Down the Rabbit Hole

Down the Rabbit Hole

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Down the Rabbit Hole episodes

  • Partnering With Faith-Based Organizations

    New year, new partnerships? What are the challenges and strategies to working with communities of faith? Join Sarah, William, and their first guest of 2021 Suzanne as they jump down this rabbit hole and explore the possibilities of partnerships between domestic violence programs and faith-based communities.

    Check out the Faith Trust Institute at https://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/ for more information on the important role faith partners can play in ending sexual and domestic violence.

    If you have questions, comments, or concerns, reach out to the prevention team at [email protected] or to Suzanne at [email protected].

    1 hr
  • Stalking Awareness Month

    It's 2021! This year has already been off to an emotional start, and it would be easy to tune it all out. But one thing we shouldn't forget is that January is Stalking Awareness Month. Join Sarah and William in their first episode after a couple weeks off as they discuss stalking, how it relates to intimate partner violence, and some considerations for prevention.

    If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this episode, you can email [email protected].Be sure to check out stalkingawareness.org for some of the information shared in today's episode as well as for additional resources. If stalking is a tactic your partner is using, you can always contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or online at thehotline.org.

    51 min
  • Goodbye 2020

    2020--what a year! While having a casual, fun conversation about movies, tv, living in a pandemic and more, Sarah and William help each other identify their successes during this year of challenges and discuss looking forward into 2021. Listen along and think of the ways you can say good-bye to 2020!We wish everyone a happy and safe New Year's.


    If the holidays are an unsafe time for you, please visit our website (https://tcfv.org/survivor-resources/) to find our service directory for family violence programs that operate across Texas. You will also find information on contacting the National Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or at thehotline.org. You can reach an advocate at any of these services 24/7/365.

    **As a result of staff time off in for the holidays, Down the Rabbit Hole will be taking a break until mid-January.**

    36 min
  • The Shadow Within

    Content Warnings: Discussions of abuse, suicide and some language.


    We all have a shadow self--parts of our personalities or lived experiences that we would rather ignore or repress. Join Sarah, William, and their special guest Melissa Prentice as they discuss how we use toxic positivity and gratitude pressure to maintain our shadow selves, often to the detriment of our wellbeing and others'. If you have any questions or would like to come have a conversation with us, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

    References and Resources:

    • Bringing Your Shadow Out of the Dark: Breaking Free From the Hidden Forces That Drive You by Robert Augustus Masters
    • Shadow Work: A Guide to Spiritual and Psychological Growth by Dr. Michael Ruth
    • A Complete Guide to the Shadow by Scott Jeffrey https://scottjeffrey.com/shadow-work/
    • What its Like to Hear ‘Be Grateful’ as a Childhood Emotional Abuse Survivor by Vicki Peterson; The Mighty; https://themighty.com/2018/02/gratitude-childhood-emotional-abuse/
    • Toxic Positivity: The Dark Side of Positive Vibes By: Samara Quintero, LMFT, CHT and Jamie Long, PsyD; The Psychology Group; https://thepsychologygroup.com/toxic-positivity/
    • The Difference Between Genuine Optimism and Toxic Positivity (And Why it Matters); The Health Sessions; https://thehealthsessions.com/toxic-positivity/
    • 1 hr
    • Porn Is Not a Monolith

      Sarah and William welcome TCFV's Digital Technology Coordinator Kate Kerns on the podcast this week to talk about positive and negative perspectives on pornography. How does porn relate to relationships, self-esteem, feminism, and intimate partner violence? Listen along to find out.


      Learn more about having healthy conversations about sex with children and families from Sex Positive Families at https://sexpositivefamilies.com/ or Instagram @sexpositive_families

      Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or have any ideas about future episodes!

      1 hr
    • Navigating Difficult Conversations

      So far Down the Rabbit Hole has tackled several challenging topics, and with the winter holidays upon us, you may be gearing up for challenging conversations with your friends and family. In this episode, William and Sarah welcome Noah Molina--a member of TCFV's Young Hearts Matter Leadership Board--and his mom Elda Garcia to talk about some strategies to use when having challenging conversations, maintaining your wellness and taking care of yourself during and after these conversations, and loving people while holding them accountable. Elda and Noah use Noah's coming out story and experience as a springboard for discussing how to approach or respond to other challenging conversations.

      1 hr 8 min
    • World AIDS Day!

      In honor of World AIDS Day, William and Sarah welcome Melissa Carr and Brandon Harris from SafeConnect--a project of UT Southwestern! Together, they dive into what HIV and AIDS are, some common myths about them, their intersection with IPV, and why prevention work at this intersection is so important. Additionally, Melissa and Brandon discuss how SafeConnect is aiming to prevent both IPV and HIV and what support for people living with one or both can look like. For more information or if you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected]. 

      Resources and References: 

      • PrEP Locator: www.preplocator.org
      • World Aid's Day Info: www.hiv.gov/events/awareness-days/world-aids-day
      • National network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) Positively Safe Project: http://go.futureswithoutviolence.org/e/858853/-of-domestic-violence-hivaids-/58m1s/57071295?h=_BHgMbPYo8yMfkHiobO_tPByI8FBF1paIIPXmkdIH28
      • Expanding the Continuum Podcast by Futures Without Violence: http://go.futureswithoutviolence.org/e/858853/expanding-the-continuum-/58m1v/57071295?h=_BHgMbPYo8yMfkHiobO_tPByI8FBF1paIIPXmkdIH28
      • Get in touch with Safe Connect:

        • Facebook: www.facebook.com/projectsafeconnect
        • Twitter: www.twitter.com/projsafeconnect
        • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projsafeconnect/
        • YouTube: Project Safe Connect - SPEAK

        • 51 min
        • Reflecting with Gratitude

          From being caught off guard by a student's bravery to answering awkward or tough questions, from inspiring mentors to supportive supervisors and coworkers, from the beginning to now... Sarah and William have so many things to be grateful for that have paved their journeys up until this point. On this episode they have a casual conversation to reflect on their time doing prevention work and discuss some of the people that have crossed their paths and some of the experiences that shaped their prevention advocacy.

          56 min
        • White Supremacy: Part 2

          William and Sarah welcome back Molly, Mona, and Rita to continue their conversation on white supremacy. This week the conversation centers around how white supremacy is displayed in the movement to end domestic violence. History, policy, funding, prevention, and service provision are all touched on as the group journeys down this rabbit hole. If you have any questions, comments or want to continue this conversation, please reach out to us at [email protected].

          References and Resources: 

          • Please Note that 31% of survivors stated that no or poor police response was a challenge for them, not 27% as mentioned in the podcast: https://public.tableau.com/profile/sara.wee#!/vizhome/DVSA_COVID19_061520_PUB1/Story1
          • Moment of Truth Letter: https://www.violencefreecolorado.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Moment-of-Truth.pdf
          • 58 min
          • White Supremacy: Part 1

            All oppressions are interlinked. You cannot be fully supportive of the antiviolence movement without rejecting white supremacy and embracing antiracism. Sarah and William are joined by THREE amazing guests this week! Mona, Molly, and Rita are champions of racial equity work at TCFV and are here to talk with Sarah and William about white supremacy. What is it? How is it perpetuated? Is it the same thing as racism? What does being antiracist mean? Join them as they navigate this conversation, keeping in mind that white supremacy, racism, and their antiracist antidotes are complex topics and cannot be fully discussed in a single episode. So look out for a part two...In the meantime, if you have any question/comments, please reach out to us at [email protected].


            Resources & References

            • Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore balance (Note: Correction, to the source.): https://www.decolonizingwealth.com/thebook
            • Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/white-supremacy-culture-characteristics.html
            • Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun, ChangeWork, 2001: https://www.dismantlingracism.org/
            • 52 min

            About Down the Rabbit Hole

            From the publisher's feed

            Down the Rabbit Hole aims to deepen the conversation around violence prevention with a series of discussions on the root causes and consequences of violence. Join us each week as we go down a…