Breaking Silence

Send us Fan Mail 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

Send us Fan Mail 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: 🔗 Learn more about JoDee Neil & her work: neilnowlegal.com | Book Link | Substack | Podcast 🔗 RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): rainn.org | 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) 🔗 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 | 988lifeline.org If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out. You are not alone, and healing is possible.

Send us Fan Mail 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.

Send us Fan Mail 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.

Send us Fan Mail 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

Send us Fan Mail 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!

Send us Fan Mail 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/

Send us Fan Mail 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/

Send us Fan Mail 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

Send us Fan Mail **Trigger Warning: Sexual violence and abuse are discussed in this episode** Throughout this episode we hear from Julie Ann, Executive Director of The Army of Survivors (TAOS), and Dani, a Co-Founder and Board Member of TAOS. We discuss how being an organization created by athletes who have survived sexual violence for athletes allows them to bring awareness to the systemic problem of sexual abuse of athletes and to ultimately end this culture of abuse by ensuring all parties are held accountable. The vulnerability, honesty and heart that they bring to the episode will allow everyone to connect to the power of holding institutions accountable and guide us through how we all can show up for the athlete in our lives. To learn more about their work please follow them on social media @thearmyofsurvivors and visit their website https://thearmyofsurvivors.org/

Send us Fan Mail 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 Resources: breakingsilence.org/resources

Send us Fan Mail 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. Her podcast and art installation, "This is What it Feels Like," puts people "in the shoes of everyday people at the center of issues often overlooked or politicized by society." Terra has the incredible ability to shine light on topics that many struggle to talk through or even understand the fully gravity of, and we are so thrilled that she was willing to share space with us and bring further understanding to the incredible work she is doing. To learn more about the incredible work Terra is doing please listen to her podcast "This is What it Feels Like, " and give them a follow on instagram !

Send us Fan Mail 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. If you are anyone you know may be interested in hosting one of our trainings, please reach out to us at breakingsilence.org or to Alli Meyerhardt directly at alli@breakingsilence.org

Send us Fan Mail 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. Sonya is a kind, insightful, hilarious force and we are lucky to bring this conversation to the Breaking Silence Podcast

Send us Fan Mail 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. Please know that this episode does go into detail about sexual abuse, drug use, and domestic violence so listener discretion is advised. Learning to Cope Book

Send us Fan Mail 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. The journey of finding your power and privilege is not an easy one, and we hope the tools laid out in the episode will help in whatever DEI and violence prevention journey you may be on Books and Resources: How to be an Anti-Racist and Other Work from Author Ibram X. Kendi Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad The Social Change Map

Send us Fan Mail 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. We never know what might show up when we start to find infinite kindness towards ourselves. Resources Mentioned: Wise Little One Book Wabi Sabi Ted Talk Micheal Teachings: Soul Age

Send us Fan Mail 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. Other Resources: You Throw Like a Girl, The Blind Spot of Masculinity by Don McPherson Beartown by Frederic Backman Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves Asking For iI by Kate Harding

Send us Fan Mail 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. Mike has been in law enforcement since 1979. He worked patrol SWAT, undercover narcotics, canine and in '91, he started working in crimes against children. In '96, he ventured into the online side of things and started using technology to lure sexual predators away from children online. He's been working as a detective against child online sex crimes for decades and was the creator of CHEEZO , a police unit focused on tracking predators, educating children on what to look out for and providing resources for parents. Resources for Online Safety https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ https://protectyoungeyes.com/

Send us Fan Mail 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. We started our work in the beer space in 2020 as women within the industry started to come forward to share their stories of abuse, harassment and assault. It was a catalyst for us to become a more active part of creating safer spaces for everyone in the industry. Over the years, our relationship with breweries like HPB has helped start hard conversations about the realities of these spaces and how everyone can be a part of the change. If you are interested in our training, or learning more please visit breakingsilence.org/programming