Dear Katie: Survivor Stories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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