29.2K
Downloads
208
Episodes
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 person to speak out nationally and publicly as the victim of “date” rape, she received 100+ letters from others who had never told anyone about their own story. Katie wrote back to all of them, and some of them have now been guests on her Podcast 30+ years later to share their story with the world. The name “Dear Katie” honors all survivors in the power of sharing their story. Silence changes nothing.
Episodes
Thursday Dec 18, 2025
Thursday Dec 18, 2025
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
Thursday Dec 11, 2025
Thursday Dec 11, 2025
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
Thursday Dec 04, 2025
Thursday Dec 04, 2025
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 of childhood sexual abuse and the red flags of grooming by sharing her story.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thursday Nov 27, 2025
Thursday Nov 27, 2025
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 colonialism and generational trauma affected her in an abusive relationship. Now, she helps others turn their “pain into purpose.”
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thursday Nov 20, 2025
Thursday Nov 20, 2025
Tammy Valicenti, LICSW, is an international psychotherapist and speaker. With expertise in trauma recovery, she has achieved remarkable success in co-transforming various forms of trauma and has developed Transformation Soulution™, a cutting-edge synthesis of Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and other evidence-based therapies. This approach accomplishes in weeks or months what traditional psychotherapy achieves in years. Tammy practices modalities of healing she has personally benefited from, and invites you to do the same.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thursday Nov 13, 2025
Thursday Nov 13, 2025
"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 the Venice Film Festival and was coerced into signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which silenced her for over twenty years. In 2017, a New York Times journalist came to her home and doorstepped her husband of over a decade, revealing information about the assault and NDA. Rowena was featured in the subsequent NYT investigation, but she insisted on remaining anonymous. In 2019, she finally broke her story on the NBC Today Show, live in front of three million viewers. Rowena's story was featured in both the book and the movie, SHE SAID. She has given over 700 media interviews across four continents, for international news outlets such as ABC, BBC, CBS, and NBC, and has testified at the House of Commons, the Massachusetts State House, and the State Of The Union. Rowena is writing a memoir, a novel, and a screenplay, in addition to working as a global #MeToo activist, advocating for the rights of those who are oppressed or voiceless, in churches, schools, universities, and workplaces around the world.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thursday Nov 06, 2025
Thursday Nov 06, 2025
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 justice, she sues the hotel for failing to protect her from this man, who had raped an employee just 11 days prior. Kira elects to have her face and name associated with the case, and after 6 years of fighting, she wins, setting an incredible precedent in the state of Massachusetts. Now a survivor advocate, Kira continues to share her story and fight for survivors, and is currently working on a film about her case.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Sydney Searchwell-Simpson is a writer, artist, yogi, permaculture practitioner, and lover of Life whose work (and embodied life) merges spirituality and social action. Inspired by insights on her spiritual journey, her experience of sexual and domestic violence, and a lifetime of activism, Sydney’s upcoming books and podcast explore how we can love and be free through and beyond what she calls “domination consciousness”. She walks a path of the Heart and is intentionally exploring how she can live, build, love, and create new ways of being and relating that are conducive to Life.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Sydney Searchwell-Simpson is a writer, artist, yogi, permaculture practitioner, and lover of Life whose work (and embodied life) merges spirituality and social action. Inspired by insights on her spiritual journey, her experience of sexual and domestic violence, and a lifetime of activism, Sydney’s upcoming books and podcast explore how we can love and be free through and beyond what she calls “domination consciousness”. She walks a path of the Heart and is intentionally exploring how she can live, build, love, and create new ways of being and relating that are conducive to Life.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Thursday Oct 23, 2025
Thursday Oct 23, 2025
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 when a strange man appears from the darkness. Running for her life through a parking lot, Kelly screams for help when her assailant grabs her ponytail and beats her into the pavement. Dismissed by the police and blaming herself, she finds herself continually trying to prove her own worth. Continually challenging herself to physical extremes, Kelly begins to find balance and healing, becoming an advocate for other women in the health and fitness space.
Dr. Kelly Barron is a dedicated advocate for women’s health, specializing in empowering women to navigate menopause and other key life transitions with confidence and strength. She is a licensed chiropractor, menopause specialist, founder of Tempesta and host of The KellFire Show.
Host: Katie Koestner
Editor: Evan Mader
Producer: Emily Wang