Making a Mother E5: This Is Not Your Fault

Coffee + Crumbs Podcast

Ashlee Gadd

Storytelling, Kids & Family, Religion & Spirituality, Toddlers, Friendship, Pregnancy, Grace, Coffee, Adoption, Miscarriage, Parenting, Motherhood, Newborn, Christianity, Crumbs

4.8 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Amanda spends two years of her impressionable adolescence under the care of Larry Nassar, former family medicine physician and team doctor of the US women’s national gymnastics team. Having not fully understood that what she experienced was abuse, it’s only later—when Amanda and her husband struggle to conceive—that the details of her painful story come to light. Then, just as the case against Larry begins to hit the media, Amanda becomes pregnant. She steps forward, along with 155 other women, to testify against Nassar in court. Amanda uses her voice for the daughter she’s carrying, and in the process re-discovers her own. Content warning: sexual abuse.

At the close of this series, we want to extend a special thank you to each woman who bravely offered their story to the project. If this series impacted you, encouraged you, or opened your heart or mind in some way, please help us spread the word. We’d love for you to share this series with your friends and family, your colleagues, and even your online circles. If you’ve only got a minute to spare, please leave us a 5-star review wherever you listen to podcasts, which helps other women find our show.

“Making a Mother” is a production of Coffee + Crumbs.

Executive Producer, Writer: Ashlee Gadd.

Producer, Writer, Host: Julie Vlahon.

Writer: Sonya Spillmann.

Music, Sound Design, Mix Engineer: Scott Vlahon.

Special thanks to WDIV in Detroit for permission to use their reporting on the Nassar case and trial. We also want to thank Stacy Kaiser and Dr. Lauren Bouchard for their expertise. To learn more about RAINN or M-Power or any of the information we shared in today’s episode visit our show notes at coffeeandcrumbs.net/makingamother.

This episode is brought to you by Needed—offering Radically Better Nutrition™. Use CC20 at checkout to get 20% off your first order.

This series is also brought to you by the paid Substack Community of Coffee + Crumbs. To support our work in the future, head to coffeeandcrumbs.substack.com. From all of us at Coffee + Crumbs, thank you for listening to Making a Mother.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before this episode begins, we want to offer a content warning.
0:08.2	This episode contains a story about the aftermath of sexual abuse.
0:12.6	Please listen at your own discretion.
0:16.1	Horrific new allegations against Dr. Larry Nasser.
0:22.6	By most accounts, it was the worst sexual abuse case we have ever seen.
0:26.6	Another day, more victims and more heartbreaking stories.
0:30.6	Realize that there are easily a hundred women who are looking to sue him civilly.
0:36.6	Dr. Nassar prayed on these young girls.
0:41.0	My name is Amanda and I am a survivor.
0:46.1	For those who have experienced sexual assault, the abuse does not fit neatly into the
0:51.0	constraints of time.
0:52.6	There is a ripple effect for the survivor and for those
0:56.1	who love them. A shadow lingers, one that influences every chapter of that person's life.
1:03.2	My body remembers a lot of stuff that I maybe wasn't as conscious.
1:08.1	Today we are sharing Amanda's story. She is a survivor of Larry Nassar, the former
1:13.3	USA Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor who is serving a life sentence in prison for abusing
1:19.6	hundreds of girls in his care. Although Amanda's story is unique due to the horrendous and
1:26.8	highly publicized nature of Nassar's crimes,
1:30.2	unfortunately, sexual abuse is all too common.
1:34.5	According to the CDC, at least one in four girls in the United States experiences child sexual abuse.
1:42.1	Survivors often carry this trauma throughout their lives, facing mental health challenges,
1:47.8	difficulty developing relationships, and even impacting their experience of becoming a mother.
	...

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