Matthew Raabsmith is a certified professional coach and relationship specialist, and Joanna Raabsmith is a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in trauma and betrayal recovery. Together, they co-lead The Raabsmith Team and help couples rebuild connection after addiction and relational pain.

After pornography addiction and secrecy deeply impacted their marriage, Matthew and Joanna began a recovery journey that transformed both their individual lives and their relationship. In this episode, they share what porn addiction actually did to their emotional intimacy, how betrayal trauma affected Joanna’s sense of safety and identity, and why stopping porn was only the beginning of healing.

They address questions many couples quietly wrestle with: What does pornography do to a marriage over time? Can a relationship survive porn addiction? What is betrayal trauma, and why does it feel so devastating?

Matthew and Joanna explain why honesty must come before trust, why rushing forgiveness can create more harm, and what sustainable recovery really looks like for both partners.

Whether you’re navigating betrayal, struggling with porn use, or hoping to build a healthier relationship in the future, this conversation offers clarity and grounded hope.

Episode Resources:

• Article: When Porn Use Shatters Trust: A Therapist Explains Betrayal Trauma
• Video: Our Experience on Porn Recovery and Betrayal Trauma
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 94: Dr. Jill Manning
• Matthew and Joanna's Website: The Raabsmith Team

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days when they sign up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay

Mariah is a policy advocate focused on trafficking and online exploitation, the founder of Undox, and a GirlsDoPorn trafficking survivor. In this episode, she shares her story and what survival looked like inside a situation shaped by deception, fear, and coercion.

Mariah describes how she was recruited under false pretenses, how quickly the reality of the situation shifted, and how isolation and uncertainty shaped the choices she felt she had. She explains how trauma responses like the fawn response became a way to get through moments when resisting or leaving didn’t feel safe, and why behaviors that may appear like consent from the outside often aren’t.

She also reflects on the long aftermath of exploitation: living with nonconsensual content online, carrying guilt for the ways she survived, and being drawn back in after initially getting out. Over time, Mariah shares how her understanding of herself and other survivors was shaped. Through connection, witness, and advocacy, she came to recognize the strength, intelligence, and resilience it takes not only to survive exploitation, but to keep going afterward. That perspective has helped shape her healing and her decision to support others through survivor-led work.

Why don’t victims just leave? How does sex trafficking actually happen in cases like GirlsDoPorn? And why do some survivors appear to comply or return? Mariah’s story offers a clearer picture.

Episode Resources:

• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 78: Jane Doe (Part 1)
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 78: Jane Doe (Part 2)
• Mariah's: Content Removal Site: Undox
• Generate Hope
• Victim Resources

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Richard and Heather share how pornography quietly impacted their marriage and what it took to begin healing together.

Richard reflects on his early exposure to porn, how his use escalated over time, and how things shifted when he began engaging with performers online and realized that one woman he interacted with was being coerced into the industry. Heather shares her perspective as a partner, including the changes she noticed before the truth came out and how disclosure affected trust and intimacy.

Together, they talk about secrecy, honesty, recovery, and why bringing pornography into the open became a turning point for both their marriage and their healing.

Episode Resources:

• Article: Benefits of Quitting Porn According to 90 Real People
• Article: Why Watching Porn With My Partner Was a Terrible Idea
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 112: Robert
• Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 140: Victoria Sinis