Shows / Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
The Dear Katie Podcast features survivors of sexual assault, rape, and abuse; supporters; authors; celebrities; and agents of change about their survivorship and support. Learn how their journeys can help all survivors and their supporters. Delve into backlash, legal systems, campus reactions, family and friends, mental health, PTSD, substance use, body image, and the journey from hurt to healing and thriving.
After Katie Koestner appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine at age 18 as the first…
Episodes
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E23 Take Back The Night Roundtable: Fordham, Bucknell, and Campbellsville
This week, we sit down with three more incredible activists from across the country, who share their experiences and expertise in advocacy. Gia Lanteri is a…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E22 Arabesque on 4 Wheels Skating Around the Track to Healing
Kristina Haight is a passionate advocate, healer, and mother who brings deep compassion and authenticity to her work. Her life was forever changed after…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E21 A Doberman and Ducks: A Study in Anger Management
"How do you forgive without an apology?" Vulnerable due to neglected parenting, Becky is targeted by bullies and abusers. Falling victim to a powerful school…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E20 Male, Muslim, Asian, American: A Survivor's Journey
Faced with sexual violence at 10, Farhan used personal reflection and healing to push past societal stigmas and cultural barriers to break his silence…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E19 Boreal Stories out of a One Room Schoolhouse
For Donna Besel, words are her life. A dynamic writer, storyteller, and educator, she shares incredible insights from a lifetime of survivorship and reckoning…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E18 Throwing Challenges to Men Like an NFL Quarterback (Uploaded for Spotify)
Leaving a successful football career for a new calling, Don McPherson has spent the last few decades challenging classic notions of masculinity. Giving us the…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E18 Throwing Challenges to Men Like an NFL Quarterback
Leaving a successful football career for a new calling, Don McPherson has spent the last few decades challenging classic notions of masculinity. Giving us the…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E17 Dinner and Drinks with Bill Cosby (Uploaded for Spotify)
Fighting to be believed in the face of a famous abuser, Stacey Pinkerton left her entire life to put her experiences behind her. But as news of Bill Cosby's…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E17 Dinner and Drinks with Bill Cosby
Fighting to be believed in the face of a famous abuser, Stacey Pinkerton left her entire life to put her experiences behind her. But as news of Bill Cosby's…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E16 From Arabesque in Iraq to Couch Surfing in Kuala Lumpur
Our guest today is Danika, a Canadian author, traveler, and dance instructor who traded a conventional career path in sciences for a life of exploration and…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E15 Hood of His Red Camaro
Clare Awada is a survivor of childhood grooming and sexual abuse. Now a wife, mother of 3 boys, and forensic/SANE RN, Clare is working on spreading awareness…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E14 Floating Ambivert Post Narcissist Abuser
Growing up disconnected from her culture, Cher Obediah details her path to reconnect with the missing part of her indigenous background. She reflects on how…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E13 How to Reprogram Trauma Activation
Tammy Valicenti, LICSW, is an international psychotherapist and speaker. With expertise in trauma recovery, she has achieved remarkable success in…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E13 How to Reprogram Trauma Activation (Uploaded for Spotify)
Tammy Valicenti, LICSW, is an international psychotherapist and speaker. With expertise in trauma recovery, she has achieved remarkable success in…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E12 How Rowena Chiu Breaks Weinstein (Uploaded for Spotify)
"I feel that the glass is both half full and half empty." Rowena Chiu is a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein. In 1998, she was sexually assaulted by him at…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E12 How Rowena Chiu Breaks Weinstein
"I feel that the glass is both half full and half empty." Rowena Chiu is a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein. In 1998, she was sexually assaulted by him at…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E11 Boston Parking Garage Stranger Rape Win
Brutally raped by a stranger in a hotel parking garage, Kira Wahlstrom was faced with a choice: remain nameless or speak her truth. Choosing the path of…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E10 Breaking Free from Domination Consciousness
Sydney Searchwell-Simpson is a writer, artist, yogi, permaculture practitioner, and lover of Life whose work (and embodied life) merges spirituality and social…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E10 Breaking Free from Domination Consciousness (Uploaded for Spotify)
Sydney Searchwell-Simpson is a writer, artist, yogi, permaculture practitioner, and lover of Life whose work (and embodied life) merges spirituality and social…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E9 Cocktail Waitress to American Ninja Warrior
Missing her uniform jacket after a long work day, Kelly runs back into the bar where she works to grab it. Ready to go home, she gets ready to unlock her car…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E8 Meet TransLatina Activist and Survivor Bamby
'I also understand and see that the experiences that I have survived are the same experiences that many members of our community continue to experience today…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E7 Revenge Porn vs Image Based Abuse
As a high school teacher, Sophie Maddocks first noticed her students engaging with technology in novel, dark ways. Determined to protect the young people…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E6 Take Back The Night Roundtable: Auburn, Bowling Green, and Embark CN (Uploaded for Spotify)
Reuploaded for Spotify Making waves across the country, three activists discuss their experiences organizing Take Back the Night, sharing insights into safety…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E6 Take Back The Night Roundtable: Auburn, Bowling Green, and Embark CN
Making waves across the country, three activists discuss their experiences organizing Take Back the Night, sharing insights into safety, survivorship, and…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E5 Read Salinger's Franny and Zooey and Then Let's Talk
'I remember Mark being a really good friend to me.' Coping with grief after the loss of her father, Jeannie finds support among a small gathering of friends…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Re:wind to Re:process Track S5E14 Deck of Cards for Healing Mantras
In today's throwback episode, Zahabiyah Yamasaki, founder of “Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga”, gives us a glimpse of her work with trauma survivors…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E4 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model Arrested 11 Times in Activism
With over four decades of experience, Ann Simonton has dedicated herself to teaching media literacy, with a particular focus on exposing everyday sexism and…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E3 Horror Movie with Real Life Villain
'It doesn't go away.' 'It's there forever.' Sharing her experiences in an industry known for superficiality, actor Sarah Hodkinson navigates trust, violence…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E2 Protectors and Cheerleaders as Healing Partners
'I had a decision point of: either I am going to live or I am going to die.' Speaking on the internal battles survivors face, the dynamic Jean Ibanez Payne…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Re:wind to Re:process Track S6E2 White House Sidewalk Sit-in
Speak truth to power with the incredible Jon Vaugh and Josh Rubin in this 2024 episode of Dear Katie. This week we share the powerful voices of Jon Vaughn and…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S8E1 Military Betrayal of Male Victims
Rashan Legard is an International Motivational Speaker, Veteran, Storyteller, Poet, and Credentialed Survivor Advocate who strongly desires to create change in…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E25 Healing TREE Pathways Forward from Trauma: EDMR and More
Stephanie Mangan has been a Trauma Expert/Consultant for the past 16 years. Working with individuals who have experienced the highest levels of abuse and…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E24 Meet NO MORE's CEO Pamela Zaballa
'When you look at it, in the bigger spectrum, we can talk about this [...] I mean, fifteen years ago, a high-schooler wouldn't be talking to you about…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Re:wind to Re:process Track S2E14 Sisterhood Synergy (Expert Episode: Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet)
Review this classic episode featuring Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet on making black survivors visible. Sisters can either be torn apart or drawn together…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E23 People Are Talking: Meet Author Amanda Eisenberg
Journalist Amanda Eisenberg shares her experiences reporting on sexual violence, informing us about her obligations as a journalist as well as her practices to…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E22 Finding Shameless Sexuality
'If I feel awful and disgusting, then I'm going to put on a mask.' Exploring the psychological depths of sexual shame, Dr. Tina Sellers shares cutting-edge…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E21 Understanding Trauma from Prisons to Veterans
'Most people are good people... [they] most of the time have just been through horrific trauma.' Dr. Renee Rosiecki is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Re:wind to Re:process Track S2E6 Centered Safety (Special Guest: Aishah Shahidah Simmons)
Listen and learn from our fantastic special guest in this classic interview on the Dear Katie Podcast. In this week's episode, Claire and Katie sit down with…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E20 Quantum Leap Healing
'The body just reignites the horrible experience. It's just like you're there.' Sanar Alixandyr is an Empowerment Coach whose mission is to uplift, support…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E19 On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence
Dr. Nicole Bedera is a sociologist and author of the book On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence. Her…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E18 The Authority Gap: Researching the Roots of Gender Inequities
Mary Ann Sieghart is a journalist, broadcaster, author, TED speaker, and consultant. Her bestselling book, The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E17 Iceland's Wonderwoman of Survivorship
Svava Brooks is a survivor of child sexual abuse and the co-founder of a nationwide child sexual abuse prevention and education organization in Iceland called…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Re:wind to Re:process Track S4E9 Soul Singing & Pyschotherapy
Find new insights from this classic episode featuring Greg Kolwicz and Marcel Anderson. As a boy, Greg was groomed by an older friend, who showed him…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E16 Jurisdiction and Justice in Antigua
'The adrenaline in my body was like nothing I've ever felt.' Ten years ago, Derrick's world was rocked when his daughter was raped by a police officer…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E15 The Daughter of the Rapist: Sexual Violence Has Many Victims
'Sometimes I don't want to be a warrior anymore.' Dianne Braley is a Massachusetts-based, multi-award-winning author and nurse. During the process of writing…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E14 Taking Off Trauma's Sunglasses for 4 Hours
This week, walk through the inner workings of the mind with therapist Rachel Stanton. She shares how she works with clients to process traumatic memories and…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E13 Meeting Your Match on Callisto
'That's how they evade justice ... they drop out of school and that Title IX case goes away.' 'No record is ever made.' Tracy DeTomasi is a licensed clinical…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E12 Secrecy and Sexual Abuse in Mormon Country
Valarie Clark Miller seemed to live a picture-perfect life, but her flawless facade masked a haunting past. Suffering a lifetime of abuse that eventually takes…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E11 Custody Battles in the Court of Abuse
Today, we're joined by Reneé Rodriguez, founder of Best Foot Forward Consulting and creator of The Custody Blueprint®, who empowers parents navigating custody…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E10 Dancing to Techno, Tribal, and House
'My father would beat my mother, and my mother would blame me. Speaking about her experience growing up in a turbulent home, Sabrina Osso sheds light on the…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E9 From Rage to Resilience Myth: A Chat with Soraya Chemaly
Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning author and activist. As a cultural critic, she writes and speaks frequently about gender norms, politics, and technology and…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Re:wind to Re:process Track S1E10 Expert Episode: Gordon Braxton, Author of Empowering Black Boys to Challenge Rape Culture
Sit back and enjoy fantastic insights from our phenomenal guest Gordon Braxton. Gordon Braxton joins Katie and Claire to discuss how his work as an activist…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E8 Epstein's Date in My Day Planner
'There was something just... sitting there.' Jess Michaels is a 3x founder, TEDx speaker, and dance industry professional with 30 years of experience as a…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E7 Military Might out of Male Survivorship
'I had been spending my entire career encouraging victims to report and I had never reported mine, I had never told anybody.' This week, Dave Markel shares his…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E6 Ancestral Advocacy: From Survivorship at UC Berkely to Montana
Bringing attention to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, Dr. Annita Lucchesi sheds light on the populations at risk, how trafficking happens…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Re:wind to Re:process Track S6E15 Splitting the Law
Find new insights from our incredible guest, Rachael Denhollander. "How much is a little girl worth?" Guided by a strong sense of justice since she was young…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E5 Pet Snails with Taekwondo Black Belt
'I knew in this moment, this happened to me.' Emily Dinova is constantly curious and always looking to empower others through her art. She has spent years…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E4 Setting the Stage for Boundaries
Sharing her journey through learning and teaching, Kim Shively brings light to insights that storytelling in professional acting can provide. She reveals how…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E3 Explicit Consent on Set: How Movies and TV Shows Depict Intimacy
'The workplace is more often about are you willing to do X, Y, and Z.' Bringing consent-informed practices to Hollywood, Amanda Blumenthal shares her…
- Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
S7E2 Brave Box of Justice and Fearless Fighter
This week, Helene Weiss and Grant Boyd share their experiences advocating for survivors and working tirelessly to protect their rights in the courtroom. They…