A podcast where people share real stories of trauma, survival, mental health, and the darkest moments of their lives. Trauma, abuse, true crime, resilience, and the long road toward healing are at the center of every episode. These conversations go deeper than the surface to uncover the truth of what they lived through, what it cost them, and how they found the strength to rise again. It is real, emotional, and driven by the belief that when survivors speak, others find the courage to heal.
Hosted by Chell Bane, a medical professional with 20+ years in psychiatry and addiction medicine, and a survivor of trauma herself.
If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:
77: She Lost Her Fiancé to an Overdose Just 8 Months After Their Son Was Born
Episode 77
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 • Duration 01:15:02
Jori lost her fiancé to an overdose after trying to save him from a hidden addiction to pills that began before they met. Kyle came into her life on New Year’s Eve and quickly became someone she saw a future with, outgoing, magnetic, and deeply loved by everyone around him. As their relationship grew, so did the life they were building together, but behind it, he was quietly battling a pill addiction. It quickly turned into the reality of loving someone struggling with substance abuse, relapse, and the cycle of recovery attempts that didn’t last. Jori found herself questioning the signs of addiction in real time, trying to make sense of behavior changes, secrecy, and the emotional weight of being in a relationship affected by addiction.
After losing her fiancé to an overdose just eight months after having their son, Jori was left navigating grief, trauma, and the lasting impact of sudden loss. She was now facing life without her partner and the father of her child, a loss that reshaped everything moving forward. She shares what it’s really like to love someone through addiction, the moments that don’t make sense at the time, and the ones that stay with you long after they’re gone. She also opens up about the loss of her best friend in a car accident she witnessed at 10 years old, a moment that stayed with her and shaped how she processes grief, trauma, and emotional attachment.
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
76: Drugged at a Work Party Then Abducted and Brutally Raped
Episode 76
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 • Duration 01:56:21
Tressa was 21 years old when she attended a company party expecting a normal night with coworkers. Within minutes of taking a shot, she began to lose control of her body. She was drugged, taken out of the bar, carried to an apartment, and left alone with a man she had never met. What followed was hours of rape and violent assault that resulted in severe, permanent physical injuries and long-term medical complications that still impact her life today.
In the aftermath, Tressa was forced to repeatedly recount what happened to law enforcement, medical staff, and investigators while navigating an invasive forensic exam and a system that questioned her account. She shares the reality of what happens after rape, including the physical trauma, the psychological impact of sexual assault, and the way these cases are handled behind the scenes. More than two decades later, Tressa is now working with state and federal lawmakers to reform the sex offender registry, using her experience to advocate for change and bring awareness to the long-term impact people live with after sexual violence.
BTM Special: Married to the Wolf of Wall Street and How to Leave Abuse with Dr. Nae
Episode 67.5
Saturday, February 7, 2026 • Duration 37:33
Dr. Nae (Nadine Macaluso) speaks from lived experience about what coercive control actually looks like behind wealth, power, and public spectacle. Known to the world as the real-life wife portrayed in The Wolf of Wall Street, she unpacks the psychological mechanics woven throughout the story, explaining how trauma bonding, intimidation, manipulation, and addiction shaped daily life inside the relationship. What many viewers recognized as chaos or entertainment is reframed as part of a sustained pattern driven by fear, intermittent affection, and a profound power imbalance that slowly erodes identity and safety.
Now a licensed therapist, Dr. Nae explains why leaving is rarely simple, why survivors stay longer than they ever planned, and why the most dangerous moment is often the decision to go. She breaks down post-separation abuse, power-based retaliation, and the myths that fuel victim blaming, while offering hard-won insight on planning safely, trusting your body when your mind is confused, and rebuilding after years of survival mode.
67: Protecting Her Stepchildren From CSA and the Reality of Reunification Camp
Episode 67
Wednesday, February 4, 2026 • Duration 01:29:27
Kitty shares how the family court system used parental alienation claims and court-ordered reunification therapy to forcibly remove children from their protective parent and place them with their abusive parent, exposing a devastating pattern of institutional failure.
After marrying a man with sole custody of two young boys, concerning behavioral changes and SA disclosures emerged following court-ordered visitation with their biological mother. Counselors, forensic interviews, and law enforcement became involved, with professionals acknowledging abuse had occurred, yet prosecutors declined to move forward. What followed was years of ignored testimony, sealed records, institutional silence, and a family court system that failed to protect children who spoke up.
As the case escalated, the court labeled the protective parents as alienators and ordered placement in a court-mandated reunification camp that forcibly removed the boys from their home and isolated them from their support system. Kitty shares the psychological and physical toll of prolonged legal trauma, coercive control disguised as treatment, judicial overreach, financial devastation, and the long-term impact on children subjected to court-sanctioned separation. This episode exposes systemic family court failures and the path that led Kitty to advocacy and legislative efforts aimed at protecting children from institutional and legal abuse.
Larissa survived an attempted murder by a former partner who had spent months isolating, controlling, and manipulating her under the guise of protection and faith. She recounts how what appeared stable and safe escalated into coercive control, sexual violence, stalking, and a near-fatal shooting that led to the amputation of several fingers.
In the aftermath, Larissa navigates the psychological recovery that follows surviving extreme violence. She speaks to what it takes to escape, what happens after you do, and how healing is built slowly through reclaiming identity and self trust.
Larissa's Links:
http://www.larissaslovenotes.com
https://www.instagram.com/ann_ri3
Resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline
800-799-7233
Text BEGIN to 88788
Crisis Text Line
741741
Beyond the Monsters’ Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemonsters/
https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:
https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153
Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!
65: Being Married to an Abusive Serial Cheater (Kyleigh Part 2)
Episode 65
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 • Duration 02:39:05
Kyleigh shares the continuation of her story, detailing the escalation of domestic violence, coercive control, emotional abuse, and psychological manipulation within her marriage. The pattern includes physical assault, sexual boundary violations, gaslighting, intimidation, and explicit threats tied to military careers and reputation. Alongside the violence, Kyleigh describes repeated infidelity, secret relationships, deleted messages, inappropriate emotional and sexual boundaries with other women, and chronic deception. Betrayal by trusted friends, minimization of harm, blame shifting, and isolation compound the abuse and reinforce forced silence.
As the relationship continues, Kyleigh explains how ongoing cheating, emotional neglect, body shaming, and intimidation severely impacted her mental health. Following a catastrophic knee injury, dependence and vulnerability intensified the power imbalance, leading to abandonment, control, and further psychological harm. Even during periods of academic achievement, military advancement, and professional growth, manipulation and instability persisted. Kyleigh’s account highlights trauma bonding, intermittent reinforcement, and the progressive erosion of identity that can occur in abusive relationships marked by both violence and infidelity.
64: A Life Shaped by Foster Care, Failed Adoption, and DV (Kyleigh Part 1)
Episode 64
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 • Duration 01:51:09
Kyleigh’s story begins in Eastern Iowa, moving through foster care in early childhood before being adopted at a young age. Inside that adoptive home, she describes years of SA, physical abuse, neglect, and adults who prioritized image over child safety. As a teenager, after a report was finally taken seriously, Kyleigh was removed by authorities and placed back into the system, moving through temporary placements before transitioning into independent living.
Adulthood did not bring immediate stability. Kyleigh describes marrying young while trying to escape having no family foundation, only to find herself in a relationship that escalated to domestic violence. The military later became a turning point, first through the National Guard and then active duty service, including Hurricane Harvey response and deployment to Afghanistan. Her story traces how childhood trauma, domestic violence, housing insecurity at different points in life, and military service intersect without a simple cause-and-effect narrative.
63: Custody Battle With a Sexual Predator and a Pattern of Coercive Control
Episode 63
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 • Duration 01:21:49
What began as a marriage marked by love bombing, manipulation, and emotional volatility escalated into a custody battle rooted in coercive control, deception, and credible allegations of sexual harm. Indee describes years of psychological abuse, isolation, and intimidation, including being physically restrained, gaslit, and threatened into silence. As she attempted to leave, the abuse intensified, evolving into legal retaliation, false narratives, and a calculated effort to maintain power through the family court system. The unraveling of her ex-husband’s lies revealed a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior that family members had long concealed, leaving Indee to fight alone to protect her child.
This episode exposes how coercive control does not end when a relationship does, but often resurfaces through custody disputes, institutional failures, and court-sanctioned access to children. Indee shares the psychological toll of trauma bonding, suicidal crisis, and complex PTSD, alongside the exhausting reality of self-representation in court while facing a manipulative abuser. Her story underscores the dangers of dismissing survivor testimony, the consequences of silence within families, and the urgent need for trauma-informed custody decisions.
62: Kidnapped by Somali Pirates for 93 Days, Rescued by SEAL Team Six
Episode 62
Saturday, January 3, 2026 • Duration 01:15:54
Jessica Buchanan never imagined that a career rooted in service would lead her into one of the most extreme survival situations imaginable. A former schoolteacher turned humanitarian aid worker, she was kidnapped while working in Somalia and held captive for 93 days in the desert. What began as a mission driven by responsibility, purpose, and service became a fight for survival involving armed captors, ransom negotiations, physical illness, psychological terror, and the constant uncertainty of whether she would live to see another day. Her story exposes the hidden risks faced by humanitarian workers, the failures of institutional duty of care, and the devastating consequences of ignoring intuition.
What ultimately carried Jessica through captivity was not blind optimism or belief alone, but a disciplined inner survival strategy. Drawing from spirituality, memory, ritual, and mental control, she created structure where none existed and meaning where despair could have taken over. Her rescue by U.S. special operations forces marked the end of captivity but not the end of the trauma. Returning home meant rebuilding identity, navigating PTSD, motherhood after survival, betrayal by systems meant to protect her, and the long process of surviving survival.
Nick experienced childhood sexual abuse that began when he was around five years old by his first best friend. This was a case of peer-on-peer sexual abuse, a form of childhood sexual assault that is often misunderstood, minimized, or overlooked despite its long-term psychological impact. At that age, he did not have the developmental ability to consent, understand, or stop what was happening, while fear, confusion, and secrecy became his primary survival responses. What occurred was not experimentation, but abuse, shaped by power, confusion, and trust violations that a child cannot navigate.
As he grew older, the unresolved effects of childhood sexual abuse surfaced through anger, addiction, and struggles with trust and identity. Living with a lifelong degenerative hearing loss and tinnitus added another layer of isolation and difference during critical developmental years. Healing did not begin until adulthood, when sobriety, therapy, and accountability allowed him to accurately name what happened and confront its impact without allowing it to define him. By speaking openly, he helps illuminate how early sexual trauma and unaddressed disability can shape a life, and how breaking secrecy can be a meaningful step toward reclaiming agency.
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Topics: violent crime, date rape drug, sexual assault (SA), true crime, victim advocacy
If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:
https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153
Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Topics: foster care, failed adoption, domestic violence, military service, childhood trauma
If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:
https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153
Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Topics: Humanitarian worker kidnapping, Surviving captivity and hostage trauma, PTSD after extreme trauma, Intuition and survival psychology, Life after survival trauma
If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:
https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153
Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!
Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.
Topics: childhood sexual abuse (CSA), addiction & alcoholism, mental health, degenerative hearing loss & tinnitus
If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out a form here:
https://form.jotform.com/243366933402153
Please contact beyondthemonsters@gmail.com for any business inquiries!
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