Episodes

Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Sibling Sexual Abuse
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
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.

Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
A Stolen Boyhood
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
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.
Stephen tells no one, but the aftershocks rip through his adult life, as intense as his denial: self-loathing, drug abuse, petty crime, and horrific nightmares, all made worse by the discovery that his abuser is moving from camp to camp, state to state, molesting other boys. Only physical and mental collapse bring Stephen to confront the truth of his boyhood and begin the painful process of recovery—as well as a decades-long crusade to stop a serial predator, find justice, and hold to account those who failed the children in their care.
The trauma of sexual abuse is shared by one out of every six men, yet very few have broken their silence. Unflinching and compulsively readable, CHOSEN eloquently speaks for those countless others and their families. It is a rare act of consummate courage and generosity—the indelible story of a man who faces his torment and his tormentor and, in the process, is made whole.

Wednesday May 18, 2022
Victory Over Pelvic Pain
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Wednesday May 18, 2022
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

Wednesday May 11, 2022
The Mystic Healing Journey
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Wednesday May 11, 2022
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.”

Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
SAAM Survivor Series, Part 3: Redeeming
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
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.

Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
SAAM Survivor Series, Part 2: Rebuilding
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
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.

Wednesday Apr 06, 2022
SAAM Survivor Series, Part 1: Revealing
Wednesday Apr 06, 2022
Wednesday Apr 06, 2022
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.

Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Boundaries are our BFF
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Nicole and Mary chat with Mandi Pierson, Director at Porchlight (porchlightcolumbus.com), trainer, trauma therapist and a top facilitator of our UNLEASH virtual support groups for survivors (iamonevoice.org/unleash).

Thursday Feb 24, 2022
The Grief Bully
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Special Guest J.Nicole Jones, AKA "The Grief Bully", joins us to discuss the grief journey, mental health, navigating loss and how we can fight grief together

Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Highly Sensitive Healing
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Special guest Jennifer Arnspiger (Somatic Coach) joins us to talk about how highly sensitive, deep-feeling people, especially trauma survivors, can heal their stories, come home to their bodies + excavate genuine self-love. “A deeply sensitive body in physical and emotional pain doesn’t heal by being ignored or waited out. It heals by having it’s experiences honored.”