OneVOICE Podcast

Guest:  Dr. Rachel Croteau, a New Hampshire physician specializing in family medicine and a certified practitioner through the Institute for Functional Medicine.

Guest: Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt is the lead pastor of Peace of Christ Church in Round Rock, Texas, co-host of the Nuance Tea Podcast and author of the just released book, "A Brown Girl’s Epiphany: Reclaim Your Intuition and Step Into Your Power"

Our friend, Mandi Pierson (therapist and educator), joins us for a conversation about therapy, how to find a therapist, red flags and green flags, boundaries, how to be a good client and ways to maximize the rewards found through therapy.

Guest: Diane Tarantini, author of The Brave Knight which "articulates incredibly complex child abuse grooming techniques/dynamics (ie. desensitizing physical contact, isolation from familial supports, love for perpetrators, disparity of social power), and somehow does it in an age-appropriate, non-threatening way. A brilliant, compelling, and inspiring resource for kids and those who love them.” -Robert Peters: Senior Attorney at Zero Abuse Project, founder of Shield Task Force, former prosecuting attorney, former US Marine. More info on Diane at dianetarantini.com and her new book at thebraveknight.com

Guest: Jane Epstein is a survivor of and advocate for survivors of Sibling Sexual Abuse at Complicated Courage. Jane is 
Co-Founder of both IncestAWARE.org and 5WAVES.org, an international advocacy group that
 offers information, support, and guidance about SSA. 

At thirteen years old, Stephen Mills is chosen for special attention by the director of his Jewish summer camp, a charismatic social worker intent on becoming his friend. Stephen, whose father died when he was four, places his trust in this authority figure, who first grooms and then molests him for two years.

Guest bio: Melanie Sachs is a survivor of Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault and other traumatic events. Melanie obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and worked under the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence right after college. She served for 2 Years in National Service as a member of the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance program as a crisis center advocate and as a Shelter Advocate on the night/overnight shift located in the Imminent Danger Shelter. Melanie relocated to in 2015 to Cape Cod, Massachusetts and worked at the local advocacy center for 6 years in two roles (Family Advocate and Forensic Interviewer) helping families navigate all systems and providing support in many capacities for Families who walk through the doors of as the result of child sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, witness to domestic violence or CSEC (Trafficking) along with conducting Forensic Interviews of Children for Law Enforcement and Child Protection (MDT Partners). Melanie served on the Board of Directors for SHIELD Task Force out of West Virginia for 2 years and in late 2020 Melanie accepted a position to be a part of SHIELD in a different capacity as a Training and Development Consultant and as a presenting member of their Speakers Bureau. Melanie is passionate about walking alongside others on their healing journey and since 2019 has embarked on sharing her experience with Pelvic Pain/Dysfunction on her Instagram @victoryoverpelvicpain and hashtag #victoryoverpelvicpain

Special guest Kevin Sweeney is the author of the forthcoming books, “The Making of a Mystic: My Journey with Mushrooms, My Life as a Pastor, and Why It’s Okay For Everyone to Relax,” out on May 31st, and “The Joy of Letting Go” which will be out in January 2023. He is the co-founder and lead pastor of Imagine Church—an urban church in Honolulu that is welcoming of all people, sees imagination as the key to the future, chooses authenticity over performance, substance over hype, and quality over quantity. He is the host of podcast “The Church Needs Therapy.”

In honor of Sexual Abuse Awareness Month, we are releasing a weekly series of interviews with an inspiring survivor as she unpacks with us her journey of finding her voice and stepping into healing.  From the revelation of the abuse as an adult, to the hard decisions she has made and brave steps she has taken in response, to the confrontation, to the boundary setting, to loving herself again, and the current freedom and joy found in redeeming a sisterhood that was previously stolen.