Happy New Year! In the first episode of 2026, EG reflects on the challenges, wins, and losses of 2025; a year that asked survivors to navigate legal, cultural, and systemic obstacles while also carrying the labor of healing and advocacy.

Throughout the episode, EG unpacks legal advancements, community advocacy, funding cuts, cultural pressures, and the lie of productivity in healing. The bottom line: 2025 was exhausting, and if all you did was survive, that is still an accomplishment. For allies, EG talks about practical ways to support survivors this year without adding pressure or emotional labor.

Instead of a “new year, new me” resolution, EG sets an anti-resolution: give yourself permission to prioritize survival over performance.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to “do more” with your healing, or if 2025 left you drained despite progress, this episode is for you.

Key Themes: trauma healing, nervous system regulation, self-care, anti-productivity, allyship, boundaries, legal and community advocacy, cultural shifts, survivor empowerment, emotional safety

References:

TAKE IT DOWN Act

Karina's Law

NY Expanded Victim Compensation

2025 State Legislation

TN DV Offender Registry

Scotland's Justice Reform Act

France Landmark Law

Maryland Budget Proposal (rejected!)

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual

violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact

If this episode resonated with you, make sure to share it with someone who might need it.

In this episode, EG breaks down why the holidays can feel overwhelming — especially for survivors and anyone navigating complicated family dynamics, sensory overload, or old emotional patterns that surface this time of year. While the season is supposed to be “joyful,” many people feel pressure, exhaustion, and the weight of past experiences they don’t always talk about.

EG explores what actually sets people off during the holidays: disrupted routines, being pulled back into old roles, comments that hit too close, nostalgia, grief, and environments that trigger the nervous system. She explains why this season often feels different for survivors and what supportive, non-fixing care looks like from allies.

The episode wraps with practical tools for protecting your peace: small boundaries that work, leaving early without guilt, building in quiet time, choosing a safe person, and creating new traditions that match who you are now.

If the holidays feel heavy, overstimulating, or emotionally complicated, this conversation will help you feel grounded and seen.

Key Themes: holiday stress, trauma responses, boundaries, emotional safety, survivor support, family dynamics, nervous system regulation, new traditions

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact

If this episode resonated with you, make sure to share it with someone who might need it.

Today, EG explores the idea of “rescue mode” — the quiet part of us that still waits for someone or something to finally make it all okay. Whether it’s a partner, an apology, or a moment that finally feels safe, many survivors and trauma-impacted people carry this deep, often invisible, hope of being rescued.

Throughout the episode, EG unpacks how rescue mode develops: from growing up in chaos or unpredictability, to internalizing the message that love or safety must come from someone else. She dives into how this belief can show up in adulthood through patterns like hyper-independence, overachieving, or taking on the “fixer” role in relationships. Towards the end, she details what it really means to move from rescue to reparenting.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re always “holding it together” for everyone else, or that peace feels suspicious after chaos, this episode is for you.

Key Themes: trauma healing, nervous system regulation, self-rescue, reparenting, supporting survivors, emotional safety, healing after trauma, self-worth, boundaries, trauma-informed relationships

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual

violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact

If this episode resonated with you, make sure to share it with someone who might need it.

In this episode, EG examines the case of Candon Dean Dahle, a former BYU baseball player accused of sexually abusing a young girl for years. While the headlines focus on him, this episode centers on her and what this case reveals about the justice system’s failures.

EG unpacks how plea deals in child sexual abuse cases often silence survivors, minimize harm, and protect perpetrators over children. She discusses the lifelong impact of abuse, the importance of survivor voice and choice, and why lenient sentences send dangerous messages to survivors and families.

If you’re a survivor, parent, or ally, this episode offers a trauma-informed look at how the system must change to truly protect children and support healing.

References and Resources

Former college baseball pitcher sentenced for sexually assaulting girl

Candon Dahle Sentenced to 180 Days

Dahle case timeline

RAINN

NSVRC

OVW

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 (or 1-800-4-A-CHILD)

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses child sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual

violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact

What does it really mean to feel “regulated”? In this episode, EG breaks down the window of tolerance: the nervous system’s range where you feel safe, grounded, and able to connect. Through a trauma-informed lens, she breaks down what the window of tolerance actually is, why it is so monumental for healing from trauma, and how to employ practical grounding tools when you need to find balance.

This episode is for anyone navigating trauma, PTSD, or emotional overwhelm — and for loved ones who want to better support survivors.

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Relevant Episodes:

Episode 22: Trauma Research Conference

Episode 31: Trauma-Informed Therapy

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual

violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact

In this episode, EG explores what it really means to feel safe in a relationship, not just emotionally, but physiologically. Through a trauma-informed lens, she unpacks the concept of felt safety and shares how survivors of trauma, especially those healing from sexual violence, can begin to recognize, rebuild, and receive support that genuinely feels grounding and safe.

She discusses the difference between being around “nice” people and being around safe people, offering signs your nervous system uses to signal safety (and danger) in relationships. EG also breaks down practical steps for building a support system, starting from scratch, and relearning how to trust connection after trauma.

Whether you’re navigating PTSD, feeling disconnected from others, or supporting a survivor in your life, this episode is for you.

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual

violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact

In this episode, EG walks through a practical, trauma-informed approach to coping with emotional triggers, especially those tied to PTSD and sexual trauma. She breaks down how the brain and nervous system respond during a trigger and shares four simple steps that can help regulate your body and restore a sense of safety.

This episode offers survivors tangible tools for grounding, emotional regulation, and reclaiming control. Whether you're navigating triggers yourself or want to support someone who is, this conversation is for you.

Resources:

Understanding PTSD from a Polyvagal Perspective

The Body Keeps the Score - Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk

Working with Emotional Triggers and Trauma

Understanding the Stress Response

Sour Candy and Stress

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual

violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact

Cat is back! If you're new here, Cat is the other co-founder of Lux and was co-host on the pod before she moved to D.C. last summer. It’s been a minute, but we finally found time to sit down together again, and I could not be more excited for you to hear this convo.

We’re diving into something that is on everyone’s mind right now: how to stay engaged in everything going on in the world without totally burning yourself out. We talk about emotional bandwidth, guilt, rage fatigue, how to care without constantly doing, and what it looks like to advocate in a way that’s actually sustainable. Basically how to protect your peace and still give a damn.

Resources:

Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American

Where to find your reps (especially if you’re in NC!)

Vote411.org

Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses sexual violence. See the episode description for more information. Please take care of yourself when listening.

Lux Resources is a North Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual

violence through providing legal resources. Survivors can access resources and legal aid for free on our website, www.luxresources.org.

Follow Lux on Instagram and TikTok @luxresources for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more tips on supporting survivors and allies.

Want to get in touch? Ideas for resources to add to the website? Podcast content suggestions? Reach out to us: https://www.luxresources.org/contact