36. Cassie Nicholas: A Trauma-Informed Journey of Healing & Hope Cassie Nicholas was born and grew up in the remote Appalachian Mountains of southwestern West Virginia. Her early childhood memories include sexual assault and consequently trying to call 911 at the age of three, but not having any success. Now, as an adult, she has a complex merging of childhood and adolescent memories: a loving and kind but oppressed mother, who herself grew up in a sexually and physically abusive home; a strong, loving bond with her special-needs older sister; and the traumatic sexual trafficking she endured at the hands of her emotionally and sexually abusive father to neighbors and affluent members of the small town where she grew up, including various town doctors. Leaving the abuse wasn't easy…nor was it the answer to her problems. She later became married to an emotionally and sexually abusive wife. Her story of escape from interpersonal, marital violence, into a life of homelessness and hardship, all the while trying to heal through becoming trauma-informed is inspiring and captivating: Cassie tells her story with an enthralling, storytelling talent that is articulate and mesmerizing. And by the end of this interview, she'll have captured your heart and compassion, like she did mine; Cassie is an enthralling narrator. Cassie is one of my SASS listeners who reached out to me at my invitation to be on the show to utilize the podcast platform to inform and educated others about the tactics and manipulations of predators, but also about the path to surviving and healing from rape and sexual assault. I am truly honored to know Cassie and privileged to have had the opportunity of interviewing her. It is truly a pleasure to have her on my show. If you're a victim or survivor of rape, sexual assault, or any form of interpersonal violence, and would like to be a guest on our show, please email me; let's have a conversation about the possibility. I would greatly appreciate you taking the time to rate this episode and subscribe to Sexual Assault Survivor Stories. I would also appreciate your comments, both in the episode comments, and if you'd like, by emailing me and telling me your thoughts about the show…how it has impacted your life or the life of someone you know. Thank you for being part of our efforts, and for your loyalty in listening to the show. Please share this podcast with everyone you know. And remember to do your part to bring justice to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault…together we can make a difference if we all Start By Believing; because we all know someone whose life has been affected by rape or sexual assault. Please take note of and visit the important links below; and where applicable, your monetary donation would be greatly appreciated: [email protected] https://markel-consulting.com https://saprea.org https://www.facebook.com/ciera.lancaster https://www.instagram.com/cieralancaster/ https://startbybelieving.org https://thejanbrobergfoundation.org