Sexual assault does not just impact the survivor. The impacts of it can often ripple through an entire family. In this episode, Shannon walks through the basics of what survivors wish their families understood, including how to respond when someone discloses and why trying to “fix it” can cause more harm.

She also talks about family dynamics from the survivor side, including the difference between being active and passive in conversations about sexual assault and why it is okay to choose peace and self-preservation over constant correction. Finally, she answers a listener's question about alcohol and consent: "If both people were drunk, is it still sexual assault?"

So, grab your drink and toast to the families who are willing to do better. Cheers!

Find a rape crisis center near you: https://www.valor.us/get-help/

Project Callisto: https://www.projectcallisto.org/

Check out our merch: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Got questions? Have an episode idea?

Send us an email: [email protected]

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

The Epstein Files were supposed to bring transparency. Instead, they exposed what survivors already know: institutions protect themselves first.

In this episode, Shannon sits down with Epstein survivor, advocate, and Founder, Jess Michaels, to unpack what’s actually happening with the Epstein Files, why the DOJ’s response matters far beyond this case, and what institutional failure looks like.

But this conversation isn’t just about what went wrong. It’s about what we do when institutions don’t show up.

They talk about how community care fills the gaps systems leave behind, why sexual assault is an injury first, and how the way we respond to harm can change everything.

Follow Jess: https://www.instagram.com/jessmichaelsspeaks/

Become a #WithYouToo App Beta Tester: https://withyoutoo.3joannes.com/

Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Send us a message: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Got questions? Have an episode idea?

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

Shannon sits down with Aaron Stone, a retired Army combat medic and survivor of sexual assault, to talk about what it means to live in silence for 18 years.

Aaron was raped at 15 by someone he trusted. In the aftermath, shame became his motivator—shaping how he survived and why telling the truth didn’t feel possible for so long. He talks about freezing during the assault, then spending years pushing forward anyway, carrying what happened long into adulthood.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever questioned why a man didn’t fight back, didn’t tell, or kept going like nothing happened. Cheers!

Get in touch with Aaron: www.18winters.com

Buy a Consent is Hot™ Hoodie: www.WhatTheyDontSay.com/shop

Got questions? Have an episode idea?

Send us an email: [email protected]

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

This week’s episode is a crossover conversation with Dave Markel from Sexual Assault Survivor Stories.

This conversation centers around what survivors face every day: how people respond when a survivor shares their story, the misunderstandings that follow trauma, and the emotional labor survivors are often expected to carry. Shannon shares insight into the messy, painful, and confusing parts of her own journey, alongside the resilience and clarity that continue to shape her voice and her advocacy.

This episode dives into day-to-day survival after trauma, relationships and intimacy, the legal process, and the importance of saying the things that too often go unsaid.

Dave's SASS podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/33U3Vn4jGkzNf5weufDnjB?si=c1f725cf41044a06

Send Dave an email: [email protected]

Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Send us a message and/or check out our merch: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through Buy Me a Coffee . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know <3

In this episode, Ray shares her story of being abused at 13, and what happened when the people and institutions meant to protect her didn’t.

This conversation explores coercion, fear, and trauma at a young age, as well as the lasting impact of being disbelieved, silenced, and pushed aside by a school system more focused on protecting itself than protecting a child. Ray shares what it’s like to grow up without language for what happened, and how institutional failure can be just as damaging as the abuse itself.

If you were hurt when you were young. If the adults or institutions meant to protect you, failed. You’re not alone here. This episode is for you. Grab a blanket and get cozy. Cheers!

Follow Ray on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluraybeyond/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bluraybeyond

Book mentioned: https://a.co/d/dZAuhkE

Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Got questions? Have an episode idea?

Send us a message: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know <3

Traumaversaries are the weird little days your body remembers even when your brain swears you are fine. In this episode, Shannon talks about what traumaversaries are and how to move through them without “should” -ing all over your needs.

Whether you dread the date, forget the date, feel everything at once, or feel nothing at all, you are not weird, and you are not alone. If you love someone who has been through trauma and you want to support them better on the hard days, this episode will help you, too.

Grab your drink and cheers to surviving the days you never should have had to survive. 

Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Buy a Consent is Hot™ Hoodie: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Got questions? Have an episode idea?

Send us an email: [email protected]

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know <3

What does it take to feel safe enough to be close again?

In this episode, Shannon and Lauren sit down with intimacy expert and trauma survivor Susan Bratton to unpack what rebuilding intimacy looks like after trauma. They talk about how communication builds safety, and why so many survivors struggle to feel touch without fear.

Susan shares her story of healing after childhood abuse and how she learned to turn numbness into sensation and shame into sovereignty.

It’s a conversation about presence, power, and the possibility of pleasure after pain, and a reminder that rebuilding intimacy isn’t about sex at all. It’s about coming home to yourself. Cheers!

Susan: https://susanbratton.com/

Follow Susan: https://www.instagram.com/susanbratton/?hl=en

Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Check out merch & more: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Got questions? Have an episode idea?

Send us an email: [email protected]

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know <3

There were 430,000 rapes in the UK last year. 5 in 6 women never report what happened to them. If reporting feels impossible, the system needs new paths forward. That’s why the organization, Enough, was created.

Shannon sits down with Katie White, co-founder of Enough, and Dr. Maisie Johnstone, counseling psychologist and clinical lead, to talk about how they’re giving sexual assault survivors more choice and more agency through a self-testing rape kit, an encrypted place to record what happened, and a digital recovery platform for those who can’t access therapy.

They discuss what sexual violence really looks like in the UK, the silence surrounding it, and how reframing words like “delayed realization” and “hyper-sexuality” could change the way we understand sexual assault and healing. Grab whatever’s in your glass and press play. Cheers!

Checkout Enough: https://myenough.com/Follow Enough on IG: https://www.instagram.com/enoughtoendrape

Follow Enough on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@enoughtoendrape?lang=en 

Enough on Youtube: https://youtube.com/@enoughtoendrape?si=mA_Rtx-rLtQmInOj

Check out our merch: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Got questions? Have an episode idea?

Send us an email: [email protected]

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know <3

Life after sexual assault looks different for everyone, but no one talks about how it can change your dreams, your work, and your body’s capacity to keep going.

In this solo episode, Shannon unpacks how sexual trauma impacts careers and identity, and what it really means to meet yourself where you are in the aftermath. She talks about adjusting to a new normal, why it’s okay to have one, and what strength looks like for who you are now. Let's get cozy and talk about meeting yourself where you are. Cheers!

Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Tell the world that consent is hot: WhatTheyDontSay.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know <3

In this episode, Shannon answers a few of the questions listeners have written in. Drawing from her own healing, a bit of research, and conversations with experts, she offers honest and unfiltered responses to the things survivors are often left wondering.

She gets into:

– What really counts as sexual assault (and why “gray areas” aren’t gray)

– Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn explained– Coping with dissociation

– Her honest take on therapy, including EMDR

– Red and green flags when dating again after trauma

Grab your favorite beverage and join Shannon for this survivor Q&A. Cheers!

Learn how your state defines sexual assault: https://rainn.org/take-action/fight-for-justice/state-law-database/

Check out the website (& merch!): WhatTheyDontSay.com

Got questions? Have an episode idea? Send us an email: [email protected]

Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know <3