Podcast Summary: "We're All Insane"
Episode: Groomed by High School Softball Coach
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: (Unknown Author)
Guest: Kate Lukasavic

Episode Overview

In this raw and unfiltered interview, Kate Lukasavic recounts her experience of being groomed and sexually abused by her high school softball coach, Corey. The conversation traverses Kate’s early home life, the dynamics that made her susceptible to grooming, the insidious progression of the abuse, the failures of multiple adults and institutions to protect her, the long-term impact on her identity and relationships, and her eventual pursuit of justice years later. Kate’s story is a harrowing but ultimately empowering account of survival, accountability, and reclaiming her narrative.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kate’s Early Life and Family Dynamics

Timestamps: 00:00 – 12:00

• Kate describes growing up as an only child in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
• Her parents worked long and mismatched hours; her mom was often absent, leaving her father and grandmother as primary caretakers.
• Her father was loving but intense, especially with academics and sports, creating a pressure-filled environment.
• Kate was often placed as a mediator or "middleman" in her parents' marriage, particularly during a marital crisis involving infidelity and separation in her adolescence.
• This unstable family dynamic instilled a sense of isolation and emotional neediness that continued into her teen years.

2. Integration into School Sports & Early Relationship with Coach Corey

Timestamps: 12:00 – 16:00

• Kate excelled in sports, playing soccer and softball throughout her youth.
• She describes the pressure to perform in sports as well as academics.
• Freshman year, she made JV softball while her friends made varsity, creating a desire to impress her coaches.
• Corey, her eventual abuser, was the JV coach and quickly established herself as an approachable, “cool” adult in her life.

3. Grooming Process and Escalation

Timestamps: 15:45 – 21:00

• Corey starts liking Kate’s tweets from the team Twitter, then begins personal texting with Kate.
• Contact grows frequent and familiar, with communications shifting from strictly softball to personal life and eventually to spending time outside team activities.
• Corey invites Kate, age sixteen, over to her house under innocuous pretenses and supplies her with alcohol and THC edibles the night the abuse escalates.
• Quote:

  "She gives me this drink...and then she gives me a gummy. And then I kind of, like, start to, like, slip into...a haze of being under the influence...I wake up in her bed with her next to me...And I believe this is when we, like, have sex." (21:37–22:53, Kate)

4. Secrecy and Control

Timestamps: 23:33 – 31:00

• Corey pressures Kate to keep the relationship secret, emphasizing the legal risks and isolation.
• The abuse continues frequently and includes coerced sexual acts, emotional manipulation, and the introduction of pornography.
• Corey's efforts to mask the relationship extend to involving a parent (of another student) in outings as a cover, and buying Kate gifts.
• Notable moment:

  "She had me change her name to like, 'Love' in my phone...just gross stuff like that. And so we're hanging out every day...the abuse was every day." (24:49–25:32, Kate)

5. Psychological Impact and Further Manipulation

Timestamps: 35:57 – 44:26

• Corey isolates Kate from her peers and manipulates her sense of self, causing Kate to lose touch with her original interests and identity, and instilling deep confusion over her sexuality and sense of worth.
• Kate details how her first sexual experiences were all with Corey, adding to the trauma and complexity.
• Notable insight:

  "She had me convinced that she’s the love of my life...so I was almost just like, I felt like I lost this sense of identity." (35:57–43:07, Kate)

6. Deterioration, Discovery, and Institutional Failure

Timestamps: 47:51 – 53:58

• Rumors start circulating at school; admin interviews Kate, but she denies everything, protecting Corey as instructed.
• Corey is placed on administrative leave, but the school’s investigation results in minimal consequences—they do not report to police or child services, and reinstate Corey as a gym teacher.
• Kate’s parents believe the school targeted Corey unfairly and ask few questions, further compounding Kate’s secrecy and self-blame.
• Quote:

  "The school never called the police...if there's any kind of inappropriate relationship allegation with a teacher and a student, you are absolutely calling the police. And it is unheard of that a report’s not taken." (55:04–56:00, Kate)

7. Leaving for College, Ongoing Abuse, and Slow Realizations

Timestamps: 59:31 – 67:41

• Abuse continues after high school, now in secretive ways (using burner phones, fake Snapchat accounts), and becomes more isolating once Corey loses her coaching job.
• Kate attends college under Corey’s influence, quickly becomes miserable and isolated, and eventually drops out.
• Upon returning home and trying to rebuild, Kate notices Corey’s attention waning, particularly as Kate becomes an adult and begins forming new social connections.

8. Breaking Free and Seeking Justice

Timestamps: 67:54 – 81:41

• Kate reflects on her experiences in criminal justice classes and through supportive teammates and friends who validate her trauma.
• She definitively cuts Corey out of her life, later writing about the abuse in her law school application essay.
• Years later, Kate, now a prosecutor, decides to formally report the abuse. She describes the process of giving her statement, gathering evidence, and working with a determined detective.
• Corey is eventually indicted for sexual battery, pleads to felony child endangerment, and is sentenced to the maximum three years in prison.
• Quote (about reporting):

  "So I eventually am like...I’m gonna go report it. Even if nothing happens, I reported it. I tried...it did (feel empowering)." (77:32–77:46, Kate)

9. Impact, Recovery, and Reflection

Timestamps: 83:06 – 105:00

• Kate discusses the ongoing impacts: depression, anxiety, struggles in relationships, substance use as a coping mechanism, and persistent self-blame.
• Therapy helps her reframe the experience—not as her fault, but as systemic failure.
• Kate points out the serious harm caused by female perpetrators and society’s tendency to minimize or dismiss such crimes, especially when the victim is also female.
• Notable quote:

  "Women are just as fucked up as men are, and they do horrible things to kids too." (88:03–88:11, Kate)

• She emphasizes the importance of speaking out even years later, the complex journey of healing, and the need for support around survivors.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I. I don't know. Like, I. I don't know what we're doing...we, like, have sex."
  (22:53, Kate)
• "She was buying me all this stuff...that's just like not shit that your coach or an adult of that age should be buying for a 16 year old that's not related to them."
  (27:51, Kate)
• "My first sexual experiences, like my first time...is with her. So anytime you like, think about the first time you did any of those things, that's what I remember."
  (29:42, Kate)
• "I would go to school...then I’d have to go see her, and then I’d come home at like, 10, 11 o'clock at night, and, like, a bitch is fucking tired."
  (36:19, Kate, candid and darkly humorous)
• "She just took three years in prison on the chin...like, another thing she did in her statement to me, she called me Katie, which was a pet name, and made it a point to call me Katie multiple times."
  (101:13–102:41, Kate)
• "At the end of the day, she got what she deserved...I was abused and manipulated by her for almost three years...so that's the least she could do."
  (102:41–104:04, Kate)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Background and Family Dynamics – 00:00–12:00
• Meeting Coach Corey – 12:00–16:00
• First Steps of Grooming – 15:45–21:00
• Night of Escalation (Abuse Begins) – 19:03–22:53
• Corey's Secrecy, Coercion, and Abuse – 23:33–31:00
• Emotional Manipulation and Isolation – 35:57–44:26
• Rumors and School’s Failure to Report – 47:51–55:04
• Leaving for College and Ongoing Control – 59:31–67:41
• Realization and Reporting – 67:54–81:41
• Interview with Police/Detective – 77:42–81:41
• Criminal Case and Sentencing – 92:27–99:54
• Kate’s Impact Statement and Sentencing Moment – 97:52–102:04
• Discussion on Female Abusers and Advocacy – 88:03–89:23; 103:04–104:51
• Reflection and Moving Forward – 103:52–End

Thematic Highlights

• Systemic Failure: The school district’s failure to report obvious red flags is a recurring theme.
• Societal Attitudes: Kate and the host explore how society’s response to female perpetrators differs from that towards males—a discrepancy that impedes justice for many victims.
• Empowerment in Speaking Out: After years of silence, Kate finds healing in truth-telling, justice, and community.
• Longevity of Impact: The abuse and its fallout ripple through Kate’s adulthood, affecting her education, career, friendships, relationships, and mental health.
• The Power of Supportive Allies: Kate credits certain friends, therapists, and her partner Matt with validating her experiences and spurring her toward healing.

Conclusion

Kate’s courageous interview is a powerful testimony about the insidiousness of grooming, the long arc of trauma and coercion, and the vital importance of speaking out—even years after the fact. She exposes institutional failings and calls for better awareness of abuse—regardless of the perpetrator’s gender. Ultimately, Kate’s resilience and pursuit of justice stand as a beacon for others who may have endured similar harm.

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