What They Don't Say: Sexual Assault and Everything in Between

What They Don't Say Podcast
  • 5.0 (28)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

What They Don’t Say is a survivor-led podcast hosted by Shannon Porter, originally co-created with Lauren King. The show takes an unfiltered look at sexual assault, trauma, and the justice process, while making these conversations more honest and approachable. Sexual assault is an epidemic we silence instead of solve. Through lived experience, expert insight, and the topics people avoid, the podcast challenges shame, breaks isolation, and moves the conversation forward. Got questions or an episode idea? Visit WhatTheyDontSay.com

  1. FEB 26

    What Survivors Wish Their Families Knew

    Sexual assault does not just impact the survivor. The impacts of it can often ripple through an entire family. In this episode, Shannon walks through the basics of what survivors wish their families understood, including how to respond when someone discloses and why trying to “fix it” can cause more harm. She also talks about family dynamics from the survivor side, including the difference between being active and passive in conversations about sexual assault and why it is okay to choose peace and self-preservation over constant correction. Finally, she answers a listener's question about alcohol and consent: "If both people were drunk, is it still sexual assault?" So, grab your drink and toast to the families who are willing to do better. Cheers! Find a rape crisis center near you: https://www.valor.us/get-help/ Project Callisto: https://www.projectcallisto.org/ Check out our merch: WhatTheyDontSay.com Got questions? Have an episode idea? Send us an email: Hello@WhatTheyDontSay.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

    45 min

  2. FEB 9

    Epstein Files: When Institutions Fail, We Show Up [ft Jess Michaels]

    The Epstein Files were supposed to bring transparency. Instead, they exposed what survivors already know: institutions protect themselves first. In this episode, Shannon sits down with Epstein survivor, advocate, and Founder, Jess Michaels, to unpack what’s actually happening with the Epstein Files, why the DOJ’s response matters far beyond this case, and what institutional failure looks like. But this conversation isn’t just about what went wrong. It’s about what we do when institutions don’t show up. They talk about how community care fills the gaps systems leave behind, why sexual assault is an injury first, and how the way we respond to harm can change everything. Follow Jess: https://www.instagram.com/jessmichaelsspeaks/ Become a #WithYouToo App Beta Tester: https://withyoutoo.3joannes.com/ Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence Send us a message: WhatTheyDontSay.com Got questions? Have an episode idea? Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

    1h 10m

  3. JAN 15

    Shame Was My Motivator — A Man Who Didn’t Tell for 18 Years

    Shannon sits down with Aaron Stone, a retired Army combat medic and survivor of sexual assault, to talk about what it means to live in silence for 18 years. Aaron was raped at 15 by someone he trusted. In the aftermath, shame became his motivator—shaping how he survived and why telling the truth didn’t feel possible for so long. He talks about freezing during the assault, then spending years pushing forward anyway, carrying what happened long into adulthood. This episode is for you if you’ve ever questioned why a man didn’t fight back, didn’t tell, or kept going like nothing happened. Cheers! Get in touch with Aaron: www.18winters.com Buy a Consent is Hot™ Hoodie: www.WhatTheyDontSay.com/shop Got questions? Have an episode idea? Send us an email: WhatTheyDontSayThePodcast@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline)

    48 min

  4. 12/25/2025

    What Comes After: A Crossover Conversation with Dave Markel

    This week’s episode is a crossover conversation with Dave Markel from Sexual Assault Survivor Stories. This conversation centers around what survivors face every day: how people respond when a survivor shares their story, the misunderstandings that follow trauma, and the emotional labor survivors are often expected to carry. Shannon shares insight into the messy, painful, and confusing parts of her own journey, alongside the resilience and clarity that continue to shape her voice and her advocacy. This episode dives into day-to-day survival after trauma, relationships and intimacy, the legal process, and the importance of saying the things that too often go unsaid. Dave's SASS podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/33U3Vn4jGkzNf5weufDnjB?si=c1f725cf41044a06 Send Dave an email: dave@sasstories.com Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence Send us a message and/or check out our merch: WhatTheyDontSay.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline) If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through Buy Me a Coffee . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know 3

    47 min

  5. 12/19/2025

    I was 13 & No One Protected Me [ft. Ray]

    In this episode, Ray shares her story of being abused at 13, and what happened when the people and institutions meant to protect her didn’t. This conversation explores coercion, fear, and trauma at a young age, as well as the lasting impact of being disbelieved, silenced, and pushed aside by a school system more focused on protecting itself than protecting a child. Ray shares what it’s like to grow up without language for what happened, and how institutional failure can be just as damaging as the abuse itself. If you were hurt when you were young. If the adults or institutions meant to protect you, failed. You’re not alone here. This episode is for you. Grab a blanket and get cozy. Cheers! Follow Ray on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluraybeyond/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bluraybeyond Book mentioned: https://a.co/d/dZAuhkE Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence Got questions? Have an episode idea? Send us a message: WhatTheyDontSay.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline) If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know 3

    1h 36m

  6. 11/27/2025

    Traumaversaries

    Traumaversaries are the weird little days your body remembers even when your brain swears you are fine. In this episode, Shannon talks about what traumaversaries are and how to move through them without “should” -ing all over your needs. Whether you dread the date, forget the date, feel everything at once, or feel nothing at all, you are not weird, and you are not alone. If you love someone who has been through trauma and you want to support them better on the hard days, this episode will help you, too. Grab your drink and cheers to surviving the days you never should have had to survive.  Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence Buy a Consent is Hot™ Hoodie: WhatTheyDontSay.com Got questions? Have an episode idea? Send us an email: WhatTheyDontSayThePodcast@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline) If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know 3

    43 min
  7. Rebuilding Intimacy After Trauma (ft. Susan Bratton)

    11/13/2025

    Rebuilding Intimacy After Trauma (ft. Susan Bratton)

    What does it take to feel safe enough to be close again? In this episode, Shannon and Lauren sit down with intimacy expert and trauma survivor Susan Bratton to unpack what rebuilding intimacy looks like after trauma. They talk about how communication builds safety, and why so many survivors struggle to feel touch without fear. Susan shares her story of healing after childhood abuse and how she learned to turn numbness into sensation and shame into sovereignty. It’s a conversation about presence, power, and the possibility of pleasure after pain, and a reminder that rebuilding intimacy isn’t about sex at all. It’s about coming home to yourself. Cheers! Susan: https://susanbratton.com/ Follow Susan: https://www.instagram.com/susanbratton/?hl=en Get Educated: www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence Check out merch & more: WhatTheyDontSay.com Got questions? Have an episode idea? Send us an email: WhatTheyDontSayThePodcast@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline) If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know 3

    1h 35m

  8. 10/30/2025

    The Kit That’s Making Rapists Think Twice (ft. Enough)

    There were 430,000 rapes in the UK last year. 5 in 6 women never report what happened to them. If reporting feels impossible, the system needs new paths forward. That’s why the organization, Enough, was created. Shannon sits down with Katie White, co-founder of Enough, and Dr. Maisie Johnstone, counseling psychologist and clinical lead, to talk about how they’re giving sexual assault survivors more choice and more agency through a self-testing rape kit, an encrypted place to record what happened, and a digital recovery platform for those who can’t access therapy. They discuss what sexual violence really looks like in the UK, the silence surrounding it, and how reframing words like “delayed realization” and “hyper-sexuality” could change the way we understand sexual assault and healing. Grab whatever’s in your glass and press play. Cheers! Checkout Enough: https://myenough.com/Follow Enough on IG: https://www.instagram.com/enoughtoendrape Follow Enough on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@enoughtoendrape?lang=en  Enough on Youtube: https://youtube.com/@enoughtoendrape?si=mA_Rtx-rLtQmInOj Check out our merch: WhatTheyDontSay.com Got questions? Have an episode idea? Send us an email: WhatTheyDontSayThePodcast@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/whattheydontsayofficial/ Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@whattheydontsayofficial If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs support: 1-800-656-4573 (National Sexual Assault Hotline) If you value these conversations and want to help us keep them going, one way to support is through ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠ . Your contribution helps us continue creating these conversations. And if monetary support isn’t accessible, rating the show, sharing an episode, or following along on social helps more than you know 3

    1h 10m
See All (67)

5
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

What They Don’t Say is a survivor-led podcast hosted by Shannon Porter, originally co-created with Lauren King. The show takes an unfiltered look at sexual assault, trauma, and the justice process, while making these conversations more honest and approachable. Sexual assault is an epidemic we silence instead of solve. Through lived experience, expert insight, and the topics people avoid, the podcast challenges shame, breaks isolation, and moves the conversation forward. Got questions or an episode idea? Visit WhatTheyDontSay.com

Information

  • Creator
    What They Don't Say Podcast
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © What They Don't Say Podcast

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