The Silenced Truth
The Silenced Truth is a documentary podcast series about what happens when survivors speak—and powerful institutions refuse to listen.
The series begins inside America’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, where survivors of sexual abuse exposed decades of institutional cover-ups and forced a public reckoning. But this story is bigger than one denomination—or even the church. Across every major institution—religious, political, educational, and corporate—the same pattern emerges: systems designed to protect reputation and power often end up protecting predators instead of the vulnerable. The Silenced Truth explores how these systems of silence operate—and what it takes to dismantle them.
The podcast is a project of the Safe to Speak Initiative, which works to secure legal protections for survivors who want to disclose abuse. By telling these stories, the series aims not only to expose injustice but also to mobilize a growing grassroots movement of advocates committed to justice for the vulnerable.
Because when survivors speak, the truth doesn’t just change institutions—it changes the future.
New shows dropping monthly. Visit safetospeak.info for more information and join the Patreon community (https://www.patreon.com/SafeToSpeak) to get involved between shows!
Episodes
2 episodes
The Survivor Who Didn't (Jennifer's Story)
Jennifer Lyell is dead. But the battle over her story is not. In this second episode of The Silenced Truth, host Carolyn McCulley traces the devastating arc of Jennifer’s life—from a vulnerable childhood in southern Illinoi...
"You Always Knew!" (Tiffany's Story)
For decades, Tiffany Thigpen carried the weight of what happened to her as a teenage girl in a Jacksonville church. A charismatic preacher. A trusted pastor. And a pattern of abuse that powerful leaders chose to ignore. This podcast...
