Consider Before Consuming

Jeremiah is a husband, an expecting father, and a self-described lifelong learner who found himself struggling with a compulsive porn habit that began in his teens and escalated in college, when he found himself viewing content he would never act out in real life. In this episode, Jeremiah candidly shares how his use of pornography affected his relationships, mental health, and sense of self, particularly during the early stages of his marriage. He opens up about the moment his wife discovered the truth, the shame he experienced, and what sparked his decision to pursue real recovery. 

Episode Resources:

• Article: How Porn Can Become an Escalating Behavior
• Recovery Resources
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 112: Robert

*Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Rachel was first exposed to pornography at seven years old and went on to develop an addiction to porn for the next thirteen years. Despite getting treatment for anxiety and depression as a young girl, she never felt like she could tell others about her struggle with porn because it was something that "girls didn't struggle with." Rachel discusses the shame she felt from being a girl struggling with porn, how being exposed to violent pornography from such a young age caused her to be desensitized to an abusive relationship, and why she now encourages people to talk about their struggle in order to break from the shame that so often keeps them struggling.

This episode is a re-release. It was first released in July of 2023. 

Episode Resources:

• Article: Why Fighting Porn Must Include Fighting Shame
• Video: How I Realized I Had A Porn Problem: Myuniqe's Story
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep.100: Madi

Victoria Sinis is the founder of Creating Gems, an organization created to help young women break free from harmful narratives about themselves. Victoria used to work for an OnlyFans agency, recruiting creators, curating their social media presence, and managing marketing funnels designed to drive traffic to explicit content. In this episode, she shares what made her walk away from an industry she once believed was empowering.

This episode is a re-release. It was first released in June of 2024. 

Episode Resources

Article: Why So Many Teen Girls Are Planning on Becoming OnlyFans Stars

Article: What Porn, Loneliness, and OnlyFans Have To Do with Men Buying Sex

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming, Ep. 109: You Asked, We Answered

Victoria's Website: Creating Gems

Rosalia Rivera is a consent educator and abuse prevention specialist who works to help parents break cycles of abuse through empowered, proactive conversations. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, she shares her personal experiences with pornography, the dangers of leaving sex education to the internet, and how parents can build safe, shame-free spaces for their children to learn about consent and autonomy. She also dives into how pornography plays a role in grooming, the rise in child-on-child sexual abuse, and why media literacy and digital safety are more important than ever.

Episode Resources

Consent Parenting

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 17: Heidi Olson

Book: I Said No by Kimberly King

Book: Good Pictures, Bad Pictures by Kristen Jenson

FTND Parent Resource Page

Trigger Warning

This episode includes topics of child sextortion and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. 

Episode Description

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Shannon Heacock and John Burnett share the deeply personal and devastating story of their son, Elijah. Recently, at just 16 years old, Elijah became a victim of sextortion — a form of online exploitation where predators manipulate and blackmail their victims using threats and explicit imagery, sometimes even using AI-generated content. Tragically, the manipulation and fear led Elijah to take his own life. John and Shannon’s courage in telling Elijah’s story is rooted in their hope that it can prevent other families from facing the same heartbreaking loss.

Episode Resources 

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Call or Text "988"

NCMEC Resource: Take it Down

Victim Resources

Article: Understanding Sextortion: A Growing Threat and How to Protect Yourself

Louie Greek is a Training Specialist with Truckers Against Trafficking, who has spent more than a decade fighting human trafficking, using his expertise in law enforcement and military service to train people on how to recognize, respond to, and ultimately prevent exploitation. In this Consider Before Consuming podcast episode, Louie shares eye-opening insights on the realities of trafficking, the role of demand in fueling exploitation, and the actions we can take to stop it.

Episode Resources 

Truckers Against Trafficking: Resources

Article: How You Can Spot, Report, and Prevent Human Trafficking

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 96: Valiant Richey

Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn

*This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Selena is the Associate Program Director of a sex trafficking survivor sanctuary. As a former porn performer and sex trafficking survivor, Selena knows firsthand what the women she is helping have experienced.

In this Consider Before Consuming episode, Selena sheds light on the dark realities of the porn industry, the deceptive nature of sex trafficking, and the power of resilience.

Episode Resources

Article: I Was Fine with Porn and the Commercial Sex Industry, Until I Worked in a Brothel

Video: What Being In Porn Is Really Like

Victim Resources

Hope Rising

Mandy is a women's empowerment and trauma-informed life coach who helps women who have experienced betrayal trauma. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Mandy shares her personal experience of discovering her partner’s secret struggle with porn addiction, his cheating with porn stars, and the betrayal trauma that followed. She describes the emotional toll, the gaslighting, and the psychological abuse she endured, as well as the healing journey that led her to become a trauma-informed life coach.

Episode Resources 

Article: The Emotional Trauma of Having a Porn-Addicted Partner

Mandy's Website

Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn

Timothy Reigle is a coach, author, podcaster, and the founder of Into The Wilderness Ministries. Tim has used his own experience in defeating addiction to help hundreds of men to overcome their addictions to porn and sex.

In this Consider Before Consuming episode, Tim shares about the 15 years he spent in a cycle of porn addiction that escalated into destructive behaviors, impacting his marriage and mental health. He shares how he finally broke free, the strategies that helped him find lasting recovery, and how he now helps others do the same.

Episode Resources

Article: How Porn Can Become an Escalating Behavior

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 114: Rachel Denton

Timothy's Website: Into the Wilderness

Trigger Warning

Trigger Warning: The following episode contains discussions of child physical and sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised. 

Episode Description

Seth Gehle is an author and speaker who uses his platform to encourage others to overcome their own challenges and find strength in adversity by sharing his own story of resiliency after a traumatic childhood. In this Consider Before Consuming episode, Seth shares about the years of abuse that shaped his childhood, the role of pornography in shaping his perceptions of relationships, and the path he took to heal.

Episode Resources

Victim Resources

Seth's Website and Book

Consider Before Consuming Ep. 107: Matt and Sarah