Sexual Assault Survivor Stories

210. Rory: Raped, Pregnant, and Forced to Co-Parent; A Survivor Fights Back When a survivor of rape becomes pregnant as a result of the assault, the trauma can extend far beyond the crime itself. In some cases, the survivor may face years of custody disputes, court proceedings, and unwanted contact with the person responsible for the assault. But a new California law is changing the legal options...

What happens when a sexual assault survivor refuses to be silenced, even when the institutions responsible for protecting him seem determined not to listen? In Episode 209 of Sexual Assault Survivor Stories, I welcome author and publisher R. Greg Adams, whose new memoir, Strong Survivor: Strong Victim, recounts his experience of being sexually assaulted by his physician in 2015 and the extraordina...

My guest today is Dr. Anne Aspler, an emergency physician, professor, researcher, humanitarian, survivor, advocate, and author whose voice has become increasingly influential both within medicine and across social media. Anne brings an unusual and important perspective to conversations about sexual violence: she has treated trauma professionally while also carrying the lived experience of sexual a...

Cassie Nicholas returns to Sexual Assault Survivor Stories for her fourth appearance. Listeners first met Cassie in Episode 36, followed her continuing healing journey in Episode 81, heard the story of attempted trafficking concealed as an offer of help in Episode 182, and came together for her during a special edition episode after a devastating car fire took her transportation, shelter, and belo...

After a week off, I'm joined by Cat Wilson, a survivor, advocate, and outspoken voice in the movement to end violence against women. Cat is a HASSL Pro Ambassador and serves as the organization's country representative for Scotland. Cat speaks with an honesty that is direct, unapologetic, and deeply personal. She shares her lived experience, the difficult realities of survival and healing, and wha...

Vanessa Wulff was working toward a future in chiropractic care when she became the victim of multiple sexual assaults and rape. In this episode, she shares what happened during that period of her life and the effects those experiences had on her education, her sense of safety, and her ability to move forward. Vanessa's story reflects a reality that is often poorly understood: trauma does not alway...

Jeff Kohler enlisted in the United States Navy immediately after graduating from high school in 2005. Two years later, he received orders attaching him to the Army's 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, and deployed to Iraq for 341 days. He served his country honorably, returned home, earned a degree from The Ohio State University, and began trying to build the life he had ex...

For twenty-five years, Dr. Peter Verdin carried the truth of his childhood sexual abuse largely in silence. During those years, he became an accomplished athlete, playing four seasons for the University of Georgia and being drafted by the Washington Nationals. He later earned a doctorate in human and sport performance and worked as a coach and educator. His achievements were real, but they could n...

Several of my recent guests have described sexual assault that occurred within an intimate relationship and was accomplished through coercion rather than immediately recognizable physical force. Some of the responses I received to those conversations made me realize how deeply misunderstood this form of sexual violence remains. In this episode, I draw upon my experience as a former detective and l...

This week I conclude my three-part conversation with Hannah King. What began with the night she was drugged and violently sexually assaulted has become a much larger story about everything rape can leave behind. Hannah speaks from where she is now, still carrying profound pain while trying to find her way forward. Her journey reminds us that survival can contain grief, anger, uncertainty, courage,...

This week on Sexual Assault Survivor Stories, I continue my conversation with Hannah King in Part Two of a three-part series. Episode 200 picks up directly where Part One ended, allowing Hannah to continue telling her story in her own words and at her own pace. In Part One, Hannah began sharing her experience of being drugged and violently sexually assaulted while outside the United States. She al...

Some stories simply can't be told in a single conversation. This week begins a special three-part series with Hannah King, whose life changed forever after she was drugged and violently sexually assaulted while traveling outside the United States. In the months that followed, she found herself unable to return to the work she loved while focusing instead on surviving the emotional, psychological,...

Domestic violence doesn't usually begin with violence. It often begins with what appears to be love. Small compromises become expectations. Isolation is disguised as protection. Control masquerades as concern. Little by little, the person you once were begins to disappear, often without you even realizing it's happening. Domestic violence survivor and advocate Lyndsey Hackford joined me to discuss...

Childhood sexual abuse leaves wounds that often extend far beyond the abuse itself. It can shape a person's identity, relationships, sense of worth, and even their understanding of faith, trust, and safety. Yet, as difficult as the healing journey may be, recovery is possible. In Episode 197, Cherry Fargo shares her remarkable story of surviving years of childhood sexual abuse, emotional manipulat...

One of the most common misconceptions about child sexual abuse is the belief that children always know they're being abused. The reality is often far more complicated. In this episode, I sit down with Susan Bisaha, a licensed professional counselor, survivor of clergy sexual abuse, and author of And The Lotus Shall Rise: My Journey Through Clergy Sex Abuse. Susan shares the deeply personal story o...

Some episodes are worth repeating…this is one of them. Jason's story is one that quietly breaks your heart and then slowly helps rebuild it. On the outside, his childhood looked perfectly normal, even picturesque. But behind closed doors lived a painful reality of abuse, secrecy, and survival that no child should ever have to experience. In Secrets Beneath, Jason pulls back that veil and walks us...

When Cheryl Wright first appeared on Sexual Assault Survivor Stories in January of 2024, she shared her experiences with honesty, courage, and a willingness to help others feel less alone. Today, Cheryl returns for a short update conversation. We talk about what's changed during the past two years, what challenges she's faced, and where she finds herself today. As is often the case, healing has no...

For the first time in quite a while, I found myself without a guest interview ready to release. Between family visits, personal responsibilities, and the realities of life occasionally getting ahead of all of us, I simply ran out of runway this week. Rather than leave you with silence, I decided to sit down behind the microphone and spend a few minutes talking directly with you. As Sexual Assault...

This week's episode is a little different. There is no guest joining me behind the microphone tonight. Instead, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on something I've been thinking about as Sexual Assault Survivor Stories approaches two hundred episodes. Over the past four years, I've had the extraordinary privilege of speaking with survivors, advocates, counselors, researchers, physicians, a...

Before we get started, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to The Network Studios in Culver City for making this week's episode recording possible. From the ease of scheduling to their outstanding facilities and podcast production expertise, the entire experience was exceptional. A special thank you goes to studio owner Kenyon, whose generosity, kindness, hospitality, and willingness to help mad...

Dr. Lori from Still Whole Wellness returns to the show for a deeply thoughtful conversation about healing, spirituality, trauma, boundaries, self-worth, and the daily work of becoming whole again after sexual trauma. This isn't surface-level self-help language. It's an honest discussion about what healing requires when trauma has impacted the way you think, speak to yourself, trust yourself, and m...

For this episode, I brought together three people who have become powerful voices in the fight against sexual violence: Tracy DeTomasi, CEO of Callisto, Chris McGee, and Derrick Hurley. What started for Chris and Derrick as deeply personal journeys after the sexual assaults of their daughters has evolved into full-scale advocacy work focused on changing laws, challenging rape culture, supporting s...

Martha Gagnon joins me for a deeply important and, at times, difficult conversation about coercion, control, and what she ultimately came to understand as rape within an intimate relationship. Her story doesn't follow the narrative many people expect—and that's exactly why it matters. In this survival story, Martha's relationship with this particular person began as what appeared to be healthy, em...

Sophie was 14 when she entered a relationship that, at first, felt familiar and exciting. Over time, that relationship shifted into something she couldn't fully understand in the moment. What began as connection turned into pressure, confusion, and a growing sense that she was responsible for someone else's emotions, safety, and survival. This episode traces how that shift happened. Not through a...

Joseph Born grew up surrounded by the raw, untamed beauty of Alaska—a childhood filled with exploration, curiosity, and the kind of freedom that most people would associate with innocence. But beneath that backdrop was something far different. In this episode, Joseph shares the part of his story that rarely gets talked about with the clarity it deserves: child-on-child sexual abuse, and the lastin...