
EP 26: How To Support Your Bestie After Sexual Assault FT. Katie W. Simon
Explicit content warning
03/20/25 • 94 min
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses the topic of sexual assault, but features no graphic depictions.
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that:
- 81% of women and 43% of men have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime
- One in three female victims of completed or attempted rape experienced it for the first time between the ages of 11 and 17
- About one in four male victims of completed or attempted rape first experienced it between the ages of 11 and 17
This means that there is an unfortunately high likelihood that some you know, someone you are friends with and someone that you love has experienced sexual assault. You also might be someone who has experienced sexual assault. So, if you have struggled with either how to tell people or with how people have responded to learning what has happened to you, this episode is for you.
This week, Daysha invites sexuality journalist and former high school classmate, Katie W. Simon on the podcast to discuss her new book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault, as well as how we can all be a better support system to our besties that have experienced sexual assault.
Katie W. Simon is a sexuality journalist who studied creative writing at NYU, Columbia, and the University of East Anglia. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the anthology, Anatomy of Silence. Her first book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault, offers a positive approach to healing based on empathy and community from the stories of sexual assault survivors themselves. The book aims to provide the understanding and the tools for survivors to navigate their trauma and to cultivate the sex lives they desire and deserve. It will be published this year on July 29th and you can pre-order it at the links below. She currently lives in Texas with her dog, Babka.
Pre-Order Here:
- Amazon (As an Amazon Associate, Daysha earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases)
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop.org
- Your local bookstore
To connect with Katie:
IG: @Katiewsimon
BlueSky: @katiewsimon.bsky.social
Substack: https://katiewsimon.substack.com/
Website: https://www.katiewsimon.com/
RESOURCES:
- Want to hear new episodes 2 days early? Subscribe to our Patreon!
- Looking for someone to talk to about this week’s episode? Join our exclusive Facebook group!
- Level up yourself + your adult friendships through more tips, explanations, advice and strategies on the Yes Queen YouTube Channel!
- For news, updates and more insights on how to create stronger adult friendships, join the Yes Queen email list.
CONNECT:
Daysha Veronica
IG/Threads: @DayshaVeronica
TikTok: @DayshaVeronica
BlueSky: @DayshaVeronica
Yes Queen
IG/Threads: @YesQueenLife
TikTok: @YesQueenLife
BlueSky:@YesQueenLife
CREDITS:
Producer: Becky Harris
Executive Producers: Daysha Veronica, Bailey Murphy
If you like what you hear, don’t forget to subscribe, and leave us a 5 star...
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses the topic of sexual assault, but features no graphic depictions.
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that:
- 81% of women and 43% of men have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime
- One in three female victims of completed or attempted rape experienced it for the first time between the ages of 11 and 17
- About one in four male victims of completed or attempted rape first experienced it between the ages of 11 and 17
This means that there is an unfortunately high likelihood that some you know, someone you are friends with and someone that you love has experienced sexual assault. You also might be someone who has experienced sexual assault. So, if you have struggled with either how to tell people or with how people have responded to learning what has happened to you, this episode is for you.
This week, Daysha invites sexuality journalist and former high school classmate, Katie W. Simon on the podcast to discuss her new book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault, as well as how we can all be a better support system to our besties that have experienced sexual assault.
Katie W. Simon is a sexuality journalist who studied creative writing at NYU, Columbia, and the University of East Anglia. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the anthology, Anatomy of Silence. Her first book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault, offers a positive approach to healing based on empathy and community from the stories of sexual assault survivors themselves. The book aims to provide the understanding and the tools for survivors to navigate their trauma and to cultivate the sex lives they desire and deserve. It will be published this year on July 29th and you can pre-order it at the links below. She currently lives in Texas with her dog, Babka.
Pre-Order Here:
- Amazon (As an Amazon Associate, Daysha earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases)
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop.org
- Your local bookstore
To connect with Katie:
IG: @Katiewsimon
BlueSky: @katiewsimon.bsky.social
Substack: https://katiewsimon.substack.com/
Website: https://www.katiewsimon.com/
RESOURCES:
- Want to hear new episodes 2 days early? Subscribe to our Patreon!
- Looking for someone to talk to about this week’s episode? Join our exclusive Facebook group!
- Level up yourself + your adult friendships through more tips, explanations, advice and strategies on the Yes Queen YouTube Channel!
- For news, updates and more insights on how to create stronger adult friendships, join the Yes Queen email list.
CONNECT:
Daysha Veronica
IG/Threads: @DayshaVeronica
TikTok: @DayshaVeronica
BlueSky: @DayshaVeronica
Yes Queen
IG/Threads: @YesQueenLife
TikTok: @YesQueenLife
BlueSky:@YesQueenLife
CREDITS:
Producer: Becky Harris
Executive Producers: Daysha Veronica, Bailey Murphy
If you like what you hear, don’t forget to subscribe, and leave us a 5 star...
Previous Episode

EP 25: What Does It Mean To Be A Girl's Girl in 2025? FT. Becky Harris
With it being the beginning of March, which ushers in Women's History Month and International Women's Day, Daysha decided to chat with her favorite feminist bestie, Becky Harris, on what it means to be a "girl's girl" in 2025.
How are we actually showing up for and supporting women in an intersectional way in 2025? What are we trying to communicate when we say another woman is a girl’s girl? And are there ways in which we weaponize this phrase to silence other women?
REFERENCES:
https://chaninicholas.com/your-guide-to-venus-retrograde-in-aries-and-pisces/
https://www.tiktok.com/@nobodyspecialforreal/video/7463567166127000878?lang=en
https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristenharris1/do-you-think-these-celebrities-are-girls-girls
RESOURCES:
- Want to hear new episodes 2 days early? Subscribe to our Patreon!
- Looking for someone to talk to about this week’s episode? Join our exclusive Facebook group!
- Level up yourself + your adult friendships through more tips, explanations, advice and strategies on the Yes Queen YouTube Channel!
- For news, updates and more insights on how to create stronger adult friendships, join the Yes Queen email list.
CONNECT:
Daysha Veronica
IG/Threads: @DayshaVeronica
TikTok: @DayshaVeronica
BlueSky: @DayshaVeronica
Yes Queen
IG/Threads: @YesQueenLife
TikTok: @YesQueenLife
BlueSky:@YesQueenLife
CREDITS:
Producer: Becky Harris
Executive Producers: Daysha Veronica, Bailey Murphy
If you like what you hear, don’t forget to subscribe, and leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Next Episode

EP 27: Bromance, Adventure and A Journey of Understanding to the Middle East FT. Miles Spencer
Do you think your friendship would be able to survive an 1,100 mile trek through the deserts of the Middle East? Or that you’d both be able to write a book about it together afterwards?
This week, Daysha sits down with Miles Spencer, half of the writing duo behind the Amazon bestseller, A Line in the Sand. They discuss how Spencer and his “adventure bestie,” Wells Jones, sought to better understand the Middle East for themselves in a post-9/11 world after reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawerence.
Inspired by Lawrence’s ability to translate his experience and understanding of the Middle East to the westerners of his time, Spencer and Wells not only take up his journey mapped out in Seven Pillars IRL, but they also go on the journey of a lifetime–writing a historical fiction novel together. And it is through both of these journeys that they hope to lead readers of our time to a deeper understanding of the Middle East, and the complex ways in which decisions of the past still continue to haunt the present.
Miles Spencer is a curious guy from Pittsburgh that asked a lot of questions and strayed a long way from home. He has been a mentor of tech founders for the last 30 years and previously worked as a Venture Principal at Capital Express, hosted MoneyHunt on PBS (which is the Shark Tank before Shark Tank), he has led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea on kayak, and trekked 1,100 miles through the deserts of Saudi, Jordan and Syria–the experience from which his novel, A Line in the Sand, was born and ended up becoming an Amazon Bestseller in the Middle East.
To Connect with Miles:
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesspencer/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/milesspencer
Website: https://milesspencer.com/
REFERENCES (As an Amazon Associate, Daysha earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases):
A Line in the Sand- Paperback, Kindle, Audible
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawerence
Episode 11: How To Deal With Boundary Crossers FT. Calyx Vu-Bui
RESOURCES:
- Want to hear new episodes 2 days early? Subscribe to our Patreon!
- Looking for someone to talk to about this week’s episode? Join our exclusive Facebook group!
- Level up yourself + your adult friendships through more tips, explanations, advice and strategies on the Yes Queen YouTube Channel!
- For news, updates and more insights on how to create stronger adult friendships, join the Yes Queen email list.
CONNECT:
Daysha Veronica
IG/Threads: @DayshaVeronica
TikTok: @DayshaVeronica
BlueSky: @DayshaVeronica
Yes Queen
IG/Threads: @YesQueenLife
TikTok: @YesQueenLife
BlueSky:@YesQueenLife
CREDITS:
Producer: Becky Harris
Executive Producers: Daysha Veronica, Bailey Murphy
If you like what you hear, don’t forget to subscribe, and leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen to podcasts!
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