74. Tracy DeTomasi: CEO of Callisto
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Release Date: 02/27/2024
87. Caroline Markel: She’s Back This Month; "Big, Bold, and Unapologetic!"
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Because Caroline was traveling so much of last month, I wasn't able to record an April episode with her. But now, she’s back home and busy at work. But not so busy as to miss another episode with me! This month, Caroline talks about where she was these past several weeks, who she was traveling with, what they were doing on this extended trip, and the many insights and lessons she learned along the way. That discussion, in and of itself, was intriguing…but wait ‘til you hear what else she’s been working on, in terms of her healing journey! Caroline is transparent and honest in how...
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86. Kelly Justus: Embracing Her Own Healing Through Action—Promoting Project Callisto's Mission
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Kelly and I have a few things in common: our admiration and support of the mission of Project Callisto, and our belief that normalizing the converstation around rape and sexual assault will help reduce the prevalence of rape culture. With regard to Callisto: I won’t go into the full explanation of how Callisto works, you can find out that information on their website; but suffice it to say that Callisto is a platform built for victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault to anonymously provide information about their perpetrator into an encrypted vault system to match victims to a...
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85. Roger Canaff: A Former Sexual Assault Prosecutor and Highly Qualified Expert Gives Us His Insights!
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Having Roger Canaff join me on this show has long been a goal, and I finally was able to reconnect with this former colleague. I met Roger when I was working for the US Army in a position known as a Highly Qualified Expert for the Criminal Investigation Command (known as CID-Criminal Investigation Division). Part of my job was co-managing a 2-week Special Victims Unit Investigation Course (SVUIC), conducted at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, GA. Roger was also hired by the Army as an HQE, with the Judge Advocate...
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Bonus Episode: Cassie Nicholas Needs Our Help!
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Hey there SASS listeners…this is a special edition episode of SASS to ask for your help… If ever there was someone in need of our financial help, one of our own SASS family members, Cassie Nicholas, is currently that one! Most of you have heard Cassie's two episodes here on SASS and know of the horrific circumstances she has endured throughout her life—not only regarding the rapes and sexual assaults she has endured, but also the immense psychological and physical abuses of being trafficked. Cassie now faces even more trauma!...in the middle of April, Cassie’s car overheated and caught...
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84. Jessica Michaels: Raped by Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, Jess is Now Promoting Sexual Assault First Aid-PART 2
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
When it came to healing from her rape by Jeffrey Epstein there first had to be a realization by Jess Michaels that she was raped. Because, Jess had been taught by society and the culture of the 90’s that what had happened to her must not have really been rape…she hadn’t screamed, she didn’t try to fight him, she hadn’t even tried to push him off her—she didn’t do anything that would, in her mind, have been the response of someone who was being raped; she just froze. But she knew something was wrong. She felt it. Her life routines, her world view, and her new, misunderstood...
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83. Jessica Michaels: Raped by Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, Jess is Now Promoting Sexual Assault First Aid; Part 1
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
It’s difficult to imagine having a bright future with a life full of promise, fame, and prestige, living that life doing exactly what you were wanting to do: dancing, modeling, acting, singing, and a career trajectory that was leading to Broadway and world travel and fame on July 8, 1991…and then on July 9, 1991, having it all stomped out in just a few minutes by a man whose only goal was to rape. That’s what Jeffrey Epstein did to Jessica Michaels. Jessica barely knew Jeffrey Epstein. She had only met him briefly to talk about the possibility of working for him doing massage; when he...
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82. Dr. Lori Pitts: From Childhood Sexual Assault to Founder of Still Whole Wellness, Dr. Lori Recognizes Her Gift of Healing
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
It was only two weeks ago that I had Anne Winslow on this show to talk about her new role as Co-Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Advocacy Network, SAAN, an online community of advocates, victims, and survivors of rape and sexual assault. During our discussion, Anne mentioned that the former Executive Director of SAAN was Dr. Lori Pitts, who is now Anne’s life coach and healing guide, and someone about whom Anne couldn’t say enough good things. (Dr. Lori is the founder and Executive Director of .) After our recording session, before Anne could even tell me that I should consider...
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81. Cassie Nicholas Returns: New Trauma Memories Lead to New Ways to Heal!
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Recording this episode was a fantastic experience...I was fortunate to have my guest, Cassie Nicholas, join me in the studio! It’s not often that this occurs, as most of my guests are long distances from St. George, UT. But Cassie is staying in a nearby city and was willing to drive into town to record this episode. It was a real delight that we got to see each other in the sense that it was awesome to get caught up on our almost year-long friendship; a friendship that started when Cassie emailed me in June of 2023, asking to be a part of this podcast. (Listening to her previous episode...
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80. Anne Winslow: A Gentle Yet Powerful Voice for Survivors
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
The last time Anne was on this show was just over a year ago. She shared with us her harrowing story of enduring almost 30 years of intrafamilial rape as well as marital domestic violence and rape. Yet, despite all of that, Anne managed to become one the most softspoken advocates for others who’ve endured similar experiences as she advocated and guided others through her outreach with the Sexual Assault Advocacy Network (SAAN). She continues to work with that amazing organization, except that now, she does so in the position of Co-Director! Anne also explains in this episode that she is...
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79. Ray Epstein: The New Kid in Class Brings Hidden Terrors
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Some communities are safe harbors of individuals who identify as an assemblage who have known each other for a long time…grown together, supported each other, learned together…who have the common denominator of having gone through the same things together, particularly school. Such was the case for Ray Epstein as she progressed through a very small elementary school and middle school. Her friends and classmates were people with whom she grew up…she knew all of them and they all knew her. And while she never considered herself part of the popular group because, as she saw it, she was a...
info_outlineSeveral months ago I started noticing on my Instagram feed, several posts and reels that were initiated by an organization called Callisto. I was not particularly paying attention to these posts until one day I noticed one that was entitled “Sexual Assault Prevention,” and had the phrases, “Holding perpetrators accountable,” “Consent education,” “Changing the culture,” and “Bystander intervention.” All of these were principles and subjects that I hold dear to my heart and have taught in my many years as a sexual assault investigation trainer and consultant, and still do. I was then and there, suddenly, very interested in Callisto and what they were all about.
Throughout the following year I learned more and more about Callisto and knew that eventually I would reach out to them and find out if there was someone on their staff who might be willing to be a guest on this show and tell the world all about the organization so that my audience could become educated about Callisto, and what they had to offer. But also wanted them on my show as a way to help spread the word about Callisto Vault, and how this organization could gain more attention and support, and therefore more participants in the confidential Callisto Vault Matching System. This system allows survivors of rape or sexual assault to safely and confidentially determine whether others have been harmed by the same perpetrator without having to publicly disclose or report their assault to authorities.
I reached out to Callisto with my request for someone to be a representative of their organization to be a guest with me on SASS. To my very pleasant surprise, I was set up for an appointment with the CEO of Callisto, Tracy DeTomasi. The greetings and formalities were attended to, and Tracy agreed to be on the show. And what an episode this is…Tracy is the consummate professional, and as I learned, the exceptional choice of the organization to be the CEO of Callisto. (Your opportunity to read the official announcement of Tracy’s 2022 appointment as CEO of Callisto and learn more about her amazing qualifications and past achievements can be found here.) This episode will not disappoint!
To learn more about Callisto and the phenomenal work they are doing to help bring justice to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault, check out their website at:
https://www.projectcallisto.org/
Other sites I hope you will check out include: