Podcast
Dear Katie: Survivor Stories
Hosted by Katie Koestner · EN
The Dear Katie Podcast features survivors of sexual assault, rape, and abuse; supporters; authors; celebrities; and agents of change about their survivorship and support. Learn how their journeys can help all survivors and their supporters. Delve into backlash, legal systems, campus reactions, family and friends, mental health, PTSD, substance use, body image, and the journey from hurt to healing and thriving.
After Katie Koestner appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine at age 18 as the first person to speak out nationally and publicly as the victim of “date” rape, she received 100+ letters from others who had never told anyone about their own story. Katie wrote back to all of them, and some of them have now been guests on her Podcast 30+ years later to share their story with the world. The name “Dear Katie” honors all survivors in the power of sharing their story. Silence changes nothing.
56episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
S9E22 Kansas State Fraternity Stands Against Brother, With Survivor
1w ago01:06:44Tap to summarize'I didn't want to be known as the girl that this happened to.' Enjoying Greek life as a young college student, Abby trusts a fraternity brother to walk her home after a late party. Taking his offer of refuge as it begins to storm, she falls asleep in his room. He assaults her in her sleep, and Abby reports him to the police. Over the next few months, she begins a journey of justice, advocacy, and healing. Abby is a 20-year-old studying Social Work, and she cares deeply about helping others and giving back to her community. As a survivor, her experiences have shaped who she is and pushed her to turn something difficult into something meaningful. She has contributed to the passing of SB 358, a Kansas bill that removes bail after conviction for high-level offenders, and was also honored to receive the Community Champion Victim Service Award in Wichita. Abby is passionate about making sure people feel heard, supported, and not alone, and she tries to carry that into everything she does. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E21 From Baby Shower to Mom Stabbed by Boyfriend in a Ditch
2w ago01:03:24Tap to summarizeJoining us today is Tricia Gray, the CEO and Founder of Aditus Partners and the author of the much-anticipated memoir, A Lotus Legacy. After rising above the tragic loss of her mother to domestic abuse, she transformed her pain into a life of extraordinary purpose—becoming a top-tier healthcare executive and the Governing Board President for Women in Health Administration of Southern California. Her story is a powerful roadmap for anyone looking to bloom through the mud and redefine their own future. We’re honored to have her here to share how she built a legacy that is truly her own. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E20 How to Turn Your Story into a Speech
3w ago00:59:14Tap to summarizeMaria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She is the host of the When Bearing Witness® podcast and facilitates the When Bearing Witness® Trauma-Informed Storytelling Certification Program. Her work helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E19 Indigenous Survivor Call Out in Ketchikan, AK
4w ago00:52:38Tap to summarizePhoenix's pattern started early: as a teenager, she identified gaps in her own school's education system and set out to fix them. That instinct carried through her Air Force career, where she became the youngest Suicide Intervention Skills Instructor. That leadership turned into reigniting a student veteran association, founding veteran organizations, and serving the two oldest civil rights organizations. She's a mom whose daughter just graduated from a prestigious liberal arts high school, runs a consulting practice focused on civic engagement and education, and has carried her hope to run for office since fifth grade. She’s a biracial Tlingit and Haida tribal citizen, lover of art and fashion, cat mom, and former youth soccer coach. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E19 Indigenous Survivor Call Out in Ketchikan, AK
4w ago00:52:38Tap to summarizePhoenix's pattern started early: as a teenager, she identified gaps in her own school's education system and set out to fix them. That instinct carried through her Air Force career, where she became the youngest Suicide Intervention Skills Instructor. That leadership turned into reigniting a student veteran association, founding veteran organizations, and serving the two oldest civil rights organizations. She's a mom whose daughter just graduated from a prestigious liberal arts high school, runs a consulting practice focused on civic engagement and education, and has carried her hope to run for office since fifth grade. She’s a biracial Tlingit and Haida tribal citizen, lover of art and fashion, cat mom, and former youth soccer coach. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E18 Angry Enough to Rewire the Brain
Jun 2500:48:43Tap to summarizeBreaking negative emotional circuits is a challenge for many survivors of trauma. This week, we sit down with Laurel Mellin to discuss strategies for rewiring the brain and sitting with negative experiences to emerge into states of joy. Dr. Laurel Mellin is a health psychologist and founder of emotional brain training (EBT), a method for rewiring trauma that can be integrated into self-care as well as psychotherapy. She developed EBT during her 42 years as a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She directs the Solution Foundation, which trains health professionals in EBT, and has a private practice in the method. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Laura Chiodo Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E18 Angry Enough to Rewire the Brain
Jun 2500:48:43Tap to summarizeBreaking negative emotional circuits is a challenge for many survivors of trauma. This week, we sit down with Laurel Mellin to discuss strategies for rewiring the brain and sitting with negative experiences to emerge into states of joy. Dr. Laurel Mellin is a health psychologist and founder of emotional brain training (EBT), a method for rewiring trauma that can be integrated into self-care as well as psychotherapy. She developed EBT during her 42 years as a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She directs the Solution Foundation, which trains health professionals in EBT, and has a private practice in the method. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Laura Chiodo Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E17 Harvard Grad on a 10 Mile Hike in Northern Ireland Part 2 with Winnie Li: Dark Chapter
Jun 1800:56:30Tap to summarizeReturning to the Dear Katie Podcast, Dr. Winnie Li shares more insights on activism, advocacy, and healing. Dr. Winnie M Li is an author, activist, and educator. A former filmmaker, Winnie’s life and career trajectory were severely disrupted at the age of 29, when she became the victim of a violent stranger rape in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her debut novel Dark Chapter (2017) is a fictional re-imagining of that assault and its aftermath, from the perspectives of both victim and perpetrator. Her subsequent novels Complicit (2022) and What We Left Unsaid (2025) also address the legacy of trauma, in workplaces and in families. Winnie’s doctoral research at the London School of Economics explored the emotional labour of ‘public’ rape survivors, and she is now an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E17 Harvard Grad on a 10 Mile Hike in Northern Ireland Part 2 with Winnie Li: Dark Chapter
Jun 1800:56:30Tap to summarizeReturning to the Dear Katie Podcast, Dr. Winnie Li shares more insights on activism, advocacy, and healing. Dr. Winnie M Li is an author, activist, and educator. A former filmmaker, Winnie’s life and career trajectory were severely disrupted at the age of 29, when she became the victim of a violent stranger rape in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her debut novel Dark Chapter (2017) is a fictional re-imagining of that assault and its aftermath, from the perspectives of both victim and perpetrator. Her subsequent novels Complicit (2022) and What We Left Unsaid (2025) also address the legacy of trauma, in workplaces and in families. Winnie’s doctoral research at the London School of Economics explored the emotional labour of ‘public’ rape survivors, and she is now an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →S9E16 Top 100 US Swimmer to Founder of Child Abuse Laws
Jun 1101:10:49Tap to summarize'I went in there to be safe... I couldn't protect myself.' Partying on spring break as teenagers do, Carissa seeks safety among friends after drinking too much. She is taken advantage of in her vulnerable state, assaulted by the group, and recorded. Getting through her healing journey one day at a time, today she advocates and lobbies state legislators to lift the statute of limitations for sexual assault and child molestation. Her passion is speaking for others until they find their voice, and whether it's as a guest speaker or at the state house, she hopes to advocate for our survivors. She wants survivors to know that they too matter and that healing and finding your voice take time. Host: Katie Koestner Editor: Evan Mader Producers: Catrina Aglubat and Emily Wang
Transcribe →