Dear Katie: Survivor Stories

Making waves across the country, three activists discuss their experiences organizing Take Back the Night, sharing insights into safety, survivorship, and making a difference. 

Kori Koschalk-Newmister is a higher education professional focusing on eradicating interpersonal violence. Her 20+ years in prevention education have allowed her to educate, empower, and support thousands of individuals in her community. She is currently the...

'I remember Mark being a really good friend to me.'

Coping with grief after the loss of her father, Jeannie finds support among a small gathering of friends. Feeling safe enough to drink, one of her closest high school friends assaults her when she is unconscious in his bed. Recalling her sense of betrayal, Jeannie shares her journey through denial and doubt to owning her story and healing. Pouring her truth into her writing, she i...

In today's throwback episode, Zahabiyah Yamasaki, founder of “Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga”, gives us a glimpse of her work with trauma survivors. Due to her college stranger rape at the University of California - Irvine, Zahabiyah has dedicated herself to helping others who have also experienced trauma explore their mind body connection, feeling safe in their body, and healing. In her work, she emphasizes the importance...

With over four decades of experience,  Ann Simonton has dedicated herself to teaching media literacy, with a particular focus on exposing everyday sexism and promoting awareness of sexual abuse prevention. She has fearlessly engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience — resulting in 11 arrests — to highlight social hypocrisy, racism, corporate greed, and the perpetuation of misogyny under patriarchy and capitalism. Simonton has spoken...

'It doesn't go away.'

'It's there forever.'

Sharing her experiences in an industry known for superficiality, actor Sarah Hodkinson navigates trust, violence, and betrayal throughout her personal journey. She brings to light the ways that denial and dismissal rob survivors of justice in the face of sexual violence, using her voice and her story to push for change. 

Host: Katie Koestner

Editor: Evan Mader

Producers: Catrina Aglubat a...

'I had a decision point of: either I am going to live or I am going to die.'

Speaking on the internal battles survivors face, the dynamic Jean Ibanez Payne shares hidden troubles with suicidal ideation and darkness while living the seemingly perfect life. Today, Jean stands as a powerful advocate for survivors of abuse, using her voice and her story to ignite hope in others. In 2014, she left her successful corporate career to star...

Speak truth to power with the incredible Jon Vaugh and Josh Rubin in this 2024 episode of Dear Katie. 

This week we share the powerful voices of Jon Vaughn and Josh Rubin. Jon Vaughn made waves around the world as one of the few to publicly speak out against the abuse of University of Michigan doctor Robert Anderson in 2020, leading over 1000 survivors in a lawsuit against the university that settled in 2022. Today, he is a testame...

Rashan Legard is an International Motivational Speaker, Veteran, Storyteller, Poet, and Credentialed Survivor Advocate who strongly desires to create change in individuals and organizations. Through his company, Rashan Legard Speaks LLC, Rashan shares his message to a broader audience by providing powerful presentations and coaching infused with his personal experience to organizations around the world. By focusing on Resiliency Pr...

Stephanie Mangan has been a Trauma Expert/Consultant for the past 16 years. Working with individuals who have experienced the highest levels of abuse and trauma, including but not limited to sexual violence, complex PTSD, sex trafficking, and substance abuse, Stephanie is passionate about helping individuals lead a life of healing and resiliency through a trauma-informed lens. More recently, she has also worked at the macro level t...

'When you look at it, in the bigger spectrum, we can talk about this [...] I mean, fifteen years ago, a high-schooler wouldn't be talking to you about consent.'

Pamela Zaballa has dedicated over 20 years to advancing support systems for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Her career spans various roles in the US and UK, including frontline services, shelter development, advocacy, children's services, and setting up programs fo...

Review this classic episode featuring Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet on making black survivors visible. 

Sisters can either be torn apart or drawn together due to sexual violence. Rutgers professor and Pulitzer Prize winner Salamishah Tillet and her sister, artist and curator Scheherazade Tillet, drew together after Salamishah shared her rape story. Together they co-founded "A Long Walk Home" to help Black women and girls share...

Journalist Amanda Eisenberg shares her experiences reporting on sexual violence, informing us about her obligations as a journalist as well as her practices to ensure the safety of survivor interviewees. A Manhattan-based writer, her debut novel, People Are Talking, was released in April. She was inspired to write her book, which deals with sexual misconduct on a college campus, from her journalistic experience. Amanda hopes her no...

'If I feel awful and disgusting, then I'm going to put on a mask.'

Exploring the psychological depths of sexual shame, Dr. Tina Sellers shares cutting-edge research on the cycles of guilt that inhibit our relationships. Bringing to light how our judgements can prevent us from living freely, she provides insight into how to heal from this shame and raise children who feel confident and assertive for their safety. 

Dr. Tina Schermer ...

'Most people are good people... [they] most of the time have just been through horrific trauma.'

Dr. Renee Rosiecki is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in trauma-informed care. She has worked in various settings, including non-profits, correctional facilities, outpatient behavioral health, a hospital system, and a medication-assisted treatment facility. Her work has focused on survivors, from responding to college cri...

Listen and learn from our fantastic special guest in this classic interview on the Dear Katie Podcast. 

'The body just reignites the horrible experience. It's just like you're there.'

Sanar Alixandyr is an Empowerment Coach whose mission is to uplift, support, and heal the planet by empowering those who are ready to step into their greatness and become their most powerful, authentic selves. Her passion is being of service to the greater vision of the transformation and evolution of women in the world and offers her own story, "Becomi...

Dr. Nicole Bedera is a sociologist and author of the book On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence. Her research broadly focuses on how our social structures contribute to survivors’ trauma and make sexual violence more likely to occur in the future. Her scholarship has influenced sexual violence prevention programming across the country and her work has been featured in many ...

Mary Ann Sieghart is a journalist, broadcaster, author, TED speaker, and consultant. Her bestselling book, The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About It came out in 2021 and has struck a chord around the world, resonating with many women devalued in working spaces. She is a Visiting Professor at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London and was Chair of ...

Svava Brooks is a survivor of child sexual abuse and the co-founder of a nationwide child sexual abuse prevention and education organization in Iceland called “Blátt áfram.” She is also a certified instructor and facilitator for Darkness to Light Stewards of Children, as well as a certified Crisis Intervention Specialist, a certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, a BellaNet Teen support group facilitator, a Certified TRE® Pr...