Intrepid Storytelling

What happens when life takes everything away, but you refuse to give up on your dreams? Meet Travis Watson, a 29-year-old self-taught software developer from New York who has spent approximately 10 months homeless, living out of his 2006 Nissan Pathfinder while working DoorDash and building software projects from his laptop. His car is his home, transportation, office, and source of income. But de...

What if the person grooming you to be trafficked wasn't a stranger? What if they were someone you trusted, someone who made you feel loved, someone who gave you the attention, affection, and security you had always wanted? Human trafficking doesn't always look the way we imagine it. And sometimes, the most dangerous forms of exploitation happen through relationships built on manipulation, grooming...

**CONTENT NOTE:** This episode discusses sexual assault, domestic violence, coercive control, emotional abuse, pregnancy termination, and psychological trauma. Please take care of yourself while listening. SHE SURVIVED A CULT-LIKE RELATIONSHIP, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & YEARS OF MANIPULATION... In this deeply personal and powerful episode of Intrepid Storytelling, host Deanna Powell sits down with T...

What happens when the things you were told about yourself as a child become the beliefs that shape your entire life? And what happens when you finally find the courage to challenge those beliefs and rediscover who you really are? In this powerful episode of Intrepid Storytelling, host Deanna Powell sits down with Lena Fein, author of Shattering the Mirror, to explore childhood trauma, emotional ab...

What happens when a Bible study that seems harmless slowly becomes a high-control religious group? And how do you recognize manipulation when you genuinely believe you’re doing the right thing? On this episode of Intrepid Storytelling, host Deanna Powell sits down with Chris Vishoot to share his experience inside Shincheonji, New Heavens, New Earth, also known as the Church of Jesus, the Temple of...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Jacob Berman to explore biblical scholarship, resisting religious conversion, and the ancient origins of monotheism. Jacob Berman shares his unique story of growing up in Texas, navigating a religiously non-dogmatic household, and resisting conversion to Christianity during his teenage years. Through critical e...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Leilani Wells to explore non-traditional paths to success, radical self-reliance, and reclaiming personal agency. Picking up immediately following her release from juvenile placement, Leilani Wells details how working travel carnival jobs at age 15 became her ticket out of a volatile environment. She candidly s...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Leilani Wells to explore complex family secrets, teenage homelessness, and corrupt juvenile justice systems. Leilani Wells opens up about growing up amidst volatile domestic altercations, hidden paternity truths, and a search for cultural identity in Southern California. Driven to run away as a teenager to esca...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Fausto Castellanos to talk about his Grooming, Child Sexual Abuse, Crystal Meth Addiction, and Radical Forgiveness. Fausto grew up in an environment shaped by paternal narcissistic abuse and early childhood sexual trauma, developing chameleon-like coping mechanisms and the need for attention and acceptance to s...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Richelle Bauman to explore surviving childhood abuse, escaping violent relationships, and reclaiming life as a paralegal. Richelle Bauman shares her harrowing journey of growing up amidst severe domestic violence, child abuse, and a broken foster care system. After enduring traumatic instability, family betraya...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Mirella Stoyanova to explore trauma recovery, international adoption, and identity reclamation. Mirella Stoyanova is a writer and licensed therapist who experienced a harrowing childhood in Bulgaria, witnessing a tragic murder-suicide involving her parents at just three years old. Following this trauma, sh...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Jeff Kohler to explore childhood sexual abuse, military service in Iraq, and his path to healing and legislative activism. Jeff Kohler, a Navy veteran and author, shares the devastating reality of being molested by a medical provider at age ten and the subsequent systemic failure when he attempted to report the...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Sam Squanch with PP Washington to explore confronting childhood abuse, hunting online child predators, and protecting kids in the digital age. Sam open-heartedly shares the dark reality of his childhood abuse and the years of self-destruction and meth addiction that followed. After battling through his personal...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Laurie Thibert to explore the CATR Theory of relationships, navigating corporate betrayal, and parenting through trauma and addiction. Laurie Thibert shares her journey from being a peacekeeper in a family of eight to facing high-stakes corporate sabotage and severe personal adversity. After being scapegoated a...

In this episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Laurie Thibert to explore international adoption, intuitive guidance, and the true cost of human connection.   Laurie Thibert traveled to Ghana to build water wells, completely unaware that the trip would upend her carefully planned corporate life. When a profound inner voice told her she had just met her son a...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Nancy Kohne to explore narcissistic abuse, surviving childhood trauma, and protecting your family from a predator.   Nancy Kohne grew up acting as the peacemaker in a volatile, alcoholic household, which conditioned her to ignore red flags and try to save broken men. This vulnerability made her the perfect...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Ginine Emily Smith to explore surviving extreme trauma, escaping a serial killer, and the raw reality of living a double life.   Ginine Emily Smith lived a profoundly fragmented life, projecting corporate success and musical talent on the outside while secretly battling crippling grief, cocaine addiction,...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Brittney Lorenz to explore trauma-induced psychosis, surviving sexual assault, and the criminalization of mental illness.   Brittney Lorenz experienced a rapid descent into homelessness during the pandemic, culminating in multiple devastating physical and sexual assaults. The severe trauma triggered a mont...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Ted Novak to explore leaving Mormonism, biblical contradictions, and finding life after religion.   Ted Novak spent over five decades as a devout member, Elder's Quorum president, and seminary teacher in the Mormon church, completely trusting the foundations of his faith. When undeniable historical evidenc...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Alexandria Keating-Sofiakis to explore the Ridglan Farms beagle rescue, the harsh realities of animal testing, and standing against state suppression.   Alexandria Keating-Sofiakis channeled the survival spirit of her ancestors into a lifelong fight for the voiceless. Confronting the realities of testing f...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Allison Fine to explore surviving severe domestic violence, navigating methamphetamine-induced psychosis, and the systemic failures of mental health crisis intervention.   Allison Fine dedicated her life to community advocacy and social services, only to face an unimaginable test when her husband secretly...

In this full episode of the Intrepid Storytelling podcast, host Deanna Powell sits down with Kevin P. Henry to explore surviving childhood trauma, true crime family secrets, and systemic racism.   Kevin grew up believing a fabricated tragedy designed to shield him from the horrific truth that his half-siblings were murdered by their step-father, who set their house on fire to cover up the crime. U...

How do you keep living when the person you trusted to co-parent your child turns out to be a monster hiding in plain sight?   Ruvyn grew up isolated in a strict Jehovah's Witness household in rural Idaho, surrounded by poverty and abusive stepfathers. Desperate for an escape, she moved out as a teenager, eventually having a daughter and trying to build a normal life. But when her daughter’s biolog...

How do you build a life of service and compassion when your own childhood was defined by poverty, severe abuse, and the harsh realities of the streets?   In this raw and unflinching episode of Intrepid Storytelling, Deanna Powell sits down with veteran, first responder, and author Tony Charity. Tony opens up about his harrowing journey growing up in the New York City projects during the 1970s and...

How do you go from earning $10.94 an hour as a substitute paraeducator to becoming the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer of an entire county?   Wil Johnson’s path to leadership was paved with profound challenges, reinvention, and resilience. After dropping out of college and serving as a U.S. Army medic in Alaska, Wil faced a harsh reality during the 2008 recession: despite his milita...