Consider Before Consuming (Fight the New Drug)

As humans, we have an innate desire to connect with others and form meaningful relationships. However, hundreds of studies show that porn can negatively impact our relationships, including how we see others and connect with those around us.

In this episode, we hear from experts Dr. William Struthers, Dr. Jill Manning, Dr. Freda Bush, Dr. Philip Zimbardo, Dr. Jason S. Caroll, and Heidi Als Ringheim on the ways porn impacts how we see, treat, and connect with others.

This episode is part of our Truth About Porn series. Truth About Porn is a current, ever-growing database dedicated to research on the harmful effects of pornography. Learn more at https://truthaboutporn.org/.

Video: Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D., Truth About Porn

Video: Freda Bush, M.D., FACOG, Truth About Porn

Video: William Struthers, Ph.D., Truth About Porn

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 94: Jill Maning, Ph.D.

Article: How Porn Can Negatively Impact Love and Intimacy

*Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.

Episode Description

Shelby’s early exposure to pornography impacted her understanding of sex, leading to misconceptions about consent and contributing to feelings of hypersexuality during her teenage years. In this episode, she shares about a past relationship where her partner's use of pornography had a detrimental effect on her emotionally and physically, and how sharing her experience over the past year has helped in healing and finding connection.

Episode Resources 

Article: Does Porn Normalize Sexual Violence in Teen Relationships?

Article: National Study Finds Porn Linked to Sexual Aggression and Coercion in Relationships

Article: 5 Ways Porn Has Lied to You About Consent

Article: Is My Partner’s Porn Habit Harming Our Relationship, or Am I Just Insecure?

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 111: Bailey

Victim Resources

Resource for Partners of Porn Users: Bloom

Sara Brewer is a life coach who has helped numerous individuals overcome unwanted porn consumption. Initially, Sara found that many of her clients sought help to control their excessive porn consumption, which led her to concentrate on developing a coaching program specifically designed to aid clients in overcoming porn consumption, in a way that is shame-free and sex-positive. 

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Sara highlights the role that shame plays in perpetuating the cycle of porn use, including changing how we feel about ourselves. She also explains the concept of being sex-positive and offers advice to parents on how to have open and honest conversations with their children. Sara encourages people struggling with porn to seek help and believe in the possibility of change.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Episode Resources

Article: How My Feelings of Shame Fueled My Struggle with Porn

Video: Emma's Story

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 63: Dr. Debbie Akerman

Sara's Website: Overcome Pornography For Good

Wright, P. J., Paul, B., & Herbenick, D. (2021)

British Board of Film Classification. (2020)

Maas, M. K., Gal, T., Cary, K. M., & Greer, K. (2022) 

Many porn consumers use porn as a self-soothing technique when they’re feeling lonely or depressed, but research suggests that porn may actually fuel mental health issues, rather than help them.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles and sources for the claims made in this episode at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This discussion includes frank, explicit, discussions about pornography, sexual exploitation, and rape. Listener discretion is advised.

Aaron Crowley was accidentally exposed to porn at the young age of nine when he walked in on his older brother and his friends looking at it together. From there, Aaron’s porn consumption escalated while it perpetuated false expectations about sex and normalized sexual objectification. While in college, Aaron experienced drug-facilitated sexual assault, and he was exploited and re-victimized when the perpetrator shared nonconsensual photos of the assault online. His abuse triggered trauma-induced hypersexuality and he says it paved the way for his eventual career as a porn performer. In this episode, host Garrett Jonsson and Aaron discuss how he entered and exited the porn industry, how it negatively impacted him, and what his life looks like today.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Dr. John Foubert has a 30-page resume, but what’s more impressive, he’s a very personable conversationalist. As a Dean of the College of Education at Union University, Dr. Foubert stays busy, acting as the Principal of Dr. John D. Foubert, LLC., and serving for the U.S. Army as the Highly Qualified Expert for Sexual Assault Prevention. He also continues to work for the national nonprofit organization he founded called One in Four where, for 20 years, he has researched rape prevention programs on college campuses, in communities, and in the military.

Dr. John Foubert sat down with us to discuss what research shows about the heavy links porn has to sexual violence, a facet of this issue often overlooked by pro-porn advocates. We thank Dr. Foubert for sharing his work and expert perspective on this podcast, and appreciate his continued work in this field of research.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.
To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/cbcsupport.

Thank you for listening, and remember to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Mandy is a women's empowerment and trauma-informed life coach who helps women who have experienced betrayal trauma. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Mandy shares her personal experience of discovering her partner’s secret struggle with porn addiction, his cheating with porn stars, and the betrayal trauma that followed. She describes the emotional toll, the gaslighting, and the psychological abuse she endured, as well as the healing journey that led her to become a trauma-informed life coach.

Episode Resources 

Article: The Emotional Trauma of Having a Porn-Addicted Partner

Mandy's Website

Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn

Lisa Frost is the Co-Founder of Wired Human and author of The Glass Between Us. In this episode, Lisa discusses her work with kids and parents to discuss the harms of pornography, the correlation between screen time and mental health, and the importance of digital literacy for youth. Lisa also shares her experience doing a 30-day "digital reset," hiking on the Appalachian Trail with her family without devices, and the impact that had on their lives.

You can learn more about Wired Human at https://www.wiredhuman.org/.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Countless studies consistently show that porn consumers tend to struggle in their relationships. From poorer relationship quality to an increased likelihood of cheating, research suggests that porn plays a major role in fueling unhealthy relationship dynamics.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles and sources for the claims made in this episode at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

*Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Megan Lundstrom has spent over a decade in this field of anti-trafficking, first as the founder of The Avery Center and now as the Director of the Resilience Fund at Polaris, a direct cash assistance program for trafficking survivors in the United States.

In this episode, Megan shares her expertise on OnlyFans, examining its portrayal as empowering versus its exploitation risks. Megan reveals how traffickers use the platform and challenges the platform’s minimal standards for consent and safety.

Episode Resources

Article: How Porn Can Distort Consumers Understanding of Healthy Sex

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 81: Megan Lundstrom

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 115: Victoria Sinis

Polaris Resilience Fund

Report: An In-Depth Financial Analysis of Sex Trafficking on OnlyFans 

Trigger Warning: During this conversation we discuss sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

You may know Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge in the hugely popular Warner Bros and Netflix critically acclaimed hit television series Riverdale. To some, the Chicago native is an actress, but to others she’s a hero. After learning about the rampant issue of human trafficking, Marisol has worked with law enforcement and State and Federal Legislators for over a decade to help catch child sexual predators and human traffickers by going undercover. She also founded Foundation for a Slavery Free World, a foundation that produces events in Hollywood to raise awareness of this issue and awards individuals and other non-profit groups for their heroic work in this field. You can learn more about Foundation for a Slavery Free World at www.slaveryfreeworld.org and can connect with Marisol on Instagram at @marisolnichols.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we talk with Ryan Werner, a Co-Founder of Fight the New Drug and the Head of Partnerships at Pinwheel. Pinwheel is a tech company that exists to put humans in the driver’s seat of technology by developing a therapist-backed smartphone for kids. Listen to Ryan talk with podcast host Garrett Jonsson about the creation and evolution of FTND, why he believes that Pinwheel is the best first phone for kids, and how Pinwheel can help kids become more healthily and gradually digitally literate.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

Get 10% off your order at Pinwheel when you visit ftnd.org/pinwheel.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Episode Description

Dr. Frank Anderson is a renowned trauma expert, psychiatrist, and author with over 30 years of experience. In this episode, Dr. Anderson explores how trauma shapes behaviors and relationships, offering practical tools for healing and fostering genuine connections, while providing hope for those on their recovery journey.

Episode Resources 

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 101: Matthias J. Barker

Dr. Anderson's Website

Dr. Anderson's Newest Book: To Be Loved

Trauma Institute

Instagram: Dr. Frank Anderson

This week’s podcast guest, Alex Diaz, has experienced how porn can negatively impact relationship satisfaction and relationship stability, especially in his marriage. During this conversation, Consider Before Consuming host Garrett Jonsson talks with Alex about how his porn consumption distorted his understanding of healthy sex, how it contributed to sexual dysfunction, and why he decided that rehab was necessary for himself. Alex also shares what he’s doing today to build and maintain healthy relationships with himself, his wife, and others, and provides encouragement for those who may be stuck in a struggle with porn.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

If you’re an endurance athlete, chances are you’ve heard of James Lawrence, the “Iron Cowboy.” He broke multiple Guinness World Records early in his triathlon career, but his feats didn’t stop there. He went on to complete arguably the most impressive endurance challenge ever by performing 100 full-distance triathlons in 100 days. James is an anti-trafficking advocate, and has used his platform to shine a light on the harsh realities of sex trafficking. Listen to James Lawrence open up to podcast host Garrett Jonsson about why he’s dedicated to fighting sex trafficking, how he has overcome limiting beliefs, and how he redefines the impossible.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger warning: Graphic descriptions of sex acts and porn videos are discussed during this conversation.

Sebastian is a Fighter from Madrid, Spain, who has been struggling with pornography from a young age. He was eight when he was first exposed to porn when he and his friends searched for it out of curiosity, and by the time he was 12 years old, it became a compulsive habit that escalated into more hardcore genres. Sebastian discovered that he was struggling to perform sexually with partners in real life without porn, so he started to research how pornography affects the brain and sexual performance. In this episode, Sebastian talks about how he’s tried to break free from pornography several times and how he’s still actively working to break free completely. Listen to Sebastian give his honest (and, at times, triggering) account of how porn has negatively impacted him, and how understanding the research on its negative effects and the industry's ties to sex trafficking has helped in his ongoing battle to quit porn for good.

If you or a loved one is struggling to break free from porn, you’re not alone. Check out our friends at Fortify, an online science-based recovery platform dedicated to helping people find lasting freedom from pornography. Connect with others, learn about your compulsive behavior, and track your journey all on Fortify’s online platform. Join tens of thousands of users around the world who have found healing and recovery with Fortify. Get started for free at ftnd.org/fortify.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains frank discussions of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Taina Bien-Aimé is the Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), one of the oldest international organizations dedicated to ending trafficking in women and girls and commercial sexual exploitation as practices of gender-based violence and discrimination. Speaking from 30 years of experience in women's rights and equality, Taina discusses how the rise of online pornography has affected sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. Taina draws the links between pornography and gender-based violence, how the majority of sex buyers are men, and how porn teaches girls to be submissive and boys to exert power over girls. Taina helps us understand the increase of online sexual exploitation and what we can do to end it.

Article: How Mainstream Porn Normalizes Violence Against Black Women

Video: Truth About Porn, Taina Bien-Aimé

Visit: The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women

Visit: Equality Now

Podcast: Get The Facts: How Porn Can Promote Sexual Violence

Think porn is just a “guy” problem? Think again. This week’s conversation is with Claire, a former compulsive porn consumer and anti-porn activist. Claire stumbled across porn at a young age and what started as a natural curiosity to sexuality turned into a compulsive behavior to watch more, more often, and a more hardcore version. It wasn’t until she was in high school, when her dad brought home some information he learned from a live presentation by Fight the New Drug, that she realized she struggled with pornography. Even then, she kept her compulsion a secret. She now describes how she is “grateful” for her parents catching her when she was sixteen, and perhaps even more so for their reaction. Listen to Claire and podcast host Garrett Jonsson swap stories about their individual struggles, and how Claire has found her way from feeling shame about her struggles to freedom in her story of recovery. If you or a loved one is struggling with pornography, we encourage you to check out our friends at Fortify, an online researched-based recovery platform that has helped tens of thousands of users overcome pornography.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

Thank you for listening, as you go about your day we invite you to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

As few as 1 in 3 and as many as 9 in 10 porn videos depict sexual violence or aggression. That's especially concerning, considering that research indicates that these sexually violent narratives can bleed into consumers' attitudes and behaviors.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles and sources for the claims made in this episode at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: During this conversation we discuss suicide ideation, and child abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

This week’s guest is Titania Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer at Bark Technologies. Bark specializes in an affordable, award-winning dashboard that proactively monitors text messages, YouTube, emails, and 30+ different social networks for potential safety concerns so busy parents can keep their kids safer online. According to a case study performed in 2019, 70% of tweens and 84% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature online—Bark can help with that. At the time of this recording, Bark Technologies has helped keep over five million individuals safer online and is operational in over two thousand school districts. Listen to Titania and podcast host Garrett Jonsson discuss how Bark is helping to keep kids safe online. 

Listeners can try Bark for FREE for 30-days by visiting ftnd.org/bark.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger warning: The following podcast episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Kathy is a wife, mother, author, writer, and advocate who survived being sex trafficked. Kathy’s goal is to fight for those who are still victimized by sex trafficking, and mentor survivors transitioning out of exploitation. Kathy has developed a trauma-informed restorative care program for adult survivors of trafficking, and she’s the Co-Founder of Twelve 11 Partners, an organization that is survivor-led and survivor-focused. In this episode, listen as she talks with podcast host Garrett Jonsson about her experiences of being sex trafficked, how her family and friends played a significant role in her exiting exploitation, and why she thinks it’s possible to end trafficking for good.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger warning: During this episode we discuss child sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

This week’s interview is with Jay Stringer. Jay is a licensed mental health counselor from Seattle, WA, the author of Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing, and the creator of the Unwanted Sexual Behavior Self-Assessment that guides individuals to connect the dots between their story and their porn use. Listen to Jay and podcast host Garrett Jonsson discuss the nature behind porn addiction and how addressing the root of the issue can be an effective way to reaching long lasting freedom from it.

To learn more about Jay, visit his website: jay-stringer.com.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

Thank you for listening, as you go about your day we invite you to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This interview includes frank, explicit, discussions about rape, sex trafficking, and suicide ideation that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Jane Doe grew up in Washington state with a loving family, never expecting that she’d be victimized by one of the largest trafficking schemes to date in today’s mainstream porn industry. Twenty-one days after her 22nd birthday, she boarded a flight to San Diego that, unbeknownst to her, would change her life forever. That day, she would become one of the hundreds of young women who had been exploited between 2015 and 2019 by GirlsDoPorn (GDP), a wildly popular “amateur” porn production company that garnered well over a billion views, ranking around the 20th-most popular channel on Pornhub, and reportedly generated an estimated $17 million dollars in revenue. You may have heard about the infamous GDP case in the last couple of years, but you may not know what exactly happened, let alone the full account of one of the trafficked women. In this exclusive interview, Jane Doe and her emotional support dog, Cozi, sit down with Podcast Host Garrett Jonsson and Fight the New Drug’s Editorial Director Keri to tell the story of how she was sex trafficked and assaulted by GDP porn producers, what it’s been like to pursue legal action against GDP with other survivors, and how she’s found healing in her own life since she was exploited.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Ironically, despite porn’s promise of improving consumers’ sex lives, there is growing evidence that porn consumption is linked to sexual dysfunction and less sexual satisfaction.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles and sources for the claims made in this episode at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Isabella was born and raised in Guatemala where she was exposed to porn at a young age. Later in life, she experienced how porn can disrupt a couple’s intimacy and relationship harmony with her ex-husband. Her negative experiences with porn consumption motivated her to become a therapist so she could help others, and today, she has more than six years of experience working toward becoming a licensed therapist in Guatemala. Isabella has helped many patients work through their unwanted porn consumption by providing an open and trusting environment. In this episode, listen to Isabella talk with podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, about the issue of shame when dealing with a compulsion to watch porn, why someone’s perception of the issue matters, and why setbacks don’t automatically mean failure.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Teresa was 22 years-old message therapy student when she was offered the opportunity to work for a high-profile client as a traveling massage therapist. Instead, she ended up being groomed, sexually assaulted, and trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and his network of exploiters.

During this episode, Teresa shares her experience being a sex trafficking victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, how she’s used that experience to help other victims in her position at the National Center of Sexual Exploitation’s Law Center, and how parents and caregivers can recognize the signs of grooming.

Click here to learn more about the guest.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger warning: The following podcast episode contains quoted graphic song lyrics to bring awareness to how porn can influence culture. Listener discretion is advised.

Meet Richie Hardcore! (Yes, that is his real last name. No, he has not performed in porn.) Richie is a retired professional kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter from New Zealand. Today, he splits his time between training other fighters and his work as an activist, which includes public speaking against the harms of pornography. Richie sits with podcast host Garrett Jonsson to discuss how he came to understand the harms of porn, how pornography negatively influenced him personally, and how important it is to talk to the youth of today about the lies the porn industry sells and, instead, encourage safe and healthy sexuality with a consenting partner. You can find Richie on Instagram (@richiehardcore) or his website, richiehardcore.com

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and it's larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/cbcsupport.

Thank you for listening and remember to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Chris McKenna is the Founder and CEO of Protect Young Eyes, which exists to help create safer digital environments. As a child, Chris was exposed to pornography, and as an adult, he realized how many problems there were with digital spaces and wanted to find a solution to that.

In this episode, Chris helps us understand the importance of both having relational connections and technical controls when parenting in the digital age. He underlines the importance of having open conversations about pornography with children to reduce shame and secrecy, stressing the significance of addressing these issues from a young age.

Episode Resources

Protect Young Eyes

Fight the New Drug's Parenting Resources

Conversation Blueprint

Article: Discover the 2024 “Dirty Dozen” Companies Profiting from Sexual Exploitation

Jonathan Haidt's Book: The Anxious Generation

Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Dr. Robert Jensen has been part of the anti-pornography movement since the 80s. Since he started, he has taught, written books and articles, and done extensive research on how society has been affected by pornography, with a particular focus on how pornography shapes men's behaviors and beliefs. Dr. Jensen explains how we're living in an age of extreme pornography, how normalized sexism and racism have become in mainstream pornography, and how it's affecting children and the way they're growing up. In this episode, Dr. Robert Jensen discusses the importance of having conversations with our kids about the harmful effects of porn, modeling healthy interactions, and start changing the conversation about pornography in our own homes and communities.

Article: How the Porn Industry Capitalizes Off of Racism and Racist Stereotypes

Article: Why the Goal of the Phrase "Porn Kills Love" Isn't to Shame Anyone

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 90: Taina Bien-Aimé

Resource: Let's Talk About Porn

Visit: Culture Reframed

This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Sage is a passionate anti-exploitation advocate whose interest in women's rights and healthcare led to her work as the Director of Impact for the Malouf Foundation and Executive Director of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. Sage and her team engage in programs and initiatives that confront sexual exploitation through education, advocacy, prevention, recovery, and healing.

In this episode, Sage joins us to discuss sex trafficking—what it is, how it happens, and what we can all do to confront it. We also discuss ways trafficking can occur that may differ from typical assumptions, for example through the camming industry.

Access OnWatch training, Raise, and more at https://www.malouffoundation.org/education.

Article: How You Can Spot, Prevent, And Report Human Trafficking

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 89: Elizabeth Smart

Visit: The Malouf Foundation

Visit: Elizabeth Smart Foundation

Visit: Onwatch Training

Julie Whitehead's Book: Shadowed

Meet Annie, Fight the New Drug’s 2019 Fighter of the Year. Annie has one of the coolest and most impactful backstories of getting involved with our organization that we’ve encountered to date. As a junior in college, Annie did some incredible things on her campus to start important conversations about the harms of porn and take away the stigma of struggling with it. Listen to Annie discuss her journey with podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, to see how she is making the movement famous in her community.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Rachel was first exposed to pornography at seven years old and went on to develop an addiction to porn for the next thirteen years. Despite getting treatment for anxiety and depression as a young girl, she never felt like she could tell others about her struggle with porn because it was something that "girls didn't struggle with." Rachel discusses the shame she felt from being a girl struggling with porn, how being exposed to violent pornography from such a young age caused her to later be desensitized to an abusive relationship, and why she now encourages people to talk about their struggle in order to break from the shame that so often keeps them struggling.

Article: Why Fighting Porn Must Include Fighting Shame

Video: How I Realized I Had A Porn Problem: Myuniqe's Story

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 52: Katelyn

Trigger Warning: This discussion includes explicit descriptions and suicide ideation that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Joshua Broome grew up in a small town in South Carolina where he started his modeling career. After a short stint in college, he moved to Los Angeles, California, to become a full-time model and actor. Eventually, he found his way into the porn industry, performing in over 1,000 pornographic films and winning several awards, including Best Male Performer of the Year. After more than five years in the porn industry, Joshua is now a passionate anti-porn advocate, husband, and father. In this episode, we discuss how Joshua ended up in the porn industry, why he left, and what he’s up to now. 

Joshua currently travels and shares his story all over the world. You can follow Joshua on Instagram and TikTok at @iamjoshuabroome.

Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative awareness and education organization. While our guest on this episode discusses religion, Fight the New Drug is not religiously-affiliated.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

After being exposed to pornography for the first time during his freshman year of high school, Chandler began struggling with pornography and realized that he wasn't able to stop using willpower alone. It wasn't until he connected with others in an in-person support group that Chandler was able to see improvements in his journey to be porn-free. In this episode, Chandler discusses how finding a support group helped him to break free from shame and stay accountable and what ultimately led him to create Relay, a virtual group-based program for overcoming pornography use.

Article: Watching Porn Might Be Making You More Lonely

Visit: Try Relay at ftnd.org/relay

Video: What Recovering From Porn Is Like For Me

Breanna and Brandon Vales are Directors and Founders of Red Light Rebellion, which exists to educate young people about the dangers of child sex trafficking.

In this episode, they cover how their experiences influence their work and how they aim to empower youth to recognize the red flags of grooming and exploitation. They also share about Brandon's recovery journey from porn addiction, the impact of pornography on relationships, and how unresolved childhood trauma often leads to addiction. 

Episode Resources

Article: How You Can Spot, Report, and Prevent Human Trafficking

Red Light Rebellion

Red Flag Cards: Text REDFLAGS to 602-922-1040

Trigger Warning

Trigger Warning: The following episode contains discussions of child physical and sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised. 

Episode Description

Seth Gehle is an author and speaker who uses his platform to encourage others to overcome their own challenges and find strength in adversity by sharing his own story of resiliency after a traumatic childhood. In this Consider Before Consuming episode, Seth shares about the years of abuse that shaped his childhood, the role of pornography in shaping his perceptions of relationships, and the path he took to heal.

Episode Resources

Victim Resources

Seth's Website and Book

Consider Before Consuming Ep. 107: Matt and Sarah

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we talk with Chris Yadon, the Managing Director of Saprea. Saprea is an organization that exists to liberate individuals and society from child sexual abuse and its lasting impacts. Chris has been working with Saprea since 2015, is a sought-after speaker, and has been invited to give presentations nationally and internationally. Listen to Chris talk with podcast host Garrett Jonsson about the global issue of child sexual abuse, how porn is connected to child sexual abuse, and how everyone can fight this type of exploitation.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Research indicates that consuming porn can normalize sexual objectification, which can have profound consequences in the ways porn consumers view and treat others.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Melanie Thompson is a survivor of sex trafficking and prostitution, as well as a dedicated speaker and activist in the global fight against commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficked at just 12 years old, Melanie was later arrested and placed in foster care, where she began her advocacy journey at 14. She now serves as the Outreach & Advocacy Coordinator at the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International.

In this episode, we delve into Melanie's powerful story and explore the complexities of trafficking, the misconceptions surrounding platforms like OnlyFans, how pornography promotes violence and harmful stereotypes, and the urgent need for awareness and systemic change.

Episode Resources

Article: How Mainstream Porn Normalizes Violence Against Black Women

Article: How Porn Can Misrepresent and Fetishize LGBTQ+ Individuals and Relationships

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 90: Taina Bien-Aimé

Melanie's Podcast: Exit Wound

The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women

Rebecca Bender Initiative

Porn is incomparably more accessible and more extreme than anything available before the internet. A couple of ratty old centerfold magazines found in the park are nothing compared to the hardcore, high-definition videos that minors have access to today.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles and sources for the claims made in this episode at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This discussion includes descriptions of abuse and suicidal ideation that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Katelyn is a student at North Dakota State University, double majoring in social work and human development and family science with a minor in psychology. As a teenager, Katelyn struggled with depression and anxiety and she turned to pornography to cope, which ultimately further fueled feelings of depression, anxiety, shame, and eventually suicidal ideation. In this episode, Katelyn sits down with podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, to talk about her struggle with pornography, the role shame played in her compulsion, and how she’s since been able to let go of shame and begin her recovery.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Clay Olsen is the Co-founder and President of Fight the New Drug (FTND), and a sandwich enthusiast—if not just out of sheer convenience. Clay took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us and reminisce on the creation and evolution of FTND, the organization behind the Consider Before Consuming podcast. Join us as we take a look through Clay's lens while he shares how FTND started, and why it's so important that this topic continues to be considered and discussed in today's society.

Consider Before Consuming is brought to you by Fight the New Drug, a non-religious, non-legislative nonprofit dedicated to educating individuals on the harms of pornography using only science, facts, and personal accounts.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and the larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support the podcast, visit ftnd.org/cbcsupport.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes frank, explicit, discussions about sexual exploitation, rape, and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

In the porn industry, there is virtually no way to guarantee that any piece of pornographic content is truly consensual, ethical, or even legal.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles and sources for the claims made in this episode at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger warning: This episode contains graphic depictions of child sex abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Full disclosure: the topics discussed in this episode are heavy, but absolutely essential to consider when it comes to protecting children in our community. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we sat down with Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Heidi Olson. Heidi works specifically with children at a children’s hospital in Kansas City near the border of Kansas and Missouri. Fully expecting to be dealing with cases where adults were the perpetrators, Heidi was shocked to see that, in 2017, almost half of the perpetrators who walked through her hospital’s doors were minors. After learning more about what pornography is like today and how easy it is for a child to access it on their devices, Heidi describes to podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, “all of the dots started to connect in my mind…a lot of these young perpetrators are being exposed to mainstream pornography and they are acting out what they are seeing.” Listen as Heidi explains the risk of kids becoming victims and perpetrators of sexual assault due to exposure of pornography, and learn what we can do as members of society to combat this rampant issue.

Caregivers: if you’re looking for a way to keep your family safer online, check out our friends at Bark. In partnership with parents and schools, Bark has helped to protect over 5 million children by proactively monitoring text messages, YouTube, emails, and 24 different social networks for potential safety concerns including cyber-bullying, suicide ideation, depression, sexting, and online predators. Listeners can try Bark for free for 30 days by going to ftnd.org/bark.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

Thank you for listening, we invite you to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

The following podcast episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, violence, and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Matt and Sarah founded She Is Not Your Rehab and launched the concept in Matt’s 2019 TEDx talk.

In this Consider Before Consuming episode, Matt shares how his vulnerability around his personal history of abuse and porn consumption helped other men in his barbershop to open up about their experiences. And Sara shares how her work in the anti-trafficking space led her to establish strict boundaries around pornography consumption and fight to create homes free from violence.

Their work to combat domestic violence, through an invitation for men to acknowledge their own childhood trauma and take responsibility for their healing, has reached millions.

Episode Resources

Visit: She Is Not Your Rehab

Matt and Sarah's Book: She Is Not Your Rehab

Art Prints: Who Is She?

Watch: Matt's Ted Talk

Article: What Are the Risks of Choking a Partner During Sex?

Article: 10 Reasons Why You Should (Not) Be Cool With Your Partner Watching Porn

Victoria Sinis is the founder of Creating Gems, an organization created to help young women break free from harmful narratives about themselves. She is also a former OnlyFans recruiter and marketer. In this episode, she helps us understand what an OnlyFans agency is and the coercive and destructive realities faced by OnlyFans performers.

Episode Resources

Article: Why So Many Teen Girls Are Planning on Becoming OnlyFans Stars

Article: What Porn, Loneliness, and OnlyFans Have To Do with Men Buying Sex

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming, Ep. 109: You Asked, We Answered

Victoria's Website: https://creatinggems.com/

Louie Greek is a Training Specialist with Truckers Against Trafficking, who has spent more than a decade fighting human trafficking, using his expertise in law enforcement and military service to train people on how to recognize, respond to, and ultimately prevent exploitation. In this Consider Before Consuming podcast episode, Louie shares eye-opening insights on the realities of trafficking, the role of demand in fueling exploitation, and the actions we can take to stop it.

Episode Resources 

Truckers Against Trafficking: Resources

Article: How You Can Spot, Report, and Prevent Human Trafficking

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 96: Valiant Richey

Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn

Trigger warning: During this conversation we discuss infidelity, betrayal trauma, and suicide ideation. Listener discretion is advised.

Shawn is a husband, father, yogi, and a student of overall wellness. He is also a recovering sex and porn addict. After being exposed to pornography at a very young and impressionable age, Shawn found himself grappling with addiction before he had the chance to learn about healthy sexuality. Despite his efforts to quit and even after confiding in his wife, Shawn struggled with his compulsion to watch porn. Eventually, his addiction escalated to having affairs with multiple women. Hear podcast host Garrett Jonsson and Shawn discuss how his addiction escalated over time and how his wife and him have since taken steps toward recovery, both for Shawn and their marriage. 
 

If you or a loved one is struggling with pornography, we highly recommend checking out our friends at Fortify. Fortify is a science-based recovery platform dedicated to helping people find lasting freedom from pornography. You can start Fortify for free by visiting ftnd.org/fortify.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

Thank you for listening, we invite you to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we host a panel featuring four individuals deeply involved in the fight against pornography addiction. Chandler, Co-founder and CEO of Relay, shares his personal journey of overcoming pornography and how his experience led to creating a digital platform for recovery. Chris, a licensed professional counselor and certified sex addiction therapist, offers expert insights on the psychological effects of pornography and addiction recovery. Matthew and Dayne, both in recovery from long-term porn addiction, open up about their personal experiences, challenges, and victories in their healing journeys. Together, the panel discusses the power of connection in recovery, the importance of vulnerability, and how community plays a crucial role in breaking free from addiction.

Episode Resources

Article: How Porn Can Change the Brain

Article: Why the Opposite of Porn Addiction Isn’t Only Sobriety—It’s Real Human Connection

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 93: Chandler

Join Relay

Book: The Body Keeps the Score

This episode is with well-known TikTok personality and psychotherapist Matthias J. Barker. As a licensed therapist, Matthias focuses on helping people overcome childhood trauma and marital issues and helping people move towards what’s meaningful in the midst of hardship. In this episode, listen to Matthias talk to podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, about the issue of shame when dealing with your own compulsion to view pornography, how betrayal trauma can impact partners of porn consumers, and how to overcome a struggle with pornography with compassion for yourself and your partner.You can find Matthias on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube at @matthiasjbarker or at matthiasjbarker.com.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To support this podcast, click here.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Justin Euteneier is the Program Director at Epik Project, an organization that works to disrupt the demand for commercial sexual exploitation.

In this Consider Before Consuming podcast episode, Justin shares the efforts the Epik project is using, including engaging with sex buyers to talk about the choices they're making, collaborating with law enforcement, educational initiatives for youth, and efforts to engage men in the fight against trafficking. 

Episode Resources

FTND Resource: Porn and Sex Trafficking

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 96: Valiant Richey

Epik Project

When Madi first discovered porn at the age of 13, she was immediately consumed by shame and the belief that she was the only girl looking at pornography. The cycle of looking at porn as an escape and the feelings of shame kept her from breaking free. Once she opened up to others about the struggle she was experiencing, she was able to understand that she wasn’t alone and to connect with her true identity. 

In this episode, Madi shares about her experiences and how she utilizes her story to provide support to other women and girls to know they’re not alone in their struggles, and encourages parents to have open, honest conversations with their kids about the harms of porn.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Article: Don’t think Women Struggle with Porn? Read Stories from 5 Who Have

Article: Can Women Get Addicted to Watching Porn?

Podcast: CBC Ep. 97: My Experience Being a Girl Addicted to Porn for 13 Years

Madi's Podcast: Sisters on the Frontline

Meet Canadian activist Sathiya. After facing his own struggle with pornography, Sathiya created DeepClean, a program built to help men experience long-term freedom from pornography through a systematic process. Sathiya talks with podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, about his own struggle with pornography, how it negatively impacted different areas of his life, and why he’s now dedicating his life to helping men find lasting recovery. You can learn more about Sathiya’s program, DeepClean, at https://www.sathiyasam.com/. Click here to access his new book, The Last Relapse.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Consider Before Consuming explores the science, research, and personal accounts demonstrating the harmful effects of pornography on individuals, relationships, and society as a whole. In each episode, we will discuss this topic while interviewing experts, advocates, influencers, and people who have experienced the unhealthy impacts of pornography in their own lives, to encourage individuals to make informed decisions about pornography . Episodes will be released every other week starting July 10, 2019.

Consider Before Consuming is brought to you by Fight the New Drug (FTND). FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative nonprofit that aims to raise awareness on the harmful effects of pornography and its links to sexual exploitation using only science, facts, and personal accounts.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains graphic depictions of abuse, rape, sex trafficking, drug facilitated sexual assault, and suicide ideation. Listener discretion is advised. 

Dr. Brook Parker-Bello is a writer, teacher, actor, CEO, justice advocate, author, entrepreneur, yoga instructor, visionary, curriculum developer, mentor, and founder of multiple organizations. She became a recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the 44th President of the United States and the White House for her outstanding achievements. Brook is a champion survivor of rape, sex trafficking, drug facilitated sexual assault, and suicide ideation. On top of all this, she is the founder and CEO of the award winning More Too Life, Inc., an organization dedicated to ending human trafficking. She is all this and so much more. We’re grateful that Brook took 30-minutes out of her busy schedule to sit with our podcast host Garrett Jonsson to discuss some of the negative impacts of pornography, and what she’s doing to fight for healthy human connection. You can find her work at moretoolife.org or reach out to her on Twitter at @BrookBello.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/cbcsupport.

Thank you for listening, we invite you to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Valiant Richey started his career as a prosecutor, where he moved to the Special Assault Unit, handling sexual assault, child exploitation, and human trafficking cases for a decade. He now works for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), an organization that works on security issues and human rights for 57 countries. Val is an ambassador for the organization, working with countries on how they can better combat trafficking. His extensive experience and work with so many countries give him unique insight into how consistent the patterns and functions of human trafficking are from country to country.

In this episode, Valiant talks about how trafficking is fed by a demand for people willing to pay for sex. He explains how sexually explicit material further drives the demand for sexual violence and sex trafficking and the connection between how victims are treated and their abusers' use of pornography. Valiant discusses how rampant sex trafficking is and what we can do to address it on a macro level, as well as individual shifts in our perspective and attitudes towards sex buying can help decrease the demand for sex trafficking.

Article: How Porn Can Fuel Sex Trafficking

Video: Truth About Porn: Valiant Richey

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming, Episode 90: Taina Bien-Aimé

Visit: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

In our latest episode of Consider Before Consuming, we delved into the questions posed by our amazing Fighters on social media. The thoughtful inquiries ranged from the effects of partners' pornography consumption to the concept of "ethical porn" and beyond.

Throughout the episode, Natale and Parker navigate a wide array of topics, offering insights into pornography's harm on individuals, relationships, and society. Central to their discussion is the necessity of fostering open dialogue and the importance of removing shame. They also share helpful resources for support.

Episode Resources

Article: 1 in 4 Sextortion Victims Are 13 or Younger, Survey Finds

Article: If You’re Stressed, Bored, or Lonely, is Watching Porn a Healthy Escape?

Article: Watching Porn to Escape Negative Emotions like Stress Linked to Compulsive Use

Article: Can Internet Porn Fantasies Affect Your Sex Life In Reality?

Article: The Growing Popularity of AI Porn and Deepfakes

Article: Let’s Talk About “Ethical Porn”

Article: Your Partner Just Told You They Struggle with Porn. Now What?

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 35: Nicholas Kristof

Video: Jane Doe Sex Trafficked by GirlsDoPorn

Live Presentation Program

Conversation Blueprint

FTND Resources

Sex trafficking shares a variety of symbiotic connections with porn.⁠ Often they’re one and the same. ⁠Even in the production of mainstream porn, sex trafficking can still occur—and it happens more often than most people think.⁠

As long as there’s a demand for porn—especially porn that is extreme, abusive, or degrading—the porn industry will continue to meet that demand. ⁠Consider before consuming, and help Stop The Demand for sex trafficking.⁠

In this episode, we hear from experts Donna M. Hughes, Valiant Richey, and Mahri Irvine, Ph.D., who share the science and connection between the porn industry and sex trafficking.

This episode is part of our Truth About Porn series. Truth About Porn is a current, ever-growing database dedicated to research on the harmful effects of pornography. Learn more at https://truthaboutporn.org/

Episode resources:

Video: Donna M. Hughes Interview, Truth About Porn

Video: Dr. Marhi Irvine, Ph.D. Interview, Truth About Porn

Video: Valiant Richey Interview, Truth About Porn

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 96: Valiant Richey

Article: How Porn Can Fuel Sex Trafficking

Trigger warning: This episode discusses explicit sexual behaviors, drug use, disordered eating, and suicide ideation that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Today’s episode is with Brittni De La Mora, a former porn performer who was known as one of the world’s most famous porn stars. More than ten years after leaving her “fame and fortune” behind, Brittni is a wife, mother, author, speaker, and the founder of a nonprofit. During this conversation, we talked with her about what influenced her to enter the porn industry, how she transitioned out, and how she’s transformed the pain of her past into purpose.

You can connect with Brittni, @BrittniDeLaMora, on all social media platforms.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Carmel and Lynae are two twin sisters and Fighters from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Their journey of getting involved with Fight the New Drug began almost 4 years ago, when they saw a Facebook post from a friend in a red “Porn Kills Love” tee. What started as a mutual interest in our posts on the social network grew into an active following of our blog and other social platforms for both Lynae and Carmel. They made huge waves in their Wisconsin community of La Crosse after a local university paid thousands of dollars to a porn performer to give a talk to students about sex education and porn, intended to help the campus celebrate their Free Speech Week. In response, Lynae and Carmel posted on Facebook wearing their “Porn Kills Love” tees with fellow Fighter friends and talked about how porn harms the consumer, relationships, and society in general. The attention the post received and the wider conversations it sparked were unexpected, but amazing. Hear Carmel and Lynae describe their experiences in spreading awareness of the harms of pornography with podcast host Garrett Jonsson.

We are grateful for these two incredible Fighters and their efforts to start a conversation on porn’s harms in their community. It is because of these efforts that Carmel and Lynae were awarded with the 2018 Fighter of the Year award! Think you’ve got what it takes to win it next year? Nominate yourself or a friend for our 2019 Fighter of the Year award for changing the conversation on porn's harms by visiting FTND.org/foty.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode. 

To learn more about how pornography can negatively impact individuals, relationships, and society at large, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/donate.

Thank you for listening, and remember to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger warning: The following podcast episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, drug abuse, and explicit situations while performing in porn. Listener discretion is advised.

Crissy was molested at the age of four, a pattern of abuse that would continue throughout her childhood and teen years. When she became an adult, various decisions and pressures to please the men in her life lead Crissy to start working as a performer in pornography. For seven years, Crissy performed in pornography, enduring more physical and emotional abuse and surviving several suicide attempts. Her ongoing search for love and approval kept her in the porn industry until she was able to break free from the industry and never look back. Now, Crissy has dedicated her life to sharing her story and helping women in different parts of the sex industry break free. Her story has been featured in several news outlets and magazines, including GQ and Playboy. Hear Crissy’s story in her own words as we discuss the experiences that pushed her into the porn industry and, ultimately, caused her to escape it.

One study showed between 66-90% of women in the sex industry were sexually abused as children.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org. To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/cbcsupport.

Thank you for listening, and remember to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Jo Robertson is a sex therapist and betrayal trauma specialist who researches pornography. In her sex therapy practice, she currently helps couples restore intimacy or helps individuals with problematic sexual behaviors. Along with running her own private practice, Jo is also the research and training lead for The Light Project, a charity helping to equip youth, their families, and professionals navigate the ever-evolving issue of online porn. Listen to Jo Robertson discuss how to most effectively approach discussing pornography and healthy sexuality with children, and why it’s important to have open and ongoing conversations in your home.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

If you haven’t heard of Sabrina Parr yet, that's about to change. Not only is she a popular health and lifestyle coach in Atlanta, Georgia, but this Cleveland native is currently dating two-time NBA champion and previous guest on this podcast, Lamar Odom! In this episode, Sabrina talks with podcast host Garrett Jonsson about how pornography has negatively influenced her habits and relationships, and how Parr and Odom have addressed the issue of pornography in their new and public relationship. You can find Sabrina on Instagram at @getuptoparr and look out for her and Lamar’s new reality TV show, coming soon.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and it's larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/cbcsupport.

Thank you for listening and remember to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

The following podcast episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was 14 years old when she was abducted from her home on June 5, 2002, and endured daily sexual assault, starvation, and abuse for 9 grueling months. Fortunately, due in large part to help from active bystanders, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003.

Now a mother of three, Elizabeth discusses her work at the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to bring hope to sexual assault through education, healing, and advocacy. Elizabeth discusses the role active bystanders had in her rescue, how pornography aided in her grooming and abuse, and the importance of having open and honest conversations with your children about the dangers online.

Article: 9 Surprising Facts About Human Trafficking in the U.S.

Video: Elizabeth Smart Speaks For The First Time About Pornography's Role In Her Abduction

Visit Elizabeth Smart Foundation

Visit OnWatch

Visit Smart Defense

Trigger warning: The following podcast episode contains graphic descriptions of childhood sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Eli Nash shared his hardships on the TEDx stage in his talk titled “Escaping Porn Addiction" and now he’s telling our listeners his story. What started as an appeal to women’s clothing catalogues at a young age quickly turned to an appetite for internet porn, leading to an addiction to pornography that would follow him well into adulthood. It wasn’t until things got too far in reality that Eli realized that porn was more than a fantasy: it was, as he says, the very thing that drove him to be unfaithful to his now wife. Never wanting to hurt her again, Eli has now vowed to make it his life’s priority to never again see porn. Listen to Eli as he shares his story with podcast host Garrett Jonsson, describing how he decided to come forward with the truth about his addiction and his early childhood sexual abuse that may have played a part in it. You can watch Eli’s TEDx Talk here or connect with Eli on Instagram at @eliyahu_nash.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org. 

Thank you for listening, and remember to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning

*The following episode contains descriptions of disturbing porn themes, discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised

Laila Mickelwait is an anti-trafficking activist, Founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, Founder of the Traffickinghub movement, and author of "Take Down: Inside the Fight to Shut Down PornHub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking,”

In this Consider Before Consuming podcast episode, Laila continues to share about her efforts to expose and combat illegal content on Pornhub, including the fight to hold credit card companies accountable.

Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative awareness and education organization. Some of the issues discussed in this episode may be legislatively-affiliated. Though our organization is non-legislative, we fully support the fights against already illegal forms of pornography and sexual exploitation and against sex trafficking.

Episode Resources 

Laila's Book: Takedown

Traffickinghub Petition

Justice Defense Fund

Laila's Article: Why Are Visa And Mastercard Still Doing Business with Pornhub?

FTND Resource: Porn and Sex Trafficking

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming, Ep. 35: Nikolas Kristof

Article: What's Going on with Pornhub?

Nikolas Kristof's Article: The Children of Pornhub

Sheelah Kolhatkar's Article: The Fight to Hold Pornhub Accountable

Cassidy Brown is a student and an influencer. At an early age, she was exposed to porn when a friend showed it to her unexpectedly. After that, she developed a natural curiosity about sex, and while she didn’t feel comfortable talking with her parents about it, she turned to porn to learn about sex and sexuality. From there, her porn consumption escalated to the point that it fueled anxiety, shame, and poor mental health. In this episode, Cassidy sits down with podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, to talk about her struggles with porn and the role shame played in her challenge. She also shares how she’s been able to break the shame cycle and embark on her own journey toward healing.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning

*The following episode contains descriptions of disturbing porn themes, discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Laila Mickelwait is an anti-trafficking activist, Founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, Founder of the Traffickinghub movement, and author of "Take Down: Inside the Fight to Shut Down PornHub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking,”

In this Consider Before Consuming podcast episode, Laila shares her journey in the anti-sex trafficking movement and her efforts to expose and combat illegal content on Pornhub. 

Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative awareness and education organization. Some of the issues discussed in this episode may be legislatively-affiliated. Though our organization is non-legislative, we fully support the fights against already illegal forms of pornography and sexual exploitation, and against sex trafficking.

Episode Resources

Laila's Book: Takedown

Traffickinghub Petition

Justice Defense Fund

Laila's Article: Time to Shut Pornhub Down

FTND Resource: Porn and Sex Trafficking

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming, Ep. 35: Nikolas Kristof

Article: What's Going on with Pornhub?

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of child sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Lydia Cacho is a world-renowned investigative journalist, author, and human rights activist who has dedicated her life to exposing the dark realities of human trafficking, child exploitation, and the intersections of pornography and organized crime. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Lydia shares her decades-long fight against corruption, the dangers she has faced, and the resilience that keeps her pushing forward.

Episode Resources 

Article: By the Numbers: Is the Porn Industry Connected to Sex Trafficking?

Lydia's Instagram: @Lydiacacho

Lydia's Books

Lynne was first exposed to pornography when she stumbled upon it on the family computer when she was 8 years old. She didn’t seek it out again until she was a teenager, when at the age of 16, she experienced a traumatic event that resulted in her turning to porn as a coping mechanism. Her porn consumption escalated throughout her years in college where it affected her relationships and pursuit of hobbies. Her addiction pushed her deeper and deeper into isolation, until she got the courage to tell the truth about her struggle to her boyfriend. Hear Lynne explain to podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, about her experience struggling with pornography and how the understanding and support of loved ones has lead her to be porn-free for over 270 days. 

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: During this conversation we discuss racism and sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.

Dr. Carolyn M. West is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington where she teaches courses on human sexuality, family violence, sex crimes, and sexual violence. She is nationally recognized for her scholarship on gender-based violence in the lives of African American women and specializes in domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. During Dr. West's 30 years in the field of healthy sexuality and racial equality, she has traveled internationally to consult, lecture, and deliver training seminars on topics related to intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Dr. Carolyn West sat down to talk with Consider Before Consuming podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, to discuss the role pornography plays in perpetuating racism and sexual violence. Listeners can also learn more about her documentary, “Let Me Tell Ya’ll ’Bout Black Chicks: Images of Black Women in Pornography.” You can find Dr. Carolyn West at www.DrCarolynWest.com.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we talk with Kristen Jenson, the Founder and CEO of Defend Young Minds, an organization dedicated to empowering children to be resilient and screen smart through developing tools for parents, professionals, and community leaders. Kristen is the author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures, a book used by people around the world to facilitate healthy and age-appropriate conversations with kids about pornography. Listen to Kristen talk with podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, about when to start talking to your kids about porn, and how to most effectively approach that conversation.

Learn more about Defend Young Minds and find Kristen’s book “Good Pictures Bad Pictures” at defendyoungminds.com.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

*This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

 Episode Description

Selena is the Associate Program Director of a sex trafficking survivor sanctuary. As a former porn performer and sex trafficking survivor, Selena knows firsthand what the women she is helping have experienced.

In this Consider Before Consuming episode, Selena sheds light on the dark realities of the porn industry, the deceptive nature of sex trafficking, and the power of resilience.

Episode Resources

Article: I Was Fine with Porn and the Commercial Sex Industry, Until I Worked in a Brothel

Video: What Being In Porn Is Really Like

Victim Resources

Hope Rising

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

This week’s interview is with exploitation and trafficking survivor turned UCLA honor student, Harmony (Dust) Grillo. Today, Harmony is the founder of Treasures, an outreach and support group to help women and girls who are entrenched in sexual exploitation find freedom.

Harmony speaks with podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, drawing from her own personal experience of being abandoned at a young age and lured into the commercial sex industry from her “Romeo pimp.” Armed with a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Harmony sheds light on the impact of a pornified culture and the lives of women trapped within it. Her memoir, Scars and Stilettos, details her harrowing account of moving from victim to survivor to liberator, and can be found at iamatreasure.com.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/cbcsupport.

Thanks for listening.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This discussion includes frank, explicit, discussions about pornographic content, suicide ideation, and abuse that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Laura grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania but had a challenging childhood. She experienced childhood neglect, and from a young age, porn was normalized in her life. Her warped understanding of love led her to seek out validation from men, which eventually led to her working in the porn industry. During this conversation, podcast host Garrett Jonsson talked with her about her misconceptions about the porn industry, how her time in the porn industry negatively impacted her, and what she’s up to today since leaving porn.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This discussion includes frank, explicit, discussions of abuse and pornographic content that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Alia grew up in Ventura, California, with a young mother. From a very young age, Alia experienced sexual abuse at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. Her warped understanding of love and affection pushed her to seek out validation from older men on social media. By the time she was 14, she had entered into a relationship with a man twice her age who then trafficked her. When she was 18, the exploitation Alia experienced evolved into performing in strip clubs where she was eventually invited by a customer to join the porn industry. Ultimately, Alia’s experience in the porn industry was dramatically different from the glamorous and empowered life that was initially promised to her. Even as a popular mainstream performer, she experienced more trafficking, abuse, and exploitation, eventually breaking free and connecting with other sex industry survivors. See how Alia’s childhood abuse paved the way for her career in the commercial sex industry, and why she finally left on her own terms.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

Click here to support this podcast.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses child sexual abuse and suicide ideation. Listener discretion is advised.

Today’s conversation is with Jennifer Nielson, creator and Founder of The Dig, a program developed to help people become emotionally resilient and reclaim their lives from trauma. Throughout this conversation, Jennifer discusses how her childhood sexual abuse led her into a journey of healing from her trauma and eventually creating a business to help others do the same.

You can learn more about Jennifer and her work at The Dig at thedigmodel.com.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative awareness and education organization. While the guest in this episode discusses religion, Fight the New Drug is not religiously-affiliated.

Eddie Capparucci is a licensed professional counselor and certified sex addiction specialist. For over 10 years, Eddie has worked as a licensed professional counselor, but when he noticed more patients who were struggling with a compulsion to pornography were coming into his practice, he decided to get certified as a sex addiction specialist. In his practice, he’s been able to help individuals who struggle with an unwanted compulsion to pornography by helping them work through unresolved childhood problems. In addition to him being a licensed therapist, Eddie also has his own personal story with sex addiction and a compulsion to porn.

You can learn more about Eddie Capparucci or find his books at https://abundantlifecounselingga.com/. 

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: Graphic descriptions of sexual assault are discussed during this conversation. Listener discretion is advised.

Dr. Kim Farrington has been a sexual assault physician for over 18 years, primarily in the area of sexual assault in adolescents and adults. In that time, she’s seen over 500 cases of sexual assault from individuals who have been recently assaulted, assisting them in getting medical help and collecting forensic samples. In recent years, Dr. Farrington became interested in the impact of pornography on consumers after noticing a change in the nature of sexual assaults in young people. For almost two decades, she has been able to developed her knowledge and expertise on this issue, and she is committed to educating others on this paramount and concerning health issue.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

If you know anything about technology, you’ve heard about Silicon Valley. Jason Portnoy was a Silicon Valley executive at PayPal and had all of the outward signs of success, but internally, he was miserable. He experienced compulsive porn consumption which escalated to buying sex, sugar dating, and more. Listen to Jason open up with podcast host Garrett Jonsson about some of the adverse childhood experiences he had which led to him seeking comfort through porn, why he labels porn a gateway drug, and how he finally experienced true healing.

Click here to get Jason Portnoy's book, Silicon Valley Porn Star.

To learn more about the guest visit JasonPortnoy.com

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Most young people are getting at least some of their education about sex from porn, whether they mean to or not. This is especially concerning, considering how wildly unrealistic and toxic porn can be.

This episode is a part of our Get The Facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic  surrounding porn’s harms to help you be more informed and more empowered with the facts.

You can find our Get The Facts articles and sources for the claims made in this episode at ftnd.org/GetTheFacts

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger warning: The following podcast episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.

Tina Frundt is the Founder and Executive Director of Courtney’s House. Since it was founded in 2008, Courtney’s House has helped over 2,000 survivors transition their mindset and exit sex trafficking situations. Tina received the Fredrick Douglas Award in 2010 and has served on the White House Advisory Council. We appreciate Tina taking the time to explain the reality of sex trafficking, the tactics used by the traffickers, and how trafficking is inseparably connected to pornography. There is hope, however, as Tina explains how those who are exploited can transition to a life free from trafficking.

Consider Before Consuming is brought to you by Fight the New Drug, a non-religious, non-legislative nonprofit dedicated to educating individuals on the harms of pornography using only science, facts, and personal accounts.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and the larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.
To support the podcast, visit ftnd.org/cbcsupport.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

There are hundreds of studies from years of research showing how pornography is negatively impacting individuals, relationships, and society. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we hear from many experts on how pornography harms.To learn more, check out Truthaboutporn.org. Truth About Porn is a current, ever-growing database dedicated to research on the harmful effects of pornography.

Videos: Truth About Porn Interviews
Articles: Get The Facts

When Dr. Jill Manning began her career as a therapist, she quickly realized how many people of all ages struggled with issues surrounding the use of pornography, including addiction and betrayal trauma. This led her to obtain a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy, specializing in betrayal trauma. Dr. Jill Manning explains how betrayal trauma victims are affected by their partner's porn use and offers advice to listeners who are experiencing betrayal trauma.

Article: How Avoiding Shame Can Help Partners Who are Healing From Betrayal Trauma

Video: Truth About Porn: Jill Manning, Ph.D.

Video: Our Experience on Porn Recovery and Betrayal Trauma

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 54: Ashlynn Mitchell

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 45: Jo Robertson

Visit: Dr. Manning's Website

Visit: The Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists

Visit: International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals

Uldouz started her acting career and quickly began to grow a following from her modeling and acting work. As she was growing in popularity, she learned that intimate, nonconsensual images and videos of her were leaked in the 2014 iCloud hack that affected hundreds of women, including many celebrities. After the leak, Uldouz battled to have the videos removed from mainstream porn websites, including Pornhub. In this episode, Uldouz discusses how being a victim of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) has affected her life, from being bullied by her peers to brands deciding not to work with her. Uldouz says she's been able to find healing in openly discussing her image-based sexual abuse and support to other victims.

Article: “Am I In Porn?”: This Tool Searches Porn Sites to See if Your Images are Used in Videos

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 88: Victoria Galy

Visit: Foundation Ra and Protect America's Daughters

Watch: Uldouz Wallace Testifies At Capitol Hill, Washington D.C

Sathiya Sam is a recovery coach, speaker, and author who has dedicated his life to helping others overcome pornography addiction and achieve true freedom. After battling his own 15-year struggle with addiction, Sathiya founded Deep Clean, a program designed to address the root causes of compulsive behaviors. In this episode, we explore transformative concepts like healing past wounds and redefining identity.

Episode Resources

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 29: Sathiya Sam

Sathiya's Website

Sathiya's Book: Free for CBC Podcast Listeners!

Conversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About Porn

Group-Based Recovery: Relay

Documentary: Brain, Heart, World

Trigger Warning: This discussion includes frank, explicit, discussions of sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, and pornographic content that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Phillip Martin is an award-winning journalist and a senior investigative reporter for The GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. He and fellow journalist Jenifer McKim recently created an investigative series, titled, “Unseen: The Boy Victims Of The Sex Trade,” that highlights the underreported issue of exploitation and trafficking of boys in the underground sex trade. Listen to podcast host Garrett Jonsson talk to Phillip about what led him to write about this topic and why it’s important to discuss this often-overlooked issue, and hear about some real examples of boys who experienced exploitation.

To read about the “Unseen: The Boy Victims Of The Sex Trade” series, visit ftnd.org/gbh.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To support this podcast, click here.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative awareness and education organization. While the individual in this interview discusses legislatively-related issues, Fight the New Drug is non-legislative.

Trigger Warning: Graphic descriptions of sex trafficking, abuse, rape, child sexual abuse materials, drug use, and suicide ideation are discussed during this conversation. Listener discretion is advised.

Nicholas Kristof is an American journalist, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and columnist for the New York Times since 2001. His investigative opinion column published on December 4, 2020, titled, “The Children of Pornhub,” shocked and educated many people around the world because it gave visibility to the stories of victims of image-based sexual abuse and child sexual abuse material who have had their violation shared on porn sites and social media platforms. The outcry in response to the article resulted in porn giant Pornhub purging their platform of unverified videos, deleting over 10 million videos from the site—but the battle won't end there. Kristof’s coverage of these issues continues the work of many journalists, advocates, and survivors in uncovering the dark side of the internet that most people do not want to think about, and exposes the implications of directly and indirectly supporting porn sites with user-uploaded content.

Listen to podcast host Garrett Jonsson talk with Nicholas about the ugly side of the porn industry, what has happened since Nicholas Kristof’s bold opinion columns were published, and what he expects he’ll do to continue to uncover the world of sexual exploitation.

Note: We are grateful that Nicholas Kristof took time out of his busy schedule to speak with us and give our listeners more insight into this topic. In the limited amount of time we were able to meet, we did our best to get through as many questions as we could, discussing questions we knew our listeners would have.

You can find Nicholas’ initial article, “The Children of Pornhub,” here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/opinion/sunday/pornhub-rape-trafficking.html?searchResultPosition=3

His follow-up article published five days later titled, “An Uplifting Update, on the Terrible World of Pornhub,” can be found here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/opinion/pornhub-news-child-abuse.html

Photo and articles credit: The New York Times.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Matthias J. Barker is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who, through his engaging content about mental health, has gained a significant following on TikTok and Instagram. As his reach has grown, Matthias has worked with other experts in the field of mental health to create workshops and meets with clients in his own practice.

During the episode, Matthias provides valuable insights into the potential connection between unwanted behaviors and our childhood experiences. He also shares practical tools that can help individuals overcome such behaviors, including identifying the root cause of avoidance, confiding in trusted individuals, and understanding that genuine healing is possible.

You can find Matthias on TikTok, Instagram, at @matthiasjbarker or at matthiasjbarker.com.

Article: What Past Issues Are You Trying to Escape From When You Watch Porn?

Find Support:  Relay, the #1 group-based program for overcoming pornography use

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 49: Matthias J. Barker

Matthias' Podcast: Matthias J. Barker Podcast: If You're Struggling with Porn

Trigger Warning: This discussion includes explicit discussions of sex acts, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, eating disorders, suicide ideation, and drug use that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Today’s episode is with former porn performer Deanna Lynn. Deanna experienced childhood neglect and sexual abuse that led her to normalize porn at a young age, and eventually led to her entering the porn industry. During this conversation, Deanna shares her perspective on her time in the porn industry, how she transitioned out, and what her life looks like today.

You can find Deanna Lynn’s books “Purchased: Leaving the Sex Trade” and “Integrated: Living Beyond the Sex Trade” on Amazon.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Over the last decade, an overwhelming amount of science and research has come out on the topic of pornography and its effects on the viewer. Hundreds of studies by experts show how consuming porn develops neuropathways that can change our brains and impact people individually, including how it can be habit-forming, become an escalating behavior, change how we view others, and even impact mental health.

But the good news is that we can retrain or rewire our brains to return to a healthier state! In this episode, we hear from experts Dr. Simone Kühn, Dr. Donald Hilton, and Dr. Andrew Dohm, who share the science behind porn’s impact on our brains.

This episode is part of our Truth About Porn series. Truth About Porn is a current, ever-growing database dedicated to research on the harmful effects of pornography. Learn more at https://truthaboutporn.org/

Episode resources:

Video: Donald Hilton, M.D. Interview, Truth About Porn

Video: Simone Kühn, Ph.D. Interview, Truth About Porn

Article: How Porn Can Become an Escalating Behavior

Article: How Porn Can Change the Brain

Think pornography consumption is just a “guy” problem? Meet Emma, a 19-year-old cosmetology student who was just 11 when she was first exposed to pornography. By the time she was 12, she says she consumed it multiple times a day on the iPod Touch her parents gave her. Her uncontrollable porn habit was also accompanied by feelings of shame and worthlessness that came from being a young girl who was told people who consume porn aren’t worth dating. Listen to Emma talk to podcast host Garrett Jonsson about how she first was exposed to pornography, developed an addiction to it, and eventually broke free. You can watch Emma’s video at ftnd.org/emma.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, click here.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

Trigger Warning: During this conversation we discuss childhood sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Samantha Leonard is the author of “Groomed: Shining a Light on the Unheard Narrative of Childhood Sexual Assault,” a novel that tells the shocking tale of one young woman’s journey of abuse. Samantha wrote “Groomed” as a fictional story, drawing from her own personal experience being groomed, and from the personal experience of other child exploitation survivors. She sat down with Consider Before Consuming podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, to discuss how, as a society, we need to become more aware of what grooming can look like, and how pornography often plays a role in desensitizing the victim. Listen as Samantha draws from her and Blair’s (the fictional main character in “Groomed”) personal experience in the grooming process, and what we as members of society can do to recognize abuse, and intervene when it is happening. Samantha’s book “Groomed” can be found on Amazon. You can also find Samantha Leonard on samantharaeleonard.com or on Instagram @samantha__leonard.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

To support this podcast, visit FTND.org/cbcsupport.

Thank you for listening, and we invite you to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

You might know him as the funny guy on YouTube who zooms in on his face and pronounces things incorrectly, but did you know Chaz Smith is also an advocate for the movement for love? In this episode which was recorded during a trip to spread the movement in Guatemala, Chaz Smith gets personal (and silly) with our podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, sharing his perspective on pornography and why he became a Fighter. Garrett and Chaz combat the stigma that often surrounds this topic, with Chaz stating, “there is no shame in sharing what you’re struggling with [and] what you’ve been through.” You can find Chaz Smith on YouTube, or follow him on Instagram at @chazsmith.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on the consumer, their relationships, and larger societal impacts, visit ftnd.org.

To support the podcast, visit ftnd.org/cbcsupport.

For resources mentioned in this podcast, click here.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.

This episode discusses explicit sexual behaviors and abuse that may be triggering to some. Listener discretion is advised.

Victoria started online dating after her divorce. That's where she first met Brandon. In the beginning, Brandon was saying and doing all the right things to make Victoria believe this was a man that respected and loved her. Years into their relationship, however, Victoria discovered that footage that Brandon took of her without her knowledge and consent had been uploaded onto Pornhub. Even after the arduous journey to get the footage removed from Pornhub, those videos continue to pop up all over the internet.

Victoria talks with Fight the New Drug about her experience fighting Pornhub to get her nonconsensual videos removed, the trauma that followed after her image-based abuse, and what she's doing now to advocate for herself and other victims who have found themselves in similar situations.

Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative awareness and education organization. Some of the issues discussed in the episode are legislatively-affiliated. Though our organization is non-legislative, we fully support the regulation of already illegal forms of pornography and sexual exploitation, including the fight against sex trafficking.

Timothy Reigle is a coach, author, podcaster, and the founder of Into The Wilderness Ministries. Tim has used his own experience in defeating addiction to help hundreds of men to overcome their addictions to porn and sex.

In this Consider Before Consuming episode, Tim shares about the 15 years he spent in a cycle of porn addiction that escalated into destructive behaviors, impacting his marriage and mental health. He shares how he finally broke free, the strategies that helped him find lasting recovery, and how he now helps others do the same.

Episode Resources

Article: How Porn Can Become an Escalating Behavior

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 114: Rachel Denton

Timothy's Website: Into the Wilderness

Timothy Instagram: @timothyreigle

This episode is with Christian, the founder of a branding agency called 1924us. As a recovering porn addict, Christian uses his platform to speak on the issue of pornography through eye-catching designs and sharing his own experiences. Listen to Christian talk with podcast host Garrett Jonsson about the role being sexually abused as a child played in his struggle with pornography, how he eventually overcame it, and why he believes it’s important to use his company’s platform to speak up on this issue.

Click here to learn more about the guest, and access the resources discussed in this episode.

To support this podcast, click here.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

As you go about your day we invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blindspots, and consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.



Join us in this Consider Before Consuming episode as Rachel Denton shares her experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Rachel talks about the complex layers of pornography addiction and the strong influence of shame. She'll also explain how self-compassion is essential in navigating the labyrinth of shame and breaking free from its grasp. 

Rachel provides valuable insights into the process of seeking therapy, explaining different therapy modalities, and how each can be helpful in the journey to healing. She also shares some transformative practices outside of therapy, empowering individuals to reclaim their agency and cultivate resilience.

Episode Resources

Article: These 4 Studies Show How Recovering From a Porn Habit is Absolutely Possible

Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 110: Matthias J. Barker

Kristin Neff: Self-compassion.org