Dear Katie: Survivor Stories

S8E24 8 Years of Emails with My Perpetrator (Uploaded for Spotify)

Thordis Elva is a writer, speaker, and activist from Iceland who specializes in violence prevention and has shaped national and international policy on digital rights and gender equality. In 2017, she gained worldwide recognition for her book South of Forgiveness, a memoir about her sexual assault and subsequent journey to healing in which Thordis collaborated with her perpetrator, making her the first rape survivor in the world to publicly do so. It has since been published across four continents, with the accompanying TED talk having been viewed over 10 million times.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

Image Credit: Eva Schram

S8E24 8 Years of Emails with My Perpetrator

Thordis Elva is a writer, speaker, and activist from Iceland who specializes in violence prevention and has shaped national and international policy on digital rights and gender equality. In 2017, she gained worldwide recognition for her book South of Forgiveness, a memoir about her sexual assault and subsequent journey to healing in which Thordis collaborated with her perpetrator, making her the first rape survivor in the world to publicly do so. It has since been published across four continents, with the accompanying TED talk having been viewed over 10 million times.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

Image Credit: Eva Schram

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 recent graduate of Fordham University, where she studied Communications and Culture with a minor in Creative Writing. At Fordham, she served as the President of The Women’s Network, leading initiatives on professional development, equality, and mental health. She’s built professional experience in public relations, supporting technology and venture capital clients with media strategy and storytelling, and is now preparing to apply to law school.

Nicholas Bloodworth currently serves as the Director of Counseling Services at Campbellsville University while maintaining an active clinical practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. He is in the final year of his PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in children and adolescents, which has been a defining step in his professional journey. Throughout his career, he's worked in trauma care, crisis intervention, group therapy, and clinical supervision. He is passionate about advancing the field through evidence-based practice, leadership, and training the next generation of clinicians.

Molly Harris received a Bachelor of Arts from Juniata College where she worked as a Student Advocate and Peer Educator in the Office for the Prevention of Interpersonal Violence. She has worked in several roles at a domestic violence agency, including Shelter Advocate, Legal Advocate, and Director for Coordinated Community Response. While advocating for domestic violence survivors, she also earned a Master of Science in Victimology from the University of Portsmouth (UK). Currently, she is the Director of Interpersonal Violence Prevention & Advocacy at Bucknell University.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Sydney Tiller

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 surviving a random act of violence, a home invasion in which a stranger broke in and committed a robbery and sexual assault. That traumatic event marked the beginning of a long and courageous healing journey, ultimately leading her to become a hospital and hotline advocate for other survivors, holding space during some of their most vulnerable moments. Most importantly, Kristina's journey led her back to herself—one that has led her to a life she is now fully living, enjoying, and proud of.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 superintendent, her journey seeking safety and connection takes her through trials and tribulations. She finally finds healing through a technique called brainspotting; hear more about her story and her healing in her book Anger, Alcohol, and Healing through Brainspotting. 

Becky Nulle is a full-time student and published author. She lives in a rural area in Wisconsin with her Doberman and eight ducks, as well as the best husband in the world. She spends each day waking up thinking of something to be grateful for.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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, consciously committing to living bravely and authentically. Today, Farhan Manjiyani is a compassionate, relentless, brave leader living his vision of ending sexual assault in the world by being the permission slip for others to begin their own healing. Proudly identifying as an Ismaili Muslim with deep roots in the South Asian community, he leverages his personal and cultural experience to engage audiences with vital conversations around male sexual trauma. His latest short-term goal is to perfect his butter-chicken recipe.

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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, and how her truth rocked her small hometown. Donna's best-selling memoir, The Unravelling: Incest and the Destruction of a Family, provides an honest glimpse into the tolls of sexual violence on survivors and communities. 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 ins and outs of 'locker room talk' and male-only spaces, he shares insights from years of lived experience and activism. 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 arrest reaches her decades later, she knows she must speak her truth. Now an advocate fighting tirelessly to make sure abusers are held accountable, she has been featured in several award-winning documentaries such as "We Need To Talk About Cosby" and "The Case Against Cosby". 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang

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 creativity. Moving abroad to teach internationally led her to unexpected opportunities—like teaching ballet in Iraq.

Her travel memoir, 'One Year and a One-Way Ticket', shares her journey of self-discovery through solo travel and breaking expectations. Her work has been featured in Intrepid Times, Go World Travel Magazine, and more. Today, she’s here to share her insights on solo female travel safety, adventure, and making space for authenticity—welcome, Danika!

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang