Explore every episode of the podcast Breaking Silence
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creating Safe Sports Cultures: How CHAMP Is Rewriting the Game | 09 Sep 2026 | 00:48:38 | |
In this episode we sit down with Elise, the executive director and co-founder of CHAMP, an organization born from one athlete's experience that college sports invests heavily in on-field success but almost nothing in the off-field relationship skills that actually keep athletes safe. She shares her personal journey from her father's brave disclosure as a survivor, to organizing campus storytelling events, to building CHAMP's peer-led prevention model. She introduces us GOOBS (Going Out On the Weekend Buddy System), a practical tool created by athletes, for athletes as she makes the case that relationships and community is not only the heartbeat of sports but of violence prevention as a whole. As more and more youth find themselves engaged in sports, conversations like these are so crucial in how we want to create cultures as we can either expose more young people to harm or become the most powerful platform for change we have. Elise is a fierce advocate, leader and game changer. We are lucky to have her! Follow along with her work at CHAMP | |||
| Outcry Witness: Healing After Disclosure with JoDee | 26 Aug 2026 | 00:31:44 | |
To find your voice and to know that it will be heard, held, and moved forward is one of the most powerful experiences. But in order to get there, we have to unfreeze our silence. JoDee walks us through how she reconnected to herself by witnessing what she had survived — and then handing those stories to others as a way to unlock what had gotten stuck. Her experience as a former crimes-against-children prosecutor brings a wealth of knowledge to this episode, as she not only teaches us what justice can look like, but shows us that the system is not always the answer. We all know someone who has been harmed, in this episode we give you the tools to stand beside them with empathy and understanding. Whether you're a survivor, love someone who is, or want to learn how to show up for the people in your life, this conversation is for you. Resources: If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out. You are not alone, and healing is possible. | |||
| From Pain to Practice: The Power of Kindness in Getting to Know Ourselves | 19 Aug 2026 | 00:41:57 | |
In this episode, author, coach, and speaker Shaun shares how healing and growth come from treating life as practice. While we can choose our purpose, it’s often struggle that teaches us to face our emotions and take the smallest step each day—building momentum when we feel stuck. We explore how silence can feel safer at first, but over time it becomes more painful, fueling disconnection, shame, rumination, and regret. By practicing honest truth-telling, even when it’s awkward, we can rebuild self-respect, self-trust, and a deeper sense of inner safety. We explore how starting with awareness of what you feel, accepting where you are, and moving forward through consistent, compassionate practice; you lighten shame, and create space for you to return to yourself again and again. | |||
| Breaking Cycles of Silence: The Power of Finding Your Voice and Being Believed | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:38:00 | |
In this episode, we explore how the words “I believe you” open doors, not only to healing for someone who has carried a story, but also for the person who chooses to listen. Author Chanchal Garg invites us to walk alongside her as she shares her journey of healing, exploration, and cycle-breaking. Through her reflections, she helps us understand the power of what vibrates beneath the surface of our lives. When we become connected to those deeper vibrations, transformation begins. Garg reminds us that there is always a path forward, even when it takes time to emerge. By questioning the “truths” we’ve inherited, the ones that often leave us stuck or quietly enduring, we create space for something new: clarity, compassion, and healing. Her words are full of courage, empathy, and restoration. We are honored to have her join us on the podcast, and we hope you’ll continue supporting her powerful work by visiting her website, purchasing her book or subscribing to her newsletter. | |||
| Finding Stillness In Facing Past Abuse, Cancer and Loss | 30 Jul 2025 | 00:34:57 | |
Listening to Lisa's story you cannot help but to feel inspired and more connected to your own truth. Her purpose is to allow us all to discover a side of ourselves that we may have silenced long ago and to give us the space to understand that even when the cards continue to stack up against you, there is still a choice to be made. A choice between hope, gratitude and love or loss and despair. She is here to walk along side all of us so that we know that we can always find ourselves even in the hardest of times. Lisa is one of the kindest and most inspirational guests we have had the pleasure of talking with and we hope you will enjoy! You can learn more about her journey and work HERE | |||
| Keeping Faith Through Love, Acceptance and Accountability | 16 Jul 2025 | 00:34:25 | |
Each person's journey with acceptance, spirituality, and finding their path is unique and one that is often realized when we lean in with love. That is exactly what Dr. Glenn Miles teaches us. As a queer man who has journeyed all over the world, he is an explorer of what it means to stay true to yourself even when society, religion, and community may be telling you to turn away from it. His book Embracing Me, God and Others , is a guide into what it means to hold space and allow our experiences to help us through when we are the most lost. He is a man of God, of academia, and of love; we were so honored to have him on the pod and hope you'll enjoy his story! | |||
| PART 2: Competing, Surviving, and Changing the Game with Shenea | 21 May 2025 | 00:46:31 | |
As we continue our conversation with Shenea, we get to dive deeper into her experience with USA Gymnastics, the intense role that silence played in her journey, and how one of the greatest displays of love we can give is our willingness to hold people accountable. Part 2 offers up even more roads for advocacy, what questions we can ask those who are interacting with our kids, and how she defines safety for those actively in competition. To learn more about Shenea and the incredible work she’s doing, visit her website: https://circuspreneur.com/ | |||
| Competing, Surviving, and Changing the Game with Shenea | 07 May 2025 | 00:31:15 | |
In this episode of the Breaking Silence podcast, we sit down with Shenea for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about what it truly takes to create safe spaces in sports and performance. Drawing from her journey as a former gold medal gymnast and professional Cirque performer, Shenea speaks to the importance of prevention, the power that language has in creating space for cycles of harm to exist, and what advocacy looks like on stage, in the gym, and beyond. Shenea is a force—an advocate, truth-teller, and educator—offering us the tools to recognize our right to ask questions and demand transparency in the environments where our kids are meant to thrive. Whether they are artists, athletes, explorers, or students, no space meant to develop them should ever be shrouded in secrecy. To learn more about Shenea and the incredible work she’s doing, visit her website: https://circuspreneur.com/ | |||
| The Power of Advocacy: Fighting for Survivors with RAINN | 16 Apr 2025 | 00:44:50 | |
Welcome back to another season of the Breaking Silence Podcast! In our first episode of 2025, we were able to connect with Zoey, the Policy and Grassroots Coordinator at RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Zoey shares insights into RAINN's multifaceted efforts to support survivors of sexual violence, including their operation of the National Sexual Assault Hotline and their advocacy work throughout the country on both local and federal policies. The discussion brings us into critical issues such as the backlog of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) tests, the impact of deepfake technology on survivors, and the importance of accessible healthcare for those affected by sexual violence. We hope this episode inspires all of us to take meaningful action in our communities: promoting justice, expanding access to support, and paving a clear path toward healing. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es. You can also learn more about their policy efforts at https://rainn.org/policy | |||
| The Army of Survivors: Creating Safe Spaces for Athletes | 30 Oct 2024 | 00:44:20 | |
**Trigger Warning: Sexual violence and abuse are discussed in this episode** | |||
| Accountability: The Post Conviction Process for Survivors | 30 Jul 2024 | 00:55:11 | |
The post conviction process for a survivor of sexual violence can be a very lonely, overwhelming and confusing moment in their journey. In this episode, we have the amazing opportunity to learn more about what that is like for folks, what support is out there and how putting the survivors voice and story first is a major step in getting some of the power back. Casey, walks us through what it is like to walk along survivors and be the liaison between them and the offender, connecting bridges and helping bring as much clarity to the situation as possible. Going through the judicial system is never easy so having resources like Casey and the Blue Bench is not only necessary but something we need to work towards being a requirement in all states | |||
| Diving into the Harm of Being Catcalled w/ Terra Lopez | 18 Jun 2024 | 00:41:15 | |
Catcalling has been so normalized in our society that we often dismiss it and assume that it does not do any harm. Terra Lopez, host and creator of "This is What it Feels Like", joins us as she talks us through the often untold consequences that come from catcalling such as harassment, sexual assault and even murder. We walk through the power of learning and owning what our words and actions may be doing to others and how being curious can often open doors that were closed in our hearts. | |||
| Previous Owner of Prairie Artisan Ales Brewpub on What it Means to Drink Kindly | 28 May 2024 | 00:30:15 | |
Creating change and safe spaces in the beer industry takes time, commitment, maturity and a desire to always listen to what those working within it are telling us. Throughout the episode Ryan Stack and I talk through what his time at Prairie Artisan Ales was like and how they created a culture based on believing staff, showing up for one another as a team and the need to be constantly working at a culture. | |||
| Creating Space for Healing in the Juvenile Justice System | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:52:20 | |
Talking with Sonya, a Clinical Director and Sex Offender Management Board Clinical Supervisor for Juveniles, is a window into empathy for juveniles who are currently in the Youthful Offender System in Colorado. She shares with us not only her years of experience as a therapist, but the way in which her life and philosophies have helped shape her approach. She has centered herself and her work around bringing your full self to the table, using humor even in times or moments when that seems impossible, and how we can give the children in our lives autonomy. | |||
| Learning to Cope with Camil Martinez | 24 Oct 2023 | 00:49:25 | |
Camil invites us into her story in a way that encapsulates what it means to face our stories. To face some of the hardest moments of our lives and those who acted within our world. It is not easy to give people the vulnerability that Camil does, and we know that her words will bring healing and understanding to so many. | |||
| The Elephant in the Room: DEI and Violence Prevention with Maya | 11 Oct 2023 | 00:46:18 | |
Maya is a diversity, equity, and inclusion facilitator, who has joined us to talk through her expertise, how we can all continue the conversation around equity and inclusion, and what it means to be a true ally to others. | |||
| Finding Love for Our Inner Child with Jana Wilson | 18 Sep 2023 | 00:47:28 | |
Connecting to ourselves is not always a straight line. How we find our journey through healing is immensely personal, which is why we are so grateful for the honesty and vulnerability that Jenna brings. Jenna is an emotional healing educator, meditation teacher, retreat leader, hypnotherapist, HeartMath Facilitator, and founder of the Emotional Healing System. For the past two decades she has taught thousands internationally in group and private retreats. | |||
| 100 Million Strong: The Incredible Work of the I Have The Right To Organization | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:54:37 | |
Susan and Alexander Prout are the founders of the I Have The Right To organization, which is committed to creating an ecosystem of respect and support for students and survivors of sexual assault. Throughout our conversation we discuss the bravery of their daughter Chessy, the walls of silence and shame that institutions systemically create, healing as an act of communion, and how we can disrupt the power of toxic masculinity and rape culture as it currently exists. We encourage you to join the pledge on their website, follow the conversation through their social and read Chessy's Book, I Have the Right To: A High School Survivor's Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope. | |||
| Sergeant Mike Harris of the Special Investigations Unit Discusses Internet Sex Crimes on Children | 29 Aug 2023 | 00:44:19 | |
Sergeant Mike Harris sits down to guide us through how online sex crimes against children has changed over the years, ways in which we can start having honest and prevention based conversations with the kids in our lives, and the impact that time and space has on how our stories develop. Believing a survivor is not just about believing their first out cry, it is knowing that their story will change and over time. It is our duty as the listener to continue to believe them through every adaptation, and Mike is here to ground us in how that reality tends to play out. | |||
| The Influence of Empathy, Empowerment and Hard Conversations in the Beer Space | 21 Aug 2023 | 00:43:33 | |
To kickoff season 3, we sit down with Morgan from Highland Park Brewery (HPB) and walk through what is like to do one of our trainings, the impacts it has had and continues to have with staff, and how our work together is helping disrupt some of the previous standards within the beer industry. | |||
| Interview with Author Dave Pelzer | 03 Apr 2023 | 00:41:14 | |
Dave Pelzer is a New York Times best selling author, a survivor, and someone that has helped countless people through the power of his story. Alli and Dave talk through the process of writing his new book Return to the River, how he has moved through life holding space for his abuse and for his adult self to heal, and what he sees now, 50 years after his rescue. | |||
| From Hurt to Heard and Dave Pelzer Tease | 27 Mar 2023 | 00:01:57 | |
You can hear the "From Heart To Heard" talk on our website! We are so excited to have Dave Pelzer here next week as we continue our journey through this season. Please share with us your why and reactions to our video . | |||
| Finding Grace: Surviving Intrafamilial Abuse and the Silencing Power of Religion | 20 Mar 2023 | 00:37:02 | |
This week, we talk with Karen about her story of surviving abuse at the hands of her stepfather. The idea of that to be loved means to experience abuse was a common story told to her not only by her abusive stepfather but by religious leaders. Karen has had to reframe her story to become one about love for herself, how the abuse is not her shame to carry and the work she is doing in finding self love and grace. | |||
| Walking Through Shame and Finding the Power in Our Survival Story | 13 Mar 2023 | 01:07:47 | |
In this episode we are joined by Amanda as she talks us through her stories of survival, why she has kept her stories silent and how she ended up in litigation against a powerful ride share company. This episode is a wonderful example of how we can still be in our pain and going through it and know that when we talk to safe people they will believe and see us, not shame and silence us. There is no perfection or finished when it comes to processing an assault, so sometimes we just have to start talking and know that our community will help carry the weight of what happened with us.
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| Processing Our Stories as Secondary Survivors | 06 Mar 2023 | 00:43:01 | |
It is never easy to find your voice or feelings when a story feels outside of you. We talk with Will, a secondary survivor who is on a journey of understanding the impact that abuse has had on his mother's life and their relationship. As he feels his own pain through knowing what she want through, he is finding new ways to connect with her, empower her and help her break her silence even further. The biggest thing we can do as secondary survivors is to create the space for ourselves and the survivor to talk through the experience if and when they are ready. | |||
| Sharing Ownership of Our Stories: The Good and Bad of it All | 13 Feb 2023 | 00:46:46 | |
This week we chat with Lori Poland, Executive Director of EndCAN and author of I Live Here: learning to heal through embracing your own story | |||
| Allowing Our Stories to Wash Over Us | 03 Feb 2023 | 00:37:20 | |
Author Lynn Forney shares with us her journey of survival and healing which she details in her book: Choosing Survival: How I Endured a Brutal Attack and a Lifetime of Trauma through the Power of Action, Choice, and Self Expression. | |||
| Season 2 Introduction | 30 Jan 2023 | 00:02:18 | |
Welcome Back Breakers! | |||
| Unchecked Violence Inside the Restaurant Industry | 27 Jan 2023 | 00:55:49 | |
Alli sits down with Samantha, as she guides us through what happened one night at the hands of her boss, a man many considered to be a brilliant chef. The need to believe in his mastery over his actions and treatment of people leads to Samantha being violently attacked in the place they worked. She not only guides us through that moment but through the very real consequences of giving people sympathy over empathy and harm that comes from "not wanting to get involved." Throughout the episode she walks us through her journey of finding containers of safety, of trusting people even when you cannot trust yourself and how forgiveness does not happen in a silo. | |||
| Breaking Silence on Breaking Silence | 18 Jul 2022 | 00:53:17 | |
In this episode, we change things up as Alli gets interviewed for the first time. Brittany, Alli's wife, helps Alli explore her stories and how they have influenced her in creating Breaking Silence. We walk through how Alli sees her stories of abuse today, what she continues to struggle with and what she hopes this podcast and Breaking Silence brings each of you! | |||
| Breaking Silence on the Queer Male Survivor Experience | 13 Jul 2022 | 00:35:22 | |
Alli sits down with Cody to learn about his experience of surviving a sexual assault at a pivotal time; when he was defining his identity and sexuality. Cody guides us through his experience of meeting an older man online who violated his sense of safety, his sense of community and his sense of self. We talk through believing in the power of his words and how this moment sent him on a journey of healing and growth | |||
| Breaking Silence on Partner Sexual Assault and Abortion as a Part of Healing | 13 Jun 2022 | 00:38:15 | |
In this episode we talk with Anaya who walks through his story of being sexually assaulted by his partner, in which the assault ends in a pregnancy. At 16, Anaya knew that having a child that resulted from a rape was not what he wanted so he sought abortion as a step in his healing process. We talk through this process, the significance of inclusive language especially in the abortion space for those that identify as trans and how being a little kinder with our words and energy changes the world. | |||
| Breaking Silence on a Male Escort Experience | 06 Jun 2022 | 00:31:07 | |
Alli and Max, a gay male who worked in the escort sex work industry sit down to debunk the stereotypes of the industry, how access to safe sex can strip down our shame, and the power of consent. | |||
| Accountability, Healing and Working with The Other Side | 31 May 2022 | 00:49:46 | |
In this episode, Tanya, a treatment provider for those who have committed sex offense sits down with us to talk through what that treatment looks like, the roll that accountability plays in her work and how we can all be a part of the healing process for those in our lives. | |||
| Breaking Silence on Sexual Assault on a College Campus | 24 May 2022 | 00:51:38 | |
In this episode, Alli sits down with Katie a survivor of rape. Katie tells us her story of surviving the assault at the hands of a friend, the price of healing, and how she is working to build a community where all survivors are heard and supported. | |||
| Breaking Silence on The Other Side | 16 May 2022 | 00:51:47 | |
In this episode, Alli talks with someone who chose to commit a sex offense on an incapacitated female in college. Hearing from this side of the story gives us the tools to understand prevention, and permission to feel things more deeply no matter what those feelings may be. Lean in as we explore what it mean\s to go from a hurt person hurting people to a more healed person hoping to heal people We hope you will continue this conversation on our instagram @breakingsilence_org | |||
| Breaking Silence on Suicide and Suicide Prevention | 09 May 2022 | 00:28:25 | |
In this episode, Alli is joined with Sam, an expert in the field of suicide prevention and awareness. Sam gives us tools for starting conversations around suicide, how to show up for someone and ourselves, and how suicide and interpersonal violence tend to intersect. | |||
| Breaking Silence on Abusive Relationships | 02 May 2022 | 00:54:41 | |
Today's episode we hear Dino walk us through his relationship in which power over and control creates an unsafe and impossible space to exist within. His journey is one of finding his voice, his power and moving on from the grips of his partner at the time. | |||
| Breaking Silence Podcast Season 1 Intro | 25 Apr 2022 | 00:00:34 | |
Welcome to the first season of the Breaking Silence Podcast. Throughout this podcast, the Executive Director, Alli Meyerhardt, interviews those that are impacted by interpersonal violence so that we can build a community of advocates. In this space, we hope that you will find healing and join our community of breakers. | |||
| Breaking Silence on Workplace Sexual Harassment | 25 Apr 2022 | 00:36:07 | |
In this episode, we hear Ashley's story of sexual harassment, her journey towards healing and the fears that come with being forced out of a job. She walks us through the culture that existed at work, the ways in which her abusers behavior was allowed to persist and what we can do now to disrupt environments like this so that women are not forced out of their careers. | |||