Betrayal Weekly – "Dan & Sage"

Podcast: Betrayal Weekly
Episode Title: Dan & Sage
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Andrea Gunning
Guests: Dan Kimball & Sage Kimball

Overview:

This episode of Betrayal Weekly explores a profound family betrayal told from two sides: a father (Dan) and daughter (Sage), both of whom had their lives upended by the actions of the family's matriarch, Farah. Through their parallel and eventually converging narratives, Dan and Sage unpack the slow realization and aftermath of deceit, manipulation, and lost trust at the hands of the person they both loved most. The story explores themes of control, alienation, financial betrayal, healing, and the complex interplay of love and trust within families.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

I. Childhood and Family Context

[04:12 – 13:32] Sage’s Early Years & Family Dynamics

• Sage grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, in the 1990s, a self-described “hippie town.”
• Parents Dan and Farah met due to their shared interest in Buckminster Fuller and built a life together around sustainability, activism, and Sufi Islam.
• Farah was a charismatic, affectionate, but stern mother and an active peace activist, organizing humanitarian efforts, notably for Iraqi civilians during sanctions.
• The family faced Islamophobia (e.g., opposition to Islamic-inspired architecture) and eventually relocated to Bali, Indonesia, seeking a sense of belonging.

Notable Quote:

“She was affectionate. She would hug me, she would kiss me. She would play with me… I felt like she was the thing that made me safe.”
— Sage Kimball [05:26]

II. The Move to Bali and the Emergence of Control

[13:32 – 18:15] Relocation, Risk, and Shifting Power

• All family home and inheritance was poured into a property in Bali, transforming into a raw food resort to capitalize on Farah’s new health craze.
• Farah became increasingly focused on finances, involving Sage (then a teenager) in secretive practices: opening foreign bank accounts, buying and storing gold bars, and creating private safety deposit boxes.

Notable Quote:

“There was a safety deposit box in Malaysia that her and I had the key to. That was a secret and I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that it existed...”
— Sage Kimball [15:23]

[16:08 – 16:43] Role of Religion in Control

• Farah invoked her closeness to God, using faith as leverage for obedience:

“The understanding was that she's like a step below God… If you're going against her, you're going against God.”
— Sage Kimball [16:12]

III. Alienation and Entrenchment

[17:31 – 19:17] The Matriarchal Trust & Family Alienation

• Farah framed a “matriarchal” family trust, persuading Sage to become signatory—excluding Dan from financial control.
• Farah simultaneously undermined Dan’s reputation to the children:

“She started telling the kids their dad didn’t love them anymore… If he cared about you, he would get a job.”
— Sage Kimball [18:07]

• Dan was physically and emotionally excluded, frequently sleeping in outdoor quarters as Farah weaponized the trust of the children against him.

IV. Dan’s Perspective: Realization of Betrayal

[23:44 – 41:14] Dan’s Version & Exclusion from Finances

• Dan describes a slow-burning betrayal that built over years, not moments.
• He had always managed family finances until Farah gradually seized all monetary control, first claiming a need for independence, then excluding Dan from big financial decisions.

Notable Quote:

“The betrayal wasn’t something that happened in a moment. It happened over a long time, and I didn’t even recognize it was happening.”
— Dan Kimball [03:07]

• After selling their Bali property for $3 million and moving to Malaysia, Dan discovered—only after being locked out of his own home—that all trust assets had been transferred to Farah’s sole control, orchestrated with the help of a family friend as trustee.
• When Dan confronted the trustee:

“I just remember being outraged that he would do this. How did this happen? We can’t move on like this. Change it back. It has to be corrected.”
— Dan Kimball [40:19]

V. The Fracture between Father and Daughter

[44:44 – 49:57] Alienation, Doubt, and Reconciliation

• Sage, isolated in New York, was told by Farah that Dan was abusive and not trustworthy.
• When Dan informed Sage she was legally implicated in the trust lawsuit, Sage struggled, torn between the narratives.
• Farah manipulated Sage, demanding signatures to cut Dan out entirely. Sage refused—causing a permanent rift with her mother.
• Despite Sage's refusal, Farah produced a document with Sage’s forged signature.

“He was like, your signature is on the document… I just told my dad again and again, I didn’t do it, and he believed me.”
— Sage Kimball [50:13]

VI. Confrontation, Therapy, and Testimony

[50:37 – 55:21] Healing and Legal Battle

• Sage began therapy, breaking the cycle of control and gaining clarity.
• She traveled to Malaysia to testify in court, laying bare her manipulation and the falsification of her signature.
• The family court discounted Sage’s and Dan’s testimonies, outright dismissing Dan’s lawsuit, causing a further sense of injustice.
• Hard-hitting moment:

“It basically said in there, she’s not believable. And this was like, hit me to the core. It’s like, how could that be?”
— Dan Kimball [54:56]

VII. Aftermath, Justice, and Rebuilding

[55:34 – 62:35] Loss, Acceptance, and the Road to Healing

• Appeals were impossible due to procedural barriers and lack of funds. Farah threatened legal action to silence Dan and Sage’s GoFundMe campaign.
• Dan returned to the US, starting from scratch in his late 60s, subsisting on minimal income while processing trauma and reconciling with his daughter.
• Sage clarified that it was Farah’s abuse of religion, not Islam itself, that enabled control.
• Therapy facilitated a new foundation for their relationship built on truth and forgiveness.

Notable Quotes:

“One of the things that I think was extremely positive about this was that suddenly Sage and I could have a relationship that was based on truth.”
— Dan Kimball [59:05]
“Justice... might not look like what we wanted it to look like… The justice that we have is that we have this relationship which is more valuable than any of the money or any of the things. And she doesn’t get to have that.”
— Sage Kimball [61:29]

VIII. Reflections on Betrayal and Transformation

[62:47 – 64:14] Closing Reflections & Why Tell This Story

• Dan and Sage share the intention of their story: not to demonize Farah, but to speak truth and seek healing.

Notable Quotes:

“This is about transformation, right? How can I be better as a result of the impact of this?... If we want a better world, we should build a better world.”
— Dan Kimball [62:53]
“It’s more to be able to share our experiences and be 100% truthful... I hope that on the other side of this is healing for him too, because he deserves that.”
— Sage Kimball [63:21]

Memorable Moments & Key Timestamps

• Sage’s secret bank trips & gold ([15:23])
• Farah giving Sage financial control as a feminist act ([17:03])
• Dan discovering total exclusion from trust ([39:26])
• Sage confronting evidence of forgery ([50:13])
• Sage’s therapy journey and breaking free ([50:37])
• Dan & Sage's healing and reconciliation ([59:05], [60:11])
• Their philosophy on justice and family ([61:10])
• Closing reflections on sharing the story ([62:53], [63:21])

Tone and Language

The episode is emotionally open, reflective, and honest—but never lurid or vindictive. Dan speaks with steady, sometimes pained clarity; Sage shows vulnerability as she processes anger, confusion, and finally, forgiveness. Andrea Gunning’s narration is empathetic and keeps the focus on truth-telling and resilience.

Conclusion

Dan & Sage is a deeply personal, multi-generational story about how systemic trust can be shattered not in a single moment, but over years, by someone closest to us. It’s also about reclaiming narrative and family through truth, mutual support, and the willingness to heal. While there is little legal or financial justice, the emotional restoration between Dan and Sage stands as a testament to their resilience and honesty.