Sexual Assault Survivor Stories

Sexual Assault Survivor Stories -SASS- is a weekly podcast designed for the purpose of providing victims and survivors of sexual assault and rape information and a forum to better understand the complexities, adversities, victories, and all the dynamics of surviving and healing. But it's not just for victims and survivors! It's a podcast of learning about trauma-informed interviewing and the neuroscience of trauma and memory, understanding the victim impact of rape and sexual assault, knowing how to recognize the psychophysiological responses of interpersonal trauma, and developing healing strategies and best-practice responses for all of these components. And the main goal of the podcast is to help bring justice to victims and survivors, recognizing that the best way to do this is by talking about our experiences and spreading information...because we all know someone who has been affected by sexual assault or rape.

Sexual Assault Survivor Stories is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 205 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Sexual Assault Survivor Stories, a education show with 205 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #207

  207. Cassie Nicholas: An Update from the Voice That Refused to Disappear

  Sep 28, 202652 minS4

  Cassie Nicholas returns to Sexual Assault Survivor Stories for her fourth appearance. Listeners first met Cassie in Episode 36, followed her continuing healing journey in Episode 81, heard the story of attempted trafficking concealed as an offer of help in Episode 182, and came together for her during a special edition episode after a devastating car fire took her transportation, shelter, and belongings. In Episode 207, Cassie shares another part of her story: what it meant to grow up as a "glass child," the sibling of someone with profound disabilities, while learning to suppress her own needs in an effort to preserve stability within a complicated family system. We talk about parentification, emotional adaptation, domestic violence, self-erasure, and how becoming invisible can begin as a survival response and remain long after the original danger has passed. Cassie also talks about reclaiming her voice through advocacy, storytelling, and writing. Her recent work includes the short story "The Hall of Prisoners" and "Meet Me in the Mountains," written in memory of a friend who passed away. She is also the creator and host of the podcast Love Brought You Here, where she explores trauma, family systems, healing, survival, and the experiences that shape who we become. Cassie's story is not one of pain neatly resolved or trauma permanently placed in the past. It is the story of a woman continuing to understand what happened to her, refusing to disappear, and learning that her voice belongs to her first. Connect with Cassie and explore her work: The Hall of Prisoners Meet Me in the Mountains The Cassandra Voice Linktree The Cassandra Voice on YouTube Love Brought You Here Podcast: LoveBroughtYouHerePodcast@gmail.com An important side note: if you're finding value in this show and these amazing episodes, please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating on your podcast platform. AND, follow SexualAssaultSurvivorStories on Instagram, then, please send me a note of support. I can't tell you how much your emails mean to me—they fuel my passion to keep this podcast going. And if you're a victim or survivor of rape or sexual assault and are ready to tell your story to help yourself or someone else heal, let me know, and we can start a conversation about the possibility of you being on the show. Here's my email address: dave@sasstories.com Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me already. Please be sure to provide me with a phone number where I can reach back out to you, and let me know what time zone you are in…because I like to talk to people who are interested in guesting. And please keep those emails and texts coming…I truly look forward to hearing from you! Here are some critically important links that I hope you'll take the time to explore, and where a contribution is requested, please consider doing so! — Thank you!! https://1in6.org/ https://soulwisesolutions.com https://safeinharmsway.org https://sironahealing.com/ https://www.whattheydontsay.com www.arcigrey.com https://startbybelieving.org https://evawintl.org/ As mentioned, and emphasized, it's time to Normalize the Conversation.™ And please remember to Start by Believing…because we all know someone whose life has been impacted by rape or sexual assault. Thank you for tuning in. -Dave

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #206

  206. Cat Wilson: Unapologetic, Unafraid, and Finally Heard

  Sep 15, 202655 minS4

  After a week off, I'm joined by Cat Wilson, a survivor, advocate, and outspoken voice in the movement to end violence against women. Cat is a HASSL Pro Ambassador and serves as the organization's country representative for Scotland. Cat speaks with an honesty that is direct, unapologetic, and deeply personal. She shares her lived experience, the difficult realities of survival and healing, and what it means to reclaim your voice after someone has tried to take it from you. Her story also challenges the expectation that survivors should remain quiet, agreeable, or responsible for making other people comfortable with the truth. Through her work with HASSL, Cat is helping challenge the attitudes and cultural norms that allow harassment and violence against women to continue. HASSL's approach is simple and critically important: stop asking women to carry the burden of preventing violence and start addressing the people, behaviors, and beliefs responsible for it. Cat's voice is part of that change, and I'm honored to help her share it. Follow Cat on Instagram: @cat_hasslx Follow HASSL: @hasslofficial Learn more about HASSL and its global ambassador community: HASSL An important side note: if you're finding value in this show and these amazing episodes, please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating on your podcast platform. AND, follow SexualAssaultSurvivorStories on Instagram, then, please send me a note of support. I can't tell you how much your emails mean to me—they fuel my passion to keep this podcast going. And if you're a victim or survivor of rape or sexual assault and are ready to tell your story to help yourself or someone else heal, let me know, and we can start a conversation about the possibility of you being on the show. Here's my email address: dave@sasstories.com Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me already. Please be sure to provide me with a phone number where I can reach back out to you, and let me know what time zone you are in…because I like to talk to people who are interested in guesting. And please keep those emails and texts coming…I truly look forward to hearing from you! Here are some critically important links that I hope you'll take the time to explore, and where a contribution is requested, please consider doing so! — Thank you!! https://1in6.org/ https://soulwisesolutions.com https://safeinharmsway.org https://sironahealing.com/ https://www.whattheydontsay.com www.arcigrey.com https://startbybelieving.org https://evawintl.org/ As mentioned, and emphasized, it's time to Normalize the Conversation.™ And please remember to Start by Believing…because we all know someone whose life has been impacted by rape or sexual assault. Thank you for tuning in. —Dave

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #205

  205. Vanessa Wulff: No One Knew What She Was Surviving

  Sep 3, 20261h 33mS4

  Vanessa Wulff was working toward a future in chiropractic care when she became the victim of multiple sexual assaults and rape. In this episode, she shares what happened during that period of her life and the effects those experiences had on her education, her sense of safety, and her ability to move forward. Vanessa's story reflects a reality that is often poorly understood: trauma does not always produce a clear, predictable, or easily explained response. Survivors may continue attending school, going to work, interacting with others, or trying to maintain the appearance of an ordinary life while privately carrying fear, confusion, shame, and the lasting effects of what was done to them. This conversation is also an important reminder that repeated victimization never makes a survivor responsible for the crimes committed against them. Each assault results from an offender's decision to violate another person's autonomy and consent. The responsibility belongs to the perpetrator, every time. By sharing her story, Vanessa gives listeners an honest look at the effects of multiple sexual assaults and the strength required not only to survive them, but to find the language and courage to speak about them. Follow Vanessa on Instagram: @vwulff1 An important side note: if you're finding value in this show and these amazing episodes, please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating on your podcast platform. AND, follow @SexualAssaultSurvivorStories on Instagram, then, please send me a note of support. I can't tell you how much your emails mean to me—they fuel my passion to keep this podcast going. And if you're a victim or survivor and are ready to tell your story to help yourself or someone else heal, let me know, and we can start a conversation about the possibility of you being on the show. Here's my email address: dave@sasstories.com Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me already. Just provide me with your time zone and a phone number where I can reach back out to you…because I like to talk to people who are interested in guesting. And please keep those emails and texts coming…I truly look forward to hearing from you and hearing your input on the stories and guests featured on this show. Here are some critically important links that I hope you'll take the time to explore, and where a contribution is requested, please consider doing so! https://thevocalmin.com https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-vocal-minority https://goldinthecracksofficial.com https://1in6.org/ https://soulwisesolutions.com https://safeinharmsway.org https://sironahealing.com/ https://www.whattheydontsay.com www.arcigrey.com https://startbybelieving.org https://evawintl.org/ As mentioned, and emphasized, it's time to Normalize the Conversation.™ And please remember to Start by Believing…because we all know someone whose life has been impacted by rape or sexual assault. Thank you for tuning in. -Dave

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #204

  204. Jeff Kohler: The Courage to Become The Vocal Minority

  Aug 26, 202635 minS4

  Jeff Kohler enlisted in the United States Navy immediately after graduating from high school in 2005. Two years later, he received orders attaching him to the Army's 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, and deployed to Iraq for 341 days. He served his country honorably, returned home, earned a degree from The Ohio State University, and began trying to build the life he had expected to have after his military service. But Jeff's story is also one of sexual assault, institutional betrayal, and the devastating consequences that followed when the people and systems responsible for protecting him failed to do so. In this episode, Jeff talks openly about what happened to him, the struggle to be heard and believed, and the extraordinary toll that silence and institutional self-protection can take on a survivor. Jeff has now written his story in his memoir, The Vocal Minority. The title speaks directly to what he endured: the experience of telling an uncomfortable truth when powerful institutions and others would prefer that truth remain hidden. His book documents not only what was done to him, but what happened when he tried to prevent others from suffering the same fate. It is an unflinching account of persistence, identity, and the price a person may be forced to pay simply for refusing to disappear. Jeff's story is a powerful reminder that service, courage, and integrity do not guarantee protection from abuse or institutional betrayal. Sometimes the greatest test of courage begins after the uniform comes off, when a survivor must decide whether to remain silent or risk everything to tell the truth. An important side note: if you're finding value in this show and these amazing episodes, please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating on your podcast platform. AND, follow SexualAssaultSurvivorStories on Instagram, then, please send me a note of support. I can't tell you how much your emails mean to me—they fuel my passion to keep this podcast going. And if you're a victim or survivor and are ready to tell your story in order to help yourself or someone else heal, let me know, and we can start a conversation about the possibility of you being on the show. Here's my email address: dave@sasstories.com Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me already. Just provide me with a phone number where I can reach back out to you…because I like to talk to people who are interested in guesting. And please keep those emails and texts coming…I truly look forward to hearing from you and hearing your input on the stories and guests featured on this show. Here are some critically important links that I hope you'll take the time to explore, and where a contribution is requested, please consider doing so! https://thevocalmin.com https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-vocal-minority https://www.amazon.com/Vocal-Minority-Jeffrey-Kohler/dp/B0H73VLN9Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=9NC2904SRD3G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.U-C9T6AqR8aeu2-A2PvevZBJeQnhYCqkSWCdfYa_tGSGkZR0y2tcCssyCEwOrAXxjaYeglAQVJ-RVKQc9jITtgy3u74kXp75kniBf_3twH3GFE2LLnfHqjQp_weNCLZDESau_kcRjhKoTyu3H-5wr_r2JKMDpdfCPM7TLrIdeJgkzpvkX57Ok-rt4HJs_4EK85KCcvOE5feH1jowEfkmqQ.2RWV4FyTWfcNcZKa_38OC1gs8_yJ3en7OtaZbaMFHMQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+vocal+minority&qid=1787699694&sprefix=the+vocal+minority%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1 https://goldinthecracksofficial.com https://1in6.org/ https://soulwisesolutions.com https://safeinharmsway.org https://sironahealing.com/ https://www.whattheydontsay.com www.arcigrey.com https://startbybelieving.org https://evawintl.org/ As mentioned, and emphasized, it's time to Normalize the Conversation.™ And please remember to Start by Believing…because we all know someone whose life has been impacted by rape or sexual assault. Thank you for tuning in. -Dave

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #203

  203. Dr. Peter Verdin: "Gold in the Cracks"

  Aug 19, 202652 minS4

  For twenty-five years, Dr. Peter Verdin carried the truth of his childhood sexual abuse largely in silence. During those years, he became an accomplished athlete, playing four seasons for the University of Georgia and being drafted by the Washington Nationals. He later earned a doctorate in human and sport performance and worked as a coach and educator. His achievements were real, but they could not protect him from the trauma that continued to affect his mental health, physical well being, relationships, and sense of identity. In this episode, Peter speaks candidly about grooming, manipulation, fragmented memory, complex PTSD, and the toll of trying to keep painful experiences contained. He describes entering EMDR therapy, reconnecting with the detective who helped bring his abuser to justice, and beginning difficult but necessary conversations with his parents. He also explains why writing became an essential part of his recovery and allowed him to look at his life with greater understanding and far less shame. That writing became Peter's forthcoming memoir, Gold in the Cracks: A Memoir of Silence, Performance, and Repair. Inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, the book does not present healing as the erasure of damage. It recognizes the possibility of rebuilding a life while allowing its history to remain visible. Peter's story is deeply personal, but his decision to tell it offers recognition to survivors who have spent years appearing strong while privately carrying far more than anyone knew. Learn more at Gold in the Cracks. An important side note: if you're finding value in this show and these amazing episodes, please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating on your podcast platform. AND, follow SexualAssaultSurvivorStories on Instagram, then, please send me a note of support. I can't tell you how much your emails mean to me—they fuel my passion to keep this podcast going. And if you're a victim or survivor and are ready to tell your story in order to help yourself or someone else heal, let me know, and we can start a conversation about the possibility of you being on the show. Here's my email address: dave@sasstories.com Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me already. Just provide me with a phone number where I can reach back out to you…because I like to talk to people who are interested in guesting. And please keep those emails and texts coming…I truly look forward to hearing from you and hearing your input on the stories and guests featured on this show. Here are some critically important links that I hope you'll take the time to explore, and where a contribution is requested, please consider doing so! https://goldinthecracksofficial.com https://1in6.org/ https://soulwisesolutions.com https://safeinharmsway.org https://sironahealing.com/ https://www.whattheydontsay.com www.arcigrey.com https://startbybelieving.org https://evawintl.org/ As mentioned, and emphasized, it's time to Normalize the Conversation.™ And please remember to Start by Believing…because we all know someone whose life has been impacted by rape or sexual assault. Thank you for tuning in. -Dave

  ListenShow Notes

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