Survivor Stories

A Mother and Daughter Team Up to Help Change the Law on Image-Based Abuse

In the final episode of our second season, host Debbie Millman hears from Elliston Berry, a young survivor, and her mother, Anna McAdams, about the devastating reality of peer-on-peer image-based abuse. We discuss their advocacy for the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act and the urgent need for a more robust response from our school systems.

A Survivor's Mission to Pursue Justice and Expand DNA Databases

Debbie Millman sits down with Ashley Spence, founder of the DNA Justice Project, to discuss a critical gap in our justice system—the widespread failure to collect “lawfully owed DNA” from people arrested or convicted of serious crimes. By some estimates, millions of DNA samples are missing from DNA databases, making it harder for authorities to identify perpetrators and bring justice to survivors. After experiencing a brutal assault, Ashley witnessed the power of DNA to obtain justice in her own case and became a leading voice for DNA advocacy. In this episode, she shares her story of resilience and her mission to end this systemic neglect.

JHF Presents Survivor Stories Season 2

Join host Debbie Millman, a survivor and Joyful Heart Foundation board member, as she introduces a new season of Survivor Stories, featuring resilient individuals turning personal trauma into powerful advocacy for legislative and systemic change.

How a Candidate for Office was Undermined by Image-Based Abuse—and Became an Advocate for Survivors

In our first episode of Survivors Stories Season 2, we continue our deep dive into the issue of image-based abuse with Susanna Gibson, a survivor and the founder of MyOwn Image. Susanna joins host Debbie Millman to share her journey from trauma to healing and advocacy, explaining how she reclaimed her narrative to embrace a mission of protecting others from digital harm.

Noelle and Adam

In the final episode of this season of Survivor Stories, we explore the devastating impact of image-based abuse; from AI-generated deepfakes to the distribution of nonconsensual intimate imagery. Meet Noelle Martin, who at just 18 discovered manipulated images of herself online that derailed her law career and led her to become a powerful advocate for change. Then hear from Adam Dodge, founder of EndTAB [https://www.endtab.org/], who explains the evolving landscape of technology-enabled abuse and the progress being made to combat it. Together, they reveal how digital violations can be as traumatic as physical violence, plus what's being done to hold abusers and platforms accountable and change the culture at the root of the problem.