Cultivated Trust

A Survivor Story About Grooming, Trauma, and Healing    In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Shannon speaks with writer, poet and advocate Kat Mackay about surviving grooming, sexual assault, and the long journey of healing after trauma. Kat lives with Dissociative Identity Disorder and throughout the episode refers to themselves using “we” and “us.” This reflects the way their internal system experiences and expresses identity, and we invite listeners to approach this with curiosity, respect and understanding.   Kat shares how childhood isolation and a lack of safety at home led them to seek belonging through childhood interest based spaces. While some mentors offered genuine support and guidance, one ultimately misused that position of trust — introducing Kat to a prominent public figure who groomed and sexually assaulted them. Together, Shannon and Kat explore the hidden dynamics of grooming, the impact trauma can have on identity and relationships, and what it means to reclaim agency, voice, and safety after abuse. Trigger Warning:This episode discusses sexual assault, grooming, trauma, and survivor recovery. We invite listeners to approach the conversation with gentleness  for both Kat, and themselves.