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 their relationship to violence, risk, and social justice. She is the former Executive Director of The Representation Project and Director and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, both dedicated to protecting and expanding women's civic and political participation. Her first book, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, was recognized as a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and NPR and has been translated into multiple languages. Her most recent book, The Resilience Myth, has just been released.

 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producer:s Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 and educator has shaped his upcoming book, which focuses on violence prevention and specifically addresses black boys. Braxton talks about challenging stereotypes, changing narratives, and the hope he sees in the next generation. 

Braxton is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was a peer educator in an all-male anti-violence group at the University of Virginia and won the Black Fraternal Council's Man of the Year Award. After graduating from UVA, he traveled alongside Katie Koestner as a presenter on the topic of sexual violence prevention.

Hosts: Katie Koestner and Claire Kaplan
Guest: Gordon Braxton
Producers: Kelsey Styles and Emily Wang
Editor: Kelsey Styles
Guest Coordinator: Emily Wang

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 performer, educator, and entrepreneur. She is also a 1991 survivor of sexual assault by Jeffrey Epstein who has lived with PTSD for over 30 years. Today, she's the founder, CEO, and driving force behind 3Joannes Sexual Assault First Aid. Through her work, Jess equips communities with trauma-sensitive skills, language, pre-crisis protocols, and post-assault resources that empower a united front against sexual assault while fostering heartfelt care for survivors.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 incredible journey from advocate to survivor. Initially working tirelessly with the justice system and advocacy network to serve victims of sexual assault, his work eventually frees him to share his own survivor story. Today, Dave shares his voice with thousands, hoping to connect with and support survivors around the world. 

Dave Markel is the host and founder of Sexual Assault Survivor Stories, the SASS podcast. With over 40 years of work in the criminal justice profession, 18 of which were as a police officer and detective with the Lafayette, Colorado police department, Dave now provides training on trauma-informed interviewing, utilizing a foundation in the basics of brain responses to trauma and the impact on memory. Please do your part to help bring justice to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault by subscribing to Sexual Assault Survivor Stories podcast, then rate and share the podcast with everyone you know!

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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, and what we can do to help. Her personal journey mirrors the geographies of her community's struggles, resulting in her interest in mapping. Today, she researches Indigenous cartography, land-based violence, and earth sciences, merging her passion for geography with her Cheyenne roots. 

Dr. Annita Lucchesi is a Cheyenne researcher, geographer, and community advocate. She lives on her ancestral homelands in southeast Montana, a few miles off of the Northern Cheyenne reservation. Anita is a survivor-leader with lived experience of trafficking, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and police violence. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Sovereign Bodies Institute, a non-profit research center and service provider addressing violence against Indigenous peoples.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

 

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, Rachael decided at ten that she wanted to be an attorney. However, her experience reporting abuse in her church comes with a terrible lesson: don't report unless you can prove it. Taking this to heart, when her gymnastics coach Larry Nassar sexually assaults her, she stays silent. 

16 years later, supported by investigative journalists and public outrage, she reports her abuse, becoming the first whistleblower and rallying an army of survivors to bring Larry Nassar to justice. Today, Rachael Denhollander speaks across the country to make change in institutions ranging from the government to religious organizations, pursuing survivor healing and institutional transformation. 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Benter Oluoch

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 learning to find, forgive, and love herself. Bringing her journey to the page, her latest novel, The Antagonist, is a cathartic release from her childhood trauma. She is deeply passionate about connecting with others and helping them find a voice amongst the chaotic waves of life, and hopes her art can bring her and her voice closer to community. 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 navigating the personal can help us understand how to better set boundaries and tell stories in ways that honor ourselves and others. 

Kim Shively is a typical 21st-century multi-hyphenate: an actor, director, Intimacy Choreographer/Coordinator/Consultant, professor, and researcher. Her career evolution started with professional acting, added direction and teaching in academia, and now includes developing and leading workshops and consultant work—all of which have taken her around the world. Her passion is helping people maximize their humanity through understanding boundaries and consent, power dynamics, and collaboration. Her research in bringing this work to spaces that include minors and young adults has been a major focus for the past decade. She is an Associate Professor at Elon University where she teaches acting, and a Guilding Faculty of Theatrical Intimacy Education, a global organization committed to helping everyone in the room be better at being in the room.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 experiences coordinating intimate scenes to protect the safety of performers and crew while channeling an artistic vision for viewers. Examining the nuances of workplace and interpersonal consent, she sheds light on ways the industry sets standards for consent to navigate differences in power and create professional environments. 

Amanda Blumenthal is one of the founders of intimacy coordination for film and television, which aims to create safer spaces on set for both performers and crew members while empowering bold and creative storytelling. She comes to this work with a background in sex and relationship coaching, sex-positive queer sex education work, and advocacy work for survivors of sexual assault. Amanda is the founder of the Intimacy Professionals Association, which provides SAG-AFTRA accredited intimacy coordinator training to a global audience, as well as educational workshops for the film industry on topics related to intimacy work for the screen. 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Agluat and Emily Wang

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 share visions of hope and victory, bringing to light brave survivors who have pushed to make their voices heard and fight for themselves and their community. 

Helene Weiss is a partner at Marsh Law Firm and works on a wide range of cases representing survivors of sexual abuse. She is a former Special Victims Bureau Prosecutor who has tried dozens of cases from jury selection to verdict, both criminal and civil. Helene also works as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Hofstra University, teaching Advanced Trial Skills.

Grant Boyd is an attorney from St. Louis, Missouri. His practice focuses on representing sexual abuse survivors and families of victims. In just 10 years as an attorney, Grant has won over half a billion dollars for crime victims and continues to assist victims in navigating criminal cases.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang