Breaking Silence

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Author and Executive Tricia Gray shares the story behind her memoir A Lotus Legacy, as she describes witnessing the violence her mother endured, including her murder at the hands of her partner, how that cycle led her to become emotionally and verbally abusive herself, and how she ultimately began the real work of healing and finding purpose. This is a powerful episode about generational trauma, the children left standing in the corner and the courage it takes to turn pain into legacy.

Link to A Lotus Legacy

For support 

• Domestic Violence Hotline: 800.799.SAFE
• Sexual Assault Hotline: Rainn.org or 800.656.HOPE 
• Suicide Hotline: 988 

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In this episode we sit down with Elise, the executive director and co-founder of CHAMP, an organization born from one athlete's experience that college sports invests heavily in on-field success but almost nothing in the off-field relationship skills that actually keep athletes safe. She shares her personal journey from her father's brave disclosure as a survivor, to organizing campus storytelling events, to building CHAMP's peer-led prevention model. She introduces  us GOOBS (Going Out On the Weekend Buddy System), a practical tool created by athletes, for athletes as she makes the case that relationships and community is not only the heartbeat of sports but of violence prevention as a whole. 

As more and more youth find themselves engaged in sports, conversations like these are so crucial in how we want to create cultures as we can either expose more young people to harm or become the most powerful platform for change we have. 

Elise is a fierce advocate, leader and game changer. We are lucky to have her! Follow along with her work at CHAMP

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To find your voice and to know that it will be heard, held, and moved forward is one of the most powerful experiences. But in order to get there, we have to unfreeze our silence. JoDee walks us through how she reconnected to herself by witnessing what she had survived — and then handing those stories to others as a way to unlock what had gotten stuck. Her experience as a former crimes-against-children prosecutor brings a wealth of knowledge to this episode, as she not only teaches us what justice can look like, but shows us that the system is not always the answer. We all know someone who has been harmed, in this episode we give you the tools to stand beside them with empathy and understanding.

Whether you're a survivor, love someone who is, or want to learn how to show up for the people in your life, this conversation is for you.

Resources:
🔗 Learn more about JoDee Neil & her work: neilnowlegal.com | Book Link |  Substack | Podcast 
🔗 RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): rainn.org | 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
🔗 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 | 988lifeline.org

If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out. You are not alone, and healing is possible.

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In this episode, author, coach, and speaker Shaun shares how healing and growth come from treating life as practice. While we can choose our purpose, it’s often struggle that teaches us to face our emotions and take the smallest step each day—building momentum when we feel stuck. We explore how silence can feel safer at first, but over time it becomes more painful, fueling disconnection, shame, rumination, and regret. By practicing honest truth-telling, even when it’s awkward, we can rebuild self-respect, self-trust, and a deeper sense of inner safety. We explore how starting with awareness of what you feel, accepting where you are, and moving forward through consistent, compassionate practice; you lighten shame, and create space for you to return to yourself again and again.

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In this episode, we explore how the words “I believe you” open doors, not only to healing for someone who has carried a story, but also for the person who chooses to listen. Author Chanchal Garg invites us to walk alongside her as she shares her journey of healing, exploration, and cycle-breaking. Through her reflections, she helps us understand the power of what vibrates beneath the surface of our lives.

When we become connected to those deeper vibrations, transformation begins. Garg reminds us that there is always a path forward, even when it takes time to emerge. By questioning the “truths” we’ve inherited, the ones that often leave us stuck or quietly enduring, we create space for something new: clarity, compassion, and healing.

Her words are full of courage, empathy, and restoration. We are honored to have her join us on the podcast, and we hope you’ll continue supporting her powerful work by visiting her website, purchasing her book or subscribing to her newsletter.

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Listening to Lisa's story you cannot help but to feel inspired and more connected to your own truth. Her purpose is to allow us all to discover a side of ourselves that we may have silenced long ago and to give us the space to understand that even when the cards continue to stack up against you, there is still a choice to be made. A choice between hope, gratitude and love or loss and despair. She is here to walk along side all of us so that we know that we can always find ourselves even in the hardest of times.

Lisa is one of the kindest and most inspirational guests we have had the pleasure of talking with and we hope you will enjoy!

You can learn more about her journey and work HERE  

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Each person's journey with acceptance, spirituality, and finding their path is unique and one that is often realized when we lean in with love. That is exactly what Dr. Glenn Miles teaches us. As a queer man who has journeyed all over the world, he is an explorer of what it means to stay true to yourself even when society, religion, and community may be telling you to turn away from it. His book Embracing Me, God and Others , is a guide into what it means to hold space and allow our experiences to help us through when we are the most lost. He is a man of God, of academia, and of love; we were so honored to have him on the pod and hope you'll enjoy his story!

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As we continue our conversation with Shenea, we get to dive deeper into her experience with USA Gymnastics, the intense role that silence played in her journey, and how one of the greatest displays of love we can give is our willingness to hold people accountable.

Part 2 offers up even more roads for advocacy, what questions we can ask those who are interacting with our kids, and how she defines safety for those actively in competition.  

To learn more about Shenea and the incredible work she’s doing, visit her website: https://circuspreneur.com/

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In this episode of the Breaking Silence podcast, we sit down with Shenea for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about what it truly takes to create safe spaces in sports and performance. Drawing from her journey as a former gold medal gymnast and professional Cirque performer, Shenea speaks to the importance of prevention, the power that language has in creating space for  cycles of harm to exist, and what advocacy looks like on stage, in the gym, and beyond.

Shenea is a force—an advocate, truth-teller, and educator—offering us the tools to recognize our right to ask questions and demand transparency in the environments where our kids are meant to thrive. Whether they are artists, athletes, explorers, or students, no space meant to develop them should ever be shrouded in secrecy.

To learn more about Shenea and the incredible work she’s doing, visit her website: https://circuspreneur.com/

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Welcome back to another season of the Breaking Silence Podcast!

In our first episode of 2025, we were able to connect with Zoey, the Policy and Grassroots Coordinator at RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Zoey shares insights into RAINN's multifaceted efforts to support survivors of sexual violence, including their operation of the National Sexual Assault Hotline and their advocacy work throughout the country on both local and federal policies. The discussion brings us into critical issues such as the backlog of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) tests, the impact of deepfake technology on survivors, and the importance of accessible healthcare for those affected by sexual violence. 

We hope this episode inspires all of us to take meaningful action in our communities: promoting justice, expanding access to support, and paving a clear path toward healing.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es. You can also learn more about their policy efforts at https://rainn.org/policy