Consider Before Consuming

Claire, a former compulsive porn consumer and anti-porn activist, discusses her journey from curiosity to addiction, the impact on relationships and self-worth, seeking professional help, emotional effects and stigma, and creating a safe environment for addressing pornography.

For this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we sat down with Shanelle Connell. Shanelle is an entrepreneur, actress, dating coach, and social media influencer. During our conversation, Shanelle discusses the importance of critical thinking and why she is both anti-porn and sex-positive. In this episode, there are great tips about how to be tactful when talking about the harmful effects of pornography and sexual exploitation with your loved ones on social media.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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Did you know that porn can actually deeply affect the way we view and treat those around us? Just ask Walter DeKeseredy, an academic researcher and author who’s been studying violence against women for over 30 years. In addition to the 25 books, 83 scholarly book chapters, and over 100 scientific journal articles he’s published on sexual violence and other related social problems, Dr. DeKeseredy has received so many awards for his work that it’s almost difficult to keep track of. His extensive knowledge and passion for the cause can be clearly heard throughout this episode of Consider Before Consuming. Listen in as Dr. Dekeseredy and podcast host Garrett Jonsson discuss the correlation between pornography and sexual violence, how pornography has changed over the years, and how pornography can affect our relationships to those around us. To learn more about Dr. DeKeseredy and his work, you can visit his faculty page at West Virginia University, where he is the Director of the Research Center on Violence and a Professor of Sociology.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 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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy