Family Secrets

Lacey Crawford, an American writer and author of Notes on a Silencing, revisits the assault and institutional betrayal she endured at an elite boarding school. She recounts hazing, privilege, illness, and a devastating cover-up. Later, recovered records help expose what happened, inspiring her to write her younger self back into visibility and reclaim her voice.

Bonnie is raised in a cult— but at the time she doesn’t even know it. She only knows extreme isolation and abuse. And what she’ll come to know is that she must break free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kieran Short, a New York multidisciplinary artist, writer, and activist, investigates the tangled history behind his family name. He uncovers a violent secret, an absent grandfather, and the transformation from Jovino to Short. Kieran reflects on mispronouncing his first name, reclaiming lost heritage, and deciding what name future generations should carry.

A trip to France. An act of profound violence. A marriage--a whole world-- forever changed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadia Bowers, an actor, writer, and memoirist, explores the bond she shared with her sister Sasha. She recounts their coastal childhood, Sasha’s addiction, family secrecy, and the devastating aftermath of a fentanyl overdose. Nadia also discusses investigating Sasha’s final days, writing her memoir, sibling grief, survivor’s guilt, and the memories, music, humor, and jewelry that keep their connection alive.

A new chapter begins with a move to Lemonada, weekly Thursday releases, and more deeply personal stories. Dani Shapiro explores how secrets can turn shame and isolation into connection, community, and healing. Mark your calendar for the October 8 return.

In our extraordinary season finale, Mary Afsari shows us how our unknowable pasts—the tragedies, traumas, and truths—can shape a future and change a life. Many lives, in fact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Labarche, a London-based writer and memoirist, recounts surviving a traumatic home invasion and its long shadow. She discusses fear during captivity, the tangled aftermath with bureaucracy and shame, lingering bodily reactions and insomnia, and how writing, films, and family rituals helped her rebuild meaning. Short, intense, and vividly personal.

Casey Kahn, a Brooklyn writer who grew up adopted, searches for her biological family and confronts identity questions. She traces small clues, uses DNA and archives, and discovers siblings. Tense, awkward meetings with her birth mother and the emotional aftermath are explored in short, vivid scenes.

Tom’s father takes up all the oxygen in the room with a presence that's larger than life. Larger, in fact, than the many lives he keeps hidden from his wife and children. Tom must reckon with this legacy as he sets out to forge his own.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices