Breaking Silence
Welcome to the Breaking Silence Podcast. Throughout this podcast, our Executive Director, Alli Meyerhardt, interviews those that are impacted by interpersonal violence as a way for us to learn how we can all be a part of violence prevention. In this space, we hope that you will find healing, understanding and empathy. We are all Breakers!
Episodes
37 episodes
Breaking Cycles of Silence: The Power of Finding Your Voice and Being Believed
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 ...
Finding Stillness In Facing Past Abuse, Cancer and Loss
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 e...
Keeping Faith Through Love, Acceptance and Accountability
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...
PART 2: Competing, Surviving, and Changing the Game with Shenea
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...
Competing, Surviving, and Changing the Game with Shenea
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 go...
The Power of Advocacy: Fighting for Survivors with RAINN
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 sh...
The Army of Survivors: Creating Safe Spaces for Athletes
**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 di...
Accountability: The Post Conviction Process for Survivors
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 suppo...
Diving into the Harm of Being Catcalled w/ Terra Lopez
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"...
Previous Owner of Prairie Artisan Ales Brewpub on What it Means to Drink Kindly
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 Ar...
Creating Space for Healing in the Juvenile Justice System
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 y...
Learning to Cope with Camil Martinez
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...
The Elephant in the Room: DEI and Violence Prevention with Maya
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 Love for Our Inner Child with Jana Wilson
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, m...
100 Million Strong: The Incredible Work of the I Have The Right To Organization
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. Thro...
Sergeant Mike Harris of the Special Investigations Unit Discusses Internet Sex Crimes on Children
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 ti...
The Influence of Empathy, Empowerment and Hard Conversations in the Beer Space
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 ...
Interview with Author Dave Pelzer
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
From Hurt to Heard and Dave Pelzer Tease
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 ...
Finding Grace: Surviving Intrafamilial Abuse and the Silencing Power of Religion
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.&...
Walking Through Shame and Finding the Power in Our Survival Story
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 ...
Processing Our Stories as Secondary Survivors
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 ...
Sharing Ownership of Our Stories: The Good and Bad of it All
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...