A 17-year-old childhood abuse survivor shares how trauma therapy changed her life and why she’s speaking out to help other survivors. | Free Like Me Podcast with Clark Fredericks Alana was 14 when she told her aunt and her mom about abuse that began in early childhood, carried out by a family friend she had trusted. Her family believed her, cut contact, and put her healing first. Now 17, she sits down with Clark Fredericks to talk about what came after. In this conversation, Alana covers how grooming works and how abusers gain a child’s trust, the mental health impact of long-term childhood trauma, and the more than three years of therapy that helped her become more stable while keeping up her grades and planning for college. She talks about protecting her younger sister, the friends and school support that carried her, her daily habits for resilience, and her goals as an advocate. Alana’s message to other young survivors is that silence doesn’t protect you, and you deserve to be believed. 00:00 Uncle Arrives Night 00:50 Meet Elena 17 01:27 Why Speak Out 04:02 Breaking Silence Culture 06:06 Early Childhood Setup 08:14 First Assault Night 09:24 Predator Tactics Aftermath 11:31 Visits Abuse Escalates 15:09 Telling Aunt Mom 17:25 After Disclosure Fallout 20:09 Impact On Mental Health 21:39 Therapy Healing Tools 23:45 Friends School Support 25:49 Protecting Little Sister 29:00 Advice Future Advocacy 32:59 Daily Habits Resilience 34:08 Feelings Karma Closure 37:11 Final Encouragement Wrap #FreeLikeMe #ClarkFredericks #AlanasStory #TeenSurvivor #SurvivorStory #ChildhoodTrauma #TraumaTherapy #HealingFromAbuse #BreakTheSilence #ProtectChildren #SurvivorAdvocacy #TeenMentalHealth #PTSD #YouAreNotAlone #ChildAbuseAwareness

At 17, Alana is putting her healing first. She talks about carrying the weight of childhood abuse for years, how it affected her as a kid and as a teenager, and why she’s in no rush to date until she’s ready. She credits her therapist for how far she’s come. If you’re a young survivor, or a parent looking for what recovery can look like, this is a conversation worth sharing. From the Free Like Me Podcast with Clark Fredericks. #FreeLikeMe #ClarkFredericks #AlanasStory #TraumaTherapy #TherapyWorks #TeenMentalHealth #HealingFromTrauma #SurvivorStory #ChildhoodTrauma #TeenSurvivor #MentalHealthAwareness #BreakTheSilence #YouAreNotAlone #SurvivorAdvocacy #Shorts

Sharing a survivor story of childhood trauma and the power of being believed. Alana recounts the night she broke her silence. At 14, Alana finally told her mother about the inappropriate behavior she had endured for over a decade. Her mother’s immediate response was to ensure her daughter was safe and to get her into professional trauma therapy. This conversation highlights how critical a supportive reaction is when a child discloses abuse, and how that moment serves as the first step toward reclaiming one's life. Now 17, Alana reflects on the weight of keeping such a secret and the relief that followed once the truth was out. This episode of the Free Like Me Podcast explores the importance of child abuse awareness and the long-term impact of having a secure support system. By sharing her experience, she provides a raw look at what it means to believe survivors and the path toward healing. Subscribe for weekly stories on overcoming adversity, and let us know in the comments: what is the most important lesson you have learned about supporting survivors? #FreeLikeMe #ClarkFredericks #AlanasStory #SurvivorStory #ChildhoodTrauma #TeenSurvivor #BreakTheSilence #BelieveSurvivors #ProtectChildren #ChildAbuseAwareness #HealingFromAbuse #TraumaTherapy #SurvivorAdvocacy #YouAreNotAlone #Shorts

Alana shares her survivor story after three years of therapy to explain how opening up became her biggest form of healing. After years of listening to others speak out, Alana reached out to Clark with a message of gratitude. What she initially thought would be a conversation for years down the road became an immediate opportunity to stop hiding in the dark. This episode explores the internal process of moving from silence to advocacy and the courage required to share a survivor story publicly. Subscribe for weekly stories on overcoming adversity, and let me know in the comments: what is the most important lesson you have learned about the healing process? #FreeLikeMe #ClarkFredericks #AlanasStory #SurvivorStory #BreakTheSilence #TeenSurvivor #SpeakingOut #HealingFromTrauma #ChildhoodTrauma #TraumaTherapy #SurvivorAdvocacy #SurvivorPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #YouAreNotAlone #Shorts

From meth, heroin, armed crimes, and homelessness to gold medals and business owner. Donald Rosenow’s story is one of the most complete redemption arcs ever featured on Free Like Me. | Free Like Me Podcast with Clark Fredericks Donald Rosenow grew up in Alaska in a home defined by absent parents, chaos, molestation, and constant moving. By his teens he was running away and drinking to blackout. By adulthood he had graduated to pills, heroin, and meth — cycling through repeated arrests, armed incidents, and dangerous situations he barely survived. A major bust found him slumped in a stolen Chrysler LeBaron surrounded by weapons and multiple drugs. Later he hit his deepest rock bottom — homeless in Albuquerque, blacking out repeatedly, with nowhere left to go. That’s when he committed to the Delancey Street Foundation’s two-year residential program. Fully. For the first time in his life. Coming out during COVID, Donald co-founded Integrity Moving — now operating across Santa Fe and Denver, hiring Delancey graduates along the way. He found jiu-jitsu, trained seriously, and competed at the IBJJF NoGi Pans. He rebuilt his relationship with his daughter. He married. He has been clean and sober for 10 years. In this episode Donald also speaks directly to the fentanyl crisis, the people he’s lost, and what he wants families of addicts to hear before it’s too late. 00:00 Police Report Shock 00:30 Meet the Guest 01:01 Jiu Jitsu Recovery 02:17 Tournament Mindset 03:00 Growing Up Alaska 04:09 Absent Father Search 06:27 Mom Chaos Parenting 10:25 Runaway Kid Story 11:41 Alcohol Near Death 16:20 School Trouble Moves 18:54 Pills to Heroin 24:01 Daily Use Boundaries 25:21 Childhood Abuse Trauma 27:59 Sleep Hypervigilance 30:19 Crimes on Meth Heroin 33:28 Rock Bottom Albuquerque 34:17 Maggie And Probation Help 35:12 Walmart Bust With Guns 38:08 Felonies Dropped And Jail Time 42:20 Coke Dealer Bodyguard Era 44:34 Rehab Dodges And Jail Loop 46:34 Maggie Fallout And Leaving Alaska 49:12 Albuquerque Rock Bottom 52:13 Choosing Delancey Street 53:41 Starting Integrity Moving 56:25 Jujitsu And Hiring Graduates 01:00:58 Fentanyl Losses And Staying Clean 01:05:30 Advice And Final Reflections

Donald Rosenow faced a stark choice: two years at the Delancey Street Foundation or a decade behind bars. He chose recovery. His public defender laid out the reality of his situation plainly. If he left the program early, he would be looking at twenty years the next time he landed in front of a judge. Sitting in a jail cell, Donald decided he was done running. He committed to the process completely, adopting an accountability-first mindset that earned him the nickname Sergeant Rosenow among his peers. This is a story about the hard work of addiction recovery and the power of total commitment. Donald explains how he stopped hiding from his past actions and started building a future, proving that meaningful change is possible when you finally decide to stop fighting the system and start fixing yourself. Subscribe for weekly stories on overcoming the odds, and let me know in the comments: what is the most important lesson you have learned about accountability? #FreeLikeMe #ClarkFredericks #DonaldRosenow #DelanceyStreet #AddictionRecovery #SobrietyStory #SecondChance #RedemptionStory #RecoveryIsPossible #BreakingTheCycle

After getting out of jail, Donald Rosenow took a job as a drug dealer bodyguard. This is the reality of life in the trailer park. Donald found himself living next door to Garrett, a small-time coke dealer with no backbone. People were constantly stealing from him, so he made a proposition: live here, carry a gun, protect the operation, and everything you need is covered. It was a trade-off that pulled Donald deep into a volatile environment, offering an unfiltered look at the intersection of addiction recovery and the choices that define a person's path. This story covers the year and a half Donald spent protecting an operation he knew was dangerous. It highlights the brutal nature of street life stories and the difficult road of breaking the cycle of substance abuse. By sharing his experience, Donald explains how he eventually found his way out of that lifestyle and the long-term impact of those decisions, offering a raw perspective on true crime that goes beyond the headlines. Subscribe for weekly survival breakdowns, and tell us in the comments what kind of stories you want to hear next. #FreeLikeMe #ClarkFredericks #DonaldRosenow #TrueCrime #AddictionStory #StreetLife #RedemptionStory #SobrietyStory #BreakingTheCycle #RecoveryIsPossible

At nine years old, Donald Rosenow led a group of neighborhood kids on a 27-hour runaway mission through the Alaskan wilderness. Donald’s childhood was defined by instability, bouncing between relatives and dealing with the fallout of being labeled a problem kid. In this conversation, he recounts the specific events that led him to flee into the woods and how that dangerous 27-hour journey through the Alaska wilderness became a defining moment in his youth. We discuss the reality of growing up with drunken grandparents and the desperate search for control when your home environment is chaotic. This story offers a raw look at the long-term impact of childhood trauma and the survival instincts that develop when children are left to fend for themselves. Donald’s account of his runaway mission is more than just a survival story; it is a reflection on how early life experiences shape our resilience and the difficult path toward breaking the cycle of dysfunction. Understanding these formative years is crucial for anyone interested in the psychology of childhood trauma and the long road to healing. Subscribe for weekly stories on overcoming adversity, and let us know in the comments if you have a story of survival that shaped your perspective on life. #FreeLikeMe #ClarkFredericks #DonaldRosenow #ChildhoodTrauma #RunawayKid #Alaska #SurvivorStory #BreakingTheCycle #AddictionRecovery #RedemptionStory