Dear Katie: Survivor Stories

'It felt like someone took a blowtorch to the whole country and suddenly I could go anywhere I wanted to.' Nancy finds her doors opened with the passing of Title IX, navigating a new world as a young adult and student-athlete. While on a run, she is violently assaulted by a stranger. After reporting her rapist to the police, Nancy embarks on a journey of healing, supported by those around her, and...

'It's not about us, it's about them.' Coming to activism at a young age, Julie finds an identity through advocacy work. However, in her private life, she navigates a disruptive, abusive relationship. Feeling like a 'bad feminist', she finds the opportunity to leave, but is plagued by her stalker for years after. Drawing on this experience, Julie advocates for stronger laws against stalking, speaki...

"Domestic violence and sexual assault are the least investigated, least prosecuted, and least coming to conviction crimes in the country... That cannot be your standard." Rita Smith is a nationally recognized expert in domestic violence who has appeared on many local and national radio and television news shows, including the Washington Post, USA Today, People Magazine, NPR, The Today Show, Good M...

Asleep in the living room, 13-year-old Lavinia is assaulted by a stranger who breaks in through the living room window. Seeking justice, she is dismissed by the police, and evidence for her case goes unused for decades. Fueled by her own experiences, Lavinia advocates for herself and others, changing Texas law and pushing for systemic change.   Dr. Lavinia B. Masters is a nationally recognized sur...

"Whenever you're ready and you feel safe to, sharing your experiences can and will change the world... Your story is your power, and they can't take it away." Taken advantage of as a sophomore in high school, Leah found themselves exposed when an older boy used their intimate photos as trading cards. Finding their voice, they share the power they found through the vulnerability and nakedness of sp...

"When we're talking about disrupting a male-dominant society, we're talking about disrupting sexism. But we at A Call to Men do this work with an intersectional lens, which means you can't end one group's oppression while perpetrating others." This week, Tony Porter shares his incredible stories of activism and insights into a culture of violence and misogyny, while bringing us to the forefront of...

Today’s guest is Paul Drayton, actor, animal activist and author of Ride or Die Trying. With honesty and dark humour, he shares his journey through addiction, identity, public scrutiny and rebuilding his life after years just outside the celebrity spotlight. From growing up in Sunderland to navigating fame alongside comedian Alan Carr, Paul’s story is one of resilience and self-discovery.  Host: K...

'I had learned to be very comfortable in the gaps between two lives.'  Jessica Teich began dancing at a young age, encountering the highly sexualized world of dance at a young age. Preyed upon by a much older man, she convinces her family to send her overseas and ends up living with a French family. Like so many survivors, Jessica never told anyone about the ongoing sexual assaults, but wrote her...

Tania Rashid is an award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, educator, and story producer whose work has taken her across South Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the United States. She has reported and produced stories on gender-based violence, migration, labor, conflict, public health, and communities pushed to the margins for outlets including VICE, NBC News, Al Jazeera English, CNN Intern...

Ashley-Lauren Elrod is a survivor, board-certified, trauma-informed professional, advocacy and policy consultant, and child abuse prevention leader committed to helping others transform adversity into purpose. She is the founder of the award-winning Visionary Woman Productions and The Maya’s Magic Word Project, an innovative child safety and prevention education framework. Ashley serves in leaders...

'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...

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 harassme...

'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...

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.  ...

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 organi...

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 organi...

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 we...

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 we...

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-i...

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-i...

'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...

'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...

'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...

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 nationa...