The team starts a three-part series that challenges listeners to confront common issues that survivors can face and starts off with this episode on misplaced responsibility. First and foremost, all survivors must give total responsibility for the abuse to the perpetrator of the abuse and the ladies cover the importance of doing this as soon as possible on your healing journey.

Special guest and long-time volunteer with our nonprofit, Sue Koegel shares about her longterm abuse growing up, why she finally chose to heal, and how she’s used her story to connect with others and help them change their own stories. Sue explains the different hurdles she faced and overcame and inspires listeners to never think it’s too late to heal, change, or make notable positive impacts on the lives around them.

In this episode, we have two very special guests: Nicole and Anisa’s husbands, Rafael Escobar and David Mellinger. Raf and David answer tough questions revolving around what it’s like to be married to a survivor of sexual abuse. They go over how they handle triggers, how they celebrate recovery and progress, and what love looks like in the midst of a lifelong journey.

Going off of the last episode, the girls discuss the potential consequences of living in the warped reality false beliefs can give you. The most common repercussions of believing lies about yourself or your abuse are low self-esteem, guilt, self-blame, and shame. Where you can find hope though is in the truth that these false beliefs are all learned and can, therefore, be unlearned. You can begin to correct these beliefs and stop their effects! 

 The team wants you to be able to recognize and learn to replace any false beliefs you have about yourself and your abuse. The experience of being sexually abused almost always leaves victims with a damaging set of false beliefs about their value and worth and ultimately complicate true, total recovery.  

Special guest, Dee Proietto who founded our nonprofit, Trees of Hope, tells her story of sexual abuse, healing, and how she has made an impact that she could have never anticipated. She details the hurdles she struggled with, how she overcame enormous odds, and she inspires listeners to never let themselves be silenced or defined by their experiences of victimization. 

The team discusses the typical emotional, physical, and sexual symptoms that a survivor of sexual abuse can experience. They share some of the symptoms they personally struggled with, being on the other side of the symptoms, and the reality of being triggered even after being on the journey to healing and wholeness. 

Special guest Desmond Foong from Broward County’s only Certified Rape Crisis & Accredited Children’s Advocacy Center answers questions on what your next steps should/could be if you are a victim of sexual abuse. He goes into the immediate services available, forensic medical examinations, reporting, counseling, and statistics. 

Maybe you’ve decided you’re ready to share your story of what happened to you. The team expounds on what exactly makes a person safe or unsafe when it comes to sharing your story of sexual abuse. They give characteristics of a safe person, examples of who that might be, and what you should share when you do disclose information.