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A cold November garage, a basement chair, and a girl counting footsteps—that’s where Sadie’s story begins. We walk through the fear along with the stubborn spark of imagination: a radio voice rehearsed in secret, a belief that somewhere else this would not be happening. The narrative moves from hiding to hunger, showing how neglect and control can live side by side—how a parent can starve you and still track your every move, turning everyday items like socks and sweaters into weapons for punishment.

A grandmother leaves food in a shed and proves that love can be small and still life-saving. We also face the most difficult truths: a father whose gentle nature could not interrupt cruelty, and the sentence that stings across decades—“it seemed like you enjoyed punishment.” We examine how family systems protect themselves with denial, and how poverty and medical debt magnify stress.

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Special Thanks to our supporters, who have made this podcast possible.

• Lucy Mathews Heegard: Auditing Engineer
• Terry Gydesen: Photographer

• Polly Kellogg
• Kate Tillotson
• Dawn Charbonneau
• Jacob Wyatt
• Molly Tillotson
• Julian Bowers
• Wendy Horowitz
• Pat Farrell
• Lynnette Tabert
• Laura Jensen