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PODCAST

Beyond the Monsters

A podcast where people share real stories of trauma, survival, mental health, and the darkest moments of their lives. Trauma, abuse, true crime, resilience, and the long road toward healing are at the center of every episode. These conversations go deeper than the surface to uncover the truth of what they lived through, what it cost them, and how they found the strength to rise again. It is real, emotional, and driven by the belief that when survivors speak, others find the courage to heal.Hosted by

society & culture personal journals,

All Episodes

1:21:49

63: Custody Battle With a Sexual Predator and a...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2026/01/07

What began as a marriage marked by love bombing, manipulation, and emotional volatility escalated into a custody battle rooted in coercive control, deception, and credible allegations of sexual harm. Indee describes years of psychological abuse, isolation, and intimidation, including being physically restrained, gaslit, and threatened into silence. As she attempted to leave, the abuse intensified, evolving into legal retaliation, false narratives, and a calculated effort to maintain power through

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1:15:54

62: Kidnapped by Somali Pirates for 93 Days, Rescued...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2026/01/03

Jessica Buchanan never imagined that a career rooted in service would lead her into one of the most extreme survival situations imaginable. A former schoolteacher turned humanitarian aid worker, she was kidnapped while working in Somalia and held captive for 93 days in the desert. What began as a mission driven by responsibility, purpose, and service became a fight for survival involving armed captors, ransom negotiations, physical illness, psychological terror, and the constant uncertainty of

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1:24:49

61: SAed by Best Friend at 5 Years Old

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/31

Nick experienced childhood sexual abuse that began when he was around five years old by his first best friend. This was a case of peer-on-peer sexual abuse, a form of childhood sexual assault that is often misunderstood, minimized, or overlooked despite its long-term psychological impact. At that age, he did not have the developmental ability to consent, understand, or stop what was happening, while fear, confusion, and secrecy became his primary survival responses. What occurred was not

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1:14:34

60: A Car Crash Took His Leg and Fueled a Long Battle...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/27

John Mabry was 21 years old when a catastrophic car crash during his senior year of college killed a close friend and ultimately led to the amputation of his leg. What followed were years of surgeries, chronic pain, phantom limb pain, and the psychological impact of limb loss that no one prepared him for. On the outside, his life appeared extraordinary, including Hollywood film and television appearances, major network shows, and access to elite spaces like the Playboy Mansion. Beneath that surface,

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1:51:22

59: Her Ex Falsely Called CPS When She Left Him and...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/24

Scarlet McKenzie shares the moment her attempt to leave a controlling relationship escalated into something far more devastating. After enduring coercive control, surveillance, isolation, and retaliation, her child was taken without a warrant or court order following false allegations. What followed was a fight against a system that ignored due process, dismissed evidence, and repeatedly failed to protect families while prioritizing procedure over truth. Her story exposes how power, control, and

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1:01:11

58: Suddenly Losing Her 15 Year Old Son to a Baseball...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/20

Jes lost her fifteen-year-old son, Rayce, to a baseball-sized brain tumor that no one knew was there, a loss that unfolded in a matter of hours and changed the course of her life forever. She grew up in a small town in Utah and lost her mother to cancer at thirteen, an early grief that quietly shaped how she learned to survive, adapt, and care for others long before she became a parent. As an adult, Jes built her life around her three children, immersing herself in the demanding world of competitive

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1:58:17

57: Two Moms Who Lost Their Sons to Fentanyl Overdoses

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/17

Kristi and Katrina are two mothers bound by the unthinkable loss of their sons during the height of the fentanyl crisis. Their stories trace long, complex journeys through addiction, grief, survival, and the systems that repeatedly failed their children. From early trauma, mental health struggles, and substance use to the devastating reality of fentanyl exposure, their paths reveal how addiction does not begin in isolation and does not end with a single decision. Their experiences challenge the

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2:01:58

56: Surviving a Home Filled With Fear and Silence

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/13

Two decades of silence shaped how KJ learned to hide her pain, but speaking her truth became the only way forward. She grew up inside a volatile home where emotional harm, physical fear, and childhood sexual trauma were ignored, minimized, or treated like her fault. As she tried to survive the chaos around her, she carried flashbacks, chronic pain, shame, teen pregnancy stigma, and years of being told she was too sensitive or dramatic, even when she was begging for help.Her story moves from a

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54:01

55: Girlfriend’s Ex Tried to Murder Him, He Died and...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/11

Terry survived a targeted shooting by his girlfriend’s ex who believed killing him would bring her back. Nineteen bullets hit his car and four struck his chest, leaving him dying in the front seat while trying to call 911 to say goodbye to his daughter. When his heart stopped, he found himself in the same dark mental space he had been living in for years, followed by a sudden pull into a bright tunnel that showed him a clear review of his life and the intentions behind it.Coming back changed

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59:26

54: Cop Dad Shot Mom, DV, and SA in Foster Care...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/06

Chell opens up about the early years that shaped her entire life: her biological father shooting her mother, growing up in a violently abusive home, and being placed into group homes and foster care after her mother chose an abusive partner over her safety. Those years were marked by racism inside the household, constant fear, sexual violence, and the reality of being a child no one protected.As she moves into her teens and early adulthood, Chell describes patterns of abuse repeating through toxic

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1:20:08

53: Inside an Arranged Marriage

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/12/03

Sana shares what it was like growing up in a culture where arranged marriage was expected and how it led her into years of emotional shutdown, loneliness, and survival-mode living. She opens up about the pressure to please her family, the guilt she carried for wanting more, and the moment she realized the life she was living was slowly erasing her identity. Her story brings forward the quiet battles women face when cultural expectations, marriage, motherhood, and personal truth collide. Sana

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2:24:25

52: Being Raised in the FLDS Polygamist Cult

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/26

Natasha J. Layton grew up inside the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a closed polygamist cult where Warren Jeffs dictated every part of family life and enforced a strict hierarchy. As 1 of 20 siblings in a household built around a father with multiple wives at the same time, Natasha shares the pressure, physical abuse, fear, and isolation that shaped childhood in a high control religious community. She describes the emotional and psychological toll of growing up in

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1:38:34

51: The Horrors of Reunification Therapy

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/22

Reunification therapy became the most frightening part of Moriah’s fight for her children, but her story begins much earlier inside Bill Gothard’s teachings and the strict religious environment she was raised in. Growing up under the same ideology highlighted in “Shiny Happy People,” she was taught to obey without question, suppress her instincts, and surrender her identity. Those beliefs shaped her entire childhood and set the stage for the covert narcissistic abuse she later endured in her

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1:07:03

50: The Reality of the Men’s Mental Health Epidemic

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/19

Jonathan Key opens up about the hidden weight men carry and the silence that has cost too many lives. He shares the losses that shaped him, the friends he loved who died by suicide, and the moment he found himself staring at a gun on the table after betrayal trauma shattered everything he thought was real. His story exposes what loneliness truly feels like when pain gets loud, cold, and blinding, and why men so often hide their suffering behind humor, hard work, or quiet perseverance. Through

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2:37:27

49: Her Ex-Husband Repeatedly Stalked and Attacked...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/15

Acasha shares her harrowing journey through a decades-long abusive relationship that began when she was just 17. What started as teenage infatuation with a charming partner turned into years of manipulation, control, and isolation. She opens up about emotional and financial abuse, his double life, and the terrifying reality of living under constant threats. After their divorce, the violence intensified as stalking, assault, and coercion became part of her daily existence while she fought to protect

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52:53

48: Left Alone for Days as a Child, Foster Care, and...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/12

Denny Giamazzo opens up about a childhood shaped by neglect, abuse, and survival. From being left alone for days while his mother battled addiction and worked as a sex worker to rebuilding his life after foster care, loss, and service as a combat veteran, his story shows what it means to turn pain into purpose. After years of physical abuse and being taken from his home, Denny entered foster care and finally experienced what safety and love could feel like. He shares the devastating loss of his

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51:26

47: CPS Took Her Children Because of Meth Addiction...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/08

Angelina opens up about the moment CPS removed her children due to domestic violence, meth addiction, and a life spiraling out of control. Determined to break the cycle she was born into, she reflects on how a strict Catholic upbringing, childhood abandonment, and never being allowed to express feelings shaped the path that led to alcohol misuse, military trauma, and a dangerous relationship that fueled her addiction. From becoming a teen mom to serving in the Army and deploying to Afghanistan, she

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1:04:04

46: Indigenous Healer Rising From Childhood Abuse and...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/05

Walking Tall shares their story of surviving years of extreme physical and sexual abuse inflicted by their stepfather, who targeted them from early childhood. In their small Texas town, religious extremism, white supremacy, and corruption created an environment where children were not protected. Their home became a place of drugs, violence, and child sexual exploitation, while teachers, relatives, and pastors ignored clear signs of danger. When their mother finally tried to expose the truth and

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58:19

45: A Knife Attack Almost Killed Him, Then a Car...

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/11/01

Danny survived what most people never do. A random knife attack outside a bar left him with life-threatening internal injuries, months in the hospital, and the devastating news that his firefighting career and active life were over. He fought his way back through recovery and found purpose again.Then a car crash left him paralyzed from the waist down. In an instant he was facing a spinal cord injury, a wheelchair, new trauma, and the emotional battle of rebuilding his future all over again. Danny

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1:15:17

44: Escaping an Abusive Relationship with Grace Stuart

Beyond the Monsters ·

2025/10/29

Grace Stuart opens up about her harrowing journey through domestic violence and the psychological manipulation that kept her trapped for years. From the early “glimpses” of control and gaslighting to the trauma bond that blurred love and survival, Grace shares how her abuser used charm, addiction, and coercive control to isolate and dominate her. She speaks candidly about sexual coercion, emotional abuse, and the illusion of “potential” that keeps so many survivors from recognizing danger until it’s

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