68. Jan Broberg: Focused, Intentional, and Resolute
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Release Date: 01/16/2024
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Martha Gagnon joins me for a deeply important and, at times, difficult conversation about coercion, control, and what she ultimately came to understand as rape within an intimate relationship. Her story doesn’t follow the narrative many people expect—and that’s exactly why it matters. In this survival story, Martha’s relationship with this particular person began as what appeared to be healthy, emotionally aware, and enlightened. But it slowly shifted into a pattern of pressure, manipulation, and control that escalated over time. Martha walks us through how coercion operated in her...
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Sophie was 14 when she entered a relationship that, at first, felt familiar and exciting. Over time, that relationship shifted into something she couldn’t fully understand in the moment. What began as connection turned into pressure, confusion, and a growing sense that she was responsible for someone else’s emotions, safety, and survival. This episode traces how that shift happened. Not through a single moment, but through a pattern—pushing boundaries in public, introducing sexual expectations early, using guilt and fear, and layering in threats of self-harm. Sophie describes what it...
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Joseph Born grew up surrounded by the raw, untamed beauty of Alaska—a childhood filled with exploration, curiosity, and the kind of freedom that most people would associate with innocence. But beneath that backdrop was something far different. In this episode, Joseph shares the part of his story that rarely gets talked about with the clarity it deserves: child-on-child sexual abuse, and the lasting imprint it leaves long after childhood ends. What makes this conversation so important is not just what happened, but how it showed up—behavioral shifts, confusion, acting out—things that are...
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This week’s episode takes us into a part of the healing conversation that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. I sit down with Sara Perry, founder of Haven Space () in Houston, Texas, to explore what it means to approach trauma and intimacy through the body—not just the mind. Sara is a somatic sex educator and sexological bodyworker who works with individuals and couples to reconnect with themselves after experiences of disconnection, shame, or trauma. Her work blends coaching, somatic practices, and body awareness to help people understand how their nervous system responds to...
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This week, Emily joins the show to share a story that has lived quietly beneath the surface while life continued to move forward around it. As a young woman navigating the early stages of adulthood, she opens up about what it means to carry the impact of sexual assault while still showing up in the world in ways that appear “normal” to everyone else. This conversation explores the contrast between outward life and internal reality—how someone can be building a future, maintaining relationships, and staying socially connected, all while holding onto something deeply unresolved. Emily...
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Before I get into these notes, I want to pass along this from this week’s guest, Darlene Lekowski. She mentioned during our conversation that her audiobook, Shattering Silence, is dropping to just ninety-nine cents this coming Thursday, April 2nd, as her release-day promo. Go to amazon.com and look-up her book title, again—shattering silence, and you’ll find the promotional deal. This is a limited-time opportunity, so if you’re hearing this on or before april 2nd, 2026, go take a look—you won’t want to miss this audiobook in Darlene’s own voice! ...
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Cassie Nicholas returns to the podcast with a story that is as urgent as it is revealing. After everything she has already survived, Cassie found herself in a situation that looked—on the surface—like support and stability. People she trusted offered help, a way to get back on her feet, a path forward. But what she began to recognize, piece by piece, was something far more dangerous: those same individuals were attempting to traffic her. In this episode, I sit down with Cassie as she walks through that realization—how subtle the warning signs can be, how manipulation can be disguised...
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In this powerful interview, MJ shares her journey through sexual assault, dissociation, and healing. We explore trauma's impact on the body and mind, the importance of support systems, and pathways to recovery. Discover the profound insights from MJ, a university student and trauma advocate, as she shares her story of resilience and healing after sexual assault. Trauma can alter the course of our lives in unimaginable ways; her journey through trauma began during her sophomore year. In this post, we’ll explore the insights she shared during our conversation about how trauma impacts the...
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This week, I am again featuring as my guest, Norma Peterson, Executive Director of Document the Abuse, to talk about the lasting impact of the Stacy Peterson case and the broader importance of documenting abuse when systems fail survivors. Our conversation explores how power, media narratives, and institutional silence can obscure truth—and why preserving survivor stories is not only important, but necessary. As Executive Director, Norma oversees the organization’s survivor-centered advocacy, education, and documentation initiatives. A central focus of her work is the Evidentiary Abuse...
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Let me introduce you to this week’s guest, Dr. Asher. I wanted her here on the show because she is someone whose work sits at the intersection of lived experience, rigorous research, and embodied understanding of trauma. Dr. Asher is a survivor, a scholar, and a systems-level educator who has spent more than two decades studying what sexual trauma actually does to the brain and nervous system—and what institutions consistently get wrong in their response to it. Her work is not abstract. It is not performative. And it is not built on buzzwords. Dr. Asher speaks from lived survivor...
info_outlineIf someone is serious about attempting to fulfil a significant, meaningful, and overwhelmingly difficult objective, the effort can often-times feel ineffective, even pointless. Having this type of purpose-filled lifegoal can be exhausting and often will end in frustration long before even a small dent can be made in the predicament. Especially if that objective is being fueled by a large accumulation of the populace who carry long-held misunderstandings of the scope of the problem, confusion on what the definition of the problem is, and/or is blatantly apathetic to the scourge. The measure of frustration is exacerbated if the plague seems to be supported, even if unwittingly, by an under-educated and seemingly indifferent social norm. When that menace is child, adolescent, or adult rape and sexual assault, the individuals striving to combat it must navigate a complex landscape of societal attitudes, legal intricacies, and deeply rooted misconceptions. Addressing such a pervasive and complex issue requires a multifaceted approach that includes education, advocacy, and legislative reforms. It becomes crucial to dismantle the prevailing myths surrounding rape and sexual assault, fostering a culture of empathy and awareness of the impact of trauma. As these dedicated efforts persist, it is imperative to emphasize the importance of community involvement, encouraging conversations that challenge harmful norms and empower survivors. By fostering a collective commitment to change, progress can be achieved, and the fight against sexual violence can evolve into a transformative force for societal well-being.
Someone who is focused, intentional, and resolute on finding a corrective pathway to accomplishing such a tremendous and overwhelming mission can easily become exhausted and needs consistent and constant support, both emotionally and practically, to sustain their commitment. The journey towards achieving such a formidable mission demands not only inner strength but also a reliable network of allies, resources, and encouragement. In the face of persistent challenges and setbacks, having a robust support system becomes indispensable, offering the necessary motivation and reassurance to navigate the complexities of the endeavor.
In my experiences of investigating the horrific and devastating crimes of rape and sexual assault, on persons of any age, as well as in my work as a trainer/consultant in this field, and now as the host of this podcast, which is dedicated to awareness and healing from these crimes, I have had the pleasure and honor of working with a multitude of both individuals and organizations whose efforts are directly involved in this very goal…reducing the prevalence, and increasing the awareness and positive societal responses, to rape and sexual assault. In fact, I have strived to highlight many of those individuals and organizations on this show. One of those individuals, who has in fact been a guest before, is back this week: Jan Broberg is here. I brought her back again to update us on what she is doing to further all those difficult, yet meaningful efforts to accomplish that which needs to be done to fight rape, sexual assault, and the apathetic societal norms that are pervasive all around us.
I brought Jan back on the show as my way of providing an avenue of helping replenish her, even if in a small degree…to provide that very consistent and constant support that I just mentioned; to provide a measure of emotional and practical encouragement to help sustain her and her commitment to victims and survivors of all ages, as she had done for me in agreeing to be on my show and allowing me to be the co-host on her podcast. And to provide you, my listeners, with her ongoing sense of focus, intention, and resolution that this work takes. She’s got it. As do all the people that work with her in her non-profit foundation, and those who are members of her Thrivivors On-line Community. Jan is one of those impressive people who are doing the hard work, like many others in this small-but-mighty force of people around the globe who are striving toward the same ends. Jan won’t quit. She as much as says so in this episode. It’s powerful and it’s meaningful. I hope you listen to this, and that you Start by Believing; because we all know someone whose life has been affected by rape or sexual assault.
Here are some critically important links I would appreciate you looking into:
https://thejanbrobergfoundation.org
https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/a-friend-of-the-family
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=the+jan+broberg+story+book
https://www.thejanbrobergshow.com/
https://thrivivors.circle.so/home
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