S 2, Ep 10: "20 years silent... until now" w/ Zach Deardorff

In this episode I sat down with one of my brothers closest friends, Zach Deardorff. Zach is a survivor of child sexual abuse at the hands of his own brother.  1 in 6 boys are sexually abused or assaulted, and unfortunately Zach falls into that statistic. He talks about how he was trapped in a life of abuse with no one to count on and protect him including the relationship with his toxic father. Zach had to basically raise himself and figure out life on his own at a young age which has not been an easy road. Zach never reported his brother, and only in recent years he told his dad about the abuse. Zach talks about how he tried to numb himself by using substances, having toxic relationships and always being in chaos. Zach has been through hell and back, but he has worked hard to be where he is now. Even though he still struggles at times, Zach now has a beautiful wife, a house, has a relationship with God and has cut ties with his toxic relationship with his family for his own mental health. It was important to have Zach on the podcast to help break the stigma on male sexual abuse/assault. It can happen to anyone and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Abuse does not discriminate. Im so proud of where Zach is today and I'm proud of him for turning his life around and breaking the cycle. Please show Zach some support so more men feel comfortable with telling their truth no matter what it is. Zach does not have social media, but if you would like to speak with him just let me know and I can put you in contact. ✨ Make sure you LISTEN AND SHARE SHARE SHARE! Also don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so you are notified when new episodes are released, AND of course make sure you follow our page on Instagram and Facebook @candleinadarkroom