Not Just a Hashtag

In this episode, Kristan, our mental health counselor, helps us understand depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues. It is one thing to deal with normal life stress, but when you add in a pandemic, interruption to daily life, and a loss of income, anxiety may not be far behind. Anxiety can be summed up as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or so...

This week the team looks at ways to help you move forward successfully on your healing journey. Life sometimes doesn’t go as planned - plans change, pandemics happen, injustices spark something in us that cannot be silenced. It’s been well said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Having the right reactions lead to happiness and the wrong reactions lead to anxiety, wor...

In “normal” times, the prevalence of sexual assault in our society is astoundingly high. We know that at some point in their lifetimes, one in three girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused. Yet, despite the numbers, sexual abuse is known to be the single most under-reported crime in the United States and throughout the world. Only 12 percent of child sexual abuse is ever reported to the...

In this episode, the team discusses life, wisdom, and what they have learned during COVID-19. They also tackle how important it is to have inner strength when life feels uncertain. What does inner strength look like for you? The systems we create enable habits that support our goals and create inner strength. If you have a goal of healing from sexual abuse, you don’t want to miss this episode!

In this episode, we have special guest Holly Carotenuto, who is a Sexual Assault Outreach Coordinator at the Palm Beach County Victim Services. She shares with us about the Start By Believing Campaign, which is a public awareness campaign launched by End Violence Against Women International in April 2011. It was created to end the cycle of silence and change the way society responds to sexual assa...

In this episode, the team looks at why survivors need a personal mission statement and how powerful writing one can be to give your life purpose and direction. You don’t have to be in a leadership role for this info to apply to you. Actually, we are all leaders in some way. Leadership doesn’t mean a title, it simply means being a person of influence. If you are a survivor, you have the great oppor...

In this episode, the team dispells several sexual abuse myths that are toxic and victim-blaming. Once a survivor is able to see that the lies they have believed about their sexual abuse, their role, and their abuser, a survivor will be better prepared to appropriate the blame off themselves and onto their abuser. No matter what they said about you, how your body responded, or what you told yoursel...

The team is back and joined with a new co-host, mental health counselor, Holly Fregin! In this first episode of season 2, the team looks at how to find joy in the midst of pain. Living as a survivor of sexual abuse can be emotionally confusing, and many struggle with the pain for the rest of their lives. But you don't have to stay that way! In this episode, the team explains the different hurdles...

In this episode, the team looks at what an influencer is. Culture teaches us that if you have a large following on social media, you started a movement or you have a big platform, that you are a person of influence. The true and lasting influence we will have on this world is people and their stories. It will never be a platform or a movement. Although those are all wonderful things, it will be th...

In this episode, the team jumps into the fifth and final installment of looking at dysfunctional families and how they affect a survivor from healing from sexual abuse. Children in dysfunctional families develop survival roles. These roles are either assigned by the family or unconsciously chosen by the child. A few examples are: Scapegoat—usually blamed for family problems; Hero—works hard to bri...

In this episode, the ladies dive into the second part of the three-part series on common characteristics of a dysfunctional family. Many families transmit messages that say, “Don’t express your feelings. Don’t cry. Don’t get upset. Don’t get angry. Don’t ever tell any outsiders any family secrets because that is betraying the family.” A healthy family permits and models on how to express emotions....

The team starts another three-part series! In this episode, they discuss two common characteristics of a dysfunctional family. No family is perfect, and the girls want to help you identify unhealthy patterns in your family relationships that are keeping you from thriving.

We have a special guest this week, Holly Freggin, a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in eating disorders and recovery. She shares with us her own personal journey with an eating disorder, choosing recovery, and the easily misunderstood link between sexual abuse and eating disorders.

This is the third and final part of a three-part series! The crew discusses how denial may have helped them cope, but ultimately harmed them when it caused them to ignore problems for which there were solutions. Let’s stop denying reality, and live presently and honestly!

This episode is the second installment of a three-part series that challenges survivors to confront common issues. The team examines the specific ways in which you were betrayed when you were sexually abused and the people who may have played an inadvertent part in betraying you.

The team starts a three-part series that challenges listeners to confront common issues that survivors can face and starts off with this episode on misplaced responsibility. First and foremost, all survivors must give total responsibility for the abuse to the perpetrator of the abuse and the ladies cover the importance of doing this as soon as possible on your healing journey.

Special guest and long-time volunteer with our nonprofit, Sue Koegel shares about her longterm abuse growing up, why she finally chose to heal, and how she’s used her story to connect with others and help them change their own stories. Sue explains the different hurdles she faced and overcame and inspires listeners to never think it’s too late to heal, change, or make notable positive impacts on t...

In this episode, we have two very special guests: Nicole and Anisa’s husbands, Rafael Escobar and David Mellinger. Raf and David answer tough questions revolving around what it’s like to be married to a survivor of sexual abuse. They go over how they handle triggers, how they celebrate recovery and progress, and what love looks like in the midst of a lifelong journey.

Going off of the last episode, the girls discuss the potential consequences of living in the warped reality false beliefs can give you. The most common repercussions of believing lies about yourself or your abuse are low self-esteem, guilt, self-blame, and shame. Where you can find hope though is in the truth that these false beliefs are all learned and can, therefore, be unlearned. You can begin...

 The team wants you to be able to recognize and learn to replace any false beliefs you have about yourself and your abuse. The experience of being sexually abused almost always leaves victims with a damaging set of false beliefs about their value and worth and ultimately complicate true, total recovery.  

Special guest, Dee Proietto who founded our nonprofit, Trees of Hope, tells her story of sexual abuse, healing, and how she has made an impact that she could have never anticipated. She details the hurdles she struggled with, how she overcame enormous odds, and she inspires listeners to never let themselves be silenced or defined by their experiences of victimization. 

Nicole, Anisa, and Myriah go over what never to say to a victim of sexual abuse regardless of it maybe being well-intentioned. They then go over ways to encourage, support and speak to survivors. They share some of the negative and positive things that have been said to them and how to best respond. In this, they also hope to show sexual abuse survivors that they identify with them even in interac...

The team discusses the typical emotional, physical, and sexual symptoms that a survivor of sexual abuse can experience. They share some of the symptoms they personally struggled with, being on the other side of the symptoms, and the reality of being triggered even after being on the journey to healing and wholeness. 

Special guest Desmond Foong from Broward County’s only Certified Rape Crisis & Accredited Children’s Advocacy Center answers questions on what your next steps should/could be if you are a victim of sexual abuse. He goes into the immediate services available, forensic medical examinations, reporting, counseling, and statistics. 

Maybe you’ve decided you’re ready to share your story of what happened to you. The team expounds on what exactly makes a person safe or unsafe when it comes to sharing your story of sexual abuse. They give characteristics of a safe person, examples of who that might be, and what you should share when you do disclose information.