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Please be aware...

This episode includes discussion of sexual assault, domestic violence, trauma-informed decision-making, and how fear can shape relationships and life choices over time.
You’re encouraged to listen at your own pace, pause if needed, or return when it feels supportive.

Your safety—emotionally and physically—comes first.

Fear doesn’t always show up as panic.
Sometimes, it looks like decisions made quickly… quietly… just to feel safe again.

In this episode of Thriving Beyond MST, host Dalia reflects on how fear—shaped by Military Sexual Trauma, repeated harassment, and domestic violence—quietly influenced life-altering choices long after the danger had passed.

Through personal reflection, trauma-informed neuroscience, and cultural context, this episode explores:

• How fear functions as both protector and driver
• The difference between self-blame and self-accountability
• Why urgency can feel like intuition after trauma
• How the brain adapts—and how it can heal

Recorded on Sexual Assault Survivors Day in Texas, this episode honors survival while offering a grounded path toward awareness, choice, and compassion.

Whether this is your first time listening to this podcast, or if you’ve listened before—

I want to hear from you

🎧 Please subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review—it helps more survivors find us.

💬 DM me or comment via social media or to thrivingbeyondmst@gmail.com.

And always remember:

We see you.

We honor you.

And we will not stop fighting until there are no more stories like yours.”

Listener-Supported Podcast
Thriving Beyond MST is listener-supported through Buzzsprout.
If you’d like to help sustain survivor-led conversations like this, support options are available in the show notes.

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Please note that this episode includes sensitive content related to Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Listener discretion is advised. Take care of yourself and feel free to pause or return to the episode when you’re ready.

In this deeply personal and purpose-driven episode, host CPT (Ret.) Dalia Galvan takes listeners behind the scenes of her graduate research project at USC Annenberg, Building Safer Platforms: How MST Survivors and Supporters Engage With Healing Podcasts, fueling the podcast’s mission.

From her own MST experience as a young Airman to her journey as a critical care nurse, podcaster, and researcher, Dalia opens up about the painful truths and the healing purpose that drives her research.

She invites listeners to participate in her trauma-informed survey (75 participants still needed) and 1-on-1 interviews (8 participants still needed) to help improve digital support platforms for MST survivors and allies.

💜 This episode is for every survivor who’s felt invisible—and every supporter ready to listen.

✅ 100% anonymous
📝 75 survey participants needed
🎤 8 interview participants needed
📲 Survey link: https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_73rxBg7bozbbO9o

📧 thrivingbeyondmst@gmail.com

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🌐 https://thrivingbeyondmst.buzzsprout.com

Subscribe, review, and share—because the silence ends here.

#ThrivingBeyondMST #MSTAwareness #PodcastResearch #MilitarySexualTrauma #TraumaInformedCare #DigitalHealing #VeteranVoices #VeteransHelpingVeterans

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS ***If you are experiencing an emergency, please call. 911** - VETERANS CRISIS LINE 24/7, Dial 988, then #1 or Text 838255 - Women Veterans Call Center at 1-855- VA-WOMEN - Caregiver Support 1-855-260-3274 Additional Resources

1. Make the Connection (www.maketheconnection.net/conditions/ military-sexual-trauma): Make the Connection is a compilation of videos of veterans sharing their experiences with military sexual trauma.

2. BeyondMST(App)(BeyondMST|VAMobile): BeyondMSTwas designed to help people heal from sexual assault or harassment during military service.

3. Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) (www.servicewomensactionnetwork.org): SWAN is the voice of women who have served or are currently serving in the military.

4. Protect Our Defenders (www.protectourdefenders.com): Protect Our Defenders (POD) Legal Services Program is the only program in the country providing free legal services specifically for survivors of military sexual assault and sexual harassment.

5. Combat Sexual Assault (www.combatsexualassault.org/aboutus): Our mission is to empower survivors of sexual violence by helping them find their voice and overcome barriers to obtaining justice, all while disrupting the cultural stigma surrounding the disclosures of these crimes.

6. National Veterans Legal Services Program (www.nvlsp.org): Our goal is to ensure that every MST survivor who qualifies for disability benefits receives the benefits they deserve.

7. Male Survivor (www.malesurvivor.org): A 501(c)(3), non-profit, public benefit organization committed to preventing, healing, and eliminating all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men.

8. Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (www

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In this landmark episode of Thriving Beyond MST, host Dalia welcomes her very first guest — retired Army SFC and Washington Army National Guard Victim Advocate Coordinator, Freyja Eccles — for a raw, unfiltered conversation about what it really means to stand up for MST survivors.

From Freyja’s behind-the-scenes perspective as a longtime Victim Advocate (VA) to the transformative power of purpose-led healing, she and Dalia unpack MST misconceptions, the compounded impact of trauma, and the urgent need for culturally competent, trauma-informed care.

💥 If you’ve ever felt unseen, unheard, or unsupported in your healing journey — this episode is for you.
💡 If you’ve wondered what advocacy looks like when no one is watching — this episode is for you.
🌱 If you're planting your own seeds of purpose — you're already part of this movement.

Released in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this conversation is bold, vulnerable, and deeply needed.

🎤 Don’t miss Dalia’s presentation, “Seeds of Solidarity: Empowering Voices Through the Thriving Beyond MST Podcast” at the 2025 TAASA Conference in Denton, TX.

📞 Resources Mentioned:
Veterans Crisis Line – Dial 988, then Press 1
National Sexual Assault Hotline – 1-800-656-4673
Safe Helpline (DOD Survivors) – 877-995-5247 or safehelpline.org

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🎧 Tune in now and discover why healing in community isn’t just powerful — it’s lifesaving.
👇 Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who needs to know: they are not alone.

We see you. We honor you. And we will not stop fighting until there are no more stories like yours.

#ThrivingBeyondMST #SurvivorVoices #MilitaryAdvocacy #NotJustApril #SAAPM2025 #VeteransHelpingVeterans

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