapist Rachel Stanton. She shares how she works with clients to process traumatic memories and creates emotional safety to address difficult feelings.
Rachel Stanton is a psychotherapist with a practice in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. She specializes in helping people heal after traumas like sexual assault, and offers EMDR intensives that help people get better in days, not years.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'That's how they evade justice ... they drop out of school and that Title IX case goes away.'
'No record is ever made.'
Tracy DeTomasi is a licensed clinical social worker and has worked in the field of gender based violence for nearly 25 years. As the CEO of Callisto, she is bringing innovative technology as a solution to addressing sexual assault. Callisto is a national nonprofit organization leveraging cutting-edge technology to empower survivors of sexual violence. Callisto’s encrypted platform enables campus survivors to securely document their assault, discover if their perpetrator has harmed others, and explore their options, whether or not they report.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Valarie Clark Miller seemed to live a picture-perfect life, but her flawless facade masked a haunting past. Suffering a lifetime of abuse that eventually takes her life, her fight for justice continues with a newly released book, Hometown Betrayal: A Tragic Story of Secrecy and Sexual Abuse in Mormon Country, featuring the perspectives of her family. John R. Miller shares his experience navigating the cultures that protect sexual predators and raises awareness about sexual violence and its generational impact. He gives voice to the tragedy that Valarie experienced and carries her dream of helping other women and girls share their stories and heal.
John R. Miller is the CEO of JR Miller Enterprises, overseeing a diverse portfolio in real estate, private companies, public securities, agriculture, and aquaculture. He resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Nataliya, and is a devoted father and grandfather.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Today, we're joined by Reneé Rodriguez, founder of Best Foot Forward Consulting and creator of The Custody Blueprint®, who empowers parents navigating custody battles with narcissistic co-parents. Drawing from her own experience and a diverse background in education, coaching, and strategic planning, Reneé provides a proven framework for presenting evidence effectively in court. She helps parents, often victims of psychological abuse, protect their children, build a case strategy, and secure the best possible custody arrangement. Reneé's work, including her signature program The Custody Blueprint®, addresses the shame and helplessness many parents feel, offering them a path to victory and peace.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'My father would beat my mother, and my mother would blame me.
Speaking about her experience growing up in a turbulent home, Sabrina Osso sheds light on the patterns of abuse and violence that encompassed her childhood. Fueled by the journey out of her early traumatic life, she dedicates herself to improving families and creating safe homes through her business, Osso Safe.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning author and activist. As a cultural critic, she writes and speaks frequently about gender norms, politics, and technology and their relationship to violence, risk, and social justice. She is the former Executive Director of The Representation Project and Director and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, both dedicated to protecting and expanding women's civic and political participation. Her first book, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, was recognized as a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and NPR and has been translated into multiple languages. Her most recent book, The Resilience Myth, has just been released.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer:s Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Sit back and enjoy fantastic insights from our phenomenal guest Gordon Braxton.
Gordon Braxton joins Katie and Claire to discuss how his work as an activist and educator has shaped his upcoming book, which focuses on violence prevention and specifically addresses black boys. Braxton talks about challenging stereotypes, changing narratives, and the hope he sees in the next generation.
Braxton is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was a peer educator in an all-male anti-violence group at the University of Virginia and won the Black Fraternal Council's Man of the Year Award. After graduating from UVA, he traveled alongside Katie Koestner as a presenter on the topic of sexual violence prevention.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Guest: Gordon Braxton
Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
Editor: Kelsey Styles
Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang
'There was something just... sitting there.'
Jess Michaels is a 3x founder, TEDx speaker, and dance industry professional with 30 years of experience as a performer, educator, and entrepreneur. She is also a 1991 survivor of sexual assault by Jeffrey Epstein who has lived with PTSD for over 30 years. Today, she's the founder, CEO, and driving force behind 3Joannes Sexual Assault First Aid. Through her work, Jess equips communities with trauma-sensitive skills, language, pre-crisis protocols, and post-assault resources that empower a united front against sexual assault while fostering heartfelt care for survivors.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'I had been spending my entire career encouraging victims to report and I had never reported mine, I had never told anybody.'
This week, Dave Markel shares his incredible journey from advocate to survivor. Initially working tirelessly with the justice system and advocacy network to serve victims of sexual assault, his work eventually frees him to share his own survivor story. Today, Dave shares his voice with thousands, hoping to connect with and support survivors around the world.
Dave Markel is the host and founder of Sexual Assault Survivor Stories, the SASS podcast. With over 40 years of work in the criminal justice profession, 18 of which were as a police officer and detective with the Lafayette, Colorado police department, Dave now provides training on trauma-informed interviewing, utilizing a foundation in the basics of brain responses to trauma and the impact on memory. Please do your part to help bring justice to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault by subscribing to Sexual Assault Survivor Stories podcast, then rate and share the podcast with everyone you know!
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Bringing attention to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, Dr. Annita Lucchesi sheds light on the populations at risk, how trafficking happens, and what we can do to help. Her personal journey mirrors the geographies of her community's struggles, resulting in her interest in mapping. Today, she researches Indigenous cartography, land-based violence, and earth sciences, merging her passion for geography with her Cheyenne roots.
Dr. Annita Lucchesi is a Cheyenne researcher, geographer, and community advocate. She lives on her ancestral homelands in southeast Montana, a few miles off of the Northern Cheyenne reservation. Anita is a survivor-leader with lived experience of trafficking, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and police violence. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Sovereign Bodies Institute, a non-profit research center and service provider addressing violence against Indigenous peoples.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Find new insights from our incredible guest, Rachael Denhollander.
"How much is a little girl worth?"
Guided by a strong sense of justice since she was young, Rachael decided at ten that she wanted to be an attorney. However, her experience reporting abuse in her church comes with a terrible lesson: don't report unless you can prove it. Taking this to heart, when her gymnastics coach Larry Nassar sexually assaults her, she stays silent.
16 years later, supported by investigative journalists and public outrage, she reports her abuse, becoming the first whistleblower and rallying an army of survivors to bring Larry Nassar to justice. Today, Rachael Denhollander speaks across the country to make change in institutions ranging from the government to religious organizations, pursuing survivor healing and institutional transformation.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'I knew in this moment, this happened to me.'
Emily Dinova is constantly curious and always looking to empower others through her art. She has spent years learning to find, forgive, and love herself. Bringing her journey to the page, her latest novel, The Antagonist, is a cathartic release from her childhood trauma. She is deeply passionate about connecting with others and helping them find a voice amongst the chaotic waves of life, and hopes her art can bring her and her voice closer to community.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Sharing her journey through learning and teaching, Kim Shively brings light to insights that storytelling in professional acting can provide. She reveals how navigating the personal can help us understand how to better set boundaries and tell stories in ways that honor ourselves and others.
Kim Shively is a typical 21st-century multi-hyphenate: an actor, director, Intimacy Choreographer/Coordinator/Consultant, professor, and researcher. Her career evolution started with professional acting, added direction and teaching in academia, and now includes developing and leading workshops and consultant work—all of which have taken her around the world. Her passion is helping people maximize their humanity through understanding boundaries and consent, power dynamics, and collaboration. Her research in bringing this work to spaces that include minors and young adults has been a major focus for the past decade. She is an Associate Professor at Elon University where she teaches acting, and a Guilding Faculty of Theatrical Intimacy Education, a global organization committed to helping everyone in the room be better at being in the room.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'The workplace is more often about are you willing to do X, Y, and Z.'
Bringing consent-informed practices to Hollywood, Amanda Blumenthal shares her experiences coordinating intimate scenes to protect the safety of performers and crew while channeling an artistic vision for viewers. Examining the nuances of workplace and interpersonal consent, she sheds light on ways the industry sets standards for consent to navigate differences in power and create professional environments.
Amanda Blumenthal is one of the founders of intimacy coordination for film and television, which aims to create safer spaces on set for both performers and crew members while empowering bold and creative storytelling. She comes to this work with a background in sex and relationship coaching, sex-positive queer sex education work, and advocacy work for survivors of sexual assault. Amanda is the founder of the Intimacy Professionals Association, which provides SAG-AFTRA accredited intimacy coordinator training to a global audience, as well as educational workshops for the film industry on topics related to intimacy work for the screen.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Agluat and Emily Wang
This week, Helene Weiss and Grant Boyd share their experiences advocating for survivors and working tirelessly to protect their rights in the courtroom. They share visions of hope and victory, bringing to light brave survivors who have pushed to make their voices heard and fight for themselves and their community.
Helene Weiss is a partner at Marsh Law Firm and works on a wide range of cases representing survivors of sexual abuse. She is a former Special Victims Bureau Prosecutor who has tried dozens of cases from jury selection to verdict, both criminal and civil. Helene also works as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Hofstra University, teaching Advanced Trial Skills.
Grant Boyd is an attorney from St. Louis, Missouri. His practice focuses on representing sexual abuse survivors and families of victims. In just 10 years as an attorney, Grant has won over half a billion dollars for crime victims and continues to assist victims in navigating criminal cases.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Find new insights with this classic episode of the Dear Katie Podcast, featuring Laura Davis.
Laura Davis has helped survivors world over with her book The Courage To Heal, co-authored by Laura Bass. She has now written a memoir of her fraught relationship with her mother. The Shining Light of Two Stars is a riveting story of the love and anger that drew them together and pulled them apart in the decades since Laura told her mother that her grandfather sexually abused her. In this episode of Dear Katie: Survivor Stories, Laura discusses the dangers and the benefits of reconciling with a toxic family member, and what survivors can learn from her experience.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Guest: Laura Davis
Editor: Kelsey Styles
Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang
'We all have had a very different journey and therefore have different wounds or scars and different needs and abilities and strengths and weaknesses.'
This week, Mandeep Rai, the author of The Values Compass: What 101 Countries Teach Us About Purpose, Life and Leadership, tells us about cultural humility and what is necessary to listen to and understand others. She shares the considerations that individuals and institutions must make to hold space for others, and the many lessons she has learned traveling around the world.
Dr. Mandeep Rai is a global authority on values, working with companies, institutions, and individuals worldwide. She has traveled to more than 150 countries and reported as a journalist for the BBC World Service and Reuters. Mandeep studied philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE), has an MSc in International Development from the London School of Economics, and completed an MBA at London Business School. She also holds a PhD in global values.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
'I didn't get the chance to know what my life would have been like if I hadn't been assaulted.'
New to campus and excited about college, Mary Simmerling starts her life in Los Angeles at a party, where she is assaulted while trying to rest. Initially faced with harsh denial of her experiences, she is pushed back into herself and continues to live in fear. Mary shares with us her journey from the throes of an eating disorder and dropping out of school, to finding support in literature and freedom through art.
Mary Simmerling is a poet, scholar, and activist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Illinois and an MA in Psychology from Adler University, specializing in applied ethics, social justice, and trauma recovery. In addition to being on the faculty of Cornell University, she serves as the Senior Research Advisor to the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Mary is both an Affiliate and Board member of Amherst Writers & Artists, and maintains an active role in nonprofits across the US & Canada that provide direct services to survivors of violence and trauma.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
Sheila Wood, an Intuitive Healing Coach with a PhD in Clinical Pathology, holds a
distinct space in trauma healing. Her unique fusion of energy healing, mediumship, and
Akashic Record insights with her academic alignment create prolific healing
environments. Rooted in a mission to heal the generational echoes and lifetime impacts of sexual assault trauma, Sheila's method locates and liberates deeply ingrained, often
physically expressed, emotions. Her integrative approach serves those plagued by
remnants of harrowing experiences, offering them liberation from embedded traumas and a path to transformative healing.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
This week, revisit our episode Got That Swing, featuring Antuan Raimone.
The first time Antuan Raimone spoke out as a survivor, he had 90 seconds. But those 90 seconds were all he needed to secure funding for the sexual assault organization he was working with for the following year. In this interview, he details how he dealt with his trauma, how the theater helps him find his strength, and how he learned to acknowledge and live with fear.
PAVE Ambassador Antuan Magic Raimone is an Author/TEDxSpeaker/Activist/Actor with over 20 years of experience in Musical Theatre who is currently a Universal Swing for "Hamilton" on Broadway and across the U.S. He was also the Vacation Swing for the Off-Broadway, Broadway and 1st National Tour of "In The Heights" and has performed at Radio City Music Hall and the Grand Ole Opry in Tennessee. In addition to being a member of the Office of Victim Services’s Advisory Council in NY, he has been a Keynote speaker at the University of Virginia, the SPECTRUM Conference in Albany, NY and has spoken at the United States Merchant Marine Academy(USMMA). His mission and purpose as a Soldier of Love is to empower and encourage others to live a whole life. A life where mistakes can exist, where fear is not debilitating and where vulnerability is not a weakness.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producers: Claire Kaplan, Kelsey Styles, Emily Wang
This week, clinical psychologist Dr. Sabina Mauro shares her expertise on the non-linear process of healing. She shares multiple analogies to help us better understand our nervous systems, bringing to light the many paths and facets of processing our trauma, thoughts, and experiences.
Dr. Sabina Mauro is a clinical psychologist specializing in treating trauma survivors. She operates a private practice in Yardley, Pennsylvania, is a published author of 2 books, and has been featured on various websites on topics related to PTSD and trauma. Dr. Mauro is a member of the American Psychological Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
'This isn't violent, in an alley, with a gun to my head, he didn't throw me in a dumpster after, does this even count?'
Sydney Williams is a dynamic speaker, author, and the visionary founder of Hiking My Feelings, an organization that helps folks from all walks of life find healing in nature. Her new book, Hiking Your Feelings: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love, captures her transformative journeys across Catalina Island and offers readers a framework for self-love and healing. Through her work, Sydney has become a beacon of hope and resilience, helping countless people reconnect with themselves and the natural world. Today, she shares her own story and healing journey, from self-doubt to body image issues, engaging with doing, and finding solace through nature.
Chris McGhee is a father of three daughters, living an average life. His youngest, then 15 years old, is groomed by a police officer who uses his position of power to gain her trust. When he assaults her, their family is suddenly forced to fight for justice, but the officer pleas for a misdemeanor that allows him to evade punishment. Chris later learns that this is a common plea given to law enforcement officers and is now on a mission to shed light on sexual assaults by police officers and pass legislation to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions. To help Chris fight for justice and learn more about bill HB1847, go to https://chrismcghee.com/
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
This week, listen to one of our favorite classic episodes to reabsorb new insights from Jennifer Hirsch and Samus Khan, authors of Sexual Citizens.
On our first expert episode, Katie and Claire sit down with Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan to discuss their book Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus. Published in January 2020, Sexual Citizens analyzes why sexual assault is so prevalent on college campuses, and how space and power dynamics influence who has control.
Jennifer Hirsch is a professor of Socio-medical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Shamus Khan is a professor of Sociology and American Studies at Princeton University. You can learn more about their individual accolades, as well as their book Sexual Citizens, at sexualcitizens.com.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Guests: Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan
Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
Editor: Kelsey Styles
Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang
Suddenly haunted by repressed memories, Deb's healing journey started once she found the courage to face the past. Her experiences of recovery and healing inform her work as a coach today, as she shares her voice and expertise with us to help us resist the ever-looming temptation to return to harmful familiarity.
Deborah Halvorson is a Certified Trauma-Informed Coach, as well as the owner and founder of Through the Jungle, a coaching business that works with sexual assault survivors to move beyond surviving to create and experience their own well-being and safety while maneuvering through the jungle of life. Deb’s newly released book - Out of the Basement-Beyond Surviving Sexual Assault - provides an opportunity to discover what’s possible when we shift beyond surviving and into a lifestyle of healing, hope, and empowerment.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
Gretchen Carlson is a fierce, fearless, and internationally recognized advocate for women’s rights, whose bold actions against Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes helped pave the way for the global #MeToo movement. A former CBS News and Fox News journalist, author, TED talk alum, and champion for workplace equality, Carlson was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” She co-founded the nonprofit Lift Our Voices which works to eliminate silencing mechanisms in the workplace and was recently instrumental in passing two of the biggest labor laws in the last century. This week, she shares her voice and expertise to inspire, connect, and empower our community of survivors and supporters.
Find out more about Gretchen and her work here: https://www.gretchencarlson.com/
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
Devon Price, PhD, is a social psychologist, professor, author, and proud Autistic person. His research has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and the Journal of Positive Psychology. This week, he discusses his experiences with neurodiversity and what that means for healing.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
This week, listen to one of our favorite classic episodes to reabsorb new insights from Anthony Edwards.
Actor Anthony Edwards joins Katie and Claire to discuss the sexual abuse he experienced starting at the age of 12 by a trusted adult mentor, and how that experience informs his acting, his career, and his personal life. Edwards is a four-time Emmy-nominated actor and winner of the Golden Globe Award in 1998 for his work on the network television series ER. He most recently performed as Mr. Franklin in the Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God and as Mars Harper in Netflix's Designated Survivor. He has executive produced a number of award-winning television films and documentaries. Edwards is also a chairman and national spokesperson for the organization 1in6, which was founded by and for male survivors of sexual abuse.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Guest: Anthony Edwards
Editor: Kelsey Styles
Visit 1in6 at 1in6.org
Growing up alongside ritual and spiritualism, Monica has found healing and empowerment through shamanic practice. She shares her knowledge and beliefs with our listeners, giving us a path to discover our true selves and explore magickal journeys.
Find out more about her and her practice here: featherandbone.org
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Emily Wang
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
This week, Dr. Jennifer Freed gives us the ins and outs of EMDR therapy, astrology, and understanding the self. With her years of study in both psychology and birth charts, she shares with us the path to finding healing, resilience, and thriving.
Discover your highest potential with Jennifer's work here: https://www.jenniferfreed.com/
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
Gretchen Swank, a wilderness survival instructor, shares her experiences healing and connecting through the outdoors. She brings her knowledge of nature to our listeners to inspire us to find strength in learning to survive.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
"How much is a little girl worth?"
Guided by a strong sense of justice since she was young, Rachael decided at ten that she wanted to be an attorney. However, her experience reporting abuse in her church comes with a terrible lesson: don't report unless you can prove it. Taking this to heart, when her gymnastics coach Larry Nassar sexually assaults her, she stays silent.
16 years later, supported by investigative journalists and public outrage, she reports her abuse, becoming the first whistleblower and rallying an army of survivors to bring Larry Nassar to justice. Today, Rachael Denhollander speaks across the country to make change in institutions ranging from the government to religious organizations, pursuing survivor healing and institutional transformation.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
'The beauty of the liberation is ... knowing the self, having compassion, and developing a rapport with the self.'
Battling through a cosmic storm, Edy Nathan and Katie discuss deep intuition, becoming your own negotiator, and partnering with grief. A psychotherapist and grief counselor, Edy shares strategies for thriving with and beyond loss and trauma.
Find out more about her work here: https://edynathan.com/
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
This week we sit down to discuss behavior and moral psychology in the context of sexual violence with Roni Porat and Ana Gantman. The professors cover the pitfalls of bystander intervention, changing attitudes and behaviors, and substance use, sharing their wealth of knowledge on what works and what doesn't to stop rape.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Caitlin was raped by two college students at the same high school party. 20 years later, she decides to out her rapist on Facebook, quickly hearing from nine other victims from her high school. Frustrated by the injustices she and other survivors have faced, Caitlin rewrites her story in LIFE OF CYN, speaking out about her assault and finding a path to healing.
Find out more about Caitlin Avery's work here: https://www.caitlinavery.com/
Hosts: Emily Wang and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Often associated with glitz and glamour, bottle service is an important part of the Las Vegas lifestyle. Julia shares her experiences with working in nightclubs, highlighting the camaraderie she experienced despite the assumptions made about her career.
Find out more about her book, Just the Tip, here: https://www.authorjuliachristine.com/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Emily Wang
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang and Catrina Agulbat
'I wanted everyone to be happy. I didn't want to be a burden.'
Coming from a lineage of powerful women, Paula forges her own path as an immigrant in the United States. She shares her knowledge with us as a female entrepreneur mastering both feminine and masculine energy to craft a life of balance and peace.
Find out more about Paula here: https://linktr.ee/paulalacobara
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Catrina Aglubat
Meeting for hot chocolate, Taryn breaks her one rule and allows a man to drive her home since he says 'his momma raised him right'. He quickly begins pushing her boundaries, refusing to leave, and finally assaulting her for almost an hour. Today, Taryn speaks up for herself and others, fighting to advocate legally for survivors in her state.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Emily Wang
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
"Women are really strong. We really are very strong."
From infertility to sexual violence, Leslie Morgan Steiner has spent her career documenting and discussing the experiences that have become markers of many's experience of womanhood. Today, she shares her wisdom on being outspoken in male-dominated fields, and what it means to be both a powerful woman and a victim.
Find out more about Leslie Morgan Steiner here.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
"I don't remember when it became normal to sit on the guy's lap, but it was."
Escaping a turbulent home life, Seth spends his weekends playing video games with an older friend. While initially, their friendship seems safe, he quickly finds himself accustomed to abuse to preserve his newfound freedom. Fearing for the next child, Seth decides to report his abuser to the police and collects evidence against him; his bravery leads to his abuser's arrest. Today, he heals through sharing his story and helping others.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Luiza Leite
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
Join us through breathing and movement exercises as we learn about the ways our body holds experiences and how we can work with our bodies to promote a path to healing. Carol Beringer, a Movement Reeducation Specialist, shares her experience and knowledge with us to connect our minds and bodies. Find out more about Carol and her work at https://pilatesandmore.com/
Hosts: Emily Wang and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
"We're standing in tender solidarity... and we feel safe to hold hands, even metaphorically, and create this beautiful circle of survivors standing together."
Julie Wallach, an outspoken activist and author, shares her experiences with surviving trauma and the many different responses to sexual violence. She brings light to the dissociation and self-doubt many survivors face, and reminds us of the ways we are standing together.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Emily Wang
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
We ask Renee Williams, the Executive Director of the National Center for Victims of Crime, all of our pressing legal questions. While Law and Order may be entertaining, our ideas of what occurs in the courtroom may not be accurate.
Renée is the executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. She also serves as the director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, an affiliate program of the National Center.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Emily Wang
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
In this episode, we invite TBone McGowain to share his experiences as a male survivor coach. He works with men who have experienced sexual abuse or assault and are dealing with the aftermath, accompanying them on their healing journeys to help them achieve the life they desire.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
This week we share the powerful voices of Jon Vaughn and Josh Rubin. Jon Vaughn made waves around the world as one of the few to publicly speak out against the abuse of University of Michigan doctor Robert Anderson in 2020, leading over 1000 survivors in a lawsuit against the university that settled in 2022. Today, he is a testament to the power of speaking out and advocating for what is right against all odds.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Coming out to their teddy bear, Lindz Amer quickly found themselves at the center of internet controversy. Navigating online vitriol from a young age, they found solace in connecting with other queer folk and making content for LGBTQ+ children. They are best known for their webseries Queer Kid Stuff, their book Rainbow Parenting: Your Guide to Raising Queer Kids and Their Allies, and their debut picture book Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They!
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang, Megan Ray, and Catrina Aglubat
'I didn't look pretty anymore, I had stopped taking care of myself... I was no longer the family hero.'
Cheryl Spera is a trauma-sensitive yoga instructor and the founder of Higher Ground Recovery & Yoga which provides trauma-sensitive yoga classes to substance use and behavioral health facilities in the Philadelphia region. She is a woman in long-term recovery from alcoholism. After two decades of recovery, Cheryl relapsed, and it took her five long years to move from relapse to sobriety. She credits the depth and meaning provided by yoga as integral to her commitment to sobriety and supporting others in their recovery journey.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Rebecca Coffey comes to us to share her personal story of sexual violence and her work with dance therapy. She brings us into our bodies and reminds us how impactful it has been for her and other survivors in their own healing journey.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Emily Wang
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
Coming to shore this week is Jessica Browning, a sailboat-living harpist who shares her story of the violence that occurred throughout her childhood. Today, she dedicates her career to voicing her healing through music and encouraging survivors to trust themselves and their healing journey.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Emily Wang
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Isolated in a foreign country during a study abroad program, Christy is assaulted and finds herself pressured to keep quiet. She spends years suffering in silence, eventually overcoming her trauma and sharing her story with us today, reminding our listeners that they are not alone.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Luiza Leite
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
'You don't want to go somewhere you can't see yourself in.'
This week, Mike Short, professor and advocate, shares his experiences with diversity and equity in academia. While the world has taken many steps forward, Mike acknowledges the many weaknesses and failures of the current system, particularly when it comes to sexual harassment and discrimination.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
This week we are accompanied by three phenomenal individuals who all graduated from Rosemead High, a Southern California High School where sexual violence was rampant and normalized. Through Matt’s investigative work, along with two survivor stories, we are introduced to their efforts to change the education system, support the many who have also been victimized by their high school, and advocate for survivors beyond.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
All the way from Finland, Eva Biaudet talks about her role as a politician through working through battling the negative impact of human trafficking. She emphasizes how important sex education is through child development, diving into how enforcing equal satisfaction and engagement through romantic relationships at a young age is an important part of creating healthy and safe sexual environments.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
This week, we get to know Dr. Shena Young, a psychologist healer and mental health futurist in LA. We listen as she talks about her life role to hold space for Black individuals healing from trauma, and she puts into perspective how important it is to understand the mind, body, and spirit.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
In this week’s episode, Guy D’Andrea, attorney at LBK, dives into his advocacy and how he navigates sexual assault cases in institutional settings. Sharing his expertise, he sheds light on how the legal system operates and the connections he can make with his clients.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Ben Perrin, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, shares his work breaking the cycles of trauma and abuse. He gives insight into his personal experiences working with his wife, who is a victim of childhood abuse, and how this development has shaped his life and relationship.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Victimized by her college study buddy, Melissa spends 17 years in Nicaragua mentally paralyzed and avoiding memories of her assault. Finally brave enough to return to the United States, Melissa opened her mind to healing, and today, shares how she uses her experiences to inspire others.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
In today's episode, Zahabiyah Yamasaki, founder of “Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga”, gives us a glimpse of her work with trauma survivors. Due to her college stranger rape at the University of California - Irvine, Zahabiyah has dedicated herself to helping others who have also experienced trauma explore their mind body connection, feeling safe in their body, and healing. In her work, she emphasizes the importance of community through survivorship, where resilience and tenderness shine through.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
Meeting by chance on a plane, Katie interviews Brandy Jeffries, a stand-up comedian and actor who also works in a security prison on death row. Brandy talks about the importance of the delivery of her jokes and her calculated approach to death row prisoners, which, despite being very different job descriptions, have very similar race and gender judgments. Ultimately, through Katie’s experience with sexual assault, and Brandy’s experience with working with rapists in prison, they inspire their audience to be bold, courageous, and find their own community.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
After losing her brother, her first perpetrator, Juliette tells the story of her family violence and five-man assault while studying abroad in Spain. Spending nine months in the hospital left her in physical trauma, shock, and with body image issues. Through her healing work, she becomes engaged in mind-body connections and uses her expertise to establish boundaries and communication with others. Within her journey to recovery, Juliette devotes her life to advocating for survivors, teaching them how to be selfish, take care of themselves, and strengthen their minds.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang
This week, we discuss the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence with Phil Arkow, President & Secretary of the National Link Coalition. An internationally acclaimed lecturer, author, and educator, he is a consultant for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and chairs the Latham Foundation’s Animal Abuse and Family Violence Prevention Project. He trains internationally on interdisciplinary topics for animal shelters, child protection agencies, domestic violence programs, adult protective services, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and veterinarians.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
This week, we sit down with Darcilyn Hall to discuss the ins and outs of sexual assault litigation. She addresses the role of trauma-informed legal practices and the need for sensitivity when working with survivors, including her own practice's amenities such as Luna the therapy dog.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Emily Wang
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
"I remember the feeling of being undressed before being undressed."
A recovering people pleaser, Maeve ignores the red flags and her gut when she meets her Tinder date. She tries to be kind, fighting feelings of guilt as she lets him into her room. As he continues to push her boundaries, she calls for her roommate, but her roommate gets back too late. At first in shock, Maeve shares her journey from self-harm, through self-respect and healing.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
A lawyer focusing on institutional accountability for child sexual assault, Hansen Dirani shares his soul-shaking passion and energy with us to advocate for survivors of violence. His beliefs, while unconventional, reveal a deep care and unwavering strength in the face of a culture of complicity and silence.
If you or a person you know needs an advocate, please make use of our free legal hotline, 567-SHATTER (567-742-8837), or visit our website here: https://takebackthenight.org/legal-assistance/.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Emily Wang
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
In this bonus segment, we introduce two new cohosts taking on our interviews!
Emily Wang is the Senior Producer for the Dear Katie Podcast and is currently a graduate student in cell biology. She has an academic interest in sexual violence prevention and started the Dear Katie Podcast alongside Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner.
Luiza Leite is the Associate Producer for the Dear Katie Podcast and is currently biological sciences and art history. She has been working with the Dear Katie Podcast for a year and is interested in art and healing.
Editor: Evan Mader
Walking away from his anger and jealousy, Isabella breaks it off with her college boyfriend. However, his abuse and manipulation follow her, and he assaults her in her home. Following a journey of healing and justice, she shares her story with us today.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
New college student Kiley does her best to deal with the Covid outbreak on campus, spending time with her boyfriend and his roommates. In love for the first time, she finds herself in uncomfortable situations with this group, until one of his roommates attacks her. She walks away, in shock, living in silence until months later. Kiley shares her journey from breaking her silence and dealing with the backlash to self-care and helping survivors today.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Author and ally Michael Emberger shares his voice and knowledge, advocating for men to take charge and act as true supporters for survivors of sexual assault. His book, Believed, focuses on the suffering of mermaid and college student Kelsea, who stands on a tail and two fins to fight the most painful trial of her life. Despite her trauma and a crisis of faith, she speaks the truth of what her rapist did, but will she be believed?
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
In today's episode, filmmaker and actress Emma Fitzpatrick discusses the the importance of telling stories that give a voice to the voiceless. As a writer, she has contributed to the success of multiple social media campaigns highlighting women’s issues and gender equality including #SHEPLAYSWEWIN which garnered media attention for its positive portrayal and message to young women in athletics. She most recently wrote and produced the feature film “Take Back the Night,” a monster movie that plays out as an allegory for the horrors of victim blaming in rape culture. The film was released in March of 2022 and has become a platform to launch conversations about the misconceptions and dangers surrounding victims of violent crimes, especially sexual assault.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Deb Grassman and Jo Jones share their vision of a world free of sexual violence and a path to healing from 'soul injury'. Often, trauma separates us from ourselves, and the process of healing reconnects us with the self, 're-membering'.
Deborah Grassman is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and author of two books, Peace at Last and The Hero Within. . She discovered a phenomenon that has become identified as “Soul Injury” – a wound that separates you from your own sense of self. Deborah then founded a non-profit organization called Opus Peace to bring the Soul Injury message to others.
Dr. Jo Wakeela Boston Jones, DHED, is a sexual violence survivor. She is a Registered Nurse with a Doctorate in Health Education from A.T. Still University and an Opus Peace Ambassador and Educator. Dr. Jones believes sexual violence is a Hidden, Unheard, and Unseen world-wide public health crisis that often leads to a Soul Injury. She lends her powerful voice, history, and presence to providing sexual violence awareness education to communities throughout the US.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Tyler Thomas
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Sandy shares a harrowing personal tale of the end of 17-year relationship; their ex displays a violent temper, lashing out at everyone in her path. They find themselves living in fear, seeking justice and searching for community, transforming their story into one of hope and friendship.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Graduating high school with her first child, Schenika misses the first signs of her partner's abuse. After years of living subject to his violence, she is finally pushed to free her family from his terror when her children begin sleeping with knives under their pillows. In a daring exodus, Schenika plans meticulously and finally paves the way to her family's freedom, breaking away from her abuser. Years of hardship and silence later, she finds herself sharing her story and speaking her truth to help other survivors.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
stephani candelaria (she/her/ella) is a musician/activist and trauma-informed, decolonization-focused educator from San Juan Bautista, California (Amah Mutsun tribal land). They hold a Masters degree in Education from Mills College in Oakland, CA (Ohlone tribal land), and has more than 10 years experience in education spaces, from gender-based workshop development and implementation, to social justice-centered curriculum development and classroom teaching, to community engagement via her musical platform. Her work is centered around indigenous-informed healing for folks who identify as BIPOC, queer, women, and/or survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Tyler Thomas
producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
"God, please save me, I don't want to die."
Abused and in denial, Angeline is subject to constant terror from her husband; after being sent to the emergency room, she finally finds the courage to put her foot down and file for divorce. Throughout a year-long journey of healing and self-advocacy, she frees herself from domestic violence, carving a new path for herself into independence and strength. Today, Angeline Constantinou is an empowerment partner who works with others in the transition from victims to victors, sharing her story through her podcast and business. Find her work at https://letsbreakthesilence.com/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
'You give them an inch, and all of a sudden it becomes a mile. And it happens in the blink of an eye.'
Sam is a young sophomore in college, excited for a movie double date with her friend. She goes to his room with him, where he takes advantage of her and assaults her. Unsupported by her friends, she navigates her experiences with a so-called 'nice guy' alone.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Like any 14-year-old, Ashley is excited when a guy takes an interest in her at a school dance. Her high-school meet-cute quickly becomes a nightmare as her boyfriend controls and stalks her. Unknowingly, this young relationship would set the foundation for her future abusers, until she finds empowerment through education and self-awareness.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Tyler Thomas
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
“It starts with rolling a stone and getting it tumbling and then building this avalanche. That’s my call to action.”
Blake shares the destructive force of his first sexual experiences; betrayed by the prince of his dreams, he finds himself questioned and doubted by those he reaches out to for help. He is ignored and silenced, drowning in incredible pain, when a chance TV moment sparks his will to survive and speak his truth.
If you are a journalist or an agent of change interested in contacting Blake to answer his call to action, reach out to us at katiekoestner.com.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Her family served as the perfect hunting ground for a predator. Until the age of 11, Jeannie is stalked by a man who has inserted himself into every aspect of her home life. Filled with shame about her sexual history, she seeks validation in sexual attention. Living today with the vivid and raw moments still etched into her mind, Jeannie teams up with her children to share resources and help strengthen her community. On her own journey of healing, she voices her passion for supporting others by naming stigmas and sharing her story.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
"I was aware what sex was and I was also aware that what was happening was wrong."
At 7 years old, Kerri learns to shut up. She takes on the job of taking care of her baby brother, suffering in silence when she is abused by her older brother. Through an incredible journey of healing and resilience, Kerri speaks with us today about how to develop a toolbox to set boundaries and let go of others' messes.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Tyler Thomas
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
At 17, Georgia is drawn to the independent allure of an older man. Brutalized in her new relationship, she finds herself subject to horrific sexual experiences that leave her intimidated and fearful. She bottles up her feelings, letting them sit on the back burner until she can no longer ignore them, finding herself sitting in her garage and attempting to end her own life. To pull herself out of the darkness, she throws away everything that doesn't work for her.
Georgia Reash is a visual artist and author who uses her work to heal and prevent sexual trauma. In her #53 Vaginas and Vulvas exhibition she advocates for survivors and hopes to launch a healing arts movement
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Basking in kindness from a teacher, Aaron finds a mentor in this new friend. Grateful for his support, Aaron regularly meets with him and he becomes a father figure; but one day, this teacher rapes him. Filled with shame, Aaron lies about his experience to his mom. Today, as a parent, educator, and veteran, he speaks up about his experiences with grooming and the culture of silence around sexual violence between men.
Check out Aaron's amazing work at 18winters.com
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
'I had no context for what was appropriate behavior. At the time, it was so confusing I didn't know what was happening.'
A former circus performer, Aly shares her experiences with discrimination and sexual harassment working on a cruise ship. Facing constant targeting over the course of a year, she eventually left the ship after being diagnosed with PTSD. Today, Aly shares her journey with us, bringing to light the difficulties of working in a field where abuse and silence are normalized.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Chloe was in the house of the man she was seeing when his landlord came down the stairs completely naked. Their intentions were clear. “Not gonna happen,” she said, but she could tell it was all planned. The two men cornered and raped her. Like many other survivors, she repressed the memories of the abuse until they became too loud to ignore. One day, the word RAPE flashed in her head and she decided to get help.
Today, she shares her experiences living with PTSD and how trauma affected her sexuality and relationships. Now, her journey is about learning who she is and what makes her happy, whether by lying on the grass, singing opera, or supporting other survivors of trauma.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Neglected and abused by her parents, child Emma finds solace in the housekeeper. Her mother is violent towards her, and her father sexually abuses her; knowing that husbands and wives have sex with each other, young Emma assumes that when her parents divorce she is next in line. Her misunderstanding of sexuality and external pressure to be normal pushes her to navigate the world without boundaries and she comes into her adulthood through chaos and instability. Emma Goldman-Sherman, an accomplished playwright and holistic health coach, shares her experiences with autism and healing with us today.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Like any other seven-year-old, Simi teases her bus conductor and annoys him, playfully pointing out that he is unmarried. He hits her in front of other students and teachers, and she apologizes. But his resentment grows, and he later follows her into the bathroom and rapes her. Simi cleans herself up as best as she can, goes home, and goes to bed, coping with her pain in silence. Worried about her family's honor, she stays quiet, until she finds strength and support in her new friends and community.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Meeting by chance on a flight, Katie is joined by Brad Friedel, who played all over the world for the US national soccer team as a goalkeeper. Now, he works in media and consulting for professional teams and represents players. Because of his career, Brad offers an interesting perspective on the issues facing women in sports. In this episode, he discusses the differences he witnessed for women and other minorities as players, referees, and commentators in contrast to what he lived and saw as a man.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
At 11, Margaret begins to understand and come to terms with new feelings from her childhood; during a class on child abuse, she realizes that she was molested. In a painful journey of vulnerability, she shares her experience with her parents and best friend but doesn't feel perfect enough to share her story with the world. An Olympic swimmer who sought solace in the water, Margaret eventually realizes that everyone has a right to tell their story, good or bad. Today, Margaret Hoelzer speaks out to advocate for survivors and shares her healing journey.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
“No one ever regrets fighting the good fight, whether it is for yourself or for your children.”
In this episode, Amanda Lee (Bubbles & Bubbly in a Bottle) discusses her experience with justice. To bring an expert perspective into the conversation, we invite Michael Lesher, a lawyer and writer, to discuss the American justice system. Michael has authored publications focused on the experiences of protective parents going through divorces where the other parent is the child’s abuser. The family court might be looking out for the child's best interests, but in cases like this, conventional practices can be dangerous - whistleblowers can face incredible scrutiny from the justice system, an added trauma to the struggle to protect their children. Today, we bring to light an often overlooked aspect in the fight to prevent sexual violence and seek justice for survivors.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
As a boy, Greg was groomed by an older friend, who showed him pornography for the first time and pushed him to engage in sexual acts. He struggled to accept that this abuse happened to him as a man and couldn’t share his experience for a decade.
As a young adult, Marcel suffered intense physical and sexual abuse after being held at gunpoint by an invader. His faith allowed him to survive the traumatizing experience that left him hospitalized.
Greg and Marcel are bound by survivorship; today, they both are advocates for male victims of sexual assault and use their voices to shatter the stereotypes about sexual violence. In this special episode, we share two different stories to spark a discussion about the shared steps in their journeys of pain and healing.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Struggling to find community in her first year of college, Kate finds support in her sister's ex-boyfriend, who had been friends with her since her high school years. He takes her to a concert, an experience she had been yearning for, only to pull her away to the school jacuzzis. After an uncomfortable pushing of boundaries, she asks to be taken home, only for him to take her to his house. Kate tries to re-establish her own space multiple times, only for her supposed friend to continue to push his way in. The night is a blur - and life itself becomes surreal.
Today, Kate finds her power through poetry, expressing vulnerability and authenticity in her work. Her healing journey has taken her through many forms of artistic expression, and she shares her story and her voice with us today.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Drinking himself to sleep every night as a young teen, we rejoin Isaac at the beginning of his journey toward healing. In the second part of his powerful interview, he shares more about the psychological toll of sexual violence and the progressive decline in his mental health. Turning toward recovery in the hospital, Isaac talks about coping mechanisms, looking for help, and learning the language of survivorship. With the guidance of an advocate, he was able to find himself beyond trauma, transform suffering to power and positivity, and become a speaker for sexual assault awareness.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Luiza Leite and Emily Wang
“I could not tell another living person about what happened to me.”
Invited to a house party by his older boyfriend, 14-year-old Isaac is used to sneaking out to enjoy the college scene. His sense of youthful invincibility is quickly sabotaged by a man who targets him when he is alone. Overpowered by the scent of Old Spice and smothered by a pillow, his experiences become entangled with feelings of shame and self-blame that clamor through his mind. After two years of silence and repression, he was able to acknowledge his pain and seek help from a sexual assault advocate. In the first episode of a two-part series, Isaac Andrade shares his story of survivorship, a story he thought he would never tell.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Luiza Leite and Emily Wang
Smitten with her new boyfriend, young Brooke plans to skip school to meet her beau in the city. A good student, she changes her mind to focus on her upcoming quiz, much her sweetheart's annoyance. When she does see him, he berates her for her choices; she begins to search for a way out, but he corners her in the bedroom. Paralyzed with fear, she is smothered by him as he forces himself on her. Further silenced by his excuses, Brooke finds herself manipulated into an abusive relationship with him - one she later frees herself from. 20 years later, she searches for closure in the justice system for her young self, pushing through the difficulties of a trial to bring to light THE truth.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Luiza Leite and Emily Wang
Lauren's job as a photographer for the university sports teams leads her to meet a football player she comes to think of as her best friend. She welcomes him into her home, and though he called her his “sister”, he takes advantage of her trust and assaults her on her favorite green sheets. When Lauren reports the assault to Title IX, the university fails shield her from the hostility of her abuser and his friends; furthermore, his guilty verdict yields minimal consequences. Today, she shares the pain she faced trying to acheive justice, and the strength she has found alongside her new partner to continue to fight for herself and others.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
Jumping in the car with some friends, Jennifer finds herself the target of a new acquaintance. To cope with the shame and pain, she turns to alcohol and drugs, becoming an addict before she starts 7th grade. After 10 years of active addiction, she ends up in rehab where she was able to start her journey to sobriety and healing. Now, Jennifer Storm is 25 years sober, a published author, and has been working as a victim advocate for 20 years.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Nick Bratchell
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Liete
Insidious and powerful, the La Luz del Mundo Megachurch's indoctrination permeates Alethea's commmunity for generations. The good girl of her church choir, she finds herself the target of the second apostle's grooming at the age of 11, with her family coaching her to search for salvation in church leadership. Immersed in the disturbing culture where young girls urge to serve their leader unconditionally, Alethea Coronado, fourth generation survivor of a religious cult, would only realize that she was violated after an apostle was arrested for sexual crimes against children. Today, she shares her voice alongside Jennifer Tiexeira, the HBO producer of Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo, the documentary that tells Alethea’s story. Both of them share insights about how sexual abuse fits into a broader picture of power and control, highlighting the power of the media in sharing survivor's experiences.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producers: Emily Wang and Luiza Leite
“It's never going to happen again. I am going to get help.” The most dangerous words an abuser can say.
After the first time her ex-partner got physical, Amanda stayed with him, trapped until he forced her hand and put the kids in danger. Surviving through the mayhem of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of someone she was supposed to trust, she tells her story of resilience, looking to comfort and bring hope to others in the same situation. Today, Amanda Lee, author, single mom of two, and survivor of domestic violence, joins Katie and Claire in this episode to shatter her silence.
Read Amanda's memoir “One of The Lucky Ones” here: https://a.co/d/6UDAgVz
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Benter Oluoch
Producer: Emily Wang
A soldier, author, and poet, Jacob Patchen writes deeply emotional stories exploring abuse, family, and mental health. Using his experiences as a combat veteran and youth counselor, he weilds the pen as a tool for inspiring hope and bravery. Jacob's works include Words That Matter, Of Love and War, and At Daddy's Hands: Courage Knows No Age. Find out more about Jake and his inciting fiction and provocative poetry here: https://jacobpaulpatchen.com/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Ethan Silva
Producer: Emily Wang
Tracy stumbles frantically into her daughter’s bathroom at TCU finding her slumped in the shower, wearing a t-shirt, and unresponsive. Minutes later, the authorities arrive, her daughter is pronounced dead, and Tracy’s life is changed forever. After investigation, it is determined that her daughter was raped and strangled by a man with not one, but two, prior sexual assault allegations filed against him. It is this injustice, coupled with grief, that transforms Tracy into “a mom on a mission.” Since the traumatic incident, Tracy Matheson has worked tirelessly to understand and change, the legal investigation processes around sexual assault as well as the general public’s opinion of survivors and their stories. Her inspiring story and work are borne raw in this emotional and inspiring Dear Katie episode.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
“I can’t play the game anymore” – After suffering abuse from both her first boyfriend and her first music producer in her final years of high school, Rachele Royale speaks out about what it means to recognize and heal from generational abuse, as well as the seemingly inexorable experience of sexual violence and womanhood in the music industry. An independent singer, actress and dancer, she paints a vision of cooperation and revolution for the future generations of the music industry.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
'I don't want to be strong anymore - but what are the options? I have to be strong because I'm forced to be.'
When the opportunity to promote and discuss her book Melanin knocks on the Marie’s door, so do the hands of a man who can’t understand the word 'no'. Her host creates an environment of discomfort - until she steps up and pushes pack. Marie shares the inner conflict of being a strong black woman: the exhaustion and frustration, as well as the ultimate acceptance and embracing of her strength and vulnerability.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
The bad boys are interesting, adventurous, and far more exciting the a run-of-the-mill accountant - or so Kristin thought. He quickly becomes controlling, preventing her from going out and trying to force her to stop her medication. Kristin's mental health becomes a vulnerability, a target for her abuser to leverage; however, as she heals, she finds a support system that empowers her to return to school and in turn, supporting fellow survivors. Today, she shares her knowledge and experience with trauma, as well as her own journey from victimhood to survivorship.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
This week, we host Nicole Matthews, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition and proud descendant of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. She describes the ripples of violence that colonization have sent through communities across the United States, naming the intersectional nature of violence against native women. To truly understand and enact change, we must acknowledge the ways our histories and cultures affect our experiences of and approach to violence, and shine a spotlight on neglected victims and survivors of violence.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
On the first day of class, Laura sits in the back of the room, distracted by the summer heat, when her ex-boyfriend saunters in. Still friends, they hang out until the last day of class, when he invites her to celebrate with a cup of wine. Within 2 sips, she falls back and the hem of her pink skirt is seared into her mind as the last memory of the night, still present now 35 years later. Today, Laura shares her story of survivorship, her conflict with her mother, and ultimately, forgiveness.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
At thirteen, Ray meets a new boy in her class, bumbling into her first awkward tween relationship. Her inexperience quickly becomes a vulnerability, and her new beau takes advantage of her naïveté to manipulate her into sexual activity. Blindsided by these new experiences, Ray's encounters with her young abuser become the subject of scrutiny as her school questions her story. Today, she shares her turbulent journey into adolescence, testifying to the resilience and strength of survivors as she fights the narrative of the lying victim and finds healing.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editors: Craig Stanton and Bob Kanygin
Producer: Emily Wang
A frog thrown in boiling water will jump out. But a frog put in a pot of water and heated to boiling will die. Author Kelly Sundberg describes her relationship with her husband, and how an initially innocent relationship slowly morphs into a storm of fear and violence. At first, her strength masks her suffering, but in the end, it saves her. Today, Kelly shares her story of abuse, survival, and liberation.
To find out more about Kelly and her work, go to: https://kellysundberg.com/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editors: Craig Stanton and Bob Kanygin
Producer: Emily Wang
Trauma often causes a disconnect between the body and mind; to protect ourselves from the horrors of the present, we inhibit our ability to feel. However, this can prevent us from developing the emotional resilience to find our way out of our place of pain. A survivor of suicide, Matthew Green has created a path to healing from this inner discord. In this episode, he discusses his work with 5th Place, guiding students to a place of emotional safety and stability. To find out more about 5th Place, visit https://5th.place/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editors: Craig Stanton and Bob Kanygin
Producer: Emily Wang
Sleeping in the hallway at 12, Ken remembers mysteriously waking without pajamas, finding a family friend touching him. Threatened by the perpetrator to keep his silence, he suffers years of violence, finding golf as a refuge while isolated in a foreign country.
Now, as a professional golfer, he shares his journey climbing his way out from pain, triumphing over the mental health challenges throughout his life to find his way to healing and success.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
From homeless to hero, Michael Unbroken is the author of the best-selling book Think Unbroken and is a coach, mentor, and educator for adult survivors of child abuse. He spends his time helping other survivors get out of "The Vortex" to become the HERO of their story! Michael hosts The Think Unbroken podcast and is on a mission to end generational trauma in his lifetime through education and information. Find more about Michael at https://www.thinkunbroken.com/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
New to the college dating scene, Sarah is excited to experience all of hookup culture and lose her virginity. They find themselves in a casual relationship with a frat boy who pushes their boundaries over and over again. Sarah runs those moments through her mind, doubting whether it was her fault, and quickly finds herself experiencing the darker sides of fraternity brotherhood and a sexually charged party scene. Pushing beyond the abuse, they become an advocate for the survivors in their community, triumphing over trauma and finding solace in the sisterhood of survivorship.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Barely old enough to form memories, Beth lies in fear in her bed, night after night. Her seemingly perfect family hides a dark core, burying her in psychological and sexual trauma. She emerges from her childhood a survivor, poet, and advocate, writing a path to strength and healing.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
This week, our episode features Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, a Nigerian physician who is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls through medical practice, social activism and public advocacy against gender-based violence.
Professionally, Dr. DaSilva-Ibru is a consultant specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology, as well as a public health physician, with over 20 years’ experience in private practice. She is also the founder of the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a non-profit organization that addresses the prevalence of gender-based violence, rape and the trafficking of young girls and women across Nigeria.
For more information on WARIF, visit https://warifng.org/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Wielding his degree in public health as a preventative weapon, Shawn shares how he navigates empathizing with intersectionally disadvantaged communities. Shawn delves into one of his processes of prevention: working with those who perpetuate hateful rhetoric. He explains the power of tracing hate back to its root, and learning what brought perpetrators to their beliefs, to better understand, and better assist the restoration of violent or hateful individuals contributing to rape culture.
To hear more from Shawn Schutt, tune into the Touchy Subjects Podcast here: https://www.touchysubjectspodcast.com/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
From farmer’s country to rich New England town, 13-year-old Rae Beth was the new kid at her middle school. As an outcast, she found friendship in a classmate who did not share the privileges of their peers. At her new best friend’s birthday party, Rae Beth is sexually assaulted for the first time by her friend’s father, the beginning of a series of repeated, chilling instances. After six years of silence, she is now a year away from a master’s degree in social work, and a career in advocacy for sexual assault prevention.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
While learning to heal others in medical school, young Larisa found herself targeted by a teacher, someone she was supposed to admire and trust. Her experiences led her to turn away from traditional medicine and toward holistic healing, with her understanding of sexual trauma propelling her to create The Evolving Story of Women, an advocacy group dedicated to ending sexual violence.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
This week, we sit down with Patti Giggans, legendary activist and Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, a non profit dedicated to ending interpersonal violence. She shares stories of one on one intervention, and how speaking with even a single individual can change minds and initiate global change.
For more information on Peace Over Violence and the amazing work led by Patti and other groundbreaking activists, got to www.peaceoverviolence.org
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Inspirational and empowering, Stephanie Olson speaks to leaders around the globe to share lessons on resilience; however, her journey to the present comes with lived experiences of domestic and sexual violence. From victim to powerful survivor and advocate, Stephanie shares her triumph over trauma and how to heal into success.
To find out more about Stephanie Olson and her work, visit stephanieolson.com
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
When 70’s high school lovebirds decide to go the distance in college, Shannon finds a manipulative side of her then-boyfriend. Post-breakup, in hopes of reconciliation, she visits his dorm, only to be propositioned with sex. When she says no multiple times, Shannon discovers the word doesn’t hold as much weight as she had once believed. After growing up as an Evangelical Christian, she must learn to navigate a world where impurity is sinister. Fast forward to 2022, Shannon has found hope in her husband and the resources accessible to victims today.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editors: Craig Stanton and Bob Kanygin
Producer: Emily Wang
When a young Rachel falls for a fellow trumpeter at a concert, their meet-cute takes a violent and coercive turn. After he assaults her in her childhood bedroom, with nowhere to escape, Rachel develops a fear of being trapped; she scans each new room she enters for a second door. Once she discloses to her mother, Rachel finds a beacon of hope and comfort, bringing her out of the darkness and leading her toward healing.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Criag Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Martha Lluch has dedicated her life to creativity. Throughout the course of the years, it has become evident to her that the creative process, translates directly into how she navigates life altogether. She is currently exploring new ways to share the benefits of creativity and the design approach with others through art, yoga and her ongoing workshop: The Art of Cultivating Joy.
Aside from being passionate about creativity, she is a big advocate for mental health and healing trauma - the core of the Little Raging Warrior Project. Find more about her work and this project here: https://www.littleragingwarrior.com/
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
A favorite shirt becomes a memory of violence. A playful tickle triggers memories of shame and trauma. A shower leads to lies to family and friends. The scent of cologne incites terror and anxiety. An experience of trauma is shoved down and personally denied even as others come for succor and solace. Unconscious awareness leads to bizarre behaviors. Carly shares her spiral into despair and the long climb back to health.
Hosts: Sandra Miles and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
After hearing Angela's story and writing an article for the Tulane Hullabaloo, Lily shared her own story in this interview with Sandra and Katie. Her journalism focuses on sexual violence on college campuses, an experience she knows all too well. In a shift from observer to subject, she shares the trauma she experienced to bring to light the ways we are all impacted by sexual violence, and how we can work together to stop it.
*Announcement: for season 3, our upload schedule has shifted to once every two weeks to accomodate more work on Take Back the Night initiatives.
Hosts: Sandra Miles and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Betrayed by her best friend and shunned by the people who should have supported her the most, Karoline shares her gut-wrenching experience with violence as a young teen. Join us as we discuss her journey from abuse and isolation to self-love and acceptance.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Joseph Carrabis has been everything from a long-haul trucker to a Chief Research Scientist and holds patents covering mathematics, anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics. Now, he spends his time writing fiction based on his childhood experiences with trauma, violence, and abuse. Told in the guise of military science fiction, his novel The Augmented Man is the story of Nick Trailer, sexually and physically abused in childhood, discovering his humanity and finding love as an adult. The pen has become his instrument for advocacy, connection, and ultimately, healing.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Leah Michelle Forney survived teenage sexual assault, abuse, and violation. Growing from a belief she wasn't worthy of sharing her story, she's become an established author, team leader at crisis response centers, and marriage and family therapist. She took her rapist to court where her victimization continued by the judge, the defense counsel, and the police. These experiences and others led her to create Leahmforney.com and become an advocate and speaker to help others survive their experiences.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Sandra Miles
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Tennie Eppenger survived several assaults on different occasions and decided no one else would suffer as she did. From the violation of the assaults to the violation of police interviews and beyond, she grew beyond her experiences with a determination to help others. She shares her journey and tells the story of how her trauma drove her to create the non-profit Sisterhood of Survival, Inc. (https://www.sisterhoodofsurvival.org/) dedicated to empowering survivors of sexual assault.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Sandra Miles
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Lauren Duke rose from an life early trauma and family violence in north coastal California through self-shame, high-risk behavior, childhood rape, no self-worth, and self-blame to healing her wounds by self-discovery, awareness, and acceptance. Her story goes from full survival mode to teaching others to heal from their individual trauma. Her advice to others starts with "Reveal the grit. Tell your story. Get the dirt out." She shares her journey and encourages others to share their journey in this episode of Dear Katie.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Brenda Tracy survived childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and a gang rape by four college football players to become a mother, a registered nurse, an activist and advocate for survivors, and is known for her activism in sexual violence in sports. Now she gets men involved in sexual violence prevention on campus, does policy work, legislative work, and is the founder of the non-profit Set the Expectation Foundation and Campaign. Her ask is simple: Will you be part of the ninety percent or the ten?
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
Sisters can either be torn apart or drawn together due to sexual violence. Rutgers professor and Pulitzer Prize winner Salamishah Tillet and her sister, artist and curator Scheherazade Tillet, drew together after Salamishah shared her rape story. Together they co-founded "A Long Walk Home" to help Black women and girls share their own stories of shame, dysmorphia, injustice, recognizing trigger issues, survival, managing memories, finding community, and locating resources for recovering.
Hosts: Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
The road from incest survivor to internationally recognized media personality took childhood sexual assault victim Angela Shelton from the North Carolina hill country to making movies, music, and speaking frankly and openly with Claire Kaplan and Katie Koestner. In this episode, Angela talks about surviving abuse, experiencing survivor guilt, the confusion of being chosen, life as an excel spreadsheet, advocacy, and the power of healing.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Craig Stanton
Producer: Emily Wang
"Disclosure is a process and everyone comes to their story in a different way." Writer and Activist Donna Kaz shares how she found her way to radical feminism after she was raped by a professor in college and later a victim of intimate partner violence.
Kaz talks about being a Guerrilla Girl in New York City, as well as how she came to write an award-winning memoir. Follow Her on twitter @donnakaz.
Co-hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest: Donna Kaz Editor: Craig Stanton Producers: Emily Wang and Kelsey Styles
Ethan is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Stockton University in Galloway, NJ. His research focuses primarily on interpersonal violence. His new book, Rape by the Numbers, explores scientists’ approaches to studying rape over more than forty years in the United States and Canada. Outside of academia, Ethan is an advocate and award-winning speaker on interpersonal violence and LGBTQ+ communities. He has more than 10 years’ experience supporting survivors of all genders and sexualities. Ethan currently lives in Philadelphia with his partner, their 8-month-old baby, and a mischievous cat named after one of his favorite video game villains.
Co-hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest: Ethan Levine Editor: Craig Stanton Producers: Emily Wang and Kelsey Styles
The first time Antuan Raimone spoke out as a survivor, he had 90 seconds. But those 90 seconds were all he needed to secure funding for the sexual assault organization he was working with for the following year. In this interview, he details how he dealt with his trauma, how the theater helps him find his strength, and how he learned to acknowledge and live with fear.
PAVE Ambassador Antuan Magic Raimone is an Author/TEDxSpeaker/Activist/Actor with over 20 years of experience in Musical Theatre who is currently a Universal Swing for "Hamilton" on Broadway and across the U.S. He was also the Vacation Swing for the Off-Broadway, Broadway and 1st National Tour of "In The Heights" and has performed at Radio City Music Hall and the Grand Ole Opry in Tennessee. In addition to being a member of the Office of Victim Services’s Advisory Council in NY, he has been a Keynote speaker at the University of Virginia, the SPECTRUM Conference in Albany, NY and has spoken at the United States Merchant Marine Academy(USMMA). His mission and purpose as a Soldier of Love is to empower and encourage others to live a whole life. A life where mistakes can exist, where fear is not debilitating and where vulnerability is not a weakness.
Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Craig Stanton Producers: Claire Kaplan, Kelsey Styles, Emily Wang
Ava found herself isolated as a teenager away at boarding school, after the guy all the girls fought for picked her. His attention rapidly changed as Ava describes him pushing her boundaries of consent. Listen to this story that details how toxic people will make us betray our own safe spaces.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Kavita Ajmere Editor: Jac Boothe & Craig Stanton Producers: Emily Wang and Kelsey Styles
"Because you have to see those people every day, I don't think I was ready to step into that truth." This week's guest reveals why she felt more comfortable telling strangers online what happened to her before telling her own family and friends.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Kavita Ajmere Editor: Craig Stanton Producers: Emily Wang and Kelsey Styles
She didn't even like boys that much, but then his mom was shoving sheet music in her hand and suggesting a couple's duet at the Christmas service. This story may have the most recent timeline of all we've heard - it was the pandemic that got this survivor out of an abusive relationship. The wounds are fresh and the scars still heal.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editors: Jac Boothe and Craig Stanton Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
In this week's episode, Claire and Katie sit down with Aishah Shahidah Simmons to discuss her survivorship, and the trauma and healing that would develop her artistic voice. Aishah’s lived experiences as a survivor of childhood and adult sexual violence, a Black feminist lesbian, and a long-term Buddhist practitioner inform the creation of her work.
Aishah Shahidah Simmons (she/her) is the creator of the 2006 groundbreaking Ford Foundation-funded film, NO! The Rape Documentary, and the editor of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology, love WITH accountability: Digging Up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse. Presently, she is a Soros Media Fellow completing her trilogy of cultural work that uses storytelling as a praxis to heal from, disrupt, and end sexual violence without relying on the carceral state.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Editor: Kelsey Styles
Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
After being roofied and raped at an off-campus party, Jeanne was devastated to learn that the Title IX laws currently in place would not help her receive justice. Now, she leads her all-women's liberal arts college toward her vision for change.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest: Jeanne Wolkiewicz Editor: Bob Kanygin Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
Dear Katie: Page 2 brings you bonus interviews and resources from advocates and experts.
This interview with Allison Jones-Lockwood discusses her career working with survivors beginning in the U.S. Navy. She has since worked for rape crisis centers in California, Kansas, and Missouri. She currently works to develop training materials for End Violence Against Women International, a nonprofit that inspires and educates those who respond to gender-based violence, equipping them with the knowledge and tools they need to support victims and hold perpetrators accountable.
Guest: Allison Jones-Lockwood Cohosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editors: Craig Stanton and Kelsey Styles Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
Learn more about End Violence Against Women International at https://evawintl.org/
They had known each other for years; she was a bridesmaid at her wedding, and knew her family and all their friends. But Blair's trust in her dance teacher was dashed when one night, she was a bystander in Blair's rape. How could she trust anyone again? This is Blair's story of recovery and where she is today.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editors: Bob Kanygin and Craig Stanton Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
Ashley Dequilla is a Filipino artist and activist who was assaulted during her time as an undergrad at William and Mary. In this episode, she talks about her unsupportive family and history of abusive relationships following that night. It is the birth of her daughter and the overwhelming love she feels for her that allows Ashley to reframe her situation and want better for herself. Now, she's enrolled in an MFA program and optimistic about her future.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editors: Bob Kanygin, Kelsey Styles, and Craig Stanton Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
Brian Kent is an attorney in the state of Pennsylvania who was inspired to help others after he himself experienced sexual abuse as a child. In this episode, Brian talks about how clergy abuse affected his relationship with his church, his family, and himself.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Kavita Ajmere Guest: Brian Kent Editor: Craig Stanton
Anne’s deep Christian faith was both her burden and her source of strength: it prevented her from understanding that the assault wasn’t her fault, and in turn the assault damaged her relationship with God. Yet over time, that faith allowed her to find her way back to herself and to a stronger spiritual life.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Sandra Miles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Bob Kanygin
Welcome to Season 2 of the Dear Katie: Survivor Stories Podcast! We are pleased to welcome an additional two hosts to future episodes of Dear Katie: Survivor Stories. Claire, Sandra, and Kavita will take turns sharing space with Katie and our guests.
Dr. Claire Kaplan is an associate producer on the Dear Katie podcast, and has been the co-host through all of season one. She began her activist work more than thirty years ago in California, and recently retired as Director of the Gender Violence and Social Change Program at UVA’s Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center.
Dr. Sandra Miles is an expert in DEI and Title IX in higher education spaces. She presents regularly at national and regional conferences and at hundreds of schools throughout the country on inclusivity, diversity, gender and sexual harassment.
Dr. Kavita Ajmere is a psychologist with a focus on women and adolescent girls' health. She's also a yoga instructor and adjunct professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles.
Editor: Kelsey Styles Producers: Katie Koestner and Emily Wang
Sabrina wanted to become a firefighter. Perhaps it was the betrayal of the community she vowed to protect that hurt the most. When her certification teacher assaulted her, she tried to ignore it and pretend it wasn't happening. When her small town found out about the assault, they shunned and blamed her. Her school told her not to come to prom so she wouldn't cause a scene. She was forbidden from attending their senior year river cruise. She was blamed for being the only woman in a male-dominated program, and encouraged to enroll in online school. Sabrina talks about her battle to become the certified firefighter she was determined to be, and all the forces standing in her way.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Bob Kanygin Voice Actor: Arianne Few
Taylor was a freshman college athlete who was assaulted after a party. Her story is shockingly common - and she explains that she felt like she grew up in a liberal area, and thought she was prepared for college. This episode, Katie, Claire, and Taylor talk about the lack of education teenagers receive before living on their own, and how that can impact their early sexual encounters.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Jake McFadden Voice Actor: Danielle Thacker
Sharlene was labeled a troubled child as a result of sexual abuse. Nobody asked her what was wrong. When she cried at the empty bus stop or refused to eat, she was seen as a bad kid. Now, as a grandmother in her sixties, she has wisdom to share. Sharlene watches her children and her grandchildren closely, and protects them from harm. Decades later, she is able to shed the guilt and pain and go on to help others.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Jake McFadden Voice Actor: Renee Chambers
When she was eight years old, Lillyhanna was molested by her sixteen year old cousin. She was later raped by a family friend. It took many years for her to begin her healing process, but now she understands what it is she needs to do when she has memories of the past. She explains how she is surrounded by a strong support network, and how invaluable that is to her.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Tony Zaret Voice Actor: Christina Johnson
Lilleana knows what happens when your abuser is well connected. The man who abused her, a family friend, molested her from age 9-11. She did report it, but nothing will be done since he has three sons on the police force and his brother is a detective.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Tony Zaret Voice Actor: Zia Edgell
Laura Davis has helped survivors world over with her book The Courage To Heal, co-authored by Laura Bass. She has now written a memoir of her fraught relationship with her mother. The Shining Light of Two Stars is a riveting story of the love and anger that drew them together and pulled them apart in the decades since Laura told her mother that her grandfather sexually abused her. In this episode of Dear Katie: Survivor Stories, Laura discusses the dangers and the benefits of reconciling with a toxic family member, and what survivors can learn from her experience.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest: Laura Davis Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang
Ella is bold and sure of herself - and it is for this reason that, after two seniors rape her in her own dorm room, she doesn't report. It is only as she brags to her roommate about the encounter does her roommate correct her: "Ella, what happened to you was assault." She spends the next few years hiding behind the men she dates, until she finally graduates and is free. Ella provides listeners with their own courage to be the freest, truest versions of themselves. Her story will give you hope.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Voice Actor: Melanie Hart
Kelly is a single mother ready to enter the world of online dating. She connects with a man whose friendly façade quickly fades to reveal a sexually violent manipulator who takes advantage of Kelly's vulnerability. His control over her doesn't last long, however; learn how this axe-throwing superwoman took back her power and prevented him from preying on anyone else.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editor: Jake McFadden Letter Voice Actor: Jeremiah McMillion
Fern's story doesn't add up. Four drinks leave her vomiting and unable to walk as she is practically carried to a shower where she is raped while unconscious. This survivor recounts in flashes her assault and the invasive legal processes that she hoped would lead to closure. Fern gives listeners tips for healing even after police insist she has no case.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Actor: Anna Claire Walker
Actor Anthony Edwards joins Katie and Claire to discuss the sexual abuse he experienced starting at the age of 12 by a trusted adult mentor, and how that experience informs his acting, his career, and his personal life. Edwards is a four-time Emmy-nominated actor and winner of the Golden Globe Award in 1998 for his work on the network television series ER. He most recently performed as Mr. Franklin in the Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God and as Mars Harper in Netflix's Designated Survivor. He has executive produced a number of award-winning television films and documentaries. Edwards is also a chairman and national spokesperson for the organization 1in6, which was founded by and for male survivors of sexual abuse.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest: Anthony Edwards Editor: Kelsey Styles
Visit 1in6 at 1in6.org
Gordon Braxton joins Katie and Claire to discuss how his work as an activist and educator has shaped his upcoming book, which focuses on violence prevention and specifically addresses black boys. Braxton talks about challenging stereotypes, changing narratives, and the hope he sees in the next generation.
Braxton is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was a peer educator in an all-male anti-violence group at the University of Virginia and won the Black Fraternal Council's Man of the Year Award. After graduating from UVA, he traveled alongside Katie Koestner as a presenter on the topic of sexual violence prevention.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guest: Gordon Braxton Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang
Jasmine woke up with a hangover and an unfamiliar pain: the ghost of handprints around her neck, gripping her collarbone. She stumbled into the bathroom where she found a sticky note on the mirror: "Plan B," it read, in her ex-boyfriend's handwriting.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Tony Zaret Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Actor: Ziba Ates
Courtney is a meticulous counter. She counts napkins as she presses them at work. She left a little dot in her journal each day she was assaulted by an abusive boyfriend in her teens - adding up to a total of 27 times. This episode, Katie and Claire speak with a survivor whose partner so crushed her spirit that she lost herself, and how she finally untangled herself from his lies.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Tony Zaret Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Over: Dustin Benke
Barbara was eleven when the sexual abuse began. Her brother was five years older and the golden child. When she was twelve, he raped her. Barbara suffocated the memories, pushed people away, went M.I.A. in order to cope. Nobody knew, not even her husband, until the anxiety attacks became so debilitating that her strong façade shattered. Barb reminds us that we never know someone's story; we can never see who, beneath the surface, is barely holding on. Most of all, we find comfort in knowing we are not alone.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang
On our first expert episode, Katie and Claire sit down with Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan to discuss their book Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus. Published in January 2020, Sexual Citizens analyzes why sexual assault is so prevalent on college campuses, and how space and power dynamics influence who has control.
Jennifer Hirsch is a professor of Socio-medical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Shamus Khan is a professor of Sociology and American Studies at Princeton University. You can learn more about their individual accolades, as well as their book Sexual Citizens, at sexualcitizens.com.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Guests: Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang
Severe abuse at a young age can leave a person fragmented, left with different selves to cope with varying emotions and stressors. In this episode, Carrie Ann unpacks her experience living with dissociative identity disorder, including her struggle to find a correct diagnosis. Now, with the help of mental health professionals and a close network of friends, she has found her way to healing.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Actor: Alison Soderquist
What was supposed to be a fun day of swimming at her boyfriend's home turned into an ambush and rape in his parents' basement. The assault changed this young teenage girl's life forever: her career aspirations, her dreams, her life trajectory.
It left such a mark on this artist and poet that 51 years later, she published a new volume of poetry that addressed her trauma, revealing her experience to friends and family for the first time.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Actor: Joel Murphy
Blanca meets a guy at a house party. He's nice enough, but the more she drinks, the more charming he seems. Friends hear about – and see – their hookup, but nobody steps in. The next day, Gossip Central. Blanca is mortified and, worse, memoryless. What does she do now--with the friends who didn't step in when they knew how much she drank? With the secondhand stories?
How can we learn to make peace with our own narrative?
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Actor: Kaela Green
It's a crisp fall day and Angela's husband turns on the news. There it is: The Kavanaugh case. A voice on the tv says, "train rape." Angela runs to the television, points at the screen, and says, "that's what happened to me." 30 years later, her 17-year-old self screams for justice.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Reading Voice Actor: Michelle Sokol
He's a friend of two years. He never misses a text. He always seems to understand. Then Mae's on the dance floor one night and he knows her parents' house will be vacant. Opportunity. He drives her home from the club and will not accept no for an answer. After bruises and blood, he finally leaves in the morning. Mae's strength in navigating her parents' culture and her sisters through her healing journey are revealed in our opening session.
Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan Editor: Kelsey Styles Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang Letter Voice Actor: Ann Duong