Initiated Survivor

Barbie Jenkins is a fierce, brave survivor who chose to stay true to herself after a lifetime of abuse. Now a part of the Survivors Speak Outreach Team at Jane Doe No More , Barb joins the podcast today to share her experience as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and being an adult rape survivor by a man she had sought to help. She takes us through the process of going to court, the effect of r...

As the final week of the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial approaches, I am joined by Lauren to talk about the implications that Amber's treatment in the public eye has for all survivors. Whatever you feel about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, there is simply no "right" way to be a victim. You can never know how you will react until you are in that situation, and each survivor has a different story a...

Despite what we may have been taught by the media and TV, there is no one way to be a victim. Following up on our examination of the public backlash that domestic violence survivors face , today we are discussing the vast intricacies of domestic abuse relationships and what it means to be a "true victim". From power imbalance and gaslighting to love bombing and psychological disorders, these situa...

I know that I said I was taking a break from solo episodes due to burnout , but after all that is happening on the news, I needed to share my thoughts with all of you. If you're like me and you're struggling with the public response to a very public trial involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and defamation, I want you to know that you are not alone. Whenever a survivor is attacked, every s...

Today, burnout has essentially become inevitable. We live in a capitalistic society that continuously demands more and more from us no matter how drained we are. If you've ever felt alone in your burnout, know that it is an exceptionally common experience. It is even more common among survivors of trauma who have to provide for their basic needs while on their recovery journey. I'm actually feelin...

Radical Acceptance has been a crucial part of recovery for many survivors, including myself. It is a skill that helps you reclaim your life by experiencing and facing our trauma head-on. It teaches us to release what we cannot change, and move forward with what is in our control. It helps us move from simply staying alive to reclaiming our sense of self — fully aware of our emotions and experience...

Aarefah Mosavi is a proud Muslim-American woman who holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies with a minor in Human Rights from University of California, Berkeley. She has been a staunch advocate for human rights in all forms, with a particular interest in regional conflict, political science, and human rights law. She has also fought for over a decade to get justice for herself after being ra...

Sexual Assault. The Mafia. Hollywood. Stunt Driving. Survival. Georgia Durante has been inspiring women for decades. A Rochester native, Georgia's life was transformed after being raped at 17 by her brother-in-law, narrowly escaping with her life. While she started her childhood as "The Kodak Girl", her journey to recovery found her becoming a getaway driver for the Mafia. Continuing her will to s...

There are various definitions about what constitutes as stalking, as well as different laws in place to try and protect victims of stalking such as the Violence Against Women Act . In this episode, we are deep-diving into what stalking is, the different motives behind stalking someone, and the effects of stalking trauma. Topics/Triggers: Details about my attacker stalking me after my rape both onl...

Danny Cygan has traveled the country, from the east coast to the west, sharing his story with everyone he can. Currently settled in Portland, Oregon, Danny has been on a recovery journey after coming to terms with the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his own brother. With his other siblings threatened into silence, Danny suffered for years before finally realizing that what he w...

Rounding out our mini-series on different therapeutic interventions is EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's one of the more popular intervention methods due to the vast amount of evidence proving its effectiveness. It was originally designed by Dr. Francine Shapiro, who had a distressing memory come up one day while walking in the park and calmed herself down by rapidly mov...

Denni Bengston was just 15 years old when she met her abuser. She didn't know it at the time, but he was 4 years older than her. She also didn't know that she was being groomed and coerced into sexual acts every time he threatened her, filled her inbox and voicemail with messages, or separated her from her loved ones. He created a psychological environment that kept her trapped. It wasn't unt...

Building upon our previous episode on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, we are going to discover how DBT can be applied to trauma recovery. For those who chose this type of therapeutic intervention, you can expect to see both a skills-based approach to trauma recovery through the use of DBT framework theory as well as use of prolonged exposure to the traumatic event. DBT also incorporates mindfulness...

Dedeker Winston is a relationship coach, writer, podcast host, and advocate for polyamory. She is a somatic-practitioner-in-training, and joins us to introduce another therapeutic intervention method for you to consider on your recovery journey. Somatic experiencing is all about bodily sensations. It ties together both our physical and psychological experiences to guide our nervous system through...

 There are a lot of therapeutic methods and interventions that help those recovering from sexual violence, sexual assault, trauma, and PTSD. In this mini-series, we are going to go discuss different methods so you can hopefully find what may work for you. This episode is focused on Dialectical Behavior Therapy or DBT.  DBT is a form of therapy created by Marsha Linehan that focuses on re...

 8/10 rapes are committed by someone close to the victim, and today Dr. Mimi Amaral comes onto the podcast to share her unique recovery journey after a close friend she had known for years raped and assaulted her. Taking what some may call an unconventional path, Mimi chose not to pursue therapy and instead to guide her recovery intuitively by what she knew of herself and her spirituality. An acco...

In the finale of this two-part special, we are examining what recovery means to survivors. In Part One, we went through the progression of emotional tone as someone begins to process their trauma. Now, in Part Two, we are looking at the three main stages of recovery: Establishing Safety, Remembrance and Mourning, and Integration and Reconnection. Heavily influenced by Judith Herman's "Trauma and R...

Assault and shame. Childhood emotional abuse and newfound boundaries. Recovery and hiking. The Bachelor. Sydney comes onto the podcast to share her unique journey to radical self-acceptance and radical compassion after being assaulted by a coworker one night while she was sleeping. Having just moved to Florida with her family with plans to change the world of medicine, the assault completely chang...

 In this two-part special, we are dissecting what trauma recovery truly is. In Part One, we will be examining the different emotional stages that we pass through when we embark on this journey of reclaiming what we lost. Then, in Part Two, we will discuss the three main stages of recovery, from establishing safety, to remembrance and mourning, to reconnection and integration. Together, we will wal...

 As survivors, our recovery process is integral to reclaiming our power and our voice. It’s easy to feel as though we are the only person going through a traumatic, world-shattering event following the assault. But the fact of the matter is that we are not alone, and that there are people out there trying to heal from the same things that we are. Today, Lauren sits down with us to walk us thr...

For part two of our Post Traumatic Stress Disorder episode ( make sure to listen to Part One first ) we are going to continue our conversation by reviewing what the symptoms are, how this connects to our understanding of trauma, how this coincides with survivors as well as statically what we see for survivors vs the general population. Topics/Triggers: What is PTSD and what does it really look lik...

Being a survivor in the modeling industry involves a complete reassessment with your body, sexuality, and sense of self. Today we sat down with Nikki DuBose, an American former model and the founder of Live ED Free, an EDIT™Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching Service, to discuss her experience as a survivor within the modeling and entertainment industry. She is a Psy. D. student in Clinica...

Find a quiet place to sit back and relax today with Kelsey's guided meditation on a simple meadow...no matter where you are. No matter your circumstances, taking these short eight minutes to check in with your body and self will prove essential for your soul. If you took anything away from today’s podcast, please share it with someone who may need to hear it. And if you really want to support the...

 At 15 years old on December 18th, 1976, survivor and sexual assault advocate Kris Pedretti was attacked by the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo. Her father told her never to speak about this event again, and for almost 50 years she kept her story to herself. Never getting the chance to speak about what she went through kept her stuck in her “before” state, going through two marriages and beco...

 As soon as December rolls around, our culture begins to promote this feeling of togetherness and celebration. We are flooded with messages of the importance of family and friends and how we should be joyous and grateful. But what happens when the holidays bring about a sense of anxiety, stress, and pain rather than the joy we are told we should be feeling? In today’s episode we will be discussing...