181. MJ: A Few Minutes That Changed Everything
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
Release Date: 03/17/2026
187. Sophie: “If I Said No Again…What Would Happen?”
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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186. Joseph Born: The Hidden Reality of Child-on-Child Harm
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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185. Sara Perry: This Changes How You Think About Healing
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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184. Emily: I Was Living My Life Like Nothing Happened
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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183. Darlene Lekowski: She Buried the Truth as a Child…What Happened When It Resurfaced?
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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182. Cassie Nicholas: When Help Was a Setup
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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181. MJ: A Few Minutes That Changed Everything
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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180. Norma Peterson-Part 2: Furthering the Discussion of the Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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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179. Dr. Asher: Survivor-Led, System-Changing
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
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...
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178. Norma Peterson: The Power of the Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit
Sexual Assault Survivor Stories Podcast - SASS
This week I sit down with 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 Affidavit, the...
info_outlineIn 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 mind and body, and the steps toward healing that can inspire others.
MJ is a passionate advocate for mental health and trauma recovery, She reached out to share her story after being inspired by the podcast "What They Don't Say." Her experiences have shaped her desire to help others navigate their own trauma journeys, and she aims to work in trauma-informed care after graduation.
MJ's experience of sexual assault during her sophomore year marked a turning point in her life. She recalls the moment vividly, stating, "If that short few minutes of my life never happened, my life would be in a completely different trajectory." This realization highlights how pivotal moments can redefine one’s identity and path.
During a fraternity party, MJ encountered a situation that escalated into sexual assault. She describes feeling paralyzed and unable to voice her discomfort, which is a common reaction among trauma survivors. "I kept moving towards the side of the bed… to tell him that I was not comfortable with his touch, but he continued to do it," she recalls. This experience underscores a harsh reality: the struggle for consent and the trauma that follows.
One of the critical insights from MJ's story is her experience with dissociation. As a protective mechanism during the assault, she felt detached from her body. "It was like I was separate from myself," she explained. This response is not uncommon among survivors and can complicate the healing process. Understanding dissociation is vital for trauma-informed care.
MJ's journey toward healing involved significant steps, both personally and academically. After a year, she reported her experience to her university and engaged with the Title IX process. She emphasized the importance of seeking support, saying, "The morning after was crucial, as I received support from my best friends." This support system played a vital role in her recovery.
MJ has explored various therapeutic modalities, including internal family systems and somatic therapies. She shared, "In those times, I can come back to my body and really feel it in a controlled setting." This highlights the importance of finding therapies that resonate with individual experiences, as healing is not one-size-fits-all.
An important side note: if you’re finding value in this show and these conversations, please consider leaving a 5-star rating on your podcast platform—it truly helps more people find these stories. You can also follow Sexual Assault Survivor Stories on Instagram and 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 you feel like you might be ready to share your story—whether for your own healing or to help someone else—reach out to me. We can start a conversation, with no pressure and no expectations. You can email me directly at dave@sasstories.com. Please include a phone number where I can reach you, because I genuinely prefer to talk with people who are considering guesting. Thank you to everyone who has already reached out—and please keep those emails 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. Where a contribution is requested, please consider doing so. Thank you—for listening, for believing survivors, and for being part of this community.
https://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/repeat_rape.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://evawintl.orgAs 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. (Check out https://evawintl.org/ & https://startbybelieving.org for more information on “Start By Believing”!)
Thank you for tuning in.
--Dave